Love Hina: Deserted
I hope you enjoy this FanFic. If you do, please comment, constructive criticism is also welcome. All writers have egos the size of the galaxy, so please help me out!
Oh, and Insert Disclaimer Here
Thanks for all the reviews. I won't be responding individually as usual because I have been under the weather. I barely got this written. I only did it because I know I let you guys down with the huge waits. I appreciate the reviews, almost 100 so far, so I know I have to keep going. I now have a proofreader! Thanks to TheFirstWaltz. My most sincere thanks to her, I'm sure this is far, far more readable thanks to her efforts.
I'm planning on making the next chapter soon and making it long. These words are cheap of course, but we will see.
Chapter 10:
Each Other's Arms.
The light was soft as they moved through the entrance into the building. The walls were coloured deeply, and seemed to soak up the light, which was not too strong in itself. The entire area was more glowing than lit, but it suited the restaurant. The restaurant was large, but crammed full of tables, with partitions so that people felt more secluded. The chairs were big heavy wooden ones that added to the feel of the place. Moving around was hard, and the aisles were more mazes than paths, but the staff slid through with an obviously practised ease, each dressed in a costume that was their uniform with their customers following behind clumsily. Keitaro and Shinobu stood at just inside the doorway, taking in the restaurant. The door closed behind them with a muffled bang and a shudder.
Around the restaurant there were a variety of people. Families with small children gleeful at being served food, and plenty of couples sat together-Keitaro realised that he and Shinobu were one of those couples. He smiled slightly. A waitress came over, asking them to follow her to a table. Shinobu grasped Keitaro's hand as she led them to a small, cosy corner table, and smiled somewhat knowingly at Keitaro before giving them laminated menus covered in a huge range of meals. Keitaro moved his legs around the table's legs, and found that the table was small enough so that his legs always touched Shinobu's. Not that either of them minded, of course. Keitaro ordered drinks, and they began to talk. At first, they both felt rather awkward, finding it hard to think of anything to talk about. Shinobu in particular was taking great pains to try and avoid mentioning the other girls; she wanted his attention on her. She smiled inwardly at her own forwardness, even if it was only internally.
The ground was hard and cold: the snow all around made crouching and kneeling a very wet and generally cold business, even if you were well wrapped up. Despite this, Motoko persevered. However much she believed in fair play, intelligence was a vital part of any competition, and she applied that to love as much as anything else. Keitaro and Shinobu appeared to be on the move towards a table. Awkwardly, Motoko moved over to the next window and tracked them, making sure not to be seen by anyone; explaining this one would be extremely difficult.
Seta sat at a table with Haruka opposite him, Cigarette in hand, trails of smoke floating upwards towards an extractor fan. She guessed that was the reason why they were put at this table, putting aside the young waiter that had obviously spotted her cigarettes. Smart kid. On the other hand, she looked across at Seta. He sat, holding a week-old newspaper with a hole in it for his eye, looking over at Keitaro and Shinobu's corner, while shifting around, mumbling about how he couldn't see. She sighed quite loudly, then pulled out her fan and slapped him around the head.
"The only thing that stupid newspaper does for you is make you look more conspicuous." She chided Haruka sighed again, then adding; "I should have known there was another motive behind you brining me out for dinner."
"But it feels more... spy-ey..." Grumbled Seta, putting the paper away and looking sheepish.
Kitsune, Su, Sara, and Mutsumi all stood on the far side of the restaurant's grounds, all clustered around the monitor in Su's hands.
"I still don't see why we have to be in the cold." Muttered Kitsune.
"I told you! The range on the camera is limited, so we have to be close. But if we go too close, they'll see us." Su lectured, flicking a joystick expertly to change the angle for a better view.
Mutsumi stood stroking Yuki, who sat in her arms quite contentedly.
The evening continued with Keitaro and Shinobu blissfully unaware of the many eyes that tracked their every move. Keitaro did have the impression he was being watched, and, much to Motoko's dismay, kept on turning around to check out of the window, where he felt he was being stared at from. Fortunately, Motoko was good at ducking quickly.
Mutsumi felt Yuki suddenly tense a little, and looked up to see a young waitress carrying (rather unstably) a rather large bag of rubbish, which smelled rather strongly of fish. Yuki twitched once, and then sprang out of Mutsumi's arms, straight towards the (rather unfortunate) young waitress.
The small cat flew at some speed, jumping and latching onto the bag, which ripped open, dropping rubbish from the restaurant all over the place as the waitress back-pedalled wildly into the restaurant, finally falling over with an almighty crash.
The ensemble of spies ran haphazardly towards the open door, calling out for Yuki.
Inside the door was a scene of chaos. The door led into the kitchen, where the waitress lay groaning on the floor, covered in food waste. Everyone stared. The entire kitchen was covered as if the bag had exploded; the rubbish had gone everywhere. Every cupboard and pot was covered, everyone was looking bedraggled in packaging and rotting food. All of the food being prepared was ruined. The room was completely silent.
Then all hell broke loose.
Everyone started shouting at the waitress, who shouted back and blamed the would-be spies, who were at this point standing right by the door and gesturing wildly at Yuki, who was now moving into the main restaurant, licking himself clean.
In the restaurant, Keitaro once again felt his 6th sense spike. Sure that he was being watched again, he turned quickly.
Motoko was watching Keitaro and Shinobu when an argument erupted from the kitchens. Startled, she turned to see what was going on just as Keitaro turned around.
Keitaro saw Motoko right behind him, less than a metre away through the window, and nearly jumped out of his skin, screaming. This bought Motoko firmly back to him, where she turned bright red and froze solid.
Then he heard shouts from the kitchen, and turned to see Kitsune, Su, Sara and Mutsumi being shepherded out of the restaurant by the Chef, who looked extremely angry. In front of them walked Yuki, who jumped up onto Seta's lap, ruining his 'cover'.
"Y-Y... You guys?" He stuttered at Kitsune, Su, Sara, and Mutsumi, "And you?" He asked, directing the question at Seta and Haruka.
"You know these people?" The Chef asked both Keitaro and Shinobu before glaring at Seta and Haruka. "Right. Out! All of you! Out!"
Keitaro paced gently up and down the carpet in front of the others, who all sat looking downwards in front of him. Shinobu stood behind Keitaro in silence, looking upset.
Keitaro took long, lingering steps down a straight path parallel to the group beside him. He held his forehead in his hand, rubbing his temples slowly, his face set in a dark expression. He continued to just pace for a moment, walking an almost exact distance, before pivoting gently and continuing back the other way.
"You are telling me that you, Motoko, were trying to see how the Chef was cooking, you four..." (He motioned at Su, Sara and Mutsumi) "Were walking Yuki, and you two..."(He directed this statement at Seta and Haruka)"Were simply out for a meal?" Asked Keitaro quietly.
Various confirmations came from the group before him.
"Right..." said Keitaro. Turning towards Shinobu, he asked, "Do you want to go and sleep now? It's pretty late; I'll sort out this lot."
Shinobu nodded and walked upstairs. She thought about having something to drink before sleeping, and turned back. Just as she reached the stairs, a shout rang through the building.
"Bullshit!" Shouted Keitaro, as everyone flinched. Shinobu quietly sat down at the top of the stairs, back against the end of the banister, facing the wall, and listened.
"Since when does the chef cook inside the restaurant rather than the kitchen? Since when do you take a cat for a walk? Since when do you take her out for dinner?" Asked Keitaro, his tone rising as he went along.
"I couldn't care less that you spied on us, I couldn't care less that you ruined my meal, but what I damn well do care about," Said Keitaro with a breath before continuing, "Is Shinobu. That meant the world to her, and what have you lot done? Ruined it. For what reason? So that you could satiate your curiosity? May I remind you that it is Shinobu who is keeping us all here at her own expense, Shinobu who feeds us, and Shinobu who cares about us all. And do you appear to care about any of that?" Keitaro shook his head, and looked on them all with some disdain, before walking off smartly towards the stairs.
The words stung as they hit the group. Motoko felt them doubly hard. She got up, and, stone faced, walked off to her room, where she put her head in her hands and let her shame wash over her, realising just how selfish she had been in trying to pursue Keitaro: selfish and foolish. She had seen something in Keitaro's eyes when he was speaking then. He loved Shinobu. Whole heartedly. He may not even know it yet, but it was obvious.
Shinobu sat where she was as Keitaro walked up the stairs. When he got to the top, he almost walked past her in the dark. So she slowly reached out and brushed his leg with her hand, letting him know she was there. She stood and looked into his eyes before going up on tiptoe to kiss him. Keitaro was taken aback slightly, recoiling, but then returned the kiss.
The two walked along slowly, coming to Shinobu's room. Shinobu turned to go in, and Keitaro made a move to continue down the hallway towards his own room. But Shinobu held him in place, stopping him from continuing.
"I don't want to..." Said Shinobu quickly, blushing, "Just..." She attempted to clarify without success. Keitaro nodded and came in. The two of them laid down on her bed, still in the clothes they had been out in, and fell asleep in each other's arms.
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