A Month of Winter Chapter 1: The 'Beast' of Hinata House by Mr. Lee (And hopefully several other authors)
An interactive Dark Love Hina story inspired by events in Love Hina Manga Volume 7, chapter 58. I start the story while other authors finish it. Rated T for some language and angst.
Disclaimer: This fanfiction is for entertainment purposes only. The author of this fanfiction does not own Love Hina or any of its characters. Love Hina is owned by Ken Akamatsu. Any other similarities in this fanfiction are purely coincidental.
Author notes: Hello LH fans, Mr. Lee is here with an experimental LH story that was in my archives, but with a different twist to it. As some of my fellow authors and fans know, I love a good story. But one thing I haven't read in a while is an interactive story. Now I'm not talking about voting for pairings and what not. I'm talking about a story that has one person start it, but someone else finishes it, like you see in those campfire stories. So I decided to put this story up and see how all of you think of the idea, since most people like my experimental stuff.
Now this story will be a dark LH story, the inspiration of which came to me from two parts of the Love Hina manga. The first was which Akamatsu mentioned that in the early stages of creating the series, Keitaro was originally going to evict all the residents of Hinata House and sell it (I kid you not.). The second part of my inspiration came from Volume 7 in Hinata 58; My papa is a ronin stone.
In case some of you may have forgotten, this part of the series is where everyone accused Keitaro of sleeping with Mutsumi when she ended up naked in his futon. This is without a doubt, one of the chapters that I hated the most, especially in regards to Naru. Not only because she considered the entire incident 'petty' when she found out the truth from Haruka (I laughed at that since she's the one who instigated everything.), but she never even apologized to Keitaro at all, despite all that she and the girls did to him that day without giving him a chance to explain (What else is new?). The worse part of it, in my opinion, was that she had the nerve to kiss Keitaro at the end! Now even though it was a nice moment, it doesn't change the fact that she promised Mutsumi last chapter not to take any unfair advances on him until after the exams, which if you paid attention, made Naru ultimately break the promise that she so vehemently accused Mutsumi of doing. All in all, it ultimately made the temperamental brunette a hypocrite, intentionally or not, making the whole damn episode leave a seriously bad taste in my mouth, on several levels. And it helped make the feelings of dislike I have for the brunette today.
In any case, I decided to make all the women of Hinata pay for that in this story as their actions in this chapter changes Keitaro forever. This has been in my files for nearly a year since I've been on (And still am on…) indefinite hiatus. But I decided to upload it anyway. Now despite what I said about Naru, I will go easy on her in this chapter I'm making. Furthermore, Keitaro will obviously be OOC, so be prepared. But remember, it'll be up to you authors after that. I'll give all of you details on how this story will play out in my author notes 2. And before I begin, I want to give a special thank you to Black Waltz for that chat we had some time ago. Thanks for the assist and good luck with your work. Now let's get started on this AU tale. Remember, whether or not this story continues will be up to you, in more ways than one. Enjoy :)!
Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned- William Congreve
How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it? - Marcus Aurelius
Chapter 1- The 'Beast' of Hinata House
February 15th. The day after Valentine's Day ironically enough, was a day that would be remembered by all in Hinata House, whether they wanted to or not, especially by our resident landlord Urashima Keitaro. For it was the day he would 'die'. And the ones who would kill him are the ones he worked so hard to please and take care of. Working himself to the point of being a 'slave', or what Naru coined to him recently, a 'beast'.
It all started innocently enough as the young Urashima woke up after a good night's rest.
"I slept like a log." He said to himself with a yawn as he stretched his body. "Oww. What's this lump on my head? Did Naru drop Liddo-kun again?" He thought out loud as he rubbed the sore spot. It was then that he heard slight moaning coming from his side. Turning his head, who should he discover but a very bare Mutsumi under the covers with him. Needless to say, it shocked him to the core.
"Oh…my…God!!" Keitaro shouted out loud, which had the unfortunate effect of waking up a certain brunette upstairs.
"Keitaro, it's too early for your crap." Naru groaned as she wiped the sleepiness from her eyes. When she did, she joined the young man in his eye-wideness. "Kei…Kei…" She sputtered, not finding any other words. A moment later, the rest of the tenants opened his door to see what was wrong.
"Keitaro, what's wrong? Are you dead?!" Kitsune said.
"I'll kill you myself for interrupting my training!" Motoko growled with anger while holding her sword. It was then that they all saw Mutsumi and her state of undress before grabbing one of his towels and wrapping it around herself.
"Oh dear. I seem to have lost my clothes somewhere." Mutsumi said absentmindedly, not even aware of the situation. "Urashima, yesterday was a bit painful." She added with a smile as she waved at him before leaving down the hall, making the older residents eyes pop out of their sockets, Keitaro included. It was silent for another minute before Keitaro looked up and saw fire coming out of the eyes of the girl he cares about.
"You!!" Naru said in a demonic tone at Keitaro.
"Naru, it's not what…" As usual, he never finished his hasty statement as she jumped down the hole and clocked him with a kick knocking him into a wall. "…you think…" He groaned as he peeled off of the wall. It took him a minute to recover, but Keitaro ran out of the room after Naru since she quickly left after punting him. He, along with Kitsune and Motoko, caught up to her just as she started to walk up the stairs back to her room.
"Naru, please hear me out!! I swear to you that I didn't do it! I honestly don't remember what happened last night!!" Keitaro pleaded to her as she kept walking.
"That's easy to explain. You got drunk and had your way with Mutsumi, just like the pervert you are!" Naru said spitefully with her head turned upward.
"No, that's not true! I didn't do anything! All I did was study and go to bed! I honestly don't remember Mutsumi coming in!!" He explained innocently. But naturally, his explanation was taken out of context by the two anti-male women.
"If you can't remember something like that, then lay off the sauce and keep your pants on!!" The brunette said as she and Motoko sent him flying out of the window once more. Once they did that, they went outside and dragged him in, all of the girls quickly deciding to 'judge' him for his 'crimes'.
"So are you ready to fess up and take responsibility for your actions?" Kitsune asked as the 'prosecutor' in the case.
"Responsibility? For what?!" Keitaro asked back as he was tied up and hanging from the ceiling with a few bruises from Naru and Motoko.
"First of all, as our landlord, you have a responsibility to us, your residents, to explain your actions last night. And second, you have a responsibility to Mutsumi's stolen chastity." The fox woman explained.
"Why won't anyone listen to me?! I didn't do anything!" The ronin pleaded once more.
"Urashima, your actions are unforgivable! The time has come for me to strike you down once and for all!!" The kendo girl said as she pointed her sword at him.
"Motoko, I swear on my grandfather's grave that I'm innocent!" He said in a panicked voice.
"Hey, what's this mark? Lookie, he's got a hickey on his neck!" Su said as she pulled down his pajama collar and pointed to his neck.
"That's not a hickey! Tama-chan bit me there. That's how she asks for food in the morning." Keitaro told the foreign blond.
"Is that true Tama-chan?" Kitsune inquired as she turned to the hot springs turtle. With a simple 'Myuh.', the turtle shakes his flipper. "Looks like Tama-chan is denying your claim." She said.
"What?!" The landlord said with a stunned expression as Naru stared at him with a vicious glare. "Why are you giving me the evil eye? I told you, I'm innocent!!" He shouted, even though a part of him knew it was in vain.
"If they were sleeping naked on the same futon, then that means…" Shinobu started to say as tears started to form in her eyes.
"Shinobu, I wasn't naked! I swear to you, I would never…" He started to explain, but it fell on deaf ears as she started to cry and run away.
"N…NOOO! How could you Sempai!!" The young girl sobbed as she ran away from him, which made him lower his head in sorrow.
'Not even Shinobu believes me. No one cares about my side or is even bothering to listen to me. Just like always…' Keitaro thought depressingly.
"The evidence is against you. Admit your guilt and your death will be quick." Naru said in a surprisingly serious voice as she cracked her knuckles.
"Naru, please…do you have any faith in me? Any at all?" The landlord asked in a soft voice as tears stung his eyes, visibly hurt that the girl that meant the world to him didn't trust him at all.
"Why would I have faith in a sexually deranged creep with no morals?" She asked back, her illogical temper having a full grip on her as she prepared to administer his punishment.
"Naru…" He said in a broken voice. But just as the 'trial' was about to end, Mutsumi suddenly shows up.
"Um…Urashima? Do you have a moment?" Mutsumi questioned as she peeked into the room.
"Mutsumi!! You're a life saver! Please, can you tell everyone here about what happened last night?" Keitaro requested in a begging voice.
"Oh…I'm so sorry but…Urashima…Narusegawa…M-My…my test came back positive." The watermelon girl said with a deep blush. Keitaro eyes almost fell out of the sockets at that statement. Any more talking of his innocence was officially thrown out the window over Mutsumi's 'confession'. All of the girls that remained looked at him with pure and unadulterated anger which was coated with a dose of hatred.
"Urashimaaa! Prepare to die!!" Motoko shouted as she ran towards the tied up landlord, ready to finish him off, only to be stopped by a hand.
"No." Naru said in a strangely quiet tone as she walked up to him calmly with her head down. When she reached the young man, she smiled at him, which made his blood turn cold. Because this was no ordinary smile, it was a smile that lacked any warmth in it. A smile that would mean doom to anyone who saw it. It was a smile he would never forget for the rest of his days.
"Naru…don't. I'm begging you. I didn't do anything. I lo-" Keitaro started to say, but it was all for naught.
"I hope you drop dead, slime ball!" The brunette told him coldly as she hit him with her most powerful Naru punch, which completely shattered the roof.
"Whoa!" Sarah said with wide eyes.
"Looks like a new record!" Su said with a smile.
"You said it! I wonder if he'll break the lower orbit this time." Kitsune said with her foxy grin, making everyone laugh.
Meanwhile, the landlord of Hinata House was flying through the air. The only exception this time around was that tears were flying out of his eyes. Tears of hurt, pain and betrayal. Once again, he was abused by the girls he swore he would protect and do anything for in order to make them happy. Despite every slash, punch, crack or burn he received, he forgave them for every action against them. But they rarely, if ever, returned the favor. In their mind, he was always guilty, regardless of innocence. And it hurt him more than they ever realized.
But he was about to discover a new level of pain, for as he turned around to brace himself for landing, he discovered to his horror that he was heading directly to a window and glass factory warehouse. He tried to slow his descent as he came closer and closer to the panes of glass, but there was nothing he could do since he was still tied up. He knew that his 'immortality' wouldn't help him this time. And with a crash, he fell through numerous glass panes, his screams of agony ringing throughout the factory.
Two hours later- Café Hinata
"You've gotta be kidding?! Mutsumi's sleeping habits are that bad?!" Naru yelled as she talked with Haruka, omitting certain details of what happened this morning.
"Yep. She wakes up looking for the bathroom and ends up taking a nose dive down the stairs. I shouldn't be surprised if you told me that she fell through that hole in your room." Haruka replied while rubbing her chin.
'It…It's more than possible. There was that bit of cloth I found…and Liddo-kun was in Keitaro's room…' The brunette thought as she finally started to think logically. "I feel so silly now. Maybe I should have listened to Keitaro after all. That'll teach me to jump to conclusions." She said with a chuckle. The café owner raised an eyebrow at her in confusion over what she was talking about, but she didn't get the chance to ask about it as the phone started to ring. Getting up from her chair, Haruka went over to get it.
"Hello. Hinata Café." Haruka responded in her calm voice. She quietly listened at the voice over the phone for a half a minute before her eyes opened wide with shock and horror. "WHAT?! When?!" She said frantically as she grabbed a pad and pen and started scribbling. "Alright, I'm on my way!" She finished as she slammed the receiver, ripped the paper she scribbled on from the pad and ran to get her jacket.
"What's wrong Haruka?" Naru asked with concern over the normally calm woman's haste.
"It's Keitaro! He's been gravelly injured! He's at the hospital getting emergency surgery!" The café owner explained. As soon as she finished, the brunette turned pale. Being the sharp woman that she is, Haruka picked up on it and the gears in her mind started to churn after remembering some of the incidents involving the two. And if the little of what the brunette told her was enough to go on, she could easily figure out the possible results. "Naru, you know something about this, don't you?" She asked with a slight growl as a bit of fire appeared in her eyes.
"H-Haruka, I-I can e-explain…" The young woman started to stammer as the older Urashima walked up to her.
"I want some answers, little girl…NOW!" She roared as she hovered above her. Knowing that lying was not an option, Naru gulped and spilled her guts, revealing everything that happened this morning. When she discovered the truth, Haruka closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she turned away from the frightened girl.
"Haruka…?" Naru said cautiously, surprised that she didn't start to waylay into her.
"Naru, I want you to go back to the house. Tell everyone there, including Mutsumi, not to go anywhere until I return." Haruka requested in a quiet voice which held barely contained rage.
"Wait Haruka, I'm coming with…!" The young woman started to say as she sat up from her chair only to have Haruka grab her by her shoulders and forcefully sit her back down in the chair.
"Read my lips. Go back to the house, and wait until I return. Understand?" The café owner said a few inches from Naru's face, this time her voice taking on a dangerously warning tone.
"Yes Haruka." She squeaked, realizing that she was on thin ice. Haruka released her and opened the door, pointing her finger outside. Naru quickly got the message and headed out the door and back to the house, keeping her eyes away from the enraged aunt of Urashima Keitaro. Once Naru was heading back up the stairs, she locked the shop and quickly drove off in her van to see her wounded nephew.
Hinata Hospital- Fifteen Minutes later
It didn't take long for Haruka to make it to the hospital, despite nearly breaking the speed limit five times. After parking the van, she immediately headed to the area where the person on the phone told her to go. Once she was there, she grabbed a nurse and asked for information. Once she got it, she went to the Intensive Care Unit to find out her nephew's status. She was told that he was still in surgery and she would have to wait until it was over. It would take five hours more before it was finally done, which made the chain smoker wish for some nicotine to calm her nerves. Finally, the doctor in charge of Keitaro's surgery came to speak to her.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Are you Urashima Haruka?" The doctor inquired.
"Yes I am. How is my nephew doing, doctor?" Haruka asked with deep worry as she looked at him. The doctor turned his head away slightly, a grim expression crossing his features. "Please Doctor! Please tell me the truth!" She said in a strong voice while standing up.
"From what the paramedics gave in their preliminary report, Urashima Keitaro had fallen through numerous panes of windows and glass at a factory while he was tied up with a strong rope. But before he went unconscious, he told someone his name when he called out for help. That's how we were able to get in touch with you from his medical files in the database since he labeled you as an emergency contact. There were so many pieces imbedded in and out of his body that in all honesty, it was a miracle for him to even survive. Fortunately, we managed to remove all of the glass fragments and he is now in stable condition. But I'm afraid that there was so much damage done to his body that from head to toe, he will be permanently scarred and disfigured." The doctor explained fatalistically.
"No…" The woman gasped as she covered her mouth with her hand.
"That's not all, I'm afraid. You see, even though we were able to remove all of the glass fragments from his body, some of them deeply penetrated his skin. Unfortunately, it severed an irreparable number of nerves in his legs and lower spinal column." He said.
"What are you saying?" She asked with fear.
"I'm afraid your nephew will be paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of his life. He will never walk again." He replied with his voice full of regret. It was at that point that Urashima Haruka, one of the strongest and coolest members of the family fell back down in her chair and covered her face as she started to cry. The doctor frowned, but remained silent as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
'Oh Kami. Why did I let this happen…? I knew they were rough on him sometimes, but I never thought…I'm such a horrible person…' Haruka thought in her grief, remembering all the times she had punished him just for calling her 'aunt'. "Can I see him…?" She choked as she looked up at the doctor while wiping her eyes.
"He's been given a sedative for the pain, but yes, as long as you're quiet." He replied as he guided her to the young man's room. Once there, Haruka walked in quietly to see a sleeping Keitaro, his whole body covered in bandages, with numerous tubes sticking out of him, the only sound coming from his heart monitor. If one had the nerve to laugh, someone would take this as one of Dr. Frankenstein's experiments.
The beautiful woman looked at him with a morose filled visage, her own guilt increasing for neglecting Keitaro's wellbeing and the times she hurt him so callously. She stood there silently for another five minutes, keeping her distance from him as if she didn't deserve to touch him or comfort him. Then she silently walked out of the room, knowing that visiting hours would be over shortly.
"I'll be back tomorrow. Please do everything you can for him, and call me if anything happens." Haruka requested softly to the doctor without looking at him.
"Of course. My condolences over what happened to your nephew." He said sincerely.
"Save it for him. I don't deserve them." She told him cryptically as she walked to the elevator.
Hinata House- An hour later
Taking her time to drive back home in order to steady her nerves and dry her tears, Haruka finally made it back to the house. After parking the van, she climbed up the stairs, praying to Kami not to do anything she'll regret later, no matter how much she wanted to at that moment. She opened the door and saw a hole in the roof, which made her realize that this is probably where Naru punched him. Seeing the hole only infuriated her more than she needed to be at this moment. But she buried it inside of herself for now. The time for releasing her anger would have to wait.
"EVERYONE DOWNSTAIRS! HOUSE MEETING!" Haruka shouted uncharacteristically. Within a couple of minutes, everyone came downstairs, not only because their former housemother called, but after what Naru told them, they wanted to know what happened to Keitaro as well. "Sit down." She said once everyone was here.
"Haruka, have you heard any news on Keitaro?" Naru asked with concern.
"What do you care? It's not like any of you give a damn." The café owner said coldly as she sat down, making everyone flinch at the frigidness in her voice. "What the hell were all of you thinking? Do you think it's funny to hurt and put down my nephew? Did all of you have a good laugh when you sent him flying today?" She asked as she glared at all of them. None of them dared to look at her, knowing the awful answer to that question. "I thought so." She said bitterly.
"Haruka, Mutsumi told us everything. W-We just thought…" Motoko started to explain.
"Quiet, kendo girl!" She snarled at her, causing the warrior to shrink in her seat. "Mutsumi, what compelled you to say all that? Even after Keitaro asked you to clear things up?" She asked with an increased glare at the woman from Okinawa. Mutsumi lowered her head in disgrace. After finding out what happened to Keitaro from Naru, it cleared up her 'absentmindedness' quickly, so to speak.
"I…didn't mean to cause any trouble for Keitaro. I was just talking about my math tests and how I fell down into his room on his head. I guess everyone misunderstood…" She replied sheepishly.
"That is the understatement of the year." Haruka said sarcastically, making the watermelon girl lower her head further. "Mutsumi, go down to the café and get your things from your room. You'll be staying in one of the spare rooms here. I can't have you under my roof right now." She told her, making everyone quietly gasp. Not even bothering to raise her head, she nodded quietly and went out the door.
"As for the rest of you, you have no idea how pissed off I am at all of you! What would Granny think if she saw what you do and say to Keitaro every day? None of you do half the things he does in this house in order to make all of you happy! And because you all thought he slept with Mutsumi, you all condemn him?!? Even if that actually happened, Keitaro and Mutsumi are both adults! And it's not any of your damn business what they do together, regardless of your personal feelings!" She bellowed while looking at Naru, daring her to say anything. The brunette almost did, but held back, knowing that she could possibly be sent to orbit herself. Especially after what she was planning to say.
"W-Well, you're right Haruka. We were wrong for what we did. We'll apologize to Keitaro when we see him at the hospital." Kitsune said sincerely, but Haruka swiftly turned her head to her, anger still carved hard into her features.
"None of you aren't going anywhere near him until he gets back here." She declared without hesitation.
"What do you mean? What's happened to Sempai?" Shinobu asked, finally finding her voice.
"I'll tell you in a minute. But first, Naru, front and center!" Haruka said. Making a visible gulp, Naru meekly walked up to the now standing Haruka. Once the brunette was in front of her, Haruka clenched her fist and with a speed not even Motoko herself could see, Haruka gave the girl a barely restrained slap to her face. The others tried to get up, but the woman's trademark glare kept them in their seats. Though Haruka held a lot back on the hit, it was definitely felt by the young woman.
"Haruka…I…" Naru started to say with tears in her eyes as she held her now swollen red cheek.
"Not a word Naru. There is not a damn thing you can do or say that won't make things worse. Because it's taking everything I have not to seriously hurt you for what you did to Keitaro." The older Urashima said with a shaking fist at her side.
"…I think you two would make a cute couple, I said. I'll take the punishment for that, and for all the wrongs I said and did to him that caused him pain. But I will never forgive or forget what all of you did to him. You want to know what happened to Keitaro. I'll tell you. Because of what you all did, he landed in a window and glass factory at the edge of town. The doctors, who operated on him for six hours straight were able to remove all the glass that was in and out of his body. But because of you all acting like stupid, man-hating, self-righteous bitches, not only is Keitaro scarred and disfigured for life, he will never walk again!!" She bellowed as her tears started to pour from her eyes against her will.
Everyone stood there in stunned silence at the revelation that Haruka had just revealed to him. And the fact that each and every one of them were responsible for it only made the sickness they started to feel in their stomachs even worse.
"So I hope all of you enjoyed your laughter at his expense. I hope you all take pride in knowing that you ruined the life of the man who, like all of you, wanted to make his dreams come true. But unlike all of you, was willing to help and care for you as your landlord and your friend." Haruka finally finished. She looked at all of them and noticed that most had their heads lowered and were crying silently.
"Is Keitaro…is he going to be alright?" Kitsune asked cautiously, her throat hoarse from her crying.
"He's in stable condition. I'll be talking to the doctor tomorrow. But right now, I want all of you to put something warm on and get your ass to the roof to fix this ceiling, NOW." She ordered as they quickly got to their feet and ran to their rooms to comply with it, their thoughts on the now scarred landlord on their minds. Some thinking about him a lot more than they care to admit.
Two weeks later
After the roof was fixed, the house became deathly silent as the girls ate quietly and went to bed, none of them speaking to one another for two weeks. The only thing on their minds being Keitaro and the unforgivable mistakes they made to him. Haruka went to the hospital to speak to the doctor the next day. She tried to visit her nephew once he regained consciousness, but the doctor and nurses informed her that he refuses to speak to anyone and wanted no visitors, not even from his family. She was hurt by his response, but not surprised as she respected his wishes.
Two more weeks later, after his reconstructive surgery was complete and he received his medication for the pain, he was finally sent home. As Haruka and Keitaro drove home, the café owner tried to converse with her nephew.
"So Keitaro, how are you feeling?" Haruka asked in a soft and neutral tone. The young man made no reply, simply turning to look at her with his blank disfigured face. The beautiful woman turned to look at her nephew's face and tried to smile at him. But it faltered slightly as she saw all the permanent scars that marred them now. Unfortunately, this did not go unnoticed to the young man as he turned away from her, pulling his hood more until his face was completely covered. All she could do was frown and keep her eyes on the road. The rest of the ride continued silently.
Thirty minutes later- Hinata House
Finally, they made it to the house. After Haruka parked the van, she placed Keitaro in his wheelchair and rolled him to the house via a path that was used for the handicapped when the house was a hotel. Once they reached the top, they went inside. Since it was early in the afternoon, all the girls were out including Kitsune who was on a freelance job.
"Can you take me to my room?" Keitaro requested in a subdued and hoarse voice. Haruka nodded and rolled him into his room. Once inside, he asked for the personal paperwork on each of the girls.
"Why are you looking at this, Keitaro?" Haruka asked with curiosity as he looked at each of their profiles carefully, his hood still covering his face.
"I'm having an important house meeting tonight after dinner." He replied cryptically in a serious tone.
"You just got home. Shouldn't you rest tonight?" The café owner recommended.
"I can rest later. I have a lot to say and I need to say it to everyone tonight." The landlord replied with conviction.
'Hmm…I have a bad feeling about this.' She thought with dread. "Alright Keitaro. You're the landlord. Just don't do anything rash." She told him.
"Don't worry. By the time I done, everyone will finally hear what I have to say." He said with a laugh. But the laugh was so cold; it chilled his steel willed aunt to the bone.
Later in the evening
Keitaro stayed in his room for the rest of the day, quietly looking over all of the important papers in the house. He told Haruka to tell the girls not to disturb him or try to see him in any way and that he would see them at the meeting tonight. Haruka complied with his request by deflecting the girls attempt at seeing their landlord when they found out he was home, in particular Su and Sarah. She even barred Naru from entering her room, since she can access Keitaro's room from the hole in her own room.
After dinner was eaten, with Keitaro eating in his room, they all gathered in the dining room and awaited their landlord and his important announcement. Five minutes later, Haruka wheeled Keitaro into the room, a stack of papers in his lap and his hood still covering his face.
"Is that you, Sempai?" Shinobu asked as she stood up first followed by the others.
"Yes. It's me." Keitaro replied.
"Welcome home Sempai!" The young chef squealed joyfully as her and the other girls started to run to him.
"GET BACK!" The young man shouted in a choleric tone, freezing all of them in their tracks. "Don't come near me, any of you. Just sit back down." He requested in an abnormally harsh voice. All the girls looked at him, completely stupefied at not only what he said, but how he said it. The room was silent for a moment before everyone finally sat back down. "Now then. I have a lot to say, so please don't interrupt me. In the near month I was in the hospital, I've had a lot of time to think. About my life, my dreams, this house and all of you." He started to say, saying the last part frigidly, making everyone cringe.
"Keitaro, wait!" Naru called out.
"Naru, why can't you listen to me just once?! I told you not to interrupt me!" Keitaro said angrily.
"I know Keitaro. It's just that…there's something I want to say on behalf of all of us." The brunette said softly with her hands clasped together.
"And what's that?" He asked. The young woman looked at the others and nodded. The girls nodded back as if telling her to go ahead. Taking a deep breath, she started to speak.
"Keitaro…I…I mean, we made a very big mistake. We understand if you're angry at us. That you may even hate us right now. But we want you to know that we're truly sorry for what we've done. I know that it won't change anything. That it won't heal your legs or your body. But we promise you, right here and now, that we'll treat you better from now on. We care about you Keitaro, and we're here for you." Naru decreed, the rest of the girls nodding in agreement. Keitaro was silent for a few minutes, and the girls sighed in relief, thinking that their landlord had once again forgiven them. That is, until he started to laugh icily.
"Are you done?" He asked in a cold tone, making everyone gasp. "You think that apologizing is going to make things go back to the way they were? That an empty promise I know none of you will keep for a week is going to take away the pain that I'm going to feel for the rest of my life? Well?" He asked as he looked at all of them. Each of the young women turned their heads away, not able to respond. "That's what I thought. But you want to know the funniest part of your 'apology' is? It was given to me by the one who told me to 'drop dead'." He said with a bitter chuckle as he looked at Naru.
"Keitaro…I didn't mean…" Naru choked.
"SHUT UP!" He roared at the brunette, making her gasp. "I'm a four-year ronin now. I'll be a paraplegic for the rest of my life. And my body is so disfigured that not even I can recognize it! And the people I have to thank for ruining my life are the ones who suddenly care about me?!! Don't make me laugh!" Keitaro shouted.
"I gave everything I had to all of you! My time, my help, even my money! EVERYTHING! I believed in all of you! And none of you, not even once, could do the same for me…?" He spoke quietly at the end. "I was nothing but a slave to all of you. A toy to be used up, tossed around and thrown away! A stupid beast to beat up whenever you wanted to!" He accused, his words carrying as much venom as possible.
"No! That's not true, Sempai!" Shinobu cried.
"Then why did you run away and let this happen?!" Keitaro countered as he turned to her, making her gasp. "Even you Shinobu. Every time they beat down on me, you did nothing but stand there or run away from me crying, thinking I was the 'pervert' they always said I was. Even when we made up on your birthday, you ran away and left me out to dry. I always had faith in you and did everything I could to protect you and help you when you felt lonely or hurt. Why couldn't you do that for me? In my eyes, that makes you just as guilty as them, even if you didn't lay a hand on me…" He said harshly. The blue haired girl lowered her head in sorrow, knowing as painful as it sounded, what Keitaro said was true.
"I know that I was clumsy and I made mistakes back when I first came here. So I tried my hardest to make up for all of that by being the best landlord I can be. Anything that any of you asked of me, I did. And all I wanted from you girls was a little respect, and your friendship. But despite the times all of you hurt me; I forgave you and hoped for the best. Hoping that my dreams of going to Tokyo U, of being happy with all of you here as my precious friends, and having someone to love me would come true. But all of that's over now. I've had enough. I can't take anymore pain in my life than I already have…" He said as he took a few deep breaths.
"Therefore, I have decided as the landlord and owner of Hinata House that, in one month's time, all of you will be leaving the Hinata apartments…for good." The landlord decreed, without the slightest bit of hesitation. Everyone eyes widened in shock and disbelief at Keitaro's proclamation, Haruka included. Not believing or expecting him to say something like this.
"You're going to kick us all out?!" Sarah asked incredulously.
"That's right. All of you have hurt me, used me, abused me and laughed at me for the last time. It's time I acted like a real landlord." He answered calmly.
"You…you can't do that!" Motoko exclaimed, thinking of the first words that came to mind.
"Yes I can. Since I'm the landlord and the owner, I have every right to do it." Keitaro retorted. All the girls turned to look at Haruka for answers…and salvation.
"Sorry everyone. Keitaro is right. Not even Granny can overrule him." Haruka simply explained in a hopeless.
"One more thing. If any harm comes to me in any way, shape or form, the person or persons responsible will be arrested and charged to the fullest extent of the law." The young man swore. All of them cringed and flinched after hearing that. But Keitaro didn't care as he rolled out of the room.
Everyone stood there in stunned silence for several minutes. As they absorbed everything that Keitaro had said, they realized a horrible truth. They had 'killed' the Keitaro that they knew. The Keitaro they laughed with, studied with, had fun with, and became a family with was gone. And it was their fault. The straw had finally broken on the kind-hearted, forgiving and patient camel's back. And in one month, their family would be split apart forever by the one who brought them together.
Naru was the first to snap out of the stupor that Keitaro put them in and decided to run after the young man she hurt so much.
"Keitaro, wait a minute! I need to talk to you!" She said as she caught up with him just as he was opening his door.
"There's nothing for us to talk about, Narusegawa." He said with his head turned away from her.
"Yes there is! How can you do this to us? Where will we go? Don't you care anymore!?" The fiery brunette shouted.
"How can I do this?!" The young Urashima questioned incredulously. "Did any of you care about me when I told you I was innocent that day? Did any of you care where I went when you or someone else knocked me out of the house? Did any of you care how I felt each and every time all of you did that to me?!" He badgered her in an incensed tone.
"But…you could have said something." Naru said weakly. Keitaro let out a laugh filled with sarcasm.
"Really? And since when have any of you ever listened to me? After all, knowing you, you would have said 'Don't make excuses baka (idiot)!' before hitting me again." He said, mimicking her voice at the end. The young woman bit her lip hard, making it draw blood, knowing deep in her heart that that's exactly what would have happened.
"Keitaro…please. Please don't do this…" Naru begged as she fell to her knees in front of him and wrapped her arms around him. "I know I hurt you. I caused you all of this pain and I don't deserve forgiveness for it. You can hate me and curse me. You can even hit me! I'll do anything you want! Just please…don't take it out on them." She sobbed, praying that he would forgive them one last time. Without even flinching, Keitaro simply pushed her off of him and turned his wheelchair away from her.
"Sorry, but I have no more forgiveness or pity left in me for any of you. I used it all up while lying in that bed, screaming in pain and crying myself to sleep in that hospital. The Keitaro that loved you and cared for the people in this house has 'dropped dead', just like you wanted. Just like all of you wanted. And in a month, I'll never have to see any of you again. I look forward to that day." He said coldly and without remorse.
Naru's eyes widened in shock and horror at hearing what this 'new' Keitaro had to say. But what shocked and horrified her more was when he took his hood off of his head and looked at her in the face. What she saw would make her regret her actions for the rest of her days as she covered her mouth with her hand. His hair was completely gone and his disfigured face and head were covered with multiple scars and abrasions that not even reconstructive surgery could fix or time could heal.
"Are you surprised, Narusegawa? Shocked to see my horrible, disgusting face? Why should you be? After all, each and every one of you did this to me." He said with bitterness. "But you know what? All of you, including my own family who kicked me out and lead me to this place, are more disgusting than I ever will be. And that, strangely enough, gives me comfort." He told her as he looked at her with compassionless eyes.
"Keitaro…" Naru said weakly as tears started to fall down her face.
"I will never forgive or forget what all of you did to me. I don't want to see any of you. I don't want to know any of you. And I don't want to care about any of you. Now get out of my way…" He said in an emotionless voice as he pulled his hood back over his face.
At that moment, Narusegawa Naru felt a hurt she had never felt before in her life. A hurt she strangely knew Keitaro felt from her. With her tears falling bigger and faster, she covered her face with her hands and ran up the stairs, wailing as she went. The young man didn't even bother to look at her or acknowledge her as he rolled into his room and shut the door behind him. What he didn't realize was that his aunt was at the bottom of the stairwell, witnessing the entire scene.
'Keitaro…I never expected you to change like this. To be so…cold. I do understand how you feel, after everything that happened. But still…' Haruka thought depressingly as she took a drag from her cigarette. 'Mom's not going to like this…' She groaned to herself as she walked away.
Little did she know that once the 'cold' landlord was in his room, he was crying quietly in despair as he looked down at a sketch book on his lap. He stared at a picture he made the night before everything changed. In the picture, he was surrounded by all the girls, each of them with smiles on their faces with a combined cartoon bubble over their heads on the top saying "We love you Keitaro!". A few minutes later, he tore up the sketch and tossed it and the sketchbook out the window, letting the cold night breeze carry it to the unknown.
Though spring has recently begun, Hinata House and all that live in it had begun to experience what would be a month of 'winter'. And it would be a 'winter' that they would possibly spend together for the last time.
Author notes 2- Well, that's pretty much it from me. Since I don't really have time to write or update my work at this time (Sorry my fans :(. I will return at full force someday.), I will leave the rest for other authors to write and, ultimately finish this tale. To make it fair as possible, I will make a forum where you writers can talk amongst yourselves on who will do the next chapter, your contents on the chapters you want to make and so on. Will Keitaro forgive the girls and his family? Will he ultimately evict them? Will he be a cripple forever? What will the girls do for the month? The fate of how this story ends is now up to you readers and fans.
In the meantime, feel free to read, enjoy and review this chapter to your liking. If there are any problems and you have a question, feel free to PM me. I will answer whenever I can. I only have two rules.
1. Only one author can post one chapter. What I mean is, since I wrote the first chapter, now someone else will write the second chapter. And then a new author will write the third chapter, etc. Ultimately, the authors who visit the forum must agree to this!
2. All authors are allowed to use the dialogue from this chapter and name their own chapters to their liking. But the title must remain the same! That way, when the chapter is uploaded, there will be no confusion for other readers.
Other than that, feel free to go nuts LOL XD. I hope that there will be no problems or difficulties with this. After all, I'm making it this way so that it will be fun and innovative. Please don't make my decision a mistake. Well, that's all from me. I wish you all good luck with this. I will be watching from the shadows. Later for now :).