Chapter 1: The Demon Landlord
Another day passes by in Hinata City, the sky an everlasting baby blue that fills the hearts of many with lifted spirits. The bright warm rays that awaken little children and ready them for the coming day. Chirping birds, fluffy clouds, and a peaceful breeze fly over head…though…speaking of flying, but some do wonder… WHAT IS THAT THING?!
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!" A strange black blotch zooms by as it screams in the distant sky. After a few more seconds of flying he, as the clothes determined it indeed was a he, seemed to float in air.
This poor fellow is Urashima Keitaro, 20-year-old three-time ronin, trying to enter Tokyo University. He is also the manager of the local Hinata-sou, an all-girls dorm once owned by his dear granny Hina. Others would enjoy his status... most specifically those who fancied harems and such, but he didn't like it that much. In fact, everyday meant a new form of pain added to his list.
He sighed as he flew beside ducks for a while, talking to one that appeared to sit on his chest. "Great job Keitaro… way to piss off the pervert-bashing duo again and sign another guaranteed ticket to my grave. I wonder: why does it always have to be like this?"
"Quack!"
Keitaro stared blankly at the duck sitting on his chest. Just my luck, a hitchhiker...
His internal monologue had ceased as he continued screaming when he felt his body tilt downward toward his landing point: The lake of the local park.
Down on the ground, a little boy who was prodding a dead bird looked up when his mother came back. "Look mom! A missile!"
"Giro, just turn away and let's go," His mother said hurriedly as she ushered her son away from the point of impact. People began running or rowing their boats away before… Boom! Keitaro landed and crashed in the lake, forcing the water up a few feet before landing on some of the poor spectators of his "Breathtaking dive".
At the Hinata-sou… Shinobu sat in the lobby prepared to meet her kind sempai when he came back. Illusions of his injured body asking Shinobu to help him, blushing red every now and then, only to shake it off with one excuse: "Right now it's serious, serious! Come on, Shinobu keep it together! Sempai is hurt right now… auuuu, why did Naru-sempai and Motoko-sempai have to go that far? I told them it was an accident! Auuuu I hope he's ok…"
Anyway, this is Shinobu, 13-year-old resident of Hinata-sou, student of Kanagawa-prefecture junior high school, and Hinata-sou's resident cooking genius. On that day she had met Keitaro, she has admired him since then. Shinobu has her good points and bad points, neither outbalancing the other, and a good kid overall… Most importantly, she is possibly the only normal person in the whole apartment.
"Shinobu-chan, just let the pervert rot out there, serves him right anyway. " The burgundy haired girl with antennae is Narusegawa Naru, 18-year-old student of Tokyo University, along with Keitaro. The dynamic in-more-than-one-way-short-tempered girl of Hinata-sou, she is smart, beautiful, and she… has one hell of a punch. Though she may look like it, she is one of the two people to send Keitaro rocketing into the stratosphere. But as they say, looks can be deceiving; she has a certain amount of affection for the guy… but prefers to go with the idea of "tough love".
"Yes Shinobu-chan, Naru-sempai is correct. Urashima is a grown man; he himself knows when to take responsibility, and he does so at this very moment. He is repenting for his perverted transgression toward his own tenants." If the other girl was hotheaded and violent, this girl was levelheaded and calm… but she carried a sword and never once thought twice on using it. She is Aoyama Motoko, 16-year-old student of Kanagawa-prefecture high school, heiress of the Shinmei-ryuu sword school, and the other person responsible for that large hole. Calm, cool, collected, Motoko is a girl who lives the life of the samurai. Ignoring her hateful outlook of men, or her inherent fear of turtles, she is pretty much a good person at heart. Inside that intimidating, man-hating exterior, is your typical teen girl going after the guy she likes: Keitaro.
"Shinobu-chan, don't worry your pretty little head dear, it's Keitaro. Next thing you know, he just bounces back inside looking good as new" Here trying to cheer her up is the resident drunkard and free-lance writer, Konno "Kitsune" Mitsune, 18-year-old laidback, sake drinking, best friend of Naru. They have been friends since junior high and have both been roomies at Hinata-sou. Just as her nickname implies, she's just as sly and conniving as any fox. She also has a thing for Keitaro… but displays it more often-than-not to get something she wants.
"Shinomu cheer up! Keitawo will be back! He's indestructible, a little punch ain't nothin to him." The last member of Hinata house is the rambunctious Kaolla Su, who doesn't only act like a child but looks like one too. Scrawny 14-year-old girl that is in the same class as Shinobu, but believe this, she is much smarter than her appearances let on. She loves Keitaro too, but in more of a brother-sister type way, that is what most people believe though.
"I just can't help worrying about him…" Shinobu replied to all of them, sitting down again and looking at the clock. "Auuuu, I'm sorry sempai," she whispered to herself before getting up and getting her book bag, "Su! Come-on, we're going to be late for school!" Su leaped right out the door as Motoko, carrying a bokuto in a violet sword carry-case and her book bag, bowed and exited after the junior high students.
Naru also announced that she was also late for the usual tram and left too. Knowing Keitaro, Kitsune thought he must have gone to school in whatever condition he was in. "I almost pity him… almost that is… oh well, time to see if I won anything."
Yokohama station, 4:00 PM
"Youko, are you sure this is the place?" A girl in black coat and hat said to the other, who happened to be the red headed girl from before.
"Yeah I'm sure of it Mo-chan," Youko replied as she called for a taxi.
"So umm, tell me again… why are we dressed like this?" 'Mo-chan' asked her companion as they got in.
"Alright, I told you that when I got home and turned on the TV, the news was saying something about some freakish guy falling from a specific height and landing so hard, he formed a crater." Youko replied as her friend stared at her blankly.
"That doesn't answer my question, what's with the conspicuous get up?!" Mo-chan prodded her friend's chest. Youko faked a moan and got hit over the head with a harisen.
"Don't do things people will misunderstand!" Mo-chan shouted after putting the harisen away into her coat.
"Sheesh, calm down why don't ya?" Youko mumbled while rubbing the spot that was hit, "Anyway, we are dressed up like this because: If we go out in public, we'll draw too much attention to ourselves, something we don't want. Our goal is to head for the Hinata-sou and meet up with Keitaro."
Mo-chan blinked twice before smirking, "Huh, this is rare, you're actually thinking this through without the need for conflict. I'm impressed." Mo-chan snickered at her friend's smug expression.
"Yeah! I can think things through too you know," she stopped smiling when she realized what she just implied and reinforced, "I am not a knucklehead!" Youko shouted only to have Mo-chan look the other direction with feigned ignorance.
"I didn't say you were, you called yourself that." Mo-chan skipped happily away from the steaming girl. Not realizing where she was going, she bumped into a schoolgirl when she turned at the corner.
"Ouch… I'm sorry, are you all right?" Mo-chan looked down as she saw that the girl's school bag and wrapped package were splayed on the sidewalk. "I'm really sorry, here let me assist you"
After repacking the girl's schoolbag, she stood up as the schoolgirl had already slung the slender object on her shoulder again and retrieving her bag from the stranger.
"Thank you very…"
Both of them could not help but stare at each other, they were roughly the same height. Mo-chan figured she was in the kendo club at her school because of the small duffel bag, the sword bag on her shoulder, and her athletic figure.
"Mo-chan, we have to hurry! I'm hungry!" Youko shouted as she picked up their bags and pushed her companion away.
-- Same scene, in Motoko's perspective --
Motoko sighed as she walked back toward her school from halfway to the streetcar station. " Of all times I had become forgetful, why now?" Motoko grumbled a bit more while she walked. She had forgotten her homework in the classroom when school ended, and left for the Kendo club.
Turning the corner, Motoko collided with a person and fell on her backside. Her bag slipped out of her grasp and her bokken clattered loudly as it fell beside her.
"Ouch… I'm sorry, are you all right?" Motoko heard the girl speak; she nodded as she reached out for the fallen sword. "I'm really sorry, here let me assist you."
Motoko stood up and saw the other girl in the dark cloak stand up as well, her school bag in hand. The girl returned her bag and she smiled, reaching out and taking it out from the stranger.
"Thank you very…" Motoko let her gratitude linger as both she and the stranger in front of her stood surprised. Motoko felt she was looking into a mirror, this girl, probably her age; every feature matched sans the red eyes and pointed ears.
She watched as her double had been pushed away by her red haired friend.A doppelganger? No, that's preposterous, it's merely coincidence that she looks like me… right? Motoko left the subject alone and continued her trek back to school, hoping that the clubs were still busy.
--Perspective end--
A little later in Hinata city, Shinobu, Su, and a few friends of theirs were on their way home from school. Shinobu and Su were simply conversing about what was on the menu tonight while their friends were talking about who was better: Nana Mizuki or Tamaki Nami.
Shinobu laughed at Su's request for dinner: banana curry, a combination of the girl's favorites. Shinobu believed that this request was a worthy challenge of her cooking skills. They stopped at a crosswalk waiting for the signal to cross the road, when Shinobu noticed something walking on the other side. Two people dressed in black coats and carrying travel bags, one of them looked like Motoko, walked in the direction of Hinata-sou.
Youko and Mo-chan arrived at the steps of Hinata-sou and started their ascent. At the bottom, they started climbing full of vigor… toward the middle, they slowed a bit but continued; but by the time they had reached 3/4ths up the hill, they had to sit down on benches outside a little tea house. "Mo…chan… I puff can't puff go on…" Youko and Mo-chan were breathing heavily. Tired from trying to climb a monster of those stairs.
"Tha- wheeze that's hard puff to believe… but I can tell why…" Mo-chan breathed out. They both took deep breaths before exhaling.
"Moo-chaaan… I'm huuungry…" Youko whined, Mo-chan couldn't smack her because she herself was lacking energy, "Feed me, Mo-chan…"
"What are you looking at me for? I didn't bring any money with me. I was only able to pay for our bus and train fare. Nothing else" Mo-chan covered her ears as Youko let out a loud frustrated moan while flailing her arms and legs like a kid, throwing an angry fit while repeating the words "I'm hungry!"
Mo-chan was on the brink of snapping, that bulging vein was like a ticking time bomb ready to blow. She slowly reached into her pack for an even bigger harisen. One blow… that's all I need… just one blow to the head, and she's out like a light. Not even Reia of the netherworld hospital can wake her up. Her twitching became considerable before the sound of a door sliding open broke her anger, that, and a familiar voice.
"I wondered why that annoying chirping sounded familiar. Real amusing to find the two of you here." The two girls looked up to find a very refreshing sight.
"Haruka-dono!"
"Anego!"
"Youko, Motoko, telling from your clothes you aren't here to become borders of Hinata-sou?" Haruka inquired, when they nodded, she sighed and stepped away from the door.
"Come in for a bit, I'll charge Keitaro if you two decide to eat" At the sound of the word, they bowed with full respect and walked quickly towards the nearest table inside.
At the Hinata-sou, Kitsune was watching the races as usual, only this time; she was at the edge of her seat. If her horse won, she could win 200, 000 yen and a week's worth supply of sake from the sponsor of the racetrack.
"Lucky Star… let's go! I need me some cash and sake, for the rent and to pay of Kei-kun" Kitsune held her ticket in a tight grip. To her, this was a matter of life or death.
Shinobu and Su arrived and removed their shoes at the front, "We're home!" They announced. They simply got a grunt from Kitsune as they went separately: Shinobu headed for her room to get changed, while Su wanted to play with her toys.
Shinobu asked if Keitaro had come home while they were gone, Kitsune replied that she did see him retrieve his bag. On the terms of his health, just you're typical abrasions and a few injuries, though his clothes were a bit tattered and drenched. This seemed to relieve Shinobu and continued her way
Motoko arrived next, announcing her arrival in a disgruntled shout. She got a pleasant "Welcome home" from Shinobu, a loud "Your back!" from Su as she flew down the stairs and latched onto Motoko. All she got from Kitsune was another grunt.
Blasted, perverted men… Somehow I wonder if they truly are needed, accursed life lessons. Motoko must have had a run in with another brave fool who tried to fondle her.
Naru came home, "I'm home!" She got her replies from everyone who heard her; Kitsune grunted to signal that she acknowledged her arrival.
"Gambling again?" Kitsune nodded dumbly while watching her horse. Naru raised a brow and sighed, "One of these days, gambling will ruin your life. I just know it will." Naru walked upstairs to her room and shut her door.
"Ojama-shimasu!" Motoko, or 'Mo-chan', and Youko yelled as they set their shoes at the door. "Oh man I ate too much…" Youko groaned a bit.
"Excuse me but, where is the Managers office?" Motoko looked at Kitsune, who was too busy being glued to the idiot box to look.
"2nd floor, 1st door to your left Motoko" Kitsune replied mechanically as Motoko and Youko bowed, just in case you didn't realize, Youko had one arm slung over Motoko's neck.
"Thank you so much" Motoko and Youko slowly ascended the stairs and entered the office.
Downstairs, Kitsune blinked for a bit, "Wait…didn't I just see Motoko come in already?" She looked back up, "I wonder… could she have a twin? Nah impossible must be new tenants, I guess." She turned back slowly to see that…
"…Oh my folks! The losing horse, Dead Nicky has caught up and, at a last sprint of strength, beat the crowd favorite, Lucky Star. Dead Nicky has just won the race everyone!" Kitsune crumpled the little ticket in her hands before yelling at the heavens.
"Nooooo!" She clutched her head, "200 grand…down the drain, why?!" comedic waterfalls fell from her eyes as she slumped onto the ground in despair, but was snapped out of it rather quickly as she remembered. "Hold on a… who were those two?" Kitsune, being Kitsune, had to know; it was time for her to display her abilities as an eavesdropper and slowly crept up the stairs to Keitaro's room.
Inside Naru's room, she was doing a little bit of the homework assigned to her and studied up a bit more on the subjects in the upcoming test. Sighing a little, she thinks a bit, "So close to Tokyo U… if only I can pass this exam then maybe I can get in." Naru thinks about what she could do when she gets in, maybe eat with friends in the grassy areas, play tennis, have the same classes as her friends.
She was awoken from her day dreaming by the sound of Keitaro's door opening, about time the idiot came home, Naru thought. She moved toward her Liddo-kun doll and removed the board, popping her head in.
"It's about time you got home, what were you doing out so long any…way…" She realized something; these two people in Keitaro's room were not him, one of them happened to look like Motoko too. "Can I…help you?"
Youko and Motoko looked at each other and thought, crap now what? Motoko tapped her palm and smiled. "We want to speak with the manager of Hinata-sou please."
Naru sighed and dropped down into Keitaro's room, "Sorry but he isn't here at the moment, want to go into the lobby and wait for him there?"
Youko and Motoko both nodded, this time Youko decided to talk, "That would be very nice thank you."
Keitaro trudged up the stairs to Hinata-sou, very tired, very hungry, and very annoyed. "First I'm thrown into the sky for an accident, next I talk to an animal like a loony, after that I land in cold water and have to go back to the house then to the prep. School. I get yelled at there for sleeping in class, and here I am now without having eaten anything the whole day. What else could make this day worse?"
"Yo, Keitaro" Haruka, his aunt, greeted him. She got a mumbled "Hello, Haruka-san" in reply. "You look tired, wanna come in for a bit?" Haruka asked, she got a polite refusal and she merely shrugged.
When she was about to reenter, she called out to him, "What is it, Haruka-san?" he replied, turning his head to her.
"You have some guests, you might want to give them a proper greeting" Haruka smirked and puffed out the smoke from the cancer stick. She went back inside and closed the door.
Keitaro sighed, more people to deal with… as if I didn't have enough already, he continued his way until he got to the door.
"I'm back…" He barely had energy left to shout, he simply drawled it out.
"Ah! Welcome back sempai!" Shinobu walked up to him and bowed curtly, "The food will be ready shortly; I made some Gyuudon to cheer you up…and uh to apologize for earlier" Shinobu somewhat whispered the last part, but he caught on to it.
"That's ok Shinobu, I should be the one to apologize for this morning. Thank you anyway for the Gyuudon" He smiled in her direction. Shinobu fiddled a bit before she remembered. "Your visitors are over there, they just arrived minutes before you did."
"Really?" He replied dumbly, just as a familiar presence alerted him. Youki? And familiar traces too… could it be.
"Yeah, one of them not only looks like Motoko but has the same name too. That's amazing!" Shinobu walked to the back and presented everyone. Motoko was talking with the other Motoko before both (one had her hair down, while the other in the cloak still had hers up) were looking at the door. Youko was seated beside the pony-tailed Motoko while she conversed with Su. Naru and Kitsune sat on the large couch.
"Keitawo! Your home!" "What took you so long you moron?!" "Urashima! How rude of you to keep your own guests waiting so long!" Everyone except the mentioned visitors were bombarding him with questions, but it all stopped when the two girls stood up and stood in front of him.
"It's good to see you again, Keitaro-sama" pony-tailed Motoko smiled.
"Yeah, it's been way too long, Danna" Youko added.
Their greetings to the man gave people some of the wrong ideas.
"Keitaro-sempai, your m-m-married!?" Shinobu was close to tears, letting out a little auuuu.
"What is the meaning of this Urashima!?" Motoko roared as she immediately stood up and stomped towards the man. Kitsune just whistled, while Naru also stomped towards him, cocking a fist.
"You did something perverted didn't you?! And to such a young kid too!" Naru looked like she was ready to kill the man.
"Wait a—please let me explain!" Keitaro had raised his hands, flailing them in front of him as if to ward off danger.
"Save it for later!" Both Naru and Motoko yelled, prepared to charge him when two blurs shot by. An explosion rocked the house when Keitaro was thrown out of the house and hit a tree, causing it to break in half and fall to one side.
The stunned observers looked as the pony-tailed Motoko and Youko were still in their striking stance. Youko had punched him while pony-tailed Motoko kicked him.
The girls yelled out Keitaro's name in shock of. Watching him stand up slowly as the two assailants exited the house.
They smirked and threw off their cloaks.
Pony-tailed Motoko had been wearing a Gi and Hakama, similar to Motoko's, except hers had larger cuts to the top of the shoulders; red ribbons adorned the edges of her Gi, while her Hakama was a natural red.
Youko's outfit was more of a skin-tight sleeveless swimsuit, long leggings with large golden anklets, and red fighter shoes. What surprised them most are the large gauntlets on her arms, they wondered why they didn't see those.
"You dare show your aggression?" Motoko was about to draw her sword when Keitaro put his hand up.
"Motoko, everyone, stay out of this. They came here for me, and I'll give them that satisfaction" Keitaro stood up and got into his own fighting stance. This confused Motoko and the rest. Instead of intervening, she obeyed his rather dangerous request, and led everyone to the farther part of the front yard.
Keitaro held his left palm out while he kept his right hand balled into a fist; left foot forward, right foot back. Youko rushed him while the other Motoko materialized a large sword out of nowhere, increasing the danger by the first Motoko's standards.
Youko aimed a punch for his head; he ducked and held a hand out to catch another fist aimed for his head. Pulling her down, he twisted up, stood and leapt back to dodge a sweep kick. Behind him, the other Motoko rushed at him with sword in hand and attempted to slash him into ribbons. Every attempt he dodged with frightening reflex and caught the last one before it got him. The attacking Ronin pinned him down for Youko to attack with a strong punch.
She failed however when Keitaro exerted a little push and pulled the sword down to block the punch. A ringing sound was heard when gauntlet and sword collided.
Keitaro rushed them this time, Youko first, he aimed several blows to her head and abdomen, and she dodged right at the last attack aimed for her stomach. Her mistake was he also spun around and backhanded her to a tree. He leapt backwards and landed behind pony-tailed Motoko.
"Impressive Keitaro-sama, I see your skill with the sword did not wane." pony-tailed Motoko paused. "In the many fights we have had you were always victorious, but today..." Keitaro gave a choked gasp when pony-tailed Motoko had run him through from behind. "Today I have won." she finished her sentence and roughly pulled the sword out; Keitaro fell forward with a dull wet thud.
The girls were shocked, Keitaro had been killed right there, and they couldn't do anything. Shinobu cried out his name as she sank to her knees and sobbed her eyes out.
"Not quite yet!" Keitaro's voice rang, both Motokos turned to the body and discovered a dummy sticking its tongue out.
Pony-tailed Motoko instantly leapt back when something crashed onto ground in front of her. the spot she used to occupy had Keitaro withdrawing his arm from the cratered ground.
Both of them stood stances again, the girls somewhat relieved he was alive. They dashed at each other; this time Keitaro moved slightly faster and interrupted his opponents attacks by kicking the flat side of the blade or forcing her to dodge. Through out the fight, Motoko felt youki, demon energy, flow in miniscule amounts out of Keitaro, she began to wonder if it had something to do with his sudden ability to fight.
"It believe we've gone on long enough, let's end this" Keitaro smirked. Using a haymaker, pony-tailed Motoko side-stepped to dodge, but realized too late that Keitaro had lunged and sent her flying back with a powerful open-palm thrust. Not giving her time to get up, he stepped on her wrist and grabbed the sword, leveling the edge with her neck, stopping her comrade's advance.
"Give up, it's my win," Keitaro said as a look of defeat passed over the two.
The girls were going to congratulate him on defeating his attackers…if it weren't for the fact that he was helping one of them up. "Urashima! What do you think you are doing?" Motoko yelled.
"Ahaha…Look's like I have some explaining to do then." He turned back towards pony-tailed Motoko and Youko, "It's great seeing you two again. I've missed both of you." He smiled warmly at them, they became teary eyed, sniffling a bit. This baffled the rest of the girls when the two girls tackled him to the ground, bawling on his chest with smiles.
"I'll explain everything…just…please." He lay on the ground looking at Shinobu pleadingly, "I need food now…"
Keitaro: time for… (With everyone) Author's side section!
Kitsune Hanyou: Phew! Finally done with chapter 1 I hope you all like it. If you want to know what the job classes in Disgaea look like, go to kawaii gallery and check Galleries for Jeux Video Disgaea
Keitaro: And here are some translation notes:
Ojama-shimasu- commonly used when entering someone else's home. It literally means, "I will be a burden" but could just be thought of as, "Excuse me"
Danna- can be used to address a man; it would translate as "Sir", most likely in similar understanding as the honorific –dono. Then again, it can be also interpreted as "Husband" when used by a woman who appears to be the wife.
Harisen- paper fan used in comedy to smack people
pony-tailed Motoko, red-eyed Motoko, the other Motoko- The ronin from Disgaea HoD really looks like her. Seriously, check it out.
Kitsune Hanyou: If ever the author Blu Rose reads this, I would like to say thank you for writing "SinFul Rose", the Naruto X Disgaea fic. It inspired me to do a Love Hina crossover because I didn't see any. And that's it; I hope you liked it. Please read and review! All forms are welcome.
Motoko: Next time! Chapter 1.1 Truth of the Dork
