Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Love Hina or any of its characters.
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"Look." Naru massaged her temples on her trek up the steps. She was already tired of the argument, but the fact that it was still ongoing was quickly giving her a headache. "I specifically asked you not to leave a tip. All I'm saying is that she didn't deserve one."
"C'mon… She didn't do anything wrong, Naru." Keitaro held his sigh and reached up to loosen his tie as the front door finally came into sight. "She did a good job and it's not like they get paid a lot." He made his way up the last few steps and was quick to open the door. "It's not like she spilled a drink on you or anything…"
"Oh please," His fiancé wished the split in her dress was a little higher just so her stride could be wider. "She was sneaking peeks at you the whole night! She was going to slip you her number until she saw me reach for your hand and…" She caught the door before it closed behind him. "I could have sworn that a certain someone used to go out of his way to hold the door for me."
"Naru, I'm not exactly a girl magnet if you didn't notice and…" He slipped off his shoes, ignoring the attack on his chivalry as he headed straight for his room. "More importantly, she was watching us so she could refill our drinks."
"If you want to defend her so much then maybe you should have proposed to her instead!"
Keitaro groaned, tilting his head back and letting his hand slide down his face as he stopped at the base of the steps. Before anything else, he loved Naru. He wouldn't have asked her to marry him if he didn't, but there was no reasoning with her when she started talking like that.
"Naru…" He sighed, loosening the knot in his tie a little more before he turned around to face her. "I'm sorry I left the tip. If I knew it meant that much to you then I wouldn't have left one, okay? I'm sorry."
"You're missing my point." The brunette narrowed her eyes at him. She wasn't going to let him slide just because he apologized. "I told you to do something and you didn't listen to me. Instead of listening to me, you watched little miss whoever prance around." She turned her nose up at him, indignation tainting the air as they locked eyes. "I just want you to know I saw it when you tried to look up her skirt, too."
"I dropped my fork and she just so happened to be passing by." He gave up, turning his back to her as he decided to head to his room before another argument broke out. "She didn't say anything because she knew I didn't look."
"She didn't say anything because she wanted you to look."
"I didn't-"
Her shoe hit him squarely in the back of the head, effectively interrupting the denial she didn't want to hear. She saw him do it so it happened and she wasn't going to listen to any lies.
"Shut up!" She shouted from where she stood. He always had to turn everything into some show about her blowing things out of proportion when he was the one at fault. She wasn't the one that left the tip. She wasn't the one that was trying to look up skirts. "God… You always find a way to mess something up!" She took in a sharp breath and sighed as she walked towards him. "Give me my shoe."
Keitaro quietly bent at the waist to feel around for the shoe she launched at his head. His finger came into contact with the same strap he used to pick it up and he tossed it behind him towards the girl.
She let it fall in front of her without even trying to catch it.
"No," She grit her teeth. He was starting to test her patience. "I said give it to me."
She had to be kidding…
Keitaro faked a laugh, incredulous as he turned around to find his fiancé leveling a glare at him. She was serious. She seriously wanted him to walk over to her, pick up the shoe that was literally right in front of her, and hand it to her like some sort of servant. He could tell by her expression that she wasn't joking, but it took every ounce of strength left in him not to laugh in her face.
She didn't have any idea what he went through.
"Naru…" He grinned after the stark disbelief already sunk in, but the strain in his eyes made it clear that he wasn't anything close to happy. "I'm not going to do that."
"What?" She gave him a toothy smile, her eyebrow arching as he thought to make the mistake of defying her. The truth was that she was glad he was more assertive. She made it a point to instill a spine in the landlord, but, just like him, there was no affection or amusement lingering in her eyes.
"The shoe…" He pointed at it for further reference. "It's right there, Naru. I'm not going to walk over there and pick it up for you when it's right there."
"I don't remember asking you to throw it at me!" She stomped, not giving a fuck who she woke up as her grin twisted into a snarl. "I said give it to me! You either listen to me or it's over!"
"Naru…"
He was about to make a mistake.
Keitaro already knew he was about to possibly make biggest mistake of his entire life because there was no way he was going to waltz over to where she stood and pick up her shoe for her when she was perfectly capable of doing it herself. If she wanted the shoe so bad then she shouldn't have thrown it at him.
"I'm not-"
"Ara ara…" Mutsumi said it a little louder than usual as she wandered her way into the room. "I thought I heard something. Sounded like—Oh…" She trailed off as she neared Naru. She bent, her pajama top riding up a little as she reached down and picked up the shoe in front of her. "You must have dropped this."
Naru snatched the shoe from her, her eyes brimming with fury she directed at the man that stood his ground. That was fine. It was dandy as a matter of fact. If he wanted to be stupid over nothing then he could spend the night by himself.
"Thank you, Mutsumi…" She didn't bother to look at the girl as she spoke. "At least someone here knows how to do something right."
The brunette stared him down as she walked away, brushing past him on her way up the steps and to her room instead of his. The two she left behind sighed at the same time, both of them watching and waiting until his fiancé ascended the steps before they dared to look at each other.
"Keitaro…"
-
Frailty
-
"Mutsumi…" Keitaro didn't expect to see her so soon after what happened, but he was through with dealing with women for the day. He nodded his head towards her in thanks for her timely interruption and started up the steps.
"Wait," She felt a small smile come to her face as he did, but it vanished because of the question she was determined to ask. "Was it… Was this my fault?"
The simple, but long answer was no. What transpired before his date with Naru had little effect on what happened. It didn't matter. He could have won the lottery and his fiancé still would have got pissed at the waitress that did nothing wrong. There was just times when Naru turned on bitch mode and, honestly, he was okay with it. He knew she got like that sometimes and he accepted the best along with the worst of her. It was just that, for the first time in a while, she was getting on his last nerve.
Unfortunately, he didn't feel like giving her the long answer because the short one was…
"Yes…"
If Mutsumi wasn't on his mind, then he probably wouldn't have knocked over his fork. If his nerves weren't already rattled, then he probably would have just folded and picked up Naru's shoe. His reply was based on uncertainty, but he was sure that his day wouldn't have been as bad if she didn't blackmail him.
"I didn't mean for something like this to happen." Mutsumi nervously clasped her hands together in front of her chest, her head bowed as she made another attempt to get him to understand. She meant it when she said all she wanted was a kiss. "I'm not trying to come between-"
"I know." Keitaro sighed again, his shoulders rising and falling with the motion as he walked back down the stairs and stood in front of his friend. He was tired, frustrated, and sleepy but it wasn't right to take it out on Mutsumi just because of a kiss. It wasn't the kiss that made him feel so bad, though. It was the sudden feelings she forced on him—the way she took advantage of him—that betrayed the trust he invested in her. "I know you didn't mean it like that but still…"
"I…" Mutsumi moved, the steps she took towards him taking away the distance that was there before. "I want you to marry her, Keitaro. I told you I loved you because I do." She always meant what she said to him. "I told you because I wanted you to know, but I'm not trying to take her place. Believe me…" She paused, taking in a breath as her expression reflected what she was trying to say. "Please believe me when I say that's all I wanted. If you hate me now and want me to leave, then I'll-Ah…"
When did he start smiling at her? He looked like he wanted to laugh as he took a seat on the steps, the dark brown of his eyes locked on her as he adjusted his frames. In a way, he looked amused but she was dead serious. If he wanted her to leave then she would be gone before he woke up.
"I was confused, you know." Keitaro tilted his head a little to the side as he spoke, but he never took his eyes off her. "I didn't know if I should be angry or what. I knew you were strong…" He spied a look at his wrist, thankful that she didn't leave any marks. "I just didn't know you felt like that. I mean, you're so nice with everyone and everything…"
That was how she wanted it to be.
Even though Keitaro was always at the forefront of her mind, she never thought to make herself come first in his dreams. She was sick, she was older than him, and she wasn't sure if she could make him happy or not. Sure, she'd have the time of her life just being with him but that didn't mean anything if the feeling wasn't mutual.
"I didn't believe I could make you happy." She was honest, brutally so as she voiced what she long accepted as fact. There was no need to lie now that she took things so far. "I'm a…" The watermelon lover gave up, another sigh spent for her trouble as she trailed off. She had no problem telling him the truth, but telling him why was a different story.
Just like him, she was clumsy and tended to be a little thick in the head from time to time, but she wasn't slow. She wasn't a genius, either though. It was just that she knew when to act the ditz and was good at doing it.
She became a liar, not a compulsive one, but just enough to feel like a dishonest woman.
"I can't help but be happy when you're around."
Mutsumi lifted her head so fast she almost got dizzy. She made and kept eye contact with the man that sat in front of her. He had let go of his lazy grin, exchanging it for an expression that suited him so much better. The clot of feelings that built up in a worried heart melted away as he offered her the friendly smile she become accustomed to receiving from him.
"Don't jump to any crazy conclusions, Mutsumi…" He slowly started to get up, his idle hand reaching up to grab the railing as he gave her some advice. "It was kiss. It bothered me and I still do feel a little strange, but it was just a kiss. I'm not going to hate you or make you leave. You're still one of my best friends and I still like you. Just… don't do something like that again, okay?"
She adored him.
She wanted to kiss him again, but she restrained herself. Someone that was ready for cold shoulders and silent treatments was back in his good graces. Keitaro was always so good to her, always so kind to her, but she never had anything to give him in return.
"I promise…" Mutsumi extended her hand. She wanted to touch him. With all of her heart, she wanted to connect with him and, even if it was only via touch of their conjoined hands, she still felt like it would be enough. It was because of that feeling that the twinkle in her eyes shimmered a little as he took her hand in his own and gave it a brief, but gentle shake.
She shuddered. Thankfully, he didn't know the effect his touch had on her but that wasn't the reason why she wanted to kiss him so much. It was his kindness that touched her, the way he was so quick to forgive her that cemented her feelings for him all over again.
But his touch still felt so good…
"It was nothing big." He was already turning around and starting his retreat up the steps. "I mean Naru herself almost killed me a couple of times and we got over it so this won't be anything to us, Mutsumi. Let's pretend it never happened and-"
"No."
She said it without thinking.
"Huh?"
"I-It was really important to me… so, even if you want to act like it never happened, please remember that it did."
It was not her first kiss and it wouldn't be her last, but it was the first time she ever thoroughly enjoyed doing it. It was the first time she kissed the man she loved the way she wanted to so she wouldn't forget. To him, it was someone that shouldn't have happened. To her, it was a memory to be framed within her mind.
In short, she was asking him to acknowledge her feelings even if he didn't accept them.
To deny that private exchange of feeling, to kill the beauty of a memory that wouldn't be shared with anyone else, was tantamount to committing a crime. The reason she kissed him wasn't because he was getting married. She kissed him because she loved him more than his family, and more than his future wife. She loved him more than anyone else so she deserved that much. She loved him the most so she was at least entitled to that much.
"Okay…"
Keitaro hesitated, his eyes angled to the side as he agreed. Mutsumi stared up the stairs and started her ascent before he had a chance to move from where he was. She enveloped him in a hug, the side of her face pressing into his back as she gave him all of her gratitude. He tensed at first, but relaxed once she started speaking.
"I swear I'll keep it a secret…" She clutched him a little tighter around the waist, the difference in height an illusion created by the higher step he stood on. "It'd be something that's just between us."
It was a secret.
Not the kind of secret kids kept about the toys they buried in the backyard or the kind of secrets friends kept for each other's sake. It was a secret that was unspeakable to both, dirty to one, and important to the other.
"You promised…"
He reminded her.
It felt good to make up with her, but the way she was hugging him was definitely suspect. If anyone saw them, he would have no possible excuse. More than that, her gratitude was starting to feel a little too good after his outing with Naru wasn't exactly roses. Not to mention that he never recalled her feeling so soft…
"Oh…" The arms looped around his torso fell and Mutsumi backed away, giving him just enough room to turn around and face her. "I…"
She realized their relationship changed.
There was no more innocence. There would be no more hugs just because she felt like it and no more greeting kisses. She wouldn't be able to be alone with him without thinking about the kiss and she wouldn't be able to deny that she wanted more. Much more. Not to mention that she had him to herself at the very moment…
But she promised.
"I'll see you tomorrow."
They said it in unison and uncertain expression blossomed into smiles. They were being silly. It was just a kiss. They kissed each other before. It was just a misunderstanding. They talked about it like adults and sorted out what happened so they were okay. There was nothing to worry about.
"Good night, Keitaro."
"Sleep well, Mutsumi."
They waved at each other before they went there separate ways.
There was nothing to worry about at all.
0
"Everything passed in a blur… All I remember is counting out the bills and laying them out then bam!" Kitsune slammed her hand on the table so hard that it rocked the cup of orange juice Shinobu placed on the coaster. "Next thing I know, he's laughing at me like I was stupid and pulling all my money towards him. I was so pissed I almost flipped the table over!"
"So you lost all the money you earned managing the teahouse? Again?" Motoko lowered the steaming tea from her lips and set her cup on the table before deciding to comment any further. "Keitaro probably won't be able to let you get by without paying again this month, Kitsune."
"I know, I know." The owner of the teahouse nodded before pushing aside her finished breakfast. "He let me slide last time because… Well, because he's Keitaro but with the way Naru has been on him lately I really don't know what I'm going to do."
"Just ask sempai." Shinobu returned to the table to pick up the plate and got back into the conversation. "Naru has to stay at school a little longer than he does on Thursdays, so you'll get the chance to talk to him about it when she's not around."
"What I was trying to say is that it won't work out that way this time." Motoko turned her attention away from the girl sitting on the other side of the table and to the cook. "With Naru breathing down his neck, Keitaro is liable to do something like make her pay two months worth of rent next month instead of giving her a free pass again."
"You're wrong." Shinobu dropped the dishes into the sink and turned on the facet. "Just because she's getting more involved with his duties doesn't mean he'll do something like that. You need to have more faith in sempai."
"Yeah!" Kitsune agreed after taking a swig from her morning beer. "She's not the landlord! I know I made the same mistake two months in a row… but Keitaro wouldn't let down a friend in need!"
Seeing that she effectively lost her argument because her friends didn't want to see the truth, Motoko slid her seat back and started to get up. "We'll see. I suggest you start working on a solution before Naru finds out about this or you're going to be in trouble."
"You mean before I find out she don't have rent?"
Silence.
Everyone in the kitchen stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the woman that entered. Shinobu left the water running as she twisted around to see what was going to happen. Motoko stilled the hand that reached for the sword she left on the table and merely watched. Kitsune blinked once and then twice before regaining her composure, the smile she pulled together to face her friend one she crafted with intentions of getting out of a sticky situation.
"I told you last month not to go around doing stupid things with your money." The woman that heard enough to know what was going on stepped into the kitchen and let her glare fall on her best friend. "It's not like you have to go around doing those crazy part time jobs anymore, either. Haruka left the teahouse to you so you didn't even have to work to get that. Don't you remember me telling you this around this time last month?"
"Yeah, but you don't get it." She remembered the long drawn out speech, but didn't retain any of it. "I didn't exactly wake up and go planning to lose all of my money on one bet. I could have doubled up!"
"You could have kept that money, too."
Agitated, Kitsune was quickly losing her smile. "You could stop telling people how to spend their money."
"I'm not telling you to do anything." Naru narrowed her eyes as she stepped up to the table. "I was just reminding you that adults have responsibilities."
Tension was the reason Shinobu forget to turn off the water and why Motoko stood right where she was. Both of them watched the conflict, but the kendo-ka wasn't going to let things get too out of hand.
"Naru, you're not the landlord. Let's just wait until Kei-"
"I never said I was." The fiancé was quick to cut her off. "Anyway… Look, Kitsune." Naru approached the table just to get closer to her best friend. "I'm not trying to boss you around-"
"Whatever…"
"But," She continued undaunted. "You're the only one that pays went out of pocket every month. That's why Keitaro is always so lenient, but you have to stop taking advantage of him. If you need some help catching up on what you owe, then I don't mind-"
"Catching up on what I owe?!" Kitsune bolted up from the table, her seat nearly falling with the motion. She didn't owe anything! Rent wasn't due yet, and Keitaro specifically said he had her covered last month. If anything it sounded like…
"I'm not making you pay for the last month. I just decided it'd be better for you to pay in advance from now on so-"
"You want me to pay for this month plus the next month?" That was the last straw. She was the one going around defending her friend when the other girls said she was going on a power trip. She was the one that tried to pull Naru to the side and get her together when she felt like she was starting to get a little out of line. "Fuck that and fuck you, Naru!"
Shinobu gasped. "K-Kitsune!"
"This is just business, Mitsune!" Naru didn't flinch, but, deep down, her feelings were hurt by the reaction to her logic. "If you just calm down, then you'll see that I'm trying to help you! You didn't pay rent because you went and made the same exact mistake two times in a row! If I let you get free passes all the time, then what about everyone else? Why not let Su or someone else get a free month since you did?"
"I don't want to hear that from someone that doesn't even pay rent now! You've been getting on everyone's case thinking you're-Never mind." Kitsune opted to walk away before she got any angrier. "Forget it. Do whatever you want. Give whoever a free month or whatever. I don't care."
Naru rubbed her temples with her fingertips, massaging her head in an effort to make the pending headache subside as her best friend stalked off. She didn't even want to talk about the rent. In fact, she wanted to talk to her about what happened last night over breakfast with someone she thought would understand her but she couldn't just pretend she didn't hear what the girls were talking about on her way to the kitchen.
"I'm going to go train." Motoko looked at Naru with disdain as she pushed her chair back under the table. The soft green of eyes voiced the displeasure she had the discipline not to share as she quietly took her leave. "Thank you for breakfast, Shinobu."
"N-No problem." The youngest resident tried to make herself just as scarce as the other two as she spun around to turn off the running water and decided to wash dishes later. "Oh w-wow! Look at the time!" The tension was too much! She had to get away or it felt like she'd suffocate. "I forgot about that… um… homework that I got to finish."
"Shinobu," Naru wasn't fooled. With the absence of the other girls, the woman that the cook secretly envied more than anyone else dropped into the chair Kitsune left vacant. "Wait…"
Shinobu winced. She should have left when she had the chance, but it wasn't like she could just run away when it looked like Naru really needed someone to talk to. "Yes?"
"Am I really that bad?"
"Um…" What was she supposed to say? "No?"
"Everyone's been so… fickle, lately. Everything was great until we told everyone we were getting married." She rested her forehead on the table, sighing as she thought back to when everything started to go downhill. "I'm not trying to be mean to anyone, Shinobu. I'm trying my best, but I know you all think I'm just being bossy. I heard some of the things they say when they think I'm not around…"
"I don't know anything about that…" Shinobu couldn't speak for anyone else and wouldn't try. She knew that Su was angry when Naru told her she couldn't build her inventions inside Hina House anymore, almost everyone saw the argument the brunette had with Sarah concerning exploring the secret paths throughout the premises, and Kitsune just made her discontent known a few minutes ago. "Maybe you're trying a little too hard, though."
"I'm trying to help everyone mature a little so we can all be happier. We can't go around doing the same silly things for the rest of our lives." Naru never lifted her head from the table so Shinobu didn't get the chance to see the conviction that was written across her face. "If I keep letting Kitsune off easy then what's going to happen when she moves out? I'm her friend. I won't evict her, but who knows what people are liable to make her do when she walks up to them talking about not having rent for two months?"
"Well," For the first time in months, it felt like she understood Naru. Nothing was wrong with working towards a goal like that. It was actually something she found remarkable, but, at the same time, she couldn't excuse the mistake she was making even if she was just trying to be helpful. "Like Motoko said, It's more of you're not the landlord… I feel like you should just let sempai-"
"Keitaro won't help me. You know just as much as I do that everyone just goes to him right after I tell them what to do… That's why Su still makes those dumb robots and why Sarah still goes exploring even though I told her it was dangerous." She raised her head and turned to look at the girl that stood next to her. "I heard when you told Mitsune to talk to him and you know that's the first thing she's going to do when he and Mutsumi get back from the store now that we that that stupid argument..."
"S-Sorry…"
"You don't have-Never mind…" Naru stood back up and made her way to the cabinet to look for something to eat. "Just trust me, Shinobu. I know I'm not everyone's best friend right now but I'm being strict for a reason. I hate this too, you know… I'm almost stressed out." She halted her search, her sight landing on her engagement ring as she raised her hand above her head. "I took it out on him, too… I…" The brunette sighed. It was almost something subconscious about the way she treated him. She was bitch, but the one person she didn't want to be like that with saw that side of her the most. "I got to do something. I got to make up for last night at least."
An idea came to mind and her small smile grew as she spun around to face the cook. Getting a bite to eat didn't matter anymore. She could eat later, but she had to act while before he got back.
"Hey, Shinobu!" Naru beamed at the younger girl, happy that she just so happened to donate a thought to her future husband long enough to come up with something so wonderful. "I'm going to need your help setting up something special tonight. A dinner for two."
"Wah!" Shinobu nearly squealed in delight, her apprehension fading as she already started to picture her sempai and his fiancé eating her cooking by candlelight. It was so romantic that she couldn't help but get excited by the prospect. "I'll love to help!"
Naru grinned, grateful to have a friend to laugh with and a person to depend on as she started to think about the finer details of the night she was going to spend with her lover.
"It's going to be perfect."
Continued…
Author's Note: Man, I've been busy lately. More than usual to be honest, but it's all good. I wish I were more solid when it came to timely updates, but believe me when I say I'm trying my best.
Still, this story isn't exactly high priority. It's kind of messed up but I'm still trying to finish some other stuff I should have finished a long time ago at the moment. Either way, thanks for reading everyone.