After All, I am a Monster
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.
It was a warm summer night in the downtown Kyoto. Currently Keitaro Urashima and his tenant Naru Narusegawa were in a popular bar of the hotel they were staying at, hoping to drink their sorrows away. Well, Naru was, Keitaro was just there to make sure she would get back to their apartment safely. Now why was Naru drinking and not Keitaro? Simple really: they both failed the entrance exam to the prestigious Tokyo University.
Failure was nothing new to Keitaro. Oh no, he was quite used to it but he never allowed himself to feel bad or sad about it. Naru on the other hand…. Well, after studying nonstop all four years of high school, avoided having a social life and never having so much as two friends: she believed she could pass the exam just like any other test. Oh how wrong she was.
Keitaro sighed mentally as he watched his friend Naru effortlessly chug down another glass of alcohol.
'Seven glasses down so far. I guess she isn't a lightweight after all.' Keitaro thought to himself.
Just as Naru had finished her glass of alcohol, she began to pour herself another from the provided pitcher the waitress had left behind. It was clear that she was drinking from anger rather than sorrow from how she roughly put down her glass. The clank was a dead giveaway after all.
Deciding to wet his whistle, Keitaro waved his hand in order to signal their waitress that he wanted a beverage, something non-alcoholic. Someone had to be the designated driver…er walker tonight.
Noticing what Keitaro was doing, Naru quickly spoke up "Put. Your. Hand. Down," she said, her voice seething full of anger.
Not wanting to argue Keitaro sighed before he did just that. Naru instantly went back to her drinking.
'Eight glasses down. Must be her anger keeping the alcohol at bay.'
"I don't know why you wanna drink." Naru said as she began to pour the remains of alcohol from the pitcher into her glass. "It's not like you've failed at anything. Oh! That's right; you should be used to failure! YOU FAILED THREE TIMES TO TRY TO GET INTO TODAI!"
Now, Keitaro was never one to get into a fight, especially with a drunk person. As the saying goes; "Don't argue with an idiot, they'll only succeed into brining you down to their level." Instead he did the one thing that was always guaranteed into stopping an argument before it would ever even begin.
"You are absolutely right. I don't deserve to drink." Keitaro replied instantly.
He would agree to whatever the person said to. Regardless of how much it would hurt him.
"YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT I'M RIGHT! IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOU, I WOULD ALREADY BE A TOKYO UNIVERSITY STUDENT!"
Because of her outburst the entirety of the bar was now focused on the two of them. While Keitaro was calm and aloof, Naru was an emotional train-wreck at the moment.
Deep down, Keitaro was actually heartbroken at what his friend was saying to him. Deep down inside of him, he knew it wasn't the alcohol talking. It was all Naru.
"Yeah, you're right," Keitaro replied automatically this time.
"YOU SEE? EVEN YOU KNOW IT'S ALL YOU'RE FAULT! I SHOULD HAVE NEVER WASTED MY TIME IN TRYING TO TUTOR YOU! GOD WHAT WAS I THINKING!"
While he continued to look toward Naru, his head was slowly but surely beginning to look down. Try as he might, there was only so much Keitaro could take from Naru's verbal assault. Words hurt more than sticks and stones ever could.
"I MEAN I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT IF YOU COULDN'T EVEN PASS YOUR FIRST TIME AROUND THERE WAS NO WAY YOU COULD HAVE PASSED YOUR THIRD TIME!"
Keitaro himself knew that he was failure and that is what actually kept him going: the will to succeed. Keitaro wholeheartedly believed that while he may be a failure, he believed that one day he would accomplish a deed so great it would wipe away all his past failures in one fell sweep! Because of Naru, he was beginning to lose that one thing that kept him going.
"I-I Know N-Naru…" Keitaro's shield was beginning to fail him. She just wouldn't stop!
"DO YOU HONESTLY BELIEVE THAT SOME GIRL YOU PROMISED WHEN YOU WERE A KID IS GOING TO REMEMBER PROMISING TO GO TO TODAI WITH YOU?! WELL DO YOU?! BY SOME RANDOM ACT OF GOD SHOULD YOU PASS, YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU GOT INTO TODAI AND SHE SAW YOU…? SHE WOULD BE DISAPPOINTED!"
In the corner of the bar they were drinking at was a man sitting by himself in the corner. His name: Kyoshiro Tohdoh, a recently retired Japanese Colonel. He could tell that by the young boy's posture, the way he kept his head low and covered, and finally the way he was gripping his hands tightly that he would soon snap. He had a knack for being able to tell what a person was going to do or what they were thinking by the way they would carry themselves. However, for some strange reason, he felt as though he knew the boy from somewhere. Yet he just couldn't place where he knew him from. Then it hit him! He knew exactly who the boy was now. Finishing his favorite orange flavored sweet tea, he simply left his money for the bill on the table and towards the only exit and began to wait….
Let it be said that Keitaro Urashima, had pride. Sure he may be a nerd by the social norms, a failure, and to some; a pervert. He had pride just as much as anyone else.
"BY NOW SHE MUST BE CLOSE TO GRADUATING! ONCE SHE FINDS OUT THAT YOU FAILED HER SO MANY TIMES IN THE PAST DO YOU HONESTLY BELIEVE SHE'LL WANT YOU, MUCH LESS EVEN WAIT FOR YOU? BY NOW EVEN SHE MUSH HAVE A BOYFRIEND WHOSE BY FAR EVEN GREATER LOOKING THAT YOU ARE! I MEAN JEEZ, WHY YOU DON'T JUST GIVE UP ALREADY IS BEYOND ME! YOU'LL NEVER BE HAPPY BECAUSE YOU'RE JUST A LOSER! JUST GIVE UP ALREADY!"
The patrons of the bar the two were at were getting angrier by the minute. One minute they were having their drinks, laughing, having a good time and the next the teenage brat was having a hissy fit for not getting into the school she wanted to. Oh, they all knew she was underage. They didn't say anything because they were all focused on having a good time and figured to let her enjoy the joy of alcohol. But that wasn't what was getting them angry. Oh far from it. It was the fact that she was blaming the poor guy wearing the black sunglasses. It struck them as weird that he was wearing sunglasses at night but hey, live and let live right? The more they heard from the raging brunette, the more they became sympathetic towards the poor guy she was berating.
The women of the bar were becoming very emotional right now. The fact that the poor guy was putting up with her meant that he cared very deeply for the scolding girl. It became intense for them knowing that he was trying to go to school based on a promise and not to further his own education or even his future. A promise to his childhood sweetheart *sigh* why couldn't they find a guy that was so determined to keep a promise to them like the man wearing the sunglasses did? The sunglasses he wore worked for him! It gave him a dose of mystery and besides, a little bit of mystery is good for any working relationship.
And… that was it. That was the final straw that broke the camel's back. Instead of getting angry or hell even crying, Keitaro just took it all in stride. What he did next surprised Naru more than anything else.
He took off his sunglasses.
Ever since moving in the Hinata Dormitory, they had never once seen him without his glasses. Even while he slept, Naru would occasionally look down from her room into his and there he was: sleeping dormitoryndly with a pair of black goggles covering his eyes. It made her curious wondering if he was really asleep or was actually watching her from his position.
For the first time in eight months (AN: I can't remember how long the wait was for them to take the exam so I just made up a number) she had finally seen his eyes. Well his right eye anyway. He was using his left hand to cover his left eye for some reason. In truth, she was actually mesmerized by the beautiful shade of lovely brown that were his eye color. His shaggy brown hair actually did him some justice for once.
'W-what's wrong with his eye? Is Keitaro hurt? Oh no… is…is he crying? Why did I say all those mean things to him! Nonononononononononon!'Naru was the tsundere type and she didn't even realize it.
"I know that Naru."
Naru gasped slightly by Keitaro's monotone voice.
"I have always known that."
'What is he talking about? What does he mean he's always known that? Has he-'Naru's train of thought was interrupted by Keitaro who continued to say his peace.
"When I was five years old Naru, my own parents would call me a failure. Everything you have just said is nothing that I am not use to."
Now for the first time, Naru was actually quiet. No one at Hinata Dormitory knew much about their manager and his past. So Naru absorbed everything Keitaro said.
"I realize that I am a failure. I realize that by now my promised girl must be close to graduating and must have found someone who is indeed 'by far even greater looking' than I am. I've accepted that I am a failure."
'Is h-he actually serious? Did he take everything I said to heart?' While Keitaro continued to look towards Naru, Naru herself kept her head down to avoid Keitaro's gaze.
"Until now Naru," Keitaro said as his right eye began to swell with tears, "I've always believed that I could change. I always believed that I could change for the better. But…"
Naru herself began to cry some while ago. If what Keitaro said was true then, she just made things worse for him. 'But what Keitaro…?'
"But now," Keitaro continued as his right eye began to drop fresh made tears, "The one thing I always believed in is nothing more than a lie. I mean, if my best-friend said the same thing my own parents always told me, then…" Keitaro broke off as he more and more tears began to fall from his exposed eye. For right now, he just didn't care if crying was a sign of weakness. For now, for now he has earned his right to cry.
'Wait! After all I've put him through, he considers me his best-friend? When the hell did this happen? For that matter, what did you believe in Keitaro? Please don't tell me I've ruined your own believes!'
"…then it must be true…." Keitaro said as he covered his eyes again with his sunglasses. "I- I don't think we should be friends anymore Narusegawa-san. I'm going to some family I have here. The room is yours." Keitaro said as he walked away from their table toward the bar's front door. Before he left, he went up to the barkeep, intending to pay for Naru and her pitcher of alcohol. Instead the barkeep refused saying that he [Keitaro] didn't have to pay. With that, Keitaro had left the bar and headed straight for the buildings main exit.
Naru was fighting a losing battle with herself. On one hand, she had finally gotten rid of Keitaro and his annoying self and no longer had to worry about him anymore. The other half of her wanted to cry more than anything else and run after him, hell-bent on apologizing to him and convincing him to not give up on his beliefs or their friendship.
'I don't need him! He'll only slow me down and hold me back! Besides, Kitsune is my best-friend.'
'He did something that no one else was able to do: he penetrated your heart and now you need him in your life.'
'I don't need Keitaro! Once I get into TODAI, I'll have Seta and then Keitaro will be a thing of the past!'
'Why not get rid of Kitsune then? Along with Motoko, Su, Shinobu, Haruka and lets not forget: Grandma Hina. After all, once you get Seta, they'll become just like Keitaro: A thing of the past.'
'…'
"Got nothing to say? Huh. That's a first. You use your brain more than you use your mouth. It's not too late for you, you know. Then again, perhaps you have to lose what you never had to realize what you've lost.'
With that Naru stayed sitting down crying silently, her back towards the other patrons.
"You know, that guy deserves a better woman than that." One of the male patrons said.
"Yeah," a woman this time replied, "Cutie like that deserves someone who won't hassle him all the time."
"Oh I know right!" Another woman replied to the first.
Naru was doing the best she could to avoid hearing what the customers were saying about her but to no avail. Instead, she continued to drink from the pitcher the waitress had brought to her while she was ranting on Keitaro.
Feeling the summer night's air was a welcome comfort for Keitaro as he walked out of the hotel he and Naru were staying at. Instead of wanting to feel sorry for himself, he began to walk away from the hotel with no particular destination in mind.
As he began to walk around, Keitaro began to think about recent events in his life.
First of all, his inheritance from his grandmother: Hina Urashima. His inheritance was none-other than the famous Hinata-Dormitory and all its land which was literally half of Hinata City itself! Now, any other man would have been easily ecstatic about coming into such property value. Any other man would have been excited about becoming manager of an all-girls dormitory. Not him.
After being disowned by his parents years ago for not being able to live up to their expectations, Keitaro at the young age of thirteen began to live with his father's brother – Kei Urashima, the man that Keitaro is named after. Now, Kei was far from being a good man. Kei lived his life from doing one bad thing after another. Why his parent's named him after a professional felon, Keitaro had zero idea. After living with the man for a year in his crappy little apartment, Kei had begun to call Keitaro, "Zero." As a result that Keitaro had begun to do horrible in school. Then again, what boy wouldn't do horrible in school after being disowned by his parents?
His time living with his uncle had made him learn a few things. At the top of his head: how to pick a lock, learn the exits of every place you go to, improvise when necessary, tell good cops from bad, and how to use both a knife and gun properly. Younger kids would have been happy to know this. Not Keitaro. Keitaro would have wanted nothing more than to be with his parents.
For the next five years, Keitaro had only two things that kept him sane. One: his childhood promise to his mystery girl and two: the hope that he would someday accomplish a great deed that would wipe away all his failures. The first goal should have been all he needed to survive. In truth, not even Keitaro knew why the second option made him get out of his bed every day. It was just one of those things that you had to go by until the answer would come to you.
'While my folks may want nothing to do with me, I at least still have Aunt Haruka and Grandma Hina at least…'
Keitaro had stopped dead in his tracks when he felt that he was being followed.
Remembering a lesson from his uncle, Keitaro decided to put it to use. Keitaro began to look around in front of him while walking, hoping to find a reflective of some sort to see his follower. He knew immediately that it couldn't be Naru. She was tipsy from the pitcher of alcohol she was drinking so to follow Keitaro, she would have had to overcome the state of nausea she would have been in.
So far he had yet to find a building or car even to give him an edge. So instead, Keitaro did something else to catch his follower. Looking around, Keitaro was fortunate enough to realize that the street was near empty. The only ones on it were himself, elderly couples and his follower from what he could tell.
As Keitaro kept walking, he came to an alleyway and stood still pretending to look for something in his pockets. Through his peripheral vision, Keitaro was able to see that the alleyway was pitch black and had a large dumpster as well as a few trash bins. It was perfect for him!
Continuing to fumble in his pockets Keitaro jerked his arm towards the alley as if he were being pulled in.
"What the-'' Keitaro said, loud enough hopefully for his follower to hear his cry. Then, Keitaro pushed himself, making sure that he was pulled in by. Once in the alleyway, Keitaro took off his shoe and tossed it further in, and then jumped behind the dumpster and began to wait patiently.
Soon enough his follower came through. From what Keitaro could see, his follower went straight for his shoe, probably hoping to get a clue from it.
Before Keitaro jumped out from behind to confront his follower, Keitaro had a flashback of a lesson his uncle had taught him when it came to fighting.
Flashback begins
"Listen up Zero because I'm only gonna say this once got it!" Kei Urashima said to the thirteen year old boy who had fear in his eyes.
"When fighting, there is no such thing as fighting dirty or fighting fair! It's all about survival of the fittest! It doesn't matter what you do so long as you win! Now… come at me!"
"W-won't you get h-hurt Uncle Kei?" Keitaro asked his voice full of concern for his uncle's wellbeing.
His uncle's response was nothing more than a snort and a slight little laugh. "You hurt me Zero? Yeah, that'll be the day. Now come at me! Since I'm in a good mood, I'll give you a hint: Remember to aim low since I'm taller than you."
Keitaro simply nodded and then charged at his uncle. Unfortunately for his short size, Keitaro was unable to get within arms' length of his uncle. Instead his uncle had quickly punched the young boy in the face who quickly fell to the ground.
The young boy stayed on the ground, tears swelling in his eyes. His only comfort came from his own hand on his bruised left cheek. Keitaro let out a slight sob, and wanted to cry but before he could, his uncle had interrupted him.
"DON'T YOU DARE CRY," the forty-five year old man said. "Get up Zero before I punch you even harder than before. We're going to do this until you can at least lay a decent hit on me!"
With that said, young Keitaro quickly got up and did the best he could to stop the tears in his eyes. "Y-yes, Uncle Kei," young Keitaro said, his voice full of pain, and at the same time obedience.
Flashback Ends
Keitaro snapped back to the present and noticed that his follower was on his knee, looking at Keitaro's shoe.
Keitaro slowly and quietly removed his other shoe and began to make his way to the kneeling person. Making his way toward the follower, Keitaro quietly picked up a trash can that was filled with garbage. If he were lucky, Keitaro would whistle, the follower would look at his direction, Keitaro would throw the trash's contents at the man and then the trash can. In doing so the man would go down long enough for Keitaro to hold him down to get information on who the man is and why he was following Keitaro. At least that was his plan.
It didn't work out for Keitaro.
While Keitaro was able to throw the trash's contents at the man, it was nothing more than piles of wet paper. In hindsight, Keitaro should have realized that based on how light the trashcan was. Either way, Keitaro still threw the metallic trashcan at the man only for him to duck and then tackle Keitaro.
Keitaro's plan worked alright just on the wrong person.
Keitaro was now pinned underneath the man, trying with all his might to remove him but to no avail.
"You're trained. Well trained but not greatly Keitaro," the man on top of him asked questioningly.
Thinking of a response, Keitaro could only do the only thing he could think of and answered him. "Well, you know who I am, so what do you want." Keitaro asked his voice full of resentment from his plan not working in his favor.
"I'm surprised that you don't remember me from five years ago boy." The man had said in a gruff voice.
Keitaro knew immediately where this was going… the man who had him in a locked position wanted something from him. "If you're after my uncle, sorry to say but I have nothing to do with him anymore."
The man above him let out a slight chuckle at what Keitaro had said.
"No. I don't want him. I need you. I have a special job for you to perform for me… soldier!"
Keitaro's eye went wide at what the man had just called him. Keitaro had met a lot of different people during his time with his uncle. The majority of them to say the least was bad; scum of the Earth types that didn't deserve to live; at least in Keitaro's own personal opinion. There were times though when Kei would introduce good men and sometimes women to Keitaro. Ones that made him wonder how his criminal uncle knew such outstanding people. There was one man in particular that made a great impression on Keitaro one: Kyoshiro Tohdoh! The man was a legendary figure in the eyes of Keitaro Urashima.
"M-Major Tohdoh!" Keitaro sputtered out.
The man above him merely smirked and then got up from the boy underneath him, extending his hand out to help the young boy up.
"It's 'Colonel' now, well was colonel. I'm retired now Kid."
Keitaro took the offering hand of the man in front of him without hesitation, "Sorry Colonel Tohdoh, it won't happen again sir!"
"Its fine kid; anyway, let's go get a drink somewhere and I'll tell you what I need from you."
Keitaro simply nodded his head and began to follow his idol.
(Hinata-Dormitory same time)
It was just another Friday night over at the Hinata dormitory; the mood was calm and relaxing for all who were present. However for one young girl, it was unbearable. The bluenette paced around the phone, waiting for it to ring. Her stomach was in knots, her mind thinking various thoughts about the man that she loved. Was he safe? Was he hurt? Where was he? Did he eat something?
She began to fumble with her hands in a praying position. Coming from a family of atheists, she was never allowed to pray to any deity but ever since moving to the Hinata dormitory, she gained a great degree of freedom to do what she wanted. In reason of course.
Though she has been living at the dorms for just a few months, she loved every waking minute of it because she would always see the man who made a great difference in her life. The man that was so kind and caring to all, showed nothing but concern for those who everyone, and had a great heart inside of him. She had her first love.
The young girl was deeply in love with Keitaro Urashima but he was in love with the bully Naru. Not that he would ever notice her to begin with. She was seven years younger than he was and she doubted that he would ever give her the time of day. Still, that didn't stop her from spending time with him. Writing stories about how he would realize that she loved him more than anyone else and ask her to become his girlfriend and then later on have a dozen of children just for him and grow old together. For him, the young bluenette would try her hardest to give him the world. For him, there was no limit to what she would do for him.
"Shinobu? Are you still by the phone? It's pretty late you know," said a woman with a sword.
"Y-y-yes Motoko-San," Shinobu said, it still scared the young girl that Motoko carried a dangerous weapon in an age where guns were used.
Motoko smiled just a little before continuing. "Do not worry about Naru-san; she can take care of herself."
In the time that Shinobu had been here, Shinobu knew that Motoko hated men, all men with a strong passion. Not wanting to start a confrontation with the older girl, Shinobu changed her response, "Yes, Motoko-san," she said as she walked towards her room on the second floor near Naru's room.
Shinobu had changed into pajamas which was basically an oversized pink gown that her parents got for her. From there she said her nightly prayer which was focused solely on Keitaro and then went to sleep. He would call her tomorrow. She knew for sure. He would never let her worry if he could help it. With that, she blissfully went to sleep dreaming of none other than her beloved Keitaro.
AN: This is my first "Love Hina" story. If you figured it out, this is an alternate universe story where Keitaro has had nothing but the short end of the stick all his life.