Disclaimer: I own no part of Love Hina, but Sean is me.
Keitaro: Wow, who knew adding me to the story would bring such a reaction. I guess I'm just what this fanfic needed.
Kitsune: Oh, get over yourself.
Keitaro: Shouldn't you be looking after Sean right now?
Kitsune: He'll be fine.
Keitaro: (Raises an eyebrow) Are you sure about that?
Kitsune: Yes, I'm sure. Why do you ask?
Keitaro: Look behind you.
(Sean appears, staggering blindly, bumping into things as he goes along.)
Sean: What happened? Why do my eyes hurt?
Kitsune: You shouldn't be up and around.
Sean: I have to start the next chapter.
Kitsune: And why does it have to be you?
Sean: Probably because I'm the one who is supposed to be writing this story, in case you forgot.
Kitsune: Nevermind that. You should sit down before you hurt someone.
(Kitsune guides Sean back to his room.)
Keitaro: Who says we need stunt doubles for this story? Enjoy!
* * * Chapter IX: Love is Blind * * *
Wednesday, 7/10
"Ow, that hurts!"
"Hold still, I'm almost done," Kitsune said as she wrapped a fresh bandage around Sean's eyes. "You know, this was much easier when you were knocked out."
"Oh, thank you very much." Sean said in a sarcastic tone. He had just woken up a few minutes before.
"You're welcome." Kitsune responded in a similar way.
"Give it to me straight. What's wrong with me?"
"You're eyes were damaged pretty badly from the shards of your broken glasses," Motoko said. "We don't know if you will ever see again."
"Please tell me you're kidding."
"I'm afraid not."
"Weren't you concerned about this happening before?" Keitaro asked.
"It was never really an issue."
"What do you mean?"
"Sean always used to wear some stupid blindfold almost everywhere he went," Kitsune said.
"Hey, I wore that 'stupid blindfold' so I could protect your privacy and your decency. To that effect, I also hoped it would prevent beatings. A whole lot of good that did. Maybe it will work better for you, Keitaro."
"I don't think so. If it didn't work for you, it won't work for me."
"I guess you're right, but who's going to get you back here after Naru and Motoko hit you? With me in this condition, I won't be of too much help."
"Don't worry about it. I'll find my own way."
"No, I don't want Shinobu to worry about you like she has for me. I'll figure out a way to help you out until you're able to use magic yourself."
"Thanks, but it's not necess--"
"I insist."
"Alright, if you feel that strongly about it."
"You won't regret it. For now, I think I'll head out to the hot spring to relax and think."
"I'll guide you there," Kitsune said. "That is, if you want me to."
"Yes, thank you. With my vision the way it is now, I'd probably fall down the stairs or something."
---
Naru was in the spring at the time. She was still shaken up by the incident the previous day. She was trying to think of ways to make it up to Sean, but to no avail. When she saw Kitsune and Sean arrive, she freaked and hid behind a rock before she could be seen.
---
Kitsune helped Sean change into his swim trunks and guided him into the water. After being thanked once again, Kitsune went to leave him alone with his thoughts. "Call me when you're ready to leave, okay?"
"Sure thing." After Kitsune left, Sean started thinking out loud, completely unaware of the eavesdropper at the other end of the bath.
"Where have I gone wrong? The more I try to prevent being hit, to worse they get. Someone up there must hate me or something. Almost any man on earth would kill to spend even five minutes with any of those goddesses, while I've been here for weeks without trying anything and I get punished for it; that does not make any sense! Hmm, maybe I should try to get together with… what am I saying?! Suu probably doesn't like me like that, Motoko definitely doesn't like me that way and Kitsune would end up going after my wallet. Besides, Naru would probably get jealous about it, but it wouldn't work out with her either, because she's probably still pissed off at me about something. Also, if I chose any of those four, Shinobu might start thinking I don't care about her anymore, but she's out of the question too, since the others would kill me for even trying.
"Hey, that's an idea. Maybe I should walk in on them in the changing room one of these days and let Motoko and Naru kill me and end it all. No, that wouldn't work either; Shinobu would probably be scarred for life. I guess there's no way out of this mess; even death isn't an option. Damn it, there's nothing I can do!"
"Uh, Sean?" The voice took Sean by surprise.
"Shinobu?! How did you know I was here?"
"I followed you and Kitsune. Do you mind if I join you?"
"No, of course not." Shinobu shyly stepped into the water, a towel covering her; as if Sean could see anything if he wanted to, which he didn't.
"Um, did you mean what you said just now?"
"Yes, I did, but the only reason I said that was because I thought I was alone."
"I'm sorry. If you want me to leave--"
"No, you don't have to go. Is there something you want to talk to me about?"
"Uh, yeah. I just wanted to talk about what happened yesterday."
"Oh. Are you alright?"
"I'm more worried about you, what with your... your..."
"My eyes."
"Yeah. How are they feeling right now?"
"Well, the pain has ended for now, but Kitsune's bedside manner could use a few adjustments. I don't know how well my eyes will recover, if at all. You shouldn't worry yourself about that right now."
"I'll try."
"Thank you."
"Uh, I was also wondering something else."
"What about?"
"What you said before about trying to be with some of us."
"Oh yeah, that." Sean blushed. He had momentarily forgotten he had said it out loud.
Shinobu was blushing as well. "Would you ever consider being... with me?"
Sean's face grew a brighter shade of red; this topic of discussion had always been troublesome for him. "Well, sure I would Shinobu. You're a beautiful, nice, caring girl; any guy would like to be with you. The only problem with the two of us being together would be, like I mentioned before, that if the others ever caught wind of it, they would kill me on sight, accusing me of being a pedophile."
"I understand." Shinobu stared at Sean's bandages for a little while, tears beginning to form. "I'm so sorry."
"What do you mean? What could you of all people have to be sorry for?"
"Well, if I didn't run into you yesterday, you would still be able to see right now."
"Listen, there are things in this world that we may never understand. One of those things is fate. Take that last incident for example. I didn't know you were coming when I stepped out of my room, I didn't know we would land the way we did, I didn't know Naru would find us looking like that and I didn't know that wearing my glasses would be such a horrible, horrible mistake.
"Sometimes, things happen that we don't expect and cannot prevent. That has been the basis for most of the beatings I've received here; just me being a victim of bad timing and unfortunate circumstances. Sometimes I wonder if I would be better off somewhere else."
"You're not planning on leaving us, are you?"
"I'm not sure. I have considered it, but I know none of you would like it if I did. You all would probably worry yourselves sick about me. Quite possibly the only one that wouldn't be concerned about my well being would be Naru; she'd probably just call me a coward for running away from my problems, even if she's one of them."
"But why would you want to leave? Don't you like it here?"
"Of course I do, it's just that I want to live to see old age, and I know seeing me die at the hands of one of your friends would be much worse than me simply leaving Hinata."
"But I don't want you to go!"
"I know you don't, but if it's in the best interest of the others, perhaps I should. If both Keitaro and I stay here for too long, Naru would probably end up raging 24 hours a day; there would never be a moment of peace here ever again, not to mention that the constant worrying for our safety would no doubt take its toll on you."
"I don't care! Please don't leave!!" She held him close to her, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Shinobu, don't make this decision harder than it already is. Sure, you don't want to see me go, but Naru probably doesn't want to see me ever again. After what she saw--or what it might have led to--she may not want me within ten feet of you either. I'm just glad I got you out of the way of Naru's strike in time, or else you might have been hit by accident. I don't want to see you hurt again. I'm sorry I pushed you before, but I just wanted Naru to have a clear shot at me. Nobody else should experience the pain that I have felt almost everyday; I just hope that, someday, Naru will forgive me for all the things I've done." Tears started to appear from behind his bandage.
That was the last straw. Naru couldn't believe what she was hearing. "That's it, I can't stand it any longer!"
"Naru?!!" Sean and Shinobu said in unison.
"How long have you been listening in?!" Sean asked.
"I heard the whole thing."
"Well, if that's true, then you know how I feel. Will you forgive me?"
"Forgive you? Forgive YOU?!"
"That doesn't sound good. Shinobu, I think you should leave before you get hurt."
"No, wait. That's not what I meant."
"Then what do you mean?"
"All this time, I was hoping you would forgive me."
Sean was a bit confused. "…What?"
"It's true. I regret hitting you over literally nothing time and time again. I'm truly sorry about it, and I wish I could take it all back. I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't want to see me again, not the other way around."
"Well, considering what's happened, actually seeing you again might be out of my control. However, if it was, I would like nothing more than seeing the smiling faces of you girls again."
"I'm so sorry, Sean." Naru buried her face in Sean's chest. "I'm so sorry."
"Don't worry, Naru. I'm here for you."
"Does that mean you're staying?" Shinobu asked.
"Of course I'm staying. I wouldn't leave things like this. Apparently, I was mistaken about how Naru felt about me. I won't be going anywhere."
"But what if you're never able to see again? How could you forgive me for doing such a horrible thing?" Naru asked.
"Naru, I forgive you for what you did, so don't brood over it any longer. Even if my eyes never work again, I'll figure out something."
Suddenly, an idea appeared in Shinobu's head. "What about that light you used to spy on Keitaro when he got here? Wouldn't that work?"
"You know, that's a great idea! I'll have to modify it a bit, but it just might work! Thank you, Shinobu!" Shinobu blushed at hearing him praise her idea.
"What would you have to change?" Naru asked, interested in the prospect of Sean sight being restored.
"Well, before, the camera sent the images to my eyes. The way things are now, that won't work, but if I can get the images sent straight to my brain, bypassing my eyes, it might be able to simulate normal sight. Let's see…"
Sean made a few awkward hand gestures and a ball of light appeared before them, albeit it was a bit ragged compared to the last one but it was still there.
"Can you see anything?" Naru asked.
"Not yet." His face had the look of total concentration to the task at hand. Slowly, the ball started to shift a bit, become more focused as Sean made slight adjustments to it. Eventually, pictures started to appear in Sean's mind. They were very hazy and he couldn't be sure if they were real or imaginary, but he continued his efforts until the image became clear. He saw the three of them seated together in the water, there were remnants of tears on all three of them. He took note of the bandages around his eyes.
The girls saw a smile appear on Sean's face. "Can you see us?" Shinobu asked eagerly.
"Let me put it this way; I don't think these white bandages suit me very well; and neither do your tears."
"Yay! Sean can see us again!" Shinobu hugged Sean as hard as she could.
"Thank goodness." Naru said. As an afterthought, she asked, "Since it will be serving as your eyes, will it have to be near you at all times?"
"I don't think so. If it's like the last one, I could send it forward, back, around corners, whatever. There could be some real advantages to this kind of perspective."
"How far can it go?"
"I don't exactly know. What do you say we find out?" The glowing sphere flew in the direction of the door. When it got there, unexpected resistance was met by the closed portal. "Well, I now know that thing's solid," Sean noted.
"Do you want one of us to go open the door?" Naru asked.
"Not yet. I'll try to find an open window or something first." The light started to move, but stopped and returned to the door. "On second thought…" For a moment, the ball glowed bright blue and the door opened on it's own. "Having this kind of vantage point for my spells might come in handy." The ball entered the dorm and sped off down the hallway.
"Where is it going?" Naru wondered.
"You'll see, or rather, I'll see." Sean said, smiling.
---
Keitaro walked down the third floor hallway when he happened upon Motoko as she stepped out of her room. "Hey, Motoko."
"What do you want?" She said without a hint of emotion.
"Uh, I was wondering where Naru went. I haven't seen her since yesterday and I'm getting really worried about her."
"I haven't seen her."
"Oh well, thanks anyway." As he turned away, he tripped over his own feet and fell flat on his back. From his new viewpoint, he had a nice view up Motoko's skirt. "Um, uh..."
Motoko noticed where Keitaro was and reached instinctively for her sword. "You no good pervert, I don't care if Sean does want you here, I'm going to kill you right now!"
Keitaro screamed apologies as Motoko raised her blade above her head. But before she swung the blade down, a strange ball of light suddenly appeared before them.
"What the hell is that?" Keitaro asked, scrambling to his feet.
"Looks like that thing Sean used to spy on you when you arrived."
"So that's how he knew I was here."
"In part, yes." Motoko seemed to calm down at the sight of the sphere until she realized it was hovering at about breast level. "And it looks like he's spying on me!" She swung her sword at the ball before it could get out of the way.
---
"AH!" Sean's scream startled Naru and Shinobu. He was holding his chest and his breathing was a bit heavy.
"What's wrong?!" Shinobu asked.
"I found Motoko, that's what's wrong! She was just about to rip Keitaro a new one when 'I' showed up and stopped her. Now I'm the new target."
"Why? Did you get a look at her?" Naru asked suspiciously.
"It must have seemed that way! AH!" Sean flinched, but what at Naru and Shinobu could not be sure.
---
Much to Motoko's surprise, her attack passed right through the sphere without so much as a scratch. She attacked again. This time, the sphere made an effort to get out of the way. Keitaro just watched in amazement and wonder at the moving light bulb.
Seemingly in panic, the light floated off in the direction of the stairs. Motoko wasn't far behind. "You won't get away from me!" She kept swiping at the apparently scared orb, but whenever she hit, no damage was done. "Why won't you die?!" She said angrily, not bothering to wonder why she was yelling at a ball of light.
Eventually, the two got to the living room, causing a major scene. Kitsune and Suu were there watching the whole thing in amazement. When Motoko chased the light to the bath, Kitsune, Suu and Keitaro, who just reached the bottom of the stairs, went after her.
---
"Get ready girls. The gang's about to arrive."
"What?" Naru was confused by what he said until she saw Sean's light shoot through the open door with Motoko close behind it. The others soon followed, including an exhausted Keitaro.
"Stay still you little--"
"Calm down, Motoko," Sean said. "Do you even realize who foolish you look right now? I mean, just think about what you're yelling at, for goodness sake!"
Motoko soon realized this and her face turned a light pink, but quickly recovered. "Well, why is that thing up on the third floor anyway?"
"I was checking to see how far it could go. I guess Keitaro should be lucky it happened along when it did, or else he'd be in a bad way right now."
"I guess I should thank you for bailing me out back there." Keitaro said.
"No problem."
"Well, what did you find out from it's little journey?" Shinobu asked, eager to find out herself.
"For starters, it can pick up sound, and it can't be damaged. On that note, Motoko, could you not do that ever again?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Hmm, I think a demonstration is in order. Let me borrow you sword for a moment." Sean's voice did not sound exactly pleasant.
Motoko became very suspicious. "Why do you want my sword?"
"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you, I'm just going to illustrate a point." He got up and started to walk rather gracelessly in Motoko's general direction. After a few steps, he turned his face to the floating ball, still a few feet away from Motoko; he could hardly stifle a laugh.
"What's going on?" Kitsune asked, raising an eyebrow.
Sean shook his head. "It'll sound stupid."
"C'mon, tell us."
"Well, it just feels weird watching myself walk and talk." The ball moved to behind and above Sean's head. "There, at least now I can't see my own face. I wonder how long it will take to get used to doing everything in the third-person."
"You mean you can see through that thing?" Kitsune asked.
"Yup. Shinobu gave me the idea."
"Aw…" Shinobu blushed.
"It's good that you were able overcome your disability," Motoko said.
"Thank you. Let's see now, where was I--oh yeah, your sword, if you please." Sean moved a bit more steadily towards the swordswoman, who handed her katana to him with some reluctance.
"What are you going to do, exactly?" Motoko asked suspiciously.
"I'm going to show you what your attack on that ball of light behind me looked like first hand."
"What?!!"
"Like I said, I won't hurt you. I'll make it so the blade will pass through solid objects. Observe." Sean carefully waved his hand along the flat of the blade, which emitted a faint glow. He then held out his arm and swung the blade down towards it.
"Wait, don't--" Shinobu started to say, but it was too late. The blade went into Sean's arm and passed straight through without resistance, leaving the arm unharmed.
"See, I told you. You didn't have to worry anyway, since I took a precaution just in case it didn't work; I used the reverse side of the blade."
"Actually, it wouldn't have been that much better." Motoko said.
"Well, I knew it would have hurt either way, but at least while using the reverse side, my arm would still be connected to the rest of me. Now let me show you just how your attacks looked through my eyes." Sean swiped at his arm a few more times to double- and triple-check that the spell he placed on it was working properly and readied himself as he moved behind Motoko.
Motoko was scared stiff, and everybody knew it. She did not know what to expect from the man wielding the sword behind her. All of a sudden, she saw something jut out in front of her. To her horror, she saw it was her own sword, sticking a good six inches out the front of her head, right between the eyes. As quickly as it appeared, it retracted back into her skull, but it reappeared a few more times, this time in sideways motions.
"Did your heart skip a few beats just now?" Sean asked calmly. Motoko slowly nodded her head, her eyes as wide in shock. "I'm sorry I had to go about it that way, but it would have been hard to describe without seeing it first hand."
"It's quite unnerving." Motoko said after she regained her composure.
"Yes, it is. When you were swinging at that light before, that's what I saw. You almost gave me a heart attack doing that."
"I apologize. I didn't know."
"No harm done. I just wanted to let you know about that. Keep it in mind next time you want to use that light for target practice." Sean handed her back the sword, then walked towards the door, the orb following close behind him.
"Where are you going?" Naru asked.
"I'm just going to wander around for a while; I'll have to get used to this new way of seeing things. My, is going up and down stairs going to be an experience." When he reached the door, a thought occurred to him. "Hmm, I should probably think up a name for this thing sometime soon. Eh." Sean shrugged his shoulders and walked out.
After Sean left, realization set in Kitsune's mind. "Hey, what were you three doing out here, anyway?"
"Um," Naru started. "We were just talking about what happened yesterday."
"Uh, huh." Kitsune was skeptical that was all that happened.
"Well, he was also thinking about leaving Hinata," Shinobu said. "but we convinced him to stay."
"I wonder how," Kitsune muttered.
"It's not what you think." Naru said in her own defense.
"Whatever. I guess things will be getting back to normal pretty soon. Um, Keitaro, what are you doing?" Kitsune noticed Keitaro had been staring at Naru for quite some time. Naru soon realized this as well.
"PERVERT!!" Naru screamed her war cry as she got up to send the onlooker into orbit.
"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry…" Keitaro whimpered. He did not wish to go airborne again.
Before Naru could get to her target, a ball of light appeared seemingly out of nowhere. It made contact with Keitaro and both of them vanished without a trace.
"Back to normal," Kitsune muttered as she saw Naru storm off to the changing room. She knew Naru would get Keitaro eventually; it would just be a matter of time.
* * * End of Chapter IX * * *
Sean: That was interesting. I honestly didn't see that coming when I first started writing this chapter. By that I meant my solution to my blindness, not the part about Naru about to hit Keitaro. That should be old news by now. Who knew that was how Shinobu felt about me? I guess I should have, for starters. I can be so oblivious at times.
Naru: Keitaro!!
Keitaro: AH!!!
(POW, CRASH)
Sean: Shoot, I'm going to have to cut this a bit short. (Sigh) At least his thrashings are more justified than mine were. Oh well, see you next time around. Don't forget to respond! I'll take all the constructive critism I can get! Oh yeah, I'll be adding another character to the story in the next chapter; try to guess who!
(Sean disappears)
Keitaro: Wow, who knew adding me to the story would bring such a reaction. I guess I'm just what this fanfic needed.
Kitsune: Oh, get over yourself.
Keitaro: Shouldn't you be looking after Sean right now?
Kitsune: He'll be fine.
Keitaro: (Raises an eyebrow) Are you sure about that?
Kitsune: Yes, I'm sure. Why do you ask?
Keitaro: Look behind you.
(Sean appears, staggering blindly, bumping into things as he goes along.)
Sean: What happened? Why do my eyes hurt?
Kitsune: You shouldn't be up and around.
Sean: I have to start the next chapter.
Kitsune: And why does it have to be you?
Sean: Probably because I'm the one who is supposed to be writing this story, in case you forgot.
Kitsune: Nevermind that. You should sit down before you hurt someone.
(Kitsune guides Sean back to his room.)
Keitaro: Who says we need stunt doubles for this story? Enjoy!
* * * Chapter IX: Love is Blind * * *
Wednesday, 7/10
"Ow, that hurts!"
"Hold still, I'm almost done," Kitsune said as she wrapped a fresh bandage around Sean's eyes. "You know, this was much easier when you were knocked out."
"Oh, thank you very much." Sean said in a sarcastic tone. He had just woken up a few minutes before.
"You're welcome." Kitsune responded in a similar way.
"Give it to me straight. What's wrong with me?"
"You're eyes were damaged pretty badly from the shards of your broken glasses," Motoko said. "We don't know if you will ever see again."
"Please tell me you're kidding."
"I'm afraid not."
"Weren't you concerned about this happening before?" Keitaro asked.
"It was never really an issue."
"What do you mean?"
"Sean always used to wear some stupid blindfold almost everywhere he went," Kitsune said.
"Hey, I wore that 'stupid blindfold' so I could protect your privacy and your decency. To that effect, I also hoped it would prevent beatings. A whole lot of good that did. Maybe it will work better for you, Keitaro."
"I don't think so. If it didn't work for you, it won't work for me."
"I guess you're right, but who's going to get you back here after Naru and Motoko hit you? With me in this condition, I won't be of too much help."
"Don't worry about it. I'll find my own way."
"No, I don't want Shinobu to worry about you like she has for me. I'll figure out a way to help you out until you're able to use magic yourself."
"Thanks, but it's not necess--"
"I insist."
"Alright, if you feel that strongly about it."
"You won't regret it. For now, I think I'll head out to the hot spring to relax and think."
"I'll guide you there," Kitsune said. "That is, if you want me to."
"Yes, thank you. With my vision the way it is now, I'd probably fall down the stairs or something."
---
Naru was in the spring at the time. She was still shaken up by the incident the previous day. She was trying to think of ways to make it up to Sean, but to no avail. When she saw Kitsune and Sean arrive, she freaked and hid behind a rock before she could be seen.
---
Kitsune helped Sean change into his swim trunks and guided him into the water. After being thanked once again, Kitsune went to leave him alone with his thoughts. "Call me when you're ready to leave, okay?"
"Sure thing." After Kitsune left, Sean started thinking out loud, completely unaware of the eavesdropper at the other end of the bath.
"Where have I gone wrong? The more I try to prevent being hit, to worse they get. Someone up there must hate me or something. Almost any man on earth would kill to spend even five minutes with any of those goddesses, while I've been here for weeks without trying anything and I get punished for it; that does not make any sense! Hmm, maybe I should try to get together with… what am I saying?! Suu probably doesn't like me like that, Motoko definitely doesn't like me that way and Kitsune would end up going after my wallet. Besides, Naru would probably get jealous about it, but it wouldn't work out with her either, because she's probably still pissed off at me about something. Also, if I chose any of those four, Shinobu might start thinking I don't care about her anymore, but she's out of the question too, since the others would kill me for even trying.
"Hey, that's an idea. Maybe I should walk in on them in the changing room one of these days and let Motoko and Naru kill me and end it all. No, that wouldn't work either; Shinobu would probably be scarred for life. I guess there's no way out of this mess; even death isn't an option. Damn it, there's nothing I can do!"
"Uh, Sean?" The voice took Sean by surprise.
"Shinobu?! How did you know I was here?"
"I followed you and Kitsune. Do you mind if I join you?"
"No, of course not." Shinobu shyly stepped into the water, a towel covering her; as if Sean could see anything if he wanted to, which he didn't.
"Um, did you mean what you said just now?"
"Yes, I did, but the only reason I said that was because I thought I was alone."
"I'm sorry. If you want me to leave--"
"No, you don't have to go. Is there something you want to talk to me about?"
"Uh, yeah. I just wanted to talk about what happened yesterday."
"Oh. Are you alright?"
"I'm more worried about you, what with your... your..."
"My eyes."
"Yeah. How are they feeling right now?"
"Well, the pain has ended for now, but Kitsune's bedside manner could use a few adjustments. I don't know how well my eyes will recover, if at all. You shouldn't worry yourself about that right now."
"I'll try."
"Thank you."
"Uh, I was also wondering something else."
"What about?"
"What you said before about trying to be with some of us."
"Oh yeah, that." Sean blushed. He had momentarily forgotten he had said it out loud.
Shinobu was blushing as well. "Would you ever consider being... with me?"
Sean's face grew a brighter shade of red; this topic of discussion had always been troublesome for him. "Well, sure I would Shinobu. You're a beautiful, nice, caring girl; any guy would like to be with you. The only problem with the two of us being together would be, like I mentioned before, that if the others ever caught wind of it, they would kill me on sight, accusing me of being a pedophile."
"I understand." Shinobu stared at Sean's bandages for a little while, tears beginning to form. "I'm so sorry."
"What do you mean? What could you of all people have to be sorry for?"
"Well, if I didn't run into you yesterday, you would still be able to see right now."
"Listen, there are things in this world that we may never understand. One of those things is fate. Take that last incident for example. I didn't know you were coming when I stepped out of my room, I didn't know we would land the way we did, I didn't know Naru would find us looking like that and I didn't know that wearing my glasses would be such a horrible, horrible mistake.
"Sometimes, things happen that we don't expect and cannot prevent. That has been the basis for most of the beatings I've received here; just me being a victim of bad timing and unfortunate circumstances. Sometimes I wonder if I would be better off somewhere else."
"You're not planning on leaving us, are you?"
"I'm not sure. I have considered it, but I know none of you would like it if I did. You all would probably worry yourselves sick about me. Quite possibly the only one that wouldn't be concerned about my well being would be Naru; she'd probably just call me a coward for running away from my problems, even if she's one of them."
"But why would you want to leave? Don't you like it here?"
"Of course I do, it's just that I want to live to see old age, and I know seeing me die at the hands of one of your friends would be much worse than me simply leaving Hinata."
"But I don't want you to go!"
"I know you don't, but if it's in the best interest of the others, perhaps I should. If both Keitaro and I stay here for too long, Naru would probably end up raging 24 hours a day; there would never be a moment of peace here ever again, not to mention that the constant worrying for our safety would no doubt take its toll on you."
"I don't care! Please don't leave!!" She held him close to her, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Shinobu, don't make this decision harder than it already is. Sure, you don't want to see me go, but Naru probably doesn't want to see me ever again. After what she saw--or what it might have led to--she may not want me within ten feet of you either. I'm just glad I got you out of the way of Naru's strike in time, or else you might have been hit by accident. I don't want to see you hurt again. I'm sorry I pushed you before, but I just wanted Naru to have a clear shot at me. Nobody else should experience the pain that I have felt almost everyday; I just hope that, someday, Naru will forgive me for all the things I've done." Tears started to appear from behind his bandage.
That was the last straw. Naru couldn't believe what she was hearing. "That's it, I can't stand it any longer!"
"Naru?!!" Sean and Shinobu said in unison.
"How long have you been listening in?!" Sean asked.
"I heard the whole thing."
"Well, if that's true, then you know how I feel. Will you forgive me?"
"Forgive you? Forgive YOU?!"
"That doesn't sound good. Shinobu, I think you should leave before you get hurt."
"No, wait. That's not what I meant."
"Then what do you mean?"
"All this time, I was hoping you would forgive me."
Sean was a bit confused. "…What?"
"It's true. I regret hitting you over literally nothing time and time again. I'm truly sorry about it, and I wish I could take it all back. I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't want to see me again, not the other way around."
"Well, considering what's happened, actually seeing you again might be out of my control. However, if it was, I would like nothing more than seeing the smiling faces of you girls again."
"I'm so sorry, Sean." Naru buried her face in Sean's chest. "I'm so sorry."
"Don't worry, Naru. I'm here for you."
"Does that mean you're staying?" Shinobu asked.
"Of course I'm staying. I wouldn't leave things like this. Apparently, I was mistaken about how Naru felt about me. I won't be going anywhere."
"But what if you're never able to see again? How could you forgive me for doing such a horrible thing?" Naru asked.
"Naru, I forgive you for what you did, so don't brood over it any longer. Even if my eyes never work again, I'll figure out something."
Suddenly, an idea appeared in Shinobu's head. "What about that light you used to spy on Keitaro when he got here? Wouldn't that work?"
"You know, that's a great idea! I'll have to modify it a bit, but it just might work! Thank you, Shinobu!" Shinobu blushed at hearing him praise her idea.
"What would you have to change?" Naru asked, interested in the prospect of Sean sight being restored.
"Well, before, the camera sent the images to my eyes. The way things are now, that won't work, but if I can get the images sent straight to my brain, bypassing my eyes, it might be able to simulate normal sight. Let's see…"
Sean made a few awkward hand gestures and a ball of light appeared before them, albeit it was a bit ragged compared to the last one but it was still there.
"Can you see anything?" Naru asked.
"Not yet." His face had the look of total concentration to the task at hand. Slowly, the ball started to shift a bit, become more focused as Sean made slight adjustments to it. Eventually, pictures started to appear in Sean's mind. They were very hazy and he couldn't be sure if they were real or imaginary, but he continued his efforts until the image became clear. He saw the three of them seated together in the water, there were remnants of tears on all three of them. He took note of the bandages around his eyes.
The girls saw a smile appear on Sean's face. "Can you see us?" Shinobu asked eagerly.
"Let me put it this way; I don't think these white bandages suit me very well; and neither do your tears."
"Yay! Sean can see us again!" Shinobu hugged Sean as hard as she could.
"Thank goodness." Naru said. As an afterthought, she asked, "Since it will be serving as your eyes, will it have to be near you at all times?"
"I don't think so. If it's like the last one, I could send it forward, back, around corners, whatever. There could be some real advantages to this kind of perspective."
"How far can it go?"
"I don't exactly know. What do you say we find out?" The glowing sphere flew in the direction of the door. When it got there, unexpected resistance was met by the closed portal. "Well, I now know that thing's solid," Sean noted.
"Do you want one of us to go open the door?" Naru asked.
"Not yet. I'll try to find an open window or something first." The light started to move, but stopped and returned to the door. "On second thought…" For a moment, the ball glowed bright blue and the door opened on it's own. "Having this kind of vantage point for my spells might come in handy." The ball entered the dorm and sped off down the hallway.
"Where is it going?" Naru wondered.
"You'll see, or rather, I'll see." Sean said, smiling.
---
Keitaro walked down the third floor hallway when he happened upon Motoko as she stepped out of her room. "Hey, Motoko."
"What do you want?" She said without a hint of emotion.
"Uh, I was wondering where Naru went. I haven't seen her since yesterday and I'm getting really worried about her."
"I haven't seen her."
"Oh well, thanks anyway." As he turned away, he tripped over his own feet and fell flat on his back. From his new viewpoint, he had a nice view up Motoko's skirt. "Um, uh..."
Motoko noticed where Keitaro was and reached instinctively for her sword. "You no good pervert, I don't care if Sean does want you here, I'm going to kill you right now!"
Keitaro screamed apologies as Motoko raised her blade above her head. But before she swung the blade down, a strange ball of light suddenly appeared before them.
"What the hell is that?" Keitaro asked, scrambling to his feet.
"Looks like that thing Sean used to spy on you when you arrived."
"So that's how he knew I was here."
"In part, yes." Motoko seemed to calm down at the sight of the sphere until she realized it was hovering at about breast level. "And it looks like he's spying on me!" She swung her sword at the ball before it could get out of the way.
---
"AH!" Sean's scream startled Naru and Shinobu. He was holding his chest and his breathing was a bit heavy.
"What's wrong?!" Shinobu asked.
"I found Motoko, that's what's wrong! She was just about to rip Keitaro a new one when 'I' showed up and stopped her. Now I'm the new target."
"Why? Did you get a look at her?" Naru asked suspiciously.
"It must have seemed that way! AH!" Sean flinched, but what at Naru and Shinobu could not be sure.
---
Much to Motoko's surprise, her attack passed right through the sphere without so much as a scratch. She attacked again. This time, the sphere made an effort to get out of the way. Keitaro just watched in amazement and wonder at the moving light bulb.
Seemingly in panic, the light floated off in the direction of the stairs. Motoko wasn't far behind. "You won't get away from me!" She kept swiping at the apparently scared orb, but whenever she hit, no damage was done. "Why won't you die?!" She said angrily, not bothering to wonder why she was yelling at a ball of light.
Eventually, the two got to the living room, causing a major scene. Kitsune and Suu were there watching the whole thing in amazement. When Motoko chased the light to the bath, Kitsune, Suu and Keitaro, who just reached the bottom of the stairs, went after her.
---
"Get ready girls. The gang's about to arrive."
"What?" Naru was confused by what he said until she saw Sean's light shoot through the open door with Motoko close behind it. The others soon followed, including an exhausted Keitaro.
"Stay still you little--"
"Calm down, Motoko," Sean said. "Do you even realize who foolish you look right now? I mean, just think about what you're yelling at, for goodness sake!"
Motoko soon realized this and her face turned a light pink, but quickly recovered. "Well, why is that thing up on the third floor anyway?"
"I was checking to see how far it could go. I guess Keitaro should be lucky it happened along when it did, or else he'd be in a bad way right now."
"I guess I should thank you for bailing me out back there." Keitaro said.
"No problem."
"Well, what did you find out from it's little journey?" Shinobu asked, eager to find out herself.
"For starters, it can pick up sound, and it can't be damaged. On that note, Motoko, could you not do that ever again?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Hmm, I think a demonstration is in order. Let me borrow you sword for a moment." Sean's voice did not sound exactly pleasant.
Motoko became very suspicious. "Why do you want my sword?"
"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you, I'm just going to illustrate a point." He got up and started to walk rather gracelessly in Motoko's general direction. After a few steps, he turned his face to the floating ball, still a few feet away from Motoko; he could hardly stifle a laugh.
"What's going on?" Kitsune asked, raising an eyebrow.
Sean shook his head. "It'll sound stupid."
"C'mon, tell us."
"Well, it just feels weird watching myself walk and talk." The ball moved to behind and above Sean's head. "There, at least now I can't see my own face. I wonder how long it will take to get used to doing everything in the third-person."
"You mean you can see through that thing?" Kitsune asked.
"Yup. Shinobu gave me the idea."
"Aw…" Shinobu blushed.
"It's good that you were able overcome your disability," Motoko said.
"Thank you. Let's see now, where was I--oh yeah, your sword, if you please." Sean moved a bit more steadily towards the swordswoman, who handed her katana to him with some reluctance.
"What are you going to do, exactly?" Motoko asked suspiciously.
"I'm going to show you what your attack on that ball of light behind me looked like first hand."
"What?!!"
"Like I said, I won't hurt you. I'll make it so the blade will pass through solid objects. Observe." Sean carefully waved his hand along the flat of the blade, which emitted a faint glow. He then held out his arm and swung the blade down towards it.
"Wait, don't--" Shinobu started to say, but it was too late. The blade went into Sean's arm and passed straight through without resistance, leaving the arm unharmed.
"See, I told you. You didn't have to worry anyway, since I took a precaution just in case it didn't work; I used the reverse side of the blade."
"Actually, it wouldn't have been that much better." Motoko said.
"Well, I knew it would have hurt either way, but at least while using the reverse side, my arm would still be connected to the rest of me. Now let me show you just how your attacks looked through my eyes." Sean swiped at his arm a few more times to double- and triple-check that the spell he placed on it was working properly and readied himself as he moved behind Motoko.
Motoko was scared stiff, and everybody knew it. She did not know what to expect from the man wielding the sword behind her. All of a sudden, she saw something jut out in front of her. To her horror, she saw it was her own sword, sticking a good six inches out the front of her head, right between the eyes. As quickly as it appeared, it retracted back into her skull, but it reappeared a few more times, this time in sideways motions.
"Did your heart skip a few beats just now?" Sean asked calmly. Motoko slowly nodded her head, her eyes as wide in shock. "I'm sorry I had to go about it that way, but it would have been hard to describe without seeing it first hand."
"It's quite unnerving." Motoko said after she regained her composure.
"Yes, it is. When you were swinging at that light before, that's what I saw. You almost gave me a heart attack doing that."
"I apologize. I didn't know."
"No harm done. I just wanted to let you know about that. Keep it in mind next time you want to use that light for target practice." Sean handed her back the sword, then walked towards the door, the orb following close behind him.
"Where are you going?" Naru asked.
"I'm just going to wander around for a while; I'll have to get used to this new way of seeing things. My, is going up and down stairs going to be an experience." When he reached the door, a thought occurred to him. "Hmm, I should probably think up a name for this thing sometime soon. Eh." Sean shrugged his shoulders and walked out.
After Sean left, realization set in Kitsune's mind. "Hey, what were you three doing out here, anyway?"
"Um," Naru started. "We were just talking about what happened yesterday."
"Uh, huh." Kitsune was skeptical that was all that happened.
"Well, he was also thinking about leaving Hinata," Shinobu said. "but we convinced him to stay."
"I wonder how," Kitsune muttered.
"It's not what you think." Naru said in her own defense.
"Whatever. I guess things will be getting back to normal pretty soon. Um, Keitaro, what are you doing?" Kitsune noticed Keitaro had been staring at Naru for quite some time. Naru soon realized this as well.
"PERVERT!!" Naru screamed her war cry as she got up to send the onlooker into orbit.
"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry…" Keitaro whimpered. He did not wish to go airborne again.
Before Naru could get to her target, a ball of light appeared seemingly out of nowhere. It made contact with Keitaro and both of them vanished without a trace.
"Back to normal," Kitsune muttered as she saw Naru storm off to the changing room. She knew Naru would get Keitaro eventually; it would just be a matter of time.
* * * End of Chapter IX * * *
Sean: That was interesting. I honestly didn't see that coming when I first started writing this chapter. By that I meant my solution to my blindness, not the part about Naru about to hit Keitaro. That should be old news by now. Who knew that was how Shinobu felt about me? I guess I should have, for starters. I can be so oblivious at times.
Naru: Keitaro!!
Keitaro: AH!!!
(POW, CRASH)
Sean: Shoot, I'm going to have to cut this a bit short. (Sigh) At least his thrashings are more justified than mine were. Oh well, see you next time around. Don't forget to respond! I'll take all the constructive critism I can get! Oh yeah, I'll be adding another character to the story in the next chapter; try to guess who!
(Sean disappears)