Disclaimer: I own no part of Love Hina, but Sean is me.
Dang, this one was a tough one to write. This one involves topics I don't exactly feel comfortable about, but I finally finished it. I hope this one goes over well.
* * * Chapter X: Out on the Town * * *
As the days wore on, Sean became more accustomed to his new method of vision. He spent most of his spare time walking the halls of Hinata-Sou, experimenting with camera angles and such.
Keitaro on the other hand, had more on his mind than making observations. He had not only his own life to worry about, but also his efforts to get into Tokyo U. Most of his time outside of meals was spent studying, but whenever he would leave to eat or whatever the reason might have been, he would invariably get in trouble and get sent through the roof.
This would, in effect, occupy Sean's time as well. He has started to limit his own use of magic to that of making emergency repairs and transporting the accident-prone Keitaro back before Shinobu starts worrying too much. He felt like he was getting into a rut.
---
Saturday, 7/20
Naru opened the door between her room and that of the two male residents. "Sean?"
Keitaro looked up from the textbook he was looking over. "He's not here right now. May I take a message?"
"No, that's alright."
"What were you going to ask him?"
"Not that it's any of your business, but I was going to ask him if he wanted to help me with my studies."
"I could help you if you want."
"I guess. Your help is better than none--not by much though."
"Oh, is he that much smarter than me?"
"Well, considering he already graduated from college--"
"Yeah yeah, I get it." Keitaro frowned at the implied insult to his intelligence.
"Well, are you coming up or not?"
"Yeah, just a sec." Even after that, Keitaro was eager to spend some peaceful time with Naru. He grabbed his books and went up to Naru's room.
After a while, Naru became very frustrated. "No wonder you've failed the entrance exam so many times if you can't do such simple problems."
"I'll take verbal assaults over physical ones any day," Keitaro thought.
Naru continued to demean Keitaro until her door opened.
"Hey Naru, have you seen Sean anywhere?" Kitsune asked from the doorway.
"No, I haven't."
"Darn." Kitsune started to grin. "Hmm, I was starting to wonder where Keitaro was."
"We're just studying." Naru said.
"Uh huh. Anyway, did Sean tell you where he went, Keitaro?"
"Actually, he did mention something to me earlier."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Naru was surprised that Keitaro knew where Sean was and never said anything.
"You never asked." That earned a slap in the face.
"Tell me where we went!" Naru yelled.
"Well, I don't know exactly, but he said he was going out."
"Out?" Kitsune asked.
"Yes, out. He didn't elaborate further on that. He mentioned that there was something he needed to do."
"That's odd. What could be so important that it would make him leave without telling us? Did he tell you when he was coming back?"
"No."
"Let's go find him," Naru said, getting up.
"What about our studies?"
"I've had enough studying with you for one day."
"Oh. Can I help you look, then?"
"NO!" Naru was getting a bit sick of Keitaro at this point.
"Okay, okay, I'll leave you alone." He then left via the trapdoor.
"Idiot," Naru muttered under her breath, shacking her head.
---
"Why did I decide to do this, anyway?" Sean thought as he walked around downtown. "I really should have thought this through a little more."
His big plan involved just wandering around town, perhaps striking up a conversation with someone--anyone. Of course, being the expert in the ways of being social that he was, he had absolutely no idea of how to go about something like that without looking like a freak.
All things considering, looking weird was something he did not exactly need help with. His eyes had healed about as much as they ever would, but his normal eyesight never returned. Therefore, his eyes tend to wander aimlessly, completely unaware of what he would have been looking at. This was why he decided to wear sunglasses on his little excursion. Also, his new eyes, which he has dubbed PAVE (Personal Audio/Visual Enhancer), would have garnered unneeded attention, so he made it invisible for the duration. Despite all this, he felt very awkward, not only having to deal with his own shortcomings, but in a public setting, which only amplified his uneasiness.
"Maybe I should have asked Kitsune to help me with this," he thought.
---
"Alright," Kitsune said. "Sean's out there somewhere, and we have to find him." She had gathered everyone in the living room, with the exception of Keitaro and Motoko, who weren't able to participate for one reason or another. "Now, does anyone have any idea of where a guy like Sean would go?"
Nobody knew.
"Great. That really narrows down the search."
"What's the plan, Kitsune?" Shinobu asked.
"Well, we should spread out and search everywhere. Leave no stone unturned. If you find him, follow him; see where he goes, but try to keep out of sight."
"With PAVE around him at all times, that won't be too easy," Naru noted.
"Good point. We'll have to be very careful."
"How are we going to keep in contact if we're all across town?" Shinobu wondered.
"I'll take care of that," Suu said, then scampered up to her room. Minutes later, she came back with a bundle in her arms.
"What's that?" Kitsune asked.
Suu opened the package. "Long-range walkie-talkies. With these, we will be in constant contact."
"Wonderful. If one of you find him, notify the rest of us of his movements and we'll get there as soon as we can. Now then, let's go get our man back!"
"YEAH!!" The others joined in. What that, the Hinata Recovery Team set out to find their missing landlord.
---
Sean continued to wander about aimlessly, taking note of landmarks and the location of certain stores.
"At least this trip wasn't a total loss," He said to himself. "After being here for as long as I have, it's good to finally find my way around town." Suddenly, he saw something that demanded his attention: a video arcade.
"Hello," he thought. "This day just started to get more interesting." He began to make his way toward what had once been his escape from everyday life. He had played for a good number of years and it had become a part of his life; at least until he moved to Hinata without bringing his Game Boy Advance and Nintendo 64 with him.
"I haven't played in so long, I hope I haven't forgotten how," he joked.
---
"Of all the things he could have done, he had to go out on the town without me. He should have told me he was leaving; I could have joined him and shown him some… interesting sights."
---
"Why did he have to leave? I hope he doesn't get hurt."
---
"Suu reporting: No sign of Sean as of yet. Continuing the search."
---
"Where would I go if I were him? Let's see…"
---
The day passed without incident. The girls could not find Sean while he spent the entire time in the arcade. After a few hours, he walked out with a smile on his face.
"Oh man, I haven't had that much fun in a long time. That made this whole trip worthwhile."
---
"Shinobu here. I have just spotted Sean leaving the video arcade."
"Good. Keep your distance. We'll be there as soon as we can. Keep us posted."
"No problem."
---
"I should have known a guy like him would like video games," Kitsune said as she made her way across town.
---
Sean continued on his way without any real idea as to where he was going, completely oblivious of Shinobu tailing him. "I wonder what else I can find…"
---
"Hello, is anybody here?" Keitaro called. He knew they had gone out to find Sean, but didn't think it would take this long. "Oh well, I guess I should enjoy myself while they're gone."
---
"Hmm," Sean's paranoia seemed to get the better of him as he allowed himself a look back (while still facing forward) and found a certain blue-haired girl behind him. "Should have known they would come looking for me," he thought. "I guess I should have told them, but then I might not have enjoyed myself as I--" He was jerked out of his thoughts when he bumped into someone.
"Excuse me, I--" Sean turned his gaze to the woman he had collided with; she was lying on the ground, unconscious. "Oh, crap." He knelt down and checked for a heartbeat. He groaned soon after. "I never was good at taking a pulse. It figures something like this would happen; just when--"
"Something like what?" Sean was shocked to find the woman had opened her eyes and was looking straight at him.
"Um, well…" Sean was momentarily stunned by her sudden recovery.
"Do you mind if I get up?"
Sean snapped out of his mindless state. "Oh, sorry." He helped her to her feet.
"Thank you. Now, what was that you were saying before?" She said, brushing herself off.
"Oh, that. It's just that I didn't think I bumped into you quite that hard."
The woman chuckled. "You don't need to worry about that. It happens a lot."
"What, passing out when you run into a cute guy?"
She laughed again. "Ara ara, you're a funny one, aren't you?"
"It depends; which part were you laughing at?" Sean couldn't help but smile at this point.
"Does it matter?"
"I suppose not. Um, I just want to apologize for bumping into you. I wasn't watching where I was going, and I--"
The woman pressed her finger on Sean's lips. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine. In fact, I'd say the same about you."
"Now who's the one making jokes?"
"I'm serious. You're a cute guy."
"Uh, thanks, I guess."
"Why are you blushing?"
"Um, it just that--"
"You know what, I think I understand."
"You do?"
"Yes. You haven't exactly been out with many girls, have you?"
"Not really."
"I thought not. You know what, how about we get together later on?"
Sean's mind was racing. How many times is he going to get a chance like this? "Uh, sure."
"Where should we meet? Your place?"
"That'll work. Maybe you could come over for dinner tonight."
"I'd like that. By the way, my name's Mutsumi."
"I'm Sean. It was nice meeting you."
"It was nice meeting you, too. So, where is your place, exactly?"
"Hinata-Sou."
A confused look appeared on Mutsumi's face. "The girl's dorm?"
"Yeah. It's a long story."
"I see. You can tell me about it tonight."
"Sure. How does 8:00 sound?"
"Good. See you then."
"See ya." Sean watched Mutsumi leave in wonder; he couldn't believe what had just happened. "Wow," he thought. "What a day this is turning out to be."
"Hey, Sean!" Sean turned his gaze to find the girls running towards him.
"Oh, hey." He still had his back to them.
"Sean, what just happened?" Naru asked.
"Unless I was hallucinating, I think we'll be having a guest for dinner tonight."
"Is that so?" Kitsune asked, raising an eyebrow. Sean nodded. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder. "I'm proud of you."
"What?"
"I didn't think you had it in you."
"That's reassuring."
"Is this what this whole thing was about?" Naru asked. "Trying to get a date?"
"Not really. I just wanted to spend some time outside the house. Honestly, I was starting to regret the decision until I found my salvation."
"That girl?" Suu asked.
"The arcade."
"How long were you in there?" Kitsune asked.
"A good three hours. I haven't had that much fun in a while."
"Why didn't you ask one of us to join you?" Naru asked.
"I needed to find my own way around. Besides, I felt uncomfortable enough without a few girls hanging around me the whole time. I'm not exactly a social person."
"Yeah. Well, we found you, so let's head back," Kitsune said. "We have a lot to talk about."
"I'm sure we do. Huh?" Sean looked up to find something screaming towards him. Before he could react, the object hit him squarely in the forehead, knocking him to the ground.
"Wow, that has to be the worst timing I have even seen," Kitsune said when she recognized what hit him.
"Ow, where am I?" Keitaro asked as he stood up, rubbing his head.
"You're half way across town." Naru informed.
"Wow, some coincidence that I would land near all of you. Have you found Sean yet?"
"Yes we did, and so did you," Kitsune said.
Keitaro was confused. "What do you mean?"
"Look down." Keitaro looked in shock at Sean lying on the ground. "Did I do that?"
"OW! Who fired a cannon at me?!" Sean said, sitting up in an instant. There was a nasty looking bump on his head.
"Sorry, Sean."
"Keitaro?! What did you do this time?"
"I found Motoko in the spring."
"That's it. We're going to have a little talk. Now." Sean's seemed a bit irritated to say the least at this last turn of events. Without concern for causing a scene, Sean teleported the whole group back to the dorm.
"Motoko, where are you?" Sean said as soon as he arrived in the living room. He tried to sound pleasant. "I'd like to have a word with you."
When Motoko didn't respond, Sean grew more upset. "So much for being friendly. MOTOKO!! YOU HAD BETTER GET YOU BUTT DOWN HERE BEFORE I START LOOKING FOR YOU!!!" The subject of his rant appeared moments later, a confused look on her face.
"What happened?!"
"You really need to work on your temper--not to mention your aim."
"What do you mean?"
"I hear sent Keitaro into orbit."
"Yeah, so?" Motoko was annoyed that this was all he called her there for.
Sean pointed to the bump on his head. "Guess where he landed."
"It's not my fault he saw me in the hot spring."
"Hey," Keitaro said in his own defense, "I thought you were out looking for Sean with the others."
"And why weren't you with them?" Sean asked.
"Naru doesn't want me anywhere near her."
"Is that so?" Sean glared at Naru.
"Yeah, so what?"
Sean let out an angry sigh. "I am getting sick and tired of you two not getting along! I have had to clean up after you ever since the day you met!"
"Sean, please--" Shinobu started.
"Don't interrupt me." Shinobu backed off. "As I was saying, the two of you are going to get along, if even for a little while; and I know just the way to do it."
"And what, pray tell, are you going to do?" Naru questioned.
"Every day after lunch, you two will be spending at least an hour studying together. I will be in the same room to make sure that happens."
"What?! You're forcing me to spend time with him?!"
"That hurts," Keitaro said, downcast.
"If you don't, I'll be forced to take more drastic measures, and neither one of us want that."
"But I don't want to spend time with--"
"And I don't really care! You will get along, and that's that!" The girls were shocked by his tone. He doesn't get mad very often, and for good reason. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be in my room." He stormed out of the room.
"Um, where did that come from?" Keitaro asked.
"It's been a while since he's had an outburst like that, but it's never been directed at us like that before." Kitsune said.
"The nerve of that guy to talk to me like that!" Naru said. "I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!"
"No," Everyone was shocked to see Shinobu grab Naru by the arm, stopping her. "I'll go talk to him."
"Why you?"
"He's not mad at me." Shinobu ran after Sean.
"If anyone can calm Sean down, it's Shinobu," Motoko said.
Kitsune noticed a depressed Keitaro and decided to try to cheer him up. She grabbed him by the arm. "Come with me."
Keitaro was confused. "Where are you taking me?"
Kitsune smiled. "You'll see." She dragged him out of the room with her.
Naru was fuming. "That guy can be so aggravating sometimes!"
"Which one?" Motoko said.
---
Shinobu timidly knocked on Sean's door.
"Who is it?" Sean answered. His voice still sounded a bit irritated, but there was some improvement.
"It's… Shinobu. May I come in?"
"Sure." Shinobu opened the door to find Sean lying on his futon, listening to music. "Unwell" by Matchbox 20 was playing.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm not sure. Ranting like that always makes me feel guilty afterwards. I don't like to express myself like that, but sometimes I'm left with no other option."
"Why did you say what you did just now?"
"The stress must have finally gotten to me, what with Keitaro flying every which way, making holes in the walls and ceiling. That's why I left today; I just had to get away from all this. My time in the arcade seemed to help, but apparently not as much as I thought."
Tears welled up in Shinobu's eyes. "Please don't leave like that again. I was getting worried about you."
"I'm sorry. I should have known better than to leave unannounced."
"Unwell" ended and was soon replaced by "Out of My Head" by Fastball.
"Why did have to go out and find that girl? Don't you like us anymore?"
"You know that's not true. To be honest, I never expected that to happen. I suppose I have you to thank for meeting Mutsumi."
Shinobu's eyes grew wide in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"If I hadn't been momentarily distracted by seeing you at that moment, I never would have bumped into her."
"You knew I was there?!"
"At that instant, yes I did, but not before. How long were you following me?"
Shinobu blushed. "Since you left the arcade."
"Why didn't you tell me you were there?"
"I was told to stay out of sight. And contact the others if I found you."
"Kitsune's idea?"
"Yeah."
"I might have known."
"Um, will you and that girl be… well…" Shinobu couldn't find the right words.
"Boyfriend and girlfriend?" Shinobu nodded weakly. "I can't say. Honestly, I'm not that familiar with this type of thing. I'm actually quite nervous as to what might happen; and not exactly in a good way."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"What will you do if it doesn't work out?"
"I guess I'll just deal with it. I've thought about the prospect all too much over the years."
"What, having a girlfriend?"
"No, being rejected."
Shinobu was surprised by that last comment. "Why would you be worried about being rejected?"
"I'm not exactly the prettiest guy in the world."
"Looks aren't everything."
"I know that, but first impressions are. What would you think if you saw me for the first time?" Sean removed his sunglasses and looked Shinobu straight in the eye. The dark circles under his eyes hinted that he doesn't get enough sleep, and the look in his eyes resembled that of either a stoner or a drunk. None of the above was actually the case, but that's how he looked.
Shinobu decided to be honest. "I'd think you looked like someone who's been out all night with Kitsune."
"Exactly. Not a lot of women would want to be with a guy who looks like I do."
"Why are you so negative?"
"Well, I haven't had too much to be positive about in my life besides my academic skills."
"Oh." Shinobu started to pity Sean for a moment. "He's had to deal with so many things in his life," she thought. "but finding someone that would care for him shouldn't be one of them." She started to feel guilty. He knew to some extent how she felt about him, but he didn't want to explore those avenues for fear of what the others might think. "I don't care about what would happen to us; I want to be with him."
Sean was starting to get nervous about the break in the conversation. "I wonder what she's thinking about." He thought, observing her expression. "I think I should change the subject before things get too awkward for our own good." Sean glanced at the clock; it read 6:47. "Perfect."
"Shinobu, do you want me to help you fix dinner tonight?" This quickly brought her out of her thoughts.
"No, that's alright. You just get ready for… what was her name again?"
"Mutsumi."
"Mutsumi. You should get ready for her to arrive. I can handle dinner myself."
"Alright, if that's what you want."
Shinobu then left, closing the door behind her. As she walked down the hall, her mind kept racing. "That's not what I want. I want to be with him." Tears started to crawl down her cheeks. "No, I can't cry. I have to be happy that Sean found someone; even if it isn't me." She struggled to stop crying as she made her way to the kitchen.
---
"Kitsune, what are you doing?!!"
"Don't you like it, Keitaro?"
"Um, well--"
"If not, then how about this?"
"AH!"
* * * End of Chapter X * * *
It figures the story would turn in this direction during Valentines. I'll be the first to admit that this chapter probably wasn't the best one so far. Some awkward questions were left unanswered: How will the dinner go? How will Shinobu react during that time? What the heck were Kitsune and Keitaro doing?! (Shakes head) This one's going to get harder before it gets easier, but I'll try to do it well. Please give me honest responses. Thank you for reading and I'll see you again with chapter 11.
Dang, this one was a tough one to write. This one involves topics I don't exactly feel comfortable about, but I finally finished it. I hope this one goes over well.
* * * Chapter X: Out on the Town * * *
As the days wore on, Sean became more accustomed to his new method of vision. He spent most of his spare time walking the halls of Hinata-Sou, experimenting with camera angles and such.
Keitaro on the other hand, had more on his mind than making observations. He had not only his own life to worry about, but also his efforts to get into Tokyo U. Most of his time outside of meals was spent studying, but whenever he would leave to eat or whatever the reason might have been, he would invariably get in trouble and get sent through the roof.
This would, in effect, occupy Sean's time as well. He has started to limit his own use of magic to that of making emergency repairs and transporting the accident-prone Keitaro back before Shinobu starts worrying too much. He felt like he was getting into a rut.
---
Saturday, 7/20
Naru opened the door between her room and that of the two male residents. "Sean?"
Keitaro looked up from the textbook he was looking over. "He's not here right now. May I take a message?"
"No, that's alright."
"What were you going to ask him?"
"Not that it's any of your business, but I was going to ask him if he wanted to help me with my studies."
"I could help you if you want."
"I guess. Your help is better than none--not by much though."
"Oh, is he that much smarter than me?"
"Well, considering he already graduated from college--"
"Yeah yeah, I get it." Keitaro frowned at the implied insult to his intelligence.
"Well, are you coming up or not?"
"Yeah, just a sec." Even after that, Keitaro was eager to spend some peaceful time with Naru. He grabbed his books and went up to Naru's room.
After a while, Naru became very frustrated. "No wonder you've failed the entrance exam so many times if you can't do such simple problems."
"I'll take verbal assaults over physical ones any day," Keitaro thought.
Naru continued to demean Keitaro until her door opened.
"Hey Naru, have you seen Sean anywhere?" Kitsune asked from the doorway.
"No, I haven't."
"Darn." Kitsune started to grin. "Hmm, I was starting to wonder where Keitaro was."
"We're just studying." Naru said.
"Uh huh. Anyway, did Sean tell you where he went, Keitaro?"
"Actually, he did mention something to me earlier."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Naru was surprised that Keitaro knew where Sean was and never said anything.
"You never asked." That earned a slap in the face.
"Tell me where we went!" Naru yelled.
"Well, I don't know exactly, but he said he was going out."
"Out?" Kitsune asked.
"Yes, out. He didn't elaborate further on that. He mentioned that there was something he needed to do."
"That's odd. What could be so important that it would make him leave without telling us? Did he tell you when he was coming back?"
"No."
"Let's go find him," Naru said, getting up.
"What about our studies?"
"I've had enough studying with you for one day."
"Oh. Can I help you look, then?"
"NO!" Naru was getting a bit sick of Keitaro at this point.
"Okay, okay, I'll leave you alone." He then left via the trapdoor.
"Idiot," Naru muttered under her breath, shacking her head.
---
"Why did I decide to do this, anyway?" Sean thought as he walked around downtown. "I really should have thought this through a little more."
His big plan involved just wandering around town, perhaps striking up a conversation with someone--anyone. Of course, being the expert in the ways of being social that he was, he had absolutely no idea of how to go about something like that without looking like a freak.
All things considering, looking weird was something he did not exactly need help with. His eyes had healed about as much as they ever would, but his normal eyesight never returned. Therefore, his eyes tend to wander aimlessly, completely unaware of what he would have been looking at. This was why he decided to wear sunglasses on his little excursion. Also, his new eyes, which he has dubbed PAVE (Personal Audio/Visual Enhancer), would have garnered unneeded attention, so he made it invisible for the duration. Despite all this, he felt very awkward, not only having to deal with his own shortcomings, but in a public setting, which only amplified his uneasiness.
"Maybe I should have asked Kitsune to help me with this," he thought.
---
"Alright," Kitsune said. "Sean's out there somewhere, and we have to find him." She had gathered everyone in the living room, with the exception of Keitaro and Motoko, who weren't able to participate for one reason or another. "Now, does anyone have any idea of where a guy like Sean would go?"
Nobody knew.
"Great. That really narrows down the search."
"What's the plan, Kitsune?" Shinobu asked.
"Well, we should spread out and search everywhere. Leave no stone unturned. If you find him, follow him; see where he goes, but try to keep out of sight."
"With PAVE around him at all times, that won't be too easy," Naru noted.
"Good point. We'll have to be very careful."
"How are we going to keep in contact if we're all across town?" Shinobu wondered.
"I'll take care of that," Suu said, then scampered up to her room. Minutes later, she came back with a bundle in her arms.
"What's that?" Kitsune asked.
Suu opened the package. "Long-range walkie-talkies. With these, we will be in constant contact."
"Wonderful. If one of you find him, notify the rest of us of his movements and we'll get there as soon as we can. Now then, let's go get our man back!"
"YEAH!!" The others joined in. What that, the Hinata Recovery Team set out to find their missing landlord.
---
Sean continued to wander about aimlessly, taking note of landmarks and the location of certain stores.
"At least this trip wasn't a total loss," He said to himself. "After being here for as long as I have, it's good to finally find my way around town." Suddenly, he saw something that demanded his attention: a video arcade.
"Hello," he thought. "This day just started to get more interesting." He began to make his way toward what had once been his escape from everyday life. He had played for a good number of years and it had become a part of his life; at least until he moved to Hinata without bringing his Game Boy Advance and Nintendo 64 with him.
"I haven't played in so long, I hope I haven't forgotten how," he joked.
---
"Of all the things he could have done, he had to go out on the town without me. He should have told me he was leaving; I could have joined him and shown him some… interesting sights."
---
"Why did he have to leave? I hope he doesn't get hurt."
---
"Suu reporting: No sign of Sean as of yet. Continuing the search."
---
"Where would I go if I were him? Let's see…"
---
The day passed without incident. The girls could not find Sean while he spent the entire time in the arcade. After a few hours, he walked out with a smile on his face.
"Oh man, I haven't had that much fun in a long time. That made this whole trip worthwhile."
---
"Shinobu here. I have just spotted Sean leaving the video arcade."
"Good. Keep your distance. We'll be there as soon as we can. Keep us posted."
"No problem."
---
"I should have known a guy like him would like video games," Kitsune said as she made her way across town.
---
Sean continued on his way without any real idea as to where he was going, completely oblivious of Shinobu tailing him. "I wonder what else I can find…"
---
"Hello, is anybody here?" Keitaro called. He knew they had gone out to find Sean, but didn't think it would take this long. "Oh well, I guess I should enjoy myself while they're gone."
---
"Hmm," Sean's paranoia seemed to get the better of him as he allowed himself a look back (while still facing forward) and found a certain blue-haired girl behind him. "Should have known they would come looking for me," he thought. "I guess I should have told them, but then I might not have enjoyed myself as I--" He was jerked out of his thoughts when he bumped into someone.
"Excuse me, I--" Sean turned his gaze to the woman he had collided with; she was lying on the ground, unconscious. "Oh, crap." He knelt down and checked for a heartbeat. He groaned soon after. "I never was good at taking a pulse. It figures something like this would happen; just when--"
"Something like what?" Sean was shocked to find the woman had opened her eyes and was looking straight at him.
"Um, well…" Sean was momentarily stunned by her sudden recovery.
"Do you mind if I get up?"
Sean snapped out of his mindless state. "Oh, sorry." He helped her to her feet.
"Thank you. Now, what was that you were saying before?" She said, brushing herself off.
"Oh, that. It's just that I didn't think I bumped into you quite that hard."
The woman chuckled. "You don't need to worry about that. It happens a lot."
"What, passing out when you run into a cute guy?"
She laughed again. "Ara ara, you're a funny one, aren't you?"
"It depends; which part were you laughing at?" Sean couldn't help but smile at this point.
"Does it matter?"
"I suppose not. Um, I just want to apologize for bumping into you. I wasn't watching where I was going, and I--"
The woman pressed her finger on Sean's lips. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine. In fact, I'd say the same about you."
"Now who's the one making jokes?"
"I'm serious. You're a cute guy."
"Uh, thanks, I guess."
"Why are you blushing?"
"Um, it just that--"
"You know what, I think I understand."
"You do?"
"Yes. You haven't exactly been out with many girls, have you?"
"Not really."
"I thought not. You know what, how about we get together later on?"
Sean's mind was racing. How many times is he going to get a chance like this? "Uh, sure."
"Where should we meet? Your place?"
"That'll work. Maybe you could come over for dinner tonight."
"I'd like that. By the way, my name's Mutsumi."
"I'm Sean. It was nice meeting you."
"It was nice meeting you, too. So, where is your place, exactly?"
"Hinata-Sou."
A confused look appeared on Mutsumi's face. "The girl's dorm?"
"Yeah. It's a long story."
"I see. You can tell me about it tonight."
"Sure. How does 8:00 sound?"
"Good. See you then."
"See ya." Sean watched Mutsumi leave in wonder; he couldn't believe what had just happened. "Wow," he thought. "What a day this is turning out to be."
"Hey, Sean!" Sean turned his gaze to find the girls running towards him.
"Oh, hey." He still had his back to them.
"Sean, what just happened?" Naru asked.
"Unless I was hallucinating, I think we'll be having a guest for dinner tonight."
"Is that so?" Kitsune asked, raising an eyebrow. Sean nodded. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder. "I'm proud of you."
"What?"
"I didn't think you had it in you."
"That's reassuring."
"Is this what this whole thing was about?" Naru asked. "Trying to get a date?"
"Not really. I just wanted to spend some time outside the house. Honestly, I was starting to regret the decision until I found my salvation."
"That girl?" Suu asked.
"The arcade."
"How long were you in there?" Kitsune asked.
"A good three hours. I haven't had that much fun in a while."
"Why didn't you ask one of us to join you?" Naru asked.
"I needed to find my own way around. Besides, I felt uncomfortable enough without a few girls hanging around me the whole time. I'm not exactly a social person."
"Yeah. Well, we found you, so let's head back," Kitsune said. "We have a lot to talk about."
"I'm sure we do. Huh?" Sean looked up to find something screaming towards him. Before he could react, the object hit him squarely in the forehead, knocking him to the ground.
"Wow, that has to be the worst timing I have even seen," Kitsune said when she recognized what hit him.
"Ow, where am I?" Keitaro asked as he stood up, rubbing his head.
"You're half way across town." Naru informed.
"Wow, some coincidence that I would land near all of you. Have you found Sean yet?"
"Yes we did, and so did you," Kitsune said.
Keitaro was confused. "What do you mean?"
"Look down." Keitaro looked in shock at Sean lying on the ground. "Did I do that?"
"OW! Who fired a cannon at me?!" Sean said, sitting up in an instant. There was a nasty looking bump on his head.
"Sorry, Sean."
"Keitaro?! What did you do this time?"
"I found Motoko in the spring."
"That's it. We're going to have a little talk. Now." Sean's seemed a bit irritated to say the least at this last turn of events. Without concern for causing a scene, Sean teleported the whole group back to the dorm.
"Motoko, where are you?" Sean said as soon as he arrived in the living room. He tried to sound pleasant. "I'd like to have a word with you."
When Motoko didn't respond, Sean grew more upset. "So much for being friendly. MOTOKO!! YOU HAD BETTER GET YOU BUTT DOWN HERE BEFORE I START LOOKING FOR YOU!!!" The subject of his rant appeared moments later, a confused look on her face.
"What happened?!"
"You really need to work on your temper--not to mention your aim."
"What do you mean?"
"I hear sent Keitaro into orbit."
"Yeah, so?" Motoko was annoyed that this was all he called her there for.
Sean pointed to the bump on his head. "Guess where he landed."
"It's not my fault he saw me in the hot spring."
"Hey," Keitaro said in his own defense, "I thought you were out looking for Sean with the others."
"And why weren't you with them?" Sean asked.
"Naru doesn't want me anywhere near her."
"Is that so?" Sean glared at Naru.
"Yeah, so what?"
Sean let out an angry sigh. "I am getting sick and tired of you two not getting along! I have had to clean up after you ever since the day you met!"
"Sean, please--" Shinobu started.
"Don't interrupt me." Shinobu backed off. "As I was saying, the two of you are going to get along, if even for a little while; and I know just the way to do it."
"And what, pray tell, are you going to do?" Naru questioned.
"Every day after lunch, you two will be spending at least an hour studying together. I will be in the same room to make sure that happens."
"What?! You're forcing me to spend time with him?!"
"That hurts," Keitaro said, downcast.
"If you don't, I'll be forced to take more drastic measures, and neither one of us want that."
"But I don't want to spend time with--"
"And I don't really care! You will get along, and that's that!" The girls were shocked by his tone. He doesn't get mad very often, and for good reason. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be in my room." He stormed out of the room.
"Um, where did that come from?" Keitaro asked.
"It's been a while since he's had an outburst like that, but it's never been directed at us like that before." Kitsune said.
"The nerve of that guy to talk to me like that!" Naru said. "I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!"
"No," Everyone was shocked to see Shinobu grab Naru by the arm, stopping her. "I'll go talk to him."
"Why you?"
"He's not mad at me." Shinobu ran after Sean.
"If anyone can calm Sean down, it's Shinobu," Motoko said.
Kitsune noticed a depressed Keitaro and decided to try to cheer him up. She grabbed him by the arm. "Come with me."
Keitaro was confused. "Where are you taking me?"
Kitsune smiled. "You'll see." She dragged him out of the room with her.
Naru was fuming. "That guy can be so aggravating sometimes!"
"Which one?" Motoko said.
---
Shinobu timidly knocked on Sean's door.
"Who is it?" Sean answered. His voice still sounded a bit irritated, but there was some improvement.
"It's… Shinobu. May I come in?"
"Sure." Shinobu opened the door to find Sean lying on his futon, listening to music. "Unwell" by Matchbox 20 was playing.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm not sure. Ranting like that always makes me feel guilty afterwards. I don't like to express myself like that, but sometimes I'm left with no other option."
"Why did you say what you did just now?"
"The stress must have finally gotten to me, what with Keitaro flying every which way, making holes in the walls and ceiling. That's why I left today; I just had to get away from all this. My time in the arcade seemed to help, but apparently not as much as I thought."
Tears welled up in Shinobu's eyes. "Please don't leave like that again. I was getting worried about you."
"I'm sorry. I should have known better than to leave unannounced."
"Unwell" ended and was soon replaced by "Out of My Head" by Fastball.
"Why did have to go out and find that girl? Don't you like us anymore?"
"You know that's not true. To be honest, I never expected that to happen. I suppose I have you to thank for meeting Mutsumi."
Shinobu's eyes grew wide in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"If I hadn't been momentarily distracted by seeing you at that moment, I never would have bumped into her."
"You knew I was there?!"
"At that instant, yes I did, but not before. How long were you following me?"
Shinobu blushed. "Since you left the arcade."
"Why didn't you tell me you were there?"
"I was told to stay out of sight. And contact the others if I found you."
"Kitsune's idea?"
"Yeah."
"I might have known."
"Um, will you and that girl be… well…" Shinobu couldn't find the right words.
"Boyfriend and girlfriend?" Shinobu nodded weakly. "I can't say. Honestly, I'm not that familiar with this type of thing. I'm actually quite nervous as to what might happen; and not exactly in a good way."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"What will you do if it doesn't work out?"
"I guess I'll just deal with it. I've thought about the prospect all too much over the years."
"What, having a girlfriend?"
"No, being rejected."
Shinobu was surprised by that last comment. "Why would you be worried about being rejected?"
"I'm not exactly the prettiest guy in the world."
"Looks aren't everything."
"I know that, but first impressions are. What would you think if you saw me for the first time?" Sean removed his sunglasses and looked Shinobu straight in the eye. The dark circles under his eyes hinted that he doesn't get enough sleep, and the look in his eyes resembled that of either a stoner or a drunk. None of the above was actually the case, but that's how he looked.
Shinobu decided to be honest. "I'd think you looked like someone who's been out all night with Kitsune."
"Exactly. Not a lot of women would want to be with a guy who looks like I do."
"Why are you so negative?"
"Well, I haven't had too much to be positive about in my life besides my academic skills."
"Oh." Shinobu started to pity Sean for a moment. "He's had to deal with so many things in his life," she thought. "but finding someone that would care for him shouldn't be one of them." She started to feel guilty. He knew to some extent how she felt about him, but he didn't want to explore those avenues for fear of what the others might think. "I don't care about what would happen to us; I want to be with him."
Sean was starting to get nervous about the break in the conversation. "I wonder what she's thinking about." He thought, observing her expression. "I think I should change the subject before things get too awkward for our own good." Sean glanced at the clock; it read 6:47. "Perfect."
"Shinobu, do you want me to help you fix dinner tonight?" This quickly brought her out of her thoughts.
"No, that's alright. You just get ready for… what was her name again?"
"Mutsumi."
"Mutsumi. You should get ready for her to arrive. I can handle dinner myself."
"Alright, if that's what you want."
Shinobu then left, closing the door behind her. As she walked down the hall, her mind kept racing. "That's not what I want. I want to be with him." Tears started to crawl down her cheeks. "No, I can't cry. I have to be happy that Sean found someone; even if it isn't me." She struggled to stop crying as she made her way to the kitchen.
---
"Kitsune, what are you doing?!!"
"Don't you like it, Keitaro?"
"Um, well--"
"If not, then how about this?"
"AH!"
* * * End of Chapter X * * *
It figures the story would turn in this direction during Valentines. I'll be the first to admit that this chapter probably wasn't the best one so far. Some awkward questions were left unanswered: How will the dinner go? How will Shinobu react during that time? What the heck were Kitsune and Keitaro doing?! (Shakes head) This one's going to get harder before it gets easier, but I'll try to do it well. Please give me honest responses. Thank you for reading and I'll see you again with chapter 11.