The Chronicles of Kid-Keitaro
Chapter 1 - The First Day
After their release from hospital both Keitaro and Kanako had recovered to perfect health; their bruises healed and Kanako's leg no longer limping. And since their brief stint in hospital Keitaro's bright and cheerful personality had remained despite everything he and his sister had been through while Kanako had become more open with the other girls; her confidence bolstered by the training her aunt was putting herself and her brother through which both were showing a natural aptitude for, though even now one was rarely seen without the other. One month on, the pair were now preparing for their first day at their new elementary school. As all the girls were gathered around in the living room they waited for the two children to come down stairs and model their new uniforms.
"Kei-kun! Kana-chan!" Haruka called up to them. "Are you two done yet?"
"Almost Aunty!" Keitaro called back. "Give us another minute!"
"Ara, I can't believe Kei-kun and Kana-chan are going to school already. They grow up so fast." Mutsumi smiled as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye as Tama gently patted her head with a sympathetic flipper from her perch upon the turtle-girls head.
"We've known them for less than two months." Kitsune pointed out. "And they've been to school before; it's just that they've been on their summer holidays since they arrived here."
"I know but I'm going to miss having them around when we get home from cram school." Mutsumi complained.
"I wouldn't worry about that if I was you. Their school is closer than ours so they will probably be home before us." Naru told her friend. "And besides; if they weren't going to school then we wouldn't be able to see them in their cute uniforms." She smiled.
"I suppose that's true." She pouted.
Before anything else was said the air was filled with the thumping of light footsteps on the floor above which heralded the arrival of the youngest residents of Hinata Sou. "We're finished!" Keitaro cried. Turning around the collected woman smiled at what they saw. A smiling Kanako with a small blush upon her face and yellow hat on her head was wearing a white, short-sleeved blouse with a navy blue sailor-style collar and a red neckerchief tied in the front while a navy blue skirt hung just above her knee length socks. Next to her stood a grinning Keitaro wearing a white shirt, navy blue shorts, shin high socks and a hat matching his sisters; happily waving at the assembled girls as Kanako hugged his arm.
"So Cute!" all the girls cried as they all pulled out cameras and started to take photos of them. Walking around the front of the sofa the pair was enveloped in a hug by Su. "You two look so cute!" the princess gave both of them a big kiss.
Giggling happily both children returned her hug. "Thanks Su nee-san." Keitaro grinned and kissed her cheek. "Kana-chan looks really pretty doesn't she?" he asked as he rubbed Kanako's head fondly making the girl blush happily.
"She's very cute Kei-kun. As are you." Haruka said with a happy smile as she took another picture of them. "And I'm sure Granny will think so as well when I send her this picture." She told him as the two children grinned happily.
"Can the two of you pose for me?" Motoko asked as she held out her mobile phone. Realising that everyone was giving her a strange look she turned her head back and forth. "What? Sister wanted me to send her a photo." She defended herself with a blush.
"No problem, Moto nee-san!" Keitaro grinned as he held out a peace sign while Kanako blushed and rested her head on his shoulder with a smile, enjoying the attention.
Taking the picture Motoko smiled at them "Thank you Kei-kun, Kana-chan." She smiled as she sent the photo to her sister and changed her background image to the two siblings.
"OK you two, why don't you go and try on something else we got you today?" Haruka smiled at them as she patted their heads.
"OK Aunty." Keitaro said as he and Kanako rushed upstairs.
"Will they be alright going to school?" Naru asked "I mean; they haven't been to school since he went to hospital after... what that woman did to him. And going to a new school and trying to make new friends is always stressful for kids. Do you think they are ready?"
"I think they'll be alright. As I'm sure you all know Kei-kun is quite adept at making friends and I doubt Kana-chan will care where she is as long as Kei-kun is with her. And if it is too much too soon..." Haruka shrugged. "...we'll just pull them out and home school them for a while." Further conversation was halted by the arrival of a robe clad Kanako approaching her aunt by herself. "Where's Kei-kun?" Haruka asked as she rubbed her head.
"Onii-chan wants to speak with you Aunty." Kanako reported.
Haruka gave her a quizzical look "Sure, you just go and show your Nee-sans what you got on." She told her niece who nodded and walked around the front of the sofa.
As Haruka disappeared upstairs Kitsune asked "So, what have you got on?" Removing her robe with a flourish revealed Kanako wearing a dark blue school swimsuit and a light blush upon her face. "Cute!" came the collective cry from the woman as they all took photos of the happily smiling girl who was absolutely loving the attention she was getting.
-X-X-X-X-
Siding open the door to the managers room Haruka saw Keitaro sitting in the centre of the room looking down on his lap. Sitting behind him she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him onto her lap. "What's up Kei-kun?" she asked as she nuzzled into his hair.
"Aunty... do I have to take swimming lessons in school?" he asked quietly.
Haruka blinked. "You don't want to? But you always used to like swim; what changed?" she asked. Keitaro remained silent and seemed to become even smaller in her lap. It took Haruka a moment to realise why he was so reluctant. 'His back.' She thought sadly. 'Another thing he enjoyed taken away from him.' Hugging her nephew tightly Haruka kissed the top of his head. "OK Kei-kun, I understand. You don't have to go swimming if you don't want to." She reassured him.
"Thanks Aunty." He gave her a small smile and leaned back into her chest.
"Onii-chan..." came Kanako's voice to the side of them.
Giving her a sweet smile Keitaro pulled her onto his lap. "You look really cute Kana-chan." He told her as kissed her forehead.
Gently stroking their hair Haruka smiled down at the two children on her lap. "Come on you two; let's show your Nee-san what else you got."
-X-X-X-X-
Monday Morning
Holding her charges hands Haruka led her niece and nephew to the gate of their elementary school where other parents were seeing their children off. Kneeling in front of them Haruka smiled at the siblings. "Are you two ready for your first day of school?"
"Yes Aunty." Keitaro grinned as Kanako nodded.
"Have you got everything you need; your bento, notebooks and pencil cases?" she asked.
"Yes Aunty." Both children said in chorus.
"Good." She affectionately rubbed their heads. "OK, you two be good alright? Listen to what your teacher tells you and if something bad happens don't hesitate to tell your teacher OK? If necessary me or one of your Nee-sans will come take you home if something happens so don't hesitate to ask your teacher to call us."
"We won't." Keitaro assured his aunt.
"Alright." She brought them into a hug and kissed their foreheads. "Have a good day today."
"We will Aunty." Keitaro spoke for the both of them as they squeezed her tightly.
"Classes will be starting soon so please say goodbye to your children!" one of the teachers by the gate called out to the assembled parents.
"Well, I'll see you two later." Haruka ruffled their hair. "Love you."
"Love you too Aunty." The pair replied before leaving her embrace and walking hand in hand towards the school building.
Going through the gate the Urashima siblings were greeted by a teacher. "Hello there." She smiled as she knelt next to them. "Is this your first day at this school?"
"Uhuh." Keitaro nodded his head. "I'm Keitaro Urashima and this is my little sister Kanako." He introduced himself and his sister.
"So you are Keitaro-kun and Kanako-chan." The teacher smiled at them. "I am Minamo Kurosawa your teacher this year.
"It's nice to meet you Kurosawa-sensei." Keitaro smiled and both children bowed to her.
"It's nice to meet you too." She said as she held out her hands to them. "Would you like me to show you the way to our classroom?" Seeing the outstretched arm Kanako backed away and hid behind her brother slightly. "Is there something wrong Kanako-chan?" their teacher tilted her head.
"Kana-chan is just shy around new people." Keitaro told the teacher.
"I see." Kurosawa-sensei murmured. She and the other teachers had been given a very edited account by the principal on what these two children had been through so she knew and understood why Kanako would be hesitant around adults especially a woman but was quite surprised at how open her brother was. "Well I'm sure when you get to know me better we'll be good friends." She smiled. "Well, shall we get to class?"
-X-X-X-X-
Leading them to their classroom the teacher had them stand in front of the class as she quietened the children down. "Hello everyone, it's good to see you all back safely from the holidays and I hope we all work hard again this year." This comment was met with the usually response from a group of eight year olds. Smiling at her students Kurosawa-sensei continued "Alright, settle down. Now, as I'm sure you've all noticed by now we have two new students joining us this year and I want you all to make them feel welcome." Turning to smile at the two siblings standing in the front of the classroom she said "Please introduce yourselves."
Taking the lead, Keitaro smiled at the class "I'm Keitaro Urashima and I like drawing and cooking."
Shyly standing next to her brother Kanako said "I am Kanako Urashima and I like cats and dressing up."
Bowing to the class the pair said in unison "Let's get along with each other."
"Very good." Kurosawa-sensei smiled at them. "Please take those two unoccupied seats in the middle and I'll take attendance."
-X-X-X-X-
"Hiya, I'm Izumi Segawa let's be friends!" a purple haired girl grinned at Kanako.
"um..."Kanako murmured, unsure how to respond to the girl whose face was so close to her own. When their teacher had declared that it was time for morning break Kanako had been approached by three smiling girls; one with mid-back length, silvery blue hair; another with short brown hair and a tomboyish look about her and the purple haired one who had just introduced herself.
"Yo, I'm Risa Asakaze, let's get along." The tomboyish one smiled and gave her a thumbs up.
The third held her face close to Kanako's "Wow, your skin is really pale, you look like a doll." She admired Kanako's pretty face.
"um..." she said nervously as she backed away from the trio as much as she could while confined to her chair.
"Hey you three, can't you see you're scaring her?" a pink haired girl scolded the three friends. "Sorry about them, they get over excited sometimes." She smiled at Kanako. "I'm Hinagiku Katsura, nice to meet you."
"N-Nice to meet you." Kanako replied bashfully.
"I'm the class representative so if need anything please ask." Hinagiku told her.
"T-Thank you." Kanako said quietly.
"Hey, you don't have to be so nervous. Everyone in this class is really nice." Hinagiku reassured her.
"Kana-chan is just nervous around new people." Keitaro said as he approached the girls and gently rubbed Kanako's head. "I'm Keitaro Urashima; it's nice to meet you." He bowed to them.
"It's nice to meet you too." Hinagiku smiled and returned his bow. "I am Hinagiku Katsura. This is Izumi Segawa, Risa Asakaze and Miki Hanabishi." She introduced her friends. Keitaro gave them a cheerful wave. "Since you guys are new here would you like us to show you around?"
"Sure, we'd like that." Keitaro smiled.
-X-X-X-X-
Falling over backwards, the two friends scrambled back in an attempt to get away from the three approaching figures. The two on the flanks were noticeably bigger than the others present due to the fact they were one or two years older while the one in the middle was about the same age and size as the two on the ground, looking weedy in comparison to his cohorts but the smirk upon his face was the largest of the three. Stepping forward his smirk grew as he looked down on the two friends "If you had just done as I told you then we wouldn't have to do this." He told them.
"B-But we already told you we don't have any money!" the lanky one cried out.
"So? That's not my fault is it? Now, one way or another you're going to pay." He told them.
Gesturing to his two henchmen, they advanced towards the two boys when someone called out. "Leave Them Alone!"
Turning around they saw a scruffy haired boy glaring at them as he approached with a group of girls observing him from some distance away. "What do you want?" the lead bully scowled at him.
"I want you to leave them alone." Keitaro repeated as he matched his scowl. While they were distracted the two boys got up and ran to hide behind the group of girls.
"This has nothing to do with you." The boy growled. "Why don't you just go away?"
"Because I won't let you bully people just because you can." Keitaro told them. "If you let them go then I'll leave you alone."
Sneering at Keitaro he said "If you won't leave then they'll make you!" at his word his followers charged towards Keitaro with their fists drawn back. As the first one reached him Keitaro sidestepped his strike to let the bully sail past him before sticking his foot out to trip him up to send him stumbling to the floor and did the same for the other. With his subordinates at least momentarily incapacitated the ringleader took a step backwards as he glared at Keitaro. "Who are you?" he demanded.
"Keitaro Urashima." Keitaro stated, his body slipping into the defensive stance his aunt had taught him.
"What's your problem?" he spat. "Why don't you just mind your own business?"
"If you weren't bullying people then I would." Keitaro said simply before walking away to the group of observers.
"This isn't over!" the bully called after him but Keitaro just ignored him and continued walking.
"Wow, you were amazing Kaytaro-kun!" Izumi commented as he rejoined the group
"It was nothing." Keitaro dismissed her praise as Kanako grabbed onto his arm. "And my name is Keitaro." He corrected her.
"Good job putting him in his place, Kaytaro-kun!" Risa congratulated him with a slap on the back and a grin.
"It's Keitaro." He reiterated. "Who was that?"
"That was Kentaro Sakata. He's a jerk in the same grade as us." Hinagiku explained with obvious distaste "His dad's really rich so he thinks he can get away with anything." Keitaro just mmmed in response.
"Um... it's Keitaro-kun isn't it?" one of the boys Keitaro protected said. "T-Thanks for saving us."
Keitaro smiled at them and scratched the back of his head. "Don't worry about it; I was happy to help."
"er...I'm Haitani Masayuki and this is Shirai Kimiaki. We're in the same class." The tall one introduced himself and his chubby friend. "Do you want to be friends?"
Keitaro blinked before bursting into a grin. "Sure I'd like that."
-X-X-X-X-
The End Of The Day
Keitaro and Kanako had reached the end of a fairly good first day; the only downside was that Keitaro had his bento knock to the ground by someone who bumped into him though from the smirk on his face it was fairly obvious that Kentaro had something to do with that but his sister and their new group of friends were more than happy to share their lunch with him. Now at the end of the day, Keitaro and Kanako bid goodbye to their friends as they left at the gate. As the pair was left by themselves their teacher approached them with a smile. "So how was your first day?"
"It was fun, right Kana-chan?" he asked his sister who hugged his arm tightly and nodded.
"I'm glad to hear that." She smiled and slowly extended her hand to gently pet him on the head. "Do you have someone coming to pick you up?" she asked.
"um... I'm not sure." Keitaro admitted. "Aunty didn't say if she was coming to get us."
"Would you like me to give her a call to find out?" she offered.
Before he could answer a voice called out "KEITAROOOO! KANAKOOOO!" Turning the three saw a giant mechanical turtle stomping towards them at high speed. Skidding to a halt in front of the three a tanned blond leapt off the machine and embraced the two Urashima's in a happy hug.
"Su Nee-San!" Keitaro cheered out as he and Kanako nuzzled into the foreigner.
"Did you two have a good day?" she asked as she rubbed their heads.
"Uhuh, we made lots of friends today." Keitaro reported happily. "Why are you here?"
"Me and Shinobu are here to pick you up!" she declared.
"Shinobu nee-san is here?" he wondered.
"Yep, she's up there." She pointed to the top of the turtle where the blue haired chef was hanging over the railing with swirls in her eyes, still recovering from her joyride with Su. "Now come on. I've already told Haruka that I'm picking you up so let's get going! The sooner we get back the sooner we can play!" she cheered as she grabbed the children around the waist and jumped up into the machine.
As the tanned princess started up her mecha and the machine started to build up speed Keitaro waved to his teacher "See You Tomorrow, Sensei!"
Watching the turtle disappear into the distance Kurosawa-sensei blinked in bemusement and stared after them until someone asked "Excuse me Sensei; I am looking for Keitaro and Kanako Urashima."
Turning around she found herself looking at a tall dark haired woman wearing a high school uniform and what appeared to be a sword strapped to her back. "Er... I'm afraid you just missed them."
"oh? Did they go home by themselves?" the tall woman asked.
"No, they were picked up by two middle-schoolers on a giant turtle." Kurosawa-sensei informed the girl.
"I see." She said. "Thank you, I apologise for bothering you." She bowed.
"Come on, we don't want to keep them waiting!" a new voice said as two girls rapidly approached.
"Ara, I am going as fast as I can Naru-chan." The other woman replied as she followed close behind. As they reached the gate the more well-endowed of the pair said. "Ara, Motoko-chan why are you here?"
"The same reason you are here I suspect." Motoko replied with a small smile. "But I am afraid we have all been beaten to it by Su-chan and Shinobu-chan."
"So I came all this way for nothing?" a fourth voice put in as another woman arrived.
"What are you doing here Kitsune? I thought the horse races were still going on." Naru smiled at her friend.
"How can I place a bet without my good luck charm?" she complained. "Besides, I wanted to get another picture of Kei-kun and Kana-chan. I knew I should have left earlier." She finished with a sigh.
"Erm... if you don't mind me asking, who are you all to Keitaro-kun and Kanako-chan?" Kurosawa-sensei wondered.
"We're Keitaro-kuns tenants." Motoko explained.
"Tenants?" Kurosawa-sensei tilted her head confused.
"Yes, Kei-kun owns and manages an all girl's dorm." Kitsune informed her.
The teacher blinked. "But he's only eight! How can he manage a dorm?"
"Kei-kun is very capable for his age." Mutsumi told her. "And he has lots of help from his aunt and us."
"If you don't mind us asking, who are you to Keitaro-chan and Kanako-chan?" Motoko asked.
"oh, I'm sorry. I am Keitaro-kuns and Kanako-chans teacher Minamo Kurosawa. It's nice to meet you." She bowed to the assembled girls.
"It's nice to meet you. We trust that you will look after Kei-kun and Kana-chan." Naru said. Even though her voice was cheerful and all the girls were smiling, a threatening red aura was surrounding the quartet.
"O-Of course." Kurosawa-sensei stuttered out as she took a step backwards.
"Good. We shall take our leave. It was nice to meet you Kurosawa-sensei." Motoko said politely as all the girls bowed before they all left.
Sighing in relief Kurosawa-sensei retreated back to staffroom and slumped down in her chair. "Everything alright Kurosawa-sensei?" one of her colleagues asked.
"Those Urashima siblings know some scary people." She mumbled as she rested her chin on her desk.
-X-X-X-X-
Back at Hinata Sou
Having arrived back home atop Su's mecha, the four children went their separate ways; Shinobu to have a lay down in order to recover from the ride Su had put her through; the princess had gone to put away her turtle-transport while the siblings went to get out of their uniforms. Alone in their room Kanako said "Onii-chan, do you think we should tell the others about what happened?"
"About what?" he asked.
"About what happened with that boy." Kanako murmured.
Changing into his regular clothes Keitaro said "I don't think we need to. Nothing really happened and it would just worry them." Kanako just mmmed in response. Walking over to her Keitaro wrapped his arms around her small waist. "Don't worry Nako-chan. I'll be fine and I won't let anything happen to you." He kissed her cheek which made her giggle. "Love you Nako-chan."
"Love you too Onii-chan." She murmured as she turned around and nuzzled into his neck and wrapped her arms around his waist. As Keitaro gently stroked her hair Su burst into the room demanding to play which the pair happily agreed too.
-X-X-X-X-
Lunchtime the Next Day at Haruka's Teashop
Watching over her staff as they served their customers Haruka had a content smile on her face. Pulling out one of the photos that she had to keep hidden so her waitresses would actually do some work she couldn't help but feel a huge wave of happiness wash over her. By all accounts her niece and nephew had already made friends and that was huge weight of her mind; and since all the girls were now in competition to see who would walk them home that was one less thing she would have to worry about. 'I guess things are finally returning to normal.' She thought happily. Noticing an unopened packet of cigarettes she picked it up and stared at it for a moment before throwing them in the bin. 'Well almost normal.' She smiled. Startled out of her reverie by the ringing of the phone Haruka replaced the picture and moved over to answer the phone. "Hello, Hinata Tea Rooms."
¬Urashima-san? This is Minamo Kurosawa, Keitaro-kun and Kanako-chan's teacher.¬ the person on the other end of the line answered.
A sudden fear gripped her heart. "Is everything alright?"
¬Not exactly, no. Keitaro-kun has been involved in a fight.¬
"A fight? Is he alright?" she asked
¬He's fine. The boy he got in a fight with, not so much. Keitaro-kun broke his nose.¬
Haruka blinked in surprise "What exactly happened?"
¬From what his friends said the boy had been picking on Keitaro-kun since yesterday when he stood up for two other boys and stopped them being bullied. Apparently Keitaro-kun had been ignoring him until he tried to push Kanako-chan down when her brother intervened.¬
"If he's been bullying my nephew since yesterday how come nothing was done about it? Why did it get to the point where my nephew felt he had to defend himself and his sister?" Haruka asked sharply, her finger tightening around the receiver in anger.
¬Because we didn't know about it.¬ the teacher said resignedly ¬We cannot watch every child ever second of the day. Unless someone came forward about it there is nothing we could do about it. Though, even in this case I don't think we would be able to do anything.¬ Kurosawa-sensei sighed.
"What do you mean?" Haruka asked.
¬The father of the boy whose nose your nephew broke is Daisuke Sakata. He is the chairman of Sakata industries, is on the school board and is a large contributor to school funds. The last teacher that scolded was him transferred out so none of us teachers are able to actually tell him off. What's worse is that he knows this and takes advantage of the fact to get away with murder.¬
"I see..." Haruka murmured.
¬I'm calling you because Sakata-san is already on the way and I doubt he will be very happy about his son being hospitalised and will probably want to talk to Keitaro-kun so I think you had best get down here as soon as possible.¬
"I'll leave right away. Thank you for calling me." Haruka said as she hung up the phone. "Yuki-chan!" she called out.
"Yes ma'am!" the waitress hurried over to her boss.
"I've got to go down to Kei-kun's and Kana-chan's school for a while so you're in charge."
This caught the attention of all the waitresses "Is everything alright?" Yuki asked in a worried voice.
"They're fine. He just beat up a kid who tried to hurt Kana-chan. I have to go down there and smooth things out." Haruka explained.
"Don't worry, well take care of everything here." Yuki assured the aunt and all the waitresses nodded their agreement.
"Thanks." Haruka smiled before slipping on a coat and hurrying out the door.
-X-X-X-X-
Getting to the school, Haruka was greeted her nephew and nieces teacher. "Urashima-san? It's good you're here. Sakata-san has already arrived and is in the principal's office with Keitaro-kun." Kurosawa-sensei told her. "Please come this way." Without waiting for a response, the teacher turned and headed towards the building. On the way to the principal's office the pair ran into Kanako.
"Aunty!" she ran up to Haruka and hugged her around her waist. "A-Aunty, i-it wasn't Onii-chans fault! H-he was just-"
Haruka silenced her niece with a pat on the head. "It's OK. I know what happened and I'll make sure Kei-kun is alright." She assured the girl. Taking a hold of her hand the three continued on to the principal's office. Before they even reached the anteroom they could hear the yelling from inside the room. "OK Kana-chan. You stay here while I go sort this out." Getting a nod Haruka let go of her hand and moved towards the door.
"Excuse me you can't go in there." The secretary tried to stop her. "The principal is busy at the moment- hey!" She cried as Haruka ignored her and continued to enter the office.
-X-X-X-X-
"What are you going to do about this little brat, Shiranui?" Daisuke Sakata glared at the small gray haired man hiding behind his desk.
"S-Sakata-san, p-please calm down. I am sure we can-" the principal started but was interrupted by the large man in a suit.
"How do you expect me to calm down when this...this...this thug!..." he waved his arm in the direction of a glaring Keitaro. "...attacked my son and broke his nose! Why did you allow this to happen?" Daisuke demanded.
"F-From what I understand your son started this-" he started
"How dare you accuse my son of starting this! He is not some delinquent like this brat here!" Daisuke spat out.
"I'm not a delinquent!" Keitaro yelled at him. "And he did start it!"
Daisuke turned and glowered down at him "I am not talking to you brat. You will be silent unless I order you to talk!" seeing Keitaro fall silent but still glaring up at him "And don't you dare look at me like that!" he yelled as he brought his hand up to slap the boy when someone grabbed his wrist and pulled his arm back to almost breaking point making him cry out.
"Don't you dare lay a finger on my nephew!" a voice snarled near his ear.
Looking over his shoulder Daisuke saw an enraged Haruka glaring at him. "Get off of me you Bitc-Ahhh!" he cried as Haruka pulled his arm back more.
"I do not appreciate that kind of language in front of my nephew." Haruka growled. Looking towards Keitaro she said "Kei-kun, Kana-chan's outside so go wait with her." Only when Keitaro had left the room did she release the larger man from her hold.
"Who the hell are you?" Daisuke snapped at her.
"I am Haruka Urashima, Keitaro-kun's guardian." Haruka stated impassively.
"Do you have any idea who I am! I am Daisuke Sakata! My family is-!"
"Your family is nothing compared mine!" his tirade was interrupted by Haruka. "My family can trace its bloodline back over a thousand years; the vast majority of which was spent in direct service to the emperor. Whatever influence or power you believe you pitiful family has it pales in comparison to the Urashima's." Haruka snapped at him.
"How dare you talk to me like this!" he roared at her. "You are in no position to act so high and mighty! Your nephew hospitalised my son and you just assaulted me. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't call my lawyers and sue you for everything you own?"
Haruka just smirked. "You're welcome to try. The Urashima family owns at least a controlling stake in every major law firm in Japan not to mention several judges owe many favours. If you could even get the case to court any lawyer that is even slightly proficient in their profession would face a conflict of interests and would not be able to represent you. You would have to be lucky to be able to hire an ambulance chaser to represent you."
"And do you think I would just remain silent about that? Some people would call that corruption!" he sneered at her.
Haruka's expression didn't change in the slightest "If you wish to talk about corruption then perhaps you would like to talk about certain irregularities in your company's pension fund?" she asked.
The sneer dropped from Daisuke's face as he turned several shades paler "I-I have no idea what you are talking about." He denied.
"Then you would have no problem with me calling a friend of the family's who works for the National Tax Agency and asking him to arrange an audit, will you?" she asked.
"N-Now now, Urashima-san there is no need for that." He quickly back pedalled. "I'm sure we can come to an arrangement that we both can be happy with."
"I can think of one right now. You will pull your son out of this school; you will resign from the school board and neither you nor anyone connected with you will have anything to do with this school or my family again. In return I won't give my friend a call."
"T-That sounds fair. Perhaps you can give him a call and put off any future audits his office may have planned?" Daisuke asked with an uncomfortable smile.
"I don't see why I would do that. Seeing as you're going to be returning all the money that was stolen from the pensions you have no reason to fear any audits do you?" she told him, her voice still hard. "You may leave now." She dismissed him.
As soon as the man had left the principal slumped back into his chair. "Thank you for that Urashima-san. I have never been able to deal with that man and his demands."
Haruka sat down opposite him and folded her arms across her chest. "Then why did you continue to humour him?"
"Because I had little choice to do otherwise. This school cannot maintain its current standards without the money he was donating." He let a depressed sigh. "By the way, how did you know he was stealing from his company's pension fund?"
Haruka shrugged "An educated guess. He seemed like the kind of person who would embezzle money and since the pension fund is a usually the easiest place to steal it from I took a gamble." She told him. "Anyway, that is besides the point. Was it really worth putting up with that man and his son just for the extra money."
"As much as it pains me to say so, yes it was. Apart from the fact that he was on the school board which meant I couldn't do anything about him even if I wanted to; the amount of money he was able to give to this school would have been enough to keep us fully funded for many years after that brat of his leaves us."
"So you sacrificed the happiness of your students and teachers for money." Haruka frowned.
"For money that would have been able to provide a much more than adequate education for future students as well as the current students. It was deemed a necessary evil." He sighed again. "We were relying on his donations to do so much this year now I'll have to redo the budget and make some serious cut backs."
"And what if I were to say my family could be prepared to make a quiet sizeable donation?" Haruka asked.
The principal gave her a tired look. "And what special treatment would you require for your niece and nephew in order to get this donation?"
"None other than what I have already stipulated when I enrolled them in this school. If they do something bad I expect them to be punished. I will not let my sister's son become a spoiled brat nor a delinquent and I won't let his sister become one either." She stated.
The principal stared at her for a long moment before saying "Is your family prepared to make this donation?"
"I would have to ask my mother but since it is for Kei-kun and Kana-chan's school I doubt she would have a problem with it." Haruka stated.
Shiranui gave her a thoughtful look before bursting out in a smile. "Thank you Urashima-san. This money will go a long way-" he started by was waved silent by Haruka.
"You've already got your donation so there's no need to give me the sales pitch."
"Of course Urashima-san. If that is settled then all there is to do is talk about what should happen to Keitaro-kun. Fighting is a very serious offence and is usually met with a one week suspension as punishment." Seeing the look Haruka was giving him the principal chuckled weakly. "Though I think in this case we can make an exception. I trust you will be talking with your nephew about this and ensuring that he won't be getting in anymore fights."
"Only if you can ensure that Kanako-chan won't be bullied or picked on." Haruka replied.
"I cannot ensure that. We are unable to watch them all the time and children will be children. In any case we cannot allow Keitaro-kun to believe breaking people's noses is the best way to resolve issues."
Haruka's eyes narrowed at him as she stood up and leaned over his desk with her fists planted firmly on the wood. "Let me tell you something. As I have already informed you; for two years Keitaro-kun was in the hell hole of an orphanage and Kanako-chan was there even longer. When he arrived there he took as many beating as he could to protect Kanako and the other kids. He even pushed her out of the way when that bitch was about to attack her with a knife. Because he went through all that for the sake of protecting Kanako and the others he no longer wants to go swimming, something he used to love doing, because it would mean letting people see the scars on his back. He cannot even get a haircut without the whole world seeing what was done too him. He got in the middle of a duel between two swordswomen because he didn't want them to hurt each other. He ran into a burning building because someone he had met not even two hours before might have been inside and the very next day he jumped in front of a car to shield Kanako-chan with his body. And when he woke up in hospital the first thing he did was demand to see his sister. He even broke the shin of an orderly that he thought was getting between him and his sister." Haruka seethed at him. "I have never known someone as dedicated to protecting the people he cares about as Kei-kun. And I will not scold him for doing whatever it takes to protect his sister. And neither will I scold him if he feels he needs to break a bully's nose in order to protect her in the future. And just so you know I am teaching the both of them martial arts. Soon you will be very thankful if all he does is break their nose."
The principal had sunk lower into his chair as Haruka leaned closer to him. "O-Of course Urashima-san, I-I understand." He stuttered out.
"Good." She said as she stood upright and removed her fists from his desk. "Now I will be taking Keitaro-kun and Kanako-chan home for the day. You can expect them back at school first thing tomorrow morning. I trust you have no problem with this arrangement?"
"N-No problem at all." He assured the angry aunt.
"Then I will take my leave." She told his as she left the room.
Slumping down in his chair Shiranui said to himself "I think I would have been better off with Sakata-san."
-X-X-X-X
After collecting Keitaro's and Kanako's possessions and having them say goodbye to their friends for the day Haruka lead them home; Keitaro holding onto her hand while Kanako held onto Keitaro's arm as they walked in silence. Deciding it was best to deal with this before they got home and was questioned by the girls Haruka made a detour into a park. Buying them all an ice-cream cone Haruka sat them down on a bench and waited for them to start. When it was obvious that they weren't prepared to start off Haruka asked "Why didn't you tell a teacher that you were being bullied?"
Keitaro shifted uncomfortably as he continued to look at the ground. "Didn't wanna." He stated simply as he took another lick of his ice-cream.
"uh-uh Kei-kun. That's not going to do it. Give me a proper reason." She ordered him.
He fell into silence again before mumbling "Because no one would believe me and it would only make things worse." He told her as Kanako squeezed his arm more tightly.
Looking down at the small children who were both staring at the ground Haruka reached out and patted her nephews head. "Where did you get a silly idea like that?" she asked.
"That's what she always told us." he said quietly.
'She?' Haruka thought 'Who is she?' seeing that they were still staring at the ground as if something deeply troubled them, her eyes went wide as she realised who 'she' was. Dropping her ice-cream Haruka knelt in front of them and roughly grabbed onto Keitaro's arms harder than she meant to. "I want you to forget everything that woman ever said to you! She was evil and everything she ever said to you was a lie just to protect herself!" Seeing the pained and slightly frightened look on his face Haruka realised how hard she was gripping onto his arms and let him go to pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry Kei-kun I didn't mean to scare you it's just, I want you to forget about that woman and all the bad things she did. You live at Hinata Sou now with people who love and care about you. If you tell us something like that we would believe you and we would do everything in our power to help you. Me and Granny did when we came to take you away from that terrible place and we made sure that she will never be able to harm you." She leaned down and kissed his forehead. "So don't ever even think about keeping something like that to yourself again, OK?"
"OK Aunty." he murmured as he buried his head into her neck.
"The same goes for you, OK Kana-chan?" She said as she pulled Kanako off the bench into a hug.
"Yes Aunty." She agreed and copied her brother.
"Good." she smiled and stroked her back. "Now let's go home."
-X-X-X-X-
Finishing their ice-creams before arriving home the trio popped into the tea house to visit the waitresses and assure them that everything was alright Haruka eventually had to drag her children away from her over affectionate servers who couldn't believe how cute the two of them looked in their uniforms. Heading upstairs and entering the dorm they were greeted by a lounging Kitsune laying on the sofa. "What are you guys doing here so early?"
Before the two could answer Haruka said. "You two go and get changed and I'll explain things to Kitsune." Nodding their heads the two children ran off upstairs as she sat down and sighed.
"So, what happened?" Kitsune asked.
"Did Kei-kun or Kana-chan say anything about a kid picking on them to you?" she replied.
"They're being bullied?" Kitsune wondered, sitting up straight.
"Its fine, Keitaro-kun took care of it." Haruka said as she grabbed a saucer of sake Kitsune had on the table.
"What do you mean took care of it?" Kitsune questioned the aunt as she poured the elder woman some more of her drink.
"He broke the bully's nose." She said simply as she sipped the alcohol and handed the dish back to Kitsune.
"Seriously?" she asked, taken aback.
"Are you that surprised? You've seen the scars he has; can you really not see him doing something like that to protect Kanako-chan?"
"I guess... so what happened exactly?"
"He stopped a bully from beating up two of his new friends and so he became the target himself. Apparently Kei-kun was ignoring the kid until he tried to push Kana-chan over and then the gloves came off. One punch and the kid went down." She reported; oddly proud of her little nephew.
"Did he get in trouble at school? Is that why they are home already." Kitsune asked concerned.
"No, I sorted it all out and the kid with a broken nose was pulled out of the school by his father so he won't have to deal with him anymore. I took them out of school today because I wanted to hear their side of the story."
"That's a relief." Kitsune sighed as Keitaro entered the room alone. Grabbing a hold of him Kitsune laid back down on the sofa and hugged him tightly to her chest. "Hey Kei-kun, where's Kana-chan?"
"Bathroom." He said as he nuzzled into her ample breasts.
"Well I had best get back down to the tea shop. I'll see you later." She kissed her nephew and ruffled his hair before leaving.
Running her fingers through his hair and running her hands up and down his back Kitsune said "I heard you and Kana-chan had an eventful day today huh?"
Keitaro nodded his head before asking "Nee-san? Was what I did bad?"
"Hugging him tightly she said "mmm, I don't think so. I would have been more disappointed if you hadn't protected Kana-chan, but it would have been better if you told a teacher before it got to that point." She kissed his forehead. "But don't worry about it. What's done is done and at least you and Kana-chan aren't hurt."
"Onii-chan..." came Kanako's quiet voice. Sitting up Kitsune pulled the small girl up onto her lap where she hugged her brother. "Love you Onii-chan." She murmured as she nuzzled into his neck.
"Love you too, Kana-chan." He smiled down at her and squeezed her tightly.
"Thank you for protecting me again." She whispered.
"Don't worry about it." He grinned "After all you're going to be my wife on day so I have to look after you." This had become a habit of Keitaros; to announce his intent to marry his little sister, which was always met with giggles and a blush and this time was no different. Of course he also periodically decaled he was going to marry one and/or all of his Nee-sans which earned him a hit on the head if Kanako was in earshot
Smiling down at the cute scene on her lap Kitsune reached out and hugged the two kids "Seeing as you two have the rest of the day off of school how about I take you out for some ice-cream?"
"But Aunty already-"Kanako started but up silenced by Keitaro.
"Shhh, we can get more ice-cream." He told her sister in a whisper.
"What are you two mumbling about?" Kitsune asked suspiciously.
"Nothing Nee-san!" both children said sweetly as Keitaro gave her a cheeky smile.
"mmm, OK then. Let's go get some ice-cream." She patted their heads.
"Love you Nee-san." Keitaro and Kanako grinned at her as they leaned up and pressed their lips against her cheeks.
"I love the two of you too." She smiled as she stood up and held their hands in her own. "Let's go."
-X-X-X-X-
Authors note
OK new story and I hoped you liked it. This is the third out of hopefully four Kid-Keitaro Fics and I have no idea how long this fic will be. I plan on properly introducing Sarah in hopefully the first three chapters but to do that I need you guys help. I need ideas for pranks Sarah can pull when she first arrives in Hinata Sou. So far all I've come up with is defacing Naru's textbooks and maybe replacing Kitsune's sake with vinegar or something. I need a prank for as many of the girls as possible and any suggestions or ideas will be appreciated.
Secondly I have an idea for a future chapter that won't be done for quite awhile but I'd like to see an example of how it's done before I try it myself. What I want to know is if there are any fics on this site (Or any other site for that matter) where the author describes child birth. I don't want to go into it in too much detail but it would preferably be one where a character has to deliver one themselves.
Anyway please leave a review if you have any suggestions or even if you just want to tell me what you think about this chapter. Any and all comments are welcome.