Sorry for the late chapter. Been very busy lately with fathers day, finances, and work. I appreciate all the people who have stayed faithful up to now. Trust me there is still more to come with the story so don't assume anything at all because you never know how it'll turn. As far as the earlier chapter where I said that I felt hurt about the comments I didn't mean for anyone to stop critiquing to make it better. It was just me being stupid and taking it personally. Thank you for reading. Please read, comment, and review no matter the type of feedback you have.
-Chapter 4- Make up to late?
Haruka returned to the living room and the girls had regained some of their composure. Their attitudes still frail and shaken from Haruka's onslaught of vicious words. Shinobu had came down from her room again after her girlish fit after Haruka said that she might have a shot with keitaro. She had ignored the fact about the age letting her mind wander as her pubescent mind wandered into dangerous territory.
"Aaaah" she stood smiling drooling a bit. "Ahem" Haruka cleared her throat to return the blue haired girl back to the earth.
Shinobu snapped out of her daze quickly wiping her chin of the drool focusing on the authority figure in the room. All the girls looked at Haruka focusing on her waiting for her to say something "All of you except for Shinobu here", she pointed at Shinobu making the girl blush and run to the kitchen, "wants to make it up to keitaro, am I right?" The remaining girls of the group looked confused at first but all responded the same by nodding their head yes except for Naru who laid on the floor still in shock.
Haruka walked up to her leaning down looking into Naru's face " Even you have done something wrong. Do you want to redeem yourself and at least get the friendship of a good MAN back" emphasizing that he was a man after giving up his body and dreams for these women. Keitaro had proven his worth over and over with these group of girls. From Motoko's sword attacks to kitsunes flirtatious, blackmailing ways. He even loved Naru with her belligerent beatings that were delivered daily.
A tear trailed Naru's cheek and she responded with a nod. Haruka did not smile and simply nodded back.
Haruka stood up and looked at each of the girls "Well I'm glad to say that it won't be easy for you girls." She smiled looking at Naru and Motoko specifically since they had done the most physical damage to Keitaro out of the bunch. She then stared at Kitsune and Su since Su had been almost as violent and Kitsune stole from him on a daily basis. Haruka crossed her arms with a glare "Do whatever it takes to get him back. WHATEVER it takes." She pointed at whatever making sure they understood.
Naru and Motoko shook and the comment but knew there was nothing that could change what they had done and deserved it. Haruka then turned and walked towards the door but stopped a few steps short looking over her shoulder "Oh by the way. You will have some competition if you want his love." Haruka turned smiling with the comment not looking to see what her comment had done to the girls.
All of the girls laid in the respective spot on the couch, Shinobu still in the kitchen thinking once again of keitaro.
Keitaro laid in his room not knowing of what had been done. All he knew was that he didn't want to see of the Hinata girls for a long time. He had loved them as family but was hurt just like his family had hurt him. Only two people had excepted him at face value for what he was. Unlike everyone else that either called him a nerd or a dork, they watched over for him and cared for him. First of course was his Aunt Haruka which he had to remind himself never to say around her.
The other was his sister the Gothic, pale, purple haired Kanako Urashima. Yes she did like Gothic outfits but the makeup and the outrageous hair styles never came to her. As a kid he had treated her kindly as he would with every one and she was the only one to return it to him. He first thought at one point she had loved him but shook off saying that was absurd since they were brother and sister.
Keitaro rolled over in his sheets. The tears had stopped since he had nothing left in him emotionally. He then thought "Man, if only I had someone like kanako, or if we weren't related"
Keitaro slapped himself at the thought "Can't like that! She's your sister. Maybe I deserve what I got from Naru." Another tear trailed his cheek at the thought. He tried to sleep but failed at it, so he got up and got the last set of clothes from his stash he had for nights he had to hide with Haruka. He wore a average T-shirt with jeans which wasn't much but it gave a earthy air to him. He left the room and changed the sign to open for the tea shop. Keitaro mustered whatever strength he could muster to make a smile for the customers that walked through the door.
He did his best filling each order actually feeling a little better working making his mind stray from the girls and the unhappy event that had happened a few days ago.
Haruka came through the door amazed as keitaro worked the shop with ease. She quickly ran over to him making sure he was ok "Keitaro? Are you ok? You shouldn't push yourself" He smiled warmly at her making Haruka freeze for a second "I'm fine, I'm enjoying this right now. I gotta show my thanks for letting me stay here so long." He handed a customer her order smiling and sitting down as all of the customers were taken care at that point.
Haruka was amazed and sat next to keitaro "You really are Superman. You take physical abuse from the girls for years, then suffer a emotional blow and you still are such a kind, devoted man." She patted keitaro's back as he scratched his head. He hid the pain best he could at the mention of the Hina girls. Haruka smiled "I envy the woman who marries you. She'll definitely be in heaven for you." He blushed "Haruka, Come on, I'm just some nerd" Haruka rolled her eyes at his comment "How about today I let you call me Aunt since your in a rough patch." Keitaro nodded simply and looked to see if there was any new customers.
He continued to look out and stated "Aunt Haruka." She flinched at the statement but stayed true to her word "Yeah?" He looked at her with a somber almost sad face "I'm going to move back in"
Her eyes widened at his statement retorting quickly "Are you sure?" Keitaro simply nodded showing that there was no chance that she could sway this man. Haruka sighed as the customers left leaving the place empty "So when are you going to move back in?" Keitaro looked away dazedly staring off into space "Tonight when everyone's asleep." Haruka nodded giving up the fight saying "Ok, but if you need me. Come to me any time and I mean it."
He smiled "Thank you Aunt Haruka." She slapped him with a fan. She then dropped the fan "SORRY!" leaving keitaro with a small chuckle "It's ok, some habits are hard to break" She smiled thinking "I hope he will be ok."
-Later that night-
Keitaro had got back into his room without waking up anyone. He decided it was the best time to start cleaning since he wouldn't have to worry about facing any of the girls. He scrubbed the halls quietly and started the laundry. Following the halls he cleaned the hot springs and living room. He then turned to the roof and scrubbed the deck. Keitaro felt at peace and had a slight smile as he finished the deck. He looked into the mornings darkness being up all night.
Foot steps then quickly came up to the deck and he looked back to a raven haired woman in her samurai attire.
"Keitaro..." was all she could muster in surprise in the fact that he was back in the house. Keitaro was also in shock after seeing the woman that had attacked him many times before standing in front of him. He then bowed "I am sorry for interrupting your training miss Ayoyama, I will be on my way back to my way to my room" He quickly walked past the frozen samurai disappearing into his room intending on staying there the rest of the day til night came once again.
Motoko's mind raced at what had just happened in front of her. "Did he just address me by my formal name?" she thought. "Did he show me respect and say nothing else? Did he just coordinate himself and leave me alone?" Motoko became frightened at the thoughts going through her head. "Why did he not stay? Why did he say he would leave us alone for the rest of the day?" Motoko dropped her sword and ran to her room crying landing in her bed. She would not train that morning.
The rest of the hina girls did not say anything at the breakfast table. Motoko could not come to bear with what had happened that morning saying nothing.
Su ate her food which concerned the others but they knew what was on her mind. Kitsune had not drank since the incident in the living room. Her head pounded from the lack of alcohol but every time she tried she turned in disgust not knowing if it was from the sake or herself. Naru was still in shock from everything that had happened in the previous day. From what she had done to keitaro to the denial of love from her teacher Seta.
Shinobu was the only one in bliss but remained silent lest a battle come to her in any form.
Haruka walked through the kitchen eying the girls making sure they were still stewing in their own filth. She opened the conversation to see how everything was going "So keitaro moved back in last night." Naru, Kitsune, Su, and Shinobu jumped at the statement all looking at haruko with only Shinobu purely ecstatic from the statement. Haruka noticed that Motoko did not move at the statement "Something wrong Motoko?" she said with still some malice in her voice. Motoko shook her head answering "No. everything is right. You were right and now I have to think what I could do to make it up to keitaro."
Haruka smirked at the comment "Well, well, well, at least we have one person who has come to their senses. Three more to go." Haruka then turned to Shinobu "Shinobu, just because you did not do anything to keitaro and treated him the best it did mean you have a clean slate. You now must make sure that these girls do not stray from what they have learned. If you do that then I will say that you truly deserve him." A fire lit up in shinobu's eyes meanwhile the others looked in fear for the fact that they would lose the man they valued more then anything now to this teenage girl.
Haruka smiled thinking "this is definitely going to be a fun race." Motoko then looked at haruka "May I ask a question?" Haruka growled and waved her hand letting Motoko ask her question. Motoko stood up, bowed, and asked her question "Had our treatment of keitaro truly affected him that badly? Why does he even care about us?" Haruka rolled her eyes "HOW THICK DO YOU HAVE TO BE!" she slammed her hand on the table "BECAUSE YOUR HIS FAMILY! WHETHER I HATE IT OR NOT HE THINKS YOU ARE!" the girls shook at her yelling.
Motoko stood back, bowed, and ran to her room for the second time that day. She had cried once again for the fact that even all the pain she had caused he still cared about her.
The other girls knew that from that moment they had to make it up to him. For each of them the question was how? None of them except for Motoko and Haruka had seen keitaro since he had disappeared and only Naru knew why he was acting this way. Naru quickly got up and ran to her room changing into her street clothes which made her have to turn away guys daily. She then lifted up her stuffed doll to go through the hole in the floor that led to keitaro's room. There was one problem though.
Naru gasped "He put the hole back together" she whispered at the new piece of wooden floor that laid under the doll.
She then ran to keitaro's front door of his room knocking on it sofly "Keitaro?" A voice replied from the room sleepily "Yes ms. Narusegawa?" The response felt like a stab to the heart of her but she continued "Would you like to go out on a date some time tonight?" silence followed for a little when he finally answered not opening the door " I'm sorry i'm busy tonight ms. Narusegawa. I'm very tired, please talk to me later." Naru stepped back hurt and defeated "What did I expect? For everything to go back to normal that easy? I'm a idiot" she said to herself as she walked back to the kitchen.
A new visitor had entered the kitchen with plenty of luggage and everyone was silent while haruka stood next to the new woman.
"Earlier while everyone was in their daze I placed a call to Okinawa. This was the person I was calling. She will be living in the house and will be addressing the maintenance during the day while keitaro will deal with it during the night." None of the girls objected fearful that anything said would be turned against them. Haruka then turned to the side introducing the pale woman "This is Kanako Urashima. Keitaro's younger sister." The goth bowed not saying a word as a black cat wrapped around her shoulders.
Haruka handed some papers to kanako and addressed the girls for the day "Now, times up. You all better leave now if you want to get to school on time." she smirked. They wouldn't focus on school that day, they, including Naru had to figure a way to get keitaro back to the way he was.
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I was happy with the idea at the start of the chapter but sad to say I feel like a disappointed myself with it. Well my main concern is that for all the readers out there that you like it. I hope you do but if you don't please tell me why and suggest any ideas. Still looking for a beta reader. Please read, comment, and review. Thank you