::: Keitaro, The Savant :::

by

- GlazedAndConfused -


"..." - denotes speech
"(...)" - denotes whispering
"[[...]]" - denotes settings
Italics denote thoughts and Japanese dialogue.
Chapter Twelve ::: Keitaro's First Date: Tripudio Inferus Est Astrum

[[Beach, Northern Shores - 9.03 pm]]

Kitsune and Keitaro were both walking slowly down the beach towards their intended destination, the fox with her arm still looped around Keitaro's. Although summer was slowly coming to an end, the night was still warm with a light, refreshing breeze. There was another full moon up in the sky, but this one looked larger and brighter than usual, brightening up the beach considerably. The water looked like a sea of crystals underneath the moonlight. The stars were also out, without a single cloud in the sky. Kitsune looked up at the moon with her almost-eternally closed eyes opened fully, the reflection of the moon visible in her eyes.

"Look," she said, pointing up to the moon and stars, "isn't it beautiful?"

Keitaro followed her gaze to the moon.

"Yeah," he said in the same monotone voice that Kitsune and the others had become used to, "moon and stars pretty. Pretty... pretty light."

He then looked at the side of her face, as she was still looking up at the moon.

"Moonlight makes your face look prettier," he added, "pretty Kitsune."

Kitsune's face took a flattered expression at that comment. Her cheeks started to turn red as she returned his gaze. She gave him a sweet smile.

"Thank you, sweetie," she said, her blush deepening. She hooked her arm around his once more, and they continued walking. Kitsune took a few looks at him, a smitten expression on her face, whenever the opportunity arose. Occasionally, she intertwined her fingers with his out of affection.


[[Beach, Promenade - 9.29 pm]]

They both reached the promenade overlooking the sea. Instead of being almost deserted like it was earlier in the day, when Keitaro was taught how to dance by Mutsumi, it was almost bustling with other young couples; a fact that Kitsune blushed profusely at, while Keitaro took no notice. The promenade was now lit up.

They arrived at a quaint, if not slightly secluded, little restaurant with a coffee shop inside at the quayside that Keitaro and Mutsumi stopped off in on their trip. Kitsune looked around and felt a smile forming on her face, as it looked better on the inside than it did from the outside. The place had various pictures of all the different coastal areas of Japan, ranging from the southern tropical island of Okinawa to the northern island of Hokkaido, and there were random songs being played. The first floor, where Keitaro had taken her up to, had a more romantic feel to it. It was dimly lit, with soft music being played in contrast to the music from the jukebox on the ground floor.

"Hmm... very nice, Keitaro. I didn't think you were into these places," she said, smiling.

"Yeah."

Keitaro took her by the hand and took her to exactly the same table he and Mutsumi were seated at earlier that day. Kitsune was awed at the view. They were sat beside a giant window which allowed the moon and starlit sky to be seen by all on the first floor. It overlooked the sea, stretching into the horizon. To add to the beauty of the view, they could also see the lights of the small coastal town not so far to the north and west of them twinkling. Once Kitsune had managed to stop her jaw from dropping at the view, she turned back to Keitaro.

"This view is just beautiful!" she exclaimed, "And I thought it was good enough on the beach."

"Yeah. Chose table for you."

"You chose the table for me?"

"Yeah."

They both pick up their menus and start to look for what they would like to eat. Kitsune's eyes settle on the main courses, which came with side dishes of the customer's choice.

"These look delicious, don't they?"

"Yeah."

After a waiter came to collect their orders, they both chatted lightly with each other. Keitaro's level of comfort rose along with Kitsune's level of affection; the fox-eyed woman becoming more and more fond of her companion. Their meals came and they continued to chat as they ate. A separate menu showing all the available drinks

"Okay, sweetie," she said, leaning over to show him the different hot drinks they have, "there's tea, coffee, cappucino, espresso and cocoa. Which do you want?"

"Coffee," he replied.

"Of course."

"Milk and sugar have to be on the table before the coffee arrives." he said, starting to rock back and forth. It was at that point that Kitsune noticed two containers; one of sugar, one of coffee. She put both her hands on both the handles quietly so as not to attract his attention.

"Keitaro?" she asked, turning to face him again.

"Yeah."

"Ta-da!" She pulled the containers out from behind the menus, revealing them to Keitaro, who had started to laugh slightly. Kitsune grinned at this display of amusement.

"Kitsune made a joke," he said.

"Yeah, I made a joke!" she replied, starting to laugh herself.

"Yeah."

The waiter brought their coffees to them, and Kitsune helped put the milk and sugar in Keitaro's coffee. While they were both drinking their coffee, Kitsune's eyes opened slightly as she looked at him with the same smitten expression as before. Shyly, she slipped one of her high heels off and started to rub her foot up and down his leg, a blush on her face. Keitaro stiffened slightly, but showed no objection to her actions and allowed her to continue, beginning to blush as well.

Once they had finished their coffee, Kitsune paid the bill and they both left the restaurant holding hands. Walking further down the promenade, Kitsune spotted a print club booth. A smile formed on her face as she thought of an idea.

"Hey, sweetie," she said, pointing to the booth, "why don't we get a photo taken as a souvenir of tonight?"

"Yeah. Photo with Kitsune."

She smiled sweetly at him as she took him inside, pulling the curtain behind her. Putting a few coins in to pay, Kitsune and Keitaro got ready for the photo to be taken. With a beaming smile on her face, she placed one hand on his shoulder and held her other hand up in a peace sign just as the photo was taken. Keitaro had a smile on his face as he held his hand up as if to wave. The machine clicked and whirred as the photos came out of the photo dispenser on the side of the booth. Kitsune took the photo from it and looked at it wistfully.

I've enjoyed tonight so far, she thought, but where to go next?

They both walked aimlessly for about ten minutes, basically just enjoying each other's company. Kitsune noticed that they had ended up in a large park that wasn't very far away.


[[Beach, Eastern Shores - 9.54 pm]]

Meanwhile, Kanako and Mutsumi were both still on their walk. The moon was still bright as ever, with the stars still in the sky.

"Ara... I wonder if Urashima-kun is dancing with Kitsune-san now?" Mutsumi pondered out loud.

Kanako smiled at the thought.

"I wonder, indeed," she replied, "Kitsune-san will love that dance."

Mutsumi's expression turned slightly saddened. Kanako noticed this and decided to ask.

"What's wrong, Mutsumi-san?"

"I just remembered when Urashima-kun reacted the way he did when I went to give him a hug. Does he not like me?"

Kanako placed a comforting hand on Mutsumi's shoulder.

"He likes you, Mutsumi-san," she said in a reassuring tone, "it's just that he doesn't know you very well. I should have explained this before you both went for you walk. When you hugged him, you got too close to him - closer than he would have liked you to have done. He became anxious because he's sensitive. Remember when you first came to Hinata Sou?"

"Oh my... I do. He was on the floor, screaming and lashing out."

"Hai. Well, if you had been a stranger when you hugged him, he would have reacted that way."

Mutsumi frowned again.

"Look, Mutsumi-san. It's nothing personal, ne? It's not that he doesn't like you; he does, and from the way he acted around you he wants to get to know you. Maybe then he'll let you hug him some more."

Her face brightened up.

"You're right, Kanako-san."

Kanako smiled at her once again.

"Do you want to carry on with this walk? We've still got time to kill."

"Hai."


[[Park, Duck Pond - 10.01 pm]]

Kitsune and Keitaro are both sitting on a bench overlooking a duck pond in the centre of the park. The area was literally empty; almost as if it were the perfect setting for a date. The moon was glimmering off the water of the pond, adding to the mystique of the atmosphere. Keitaro was transfixed on the movement of the ducks in the moonlit water. Kitsune, on the other hand, kept looking at him with an admirable smile on her face.

I've really enjoyed tonight, she mused, still looking at him, I'd love to go on another date with him, simply to just enjoy his company. Being with him makes me feel so warm inside. He's got a very innocent child-like quality to him; that's what makes him so adorable. He's honest, talented. I just can't stop thinking about him...

A sudden thought struck her.

Wait... this feeling... I feel secure, happy and calm with him... could it be... love?

She blushed heavily as she considered that.

Come to think of it, he IS the first guy I've had genuine feelings for in a long time... he's a lot better than the others, anyway. It hurt to know that they were only interested in me for my body. Plus my reputation in high school for being supposedly 'forward' didn't help either. But Keitaro's different from them. Yes, he is mentally disabled, but he really seems fond of me because of who I am.

Her smile widened.

Heh... yeah. He would make a good boyfriend, I must admit...

She leaned back and placed her hand on his, lazily drawing circles on it with her finger. Keitaro looked down and blushed at the contact, then turned back to the pond.

[[One hour later...]]

Kitsune and Keitaro both remained as they were. By this point, her affection and fondness for him had grown to new heights. She stood up, stretching her legs and arms, then tapped Keitaro on the shoulder.

"Come on, Keitaro. We better get you back."


[[Hotel, Bar - 11.14]]

The bar was busy, as it always was on a summer's night, with the occasional group of people playing drinking games. The said people passing out and ending up falling onto the floor was not a uncommon sight, and was often an amusing one to the onlookers, except for the landlord and barkeepers who were more often than not the ones who ended up having to clean up the mess and help get them back to their hotel rooms. Haruka was sitting at the bar with an empty glass of beer, give or take one or two ice cubes, swirling it around. She watched as Su and Shinobu were both playing a game of Pontoon with Naru and Motoko.

"Pontoon!" Su shouted, merrily, "And that's the thirty-fourth game in a row I've won!"

Shinobu, Naru and Motoko sighed in disappointment as they threw their cards down.

"Ah, damn it! I had three sevens!" Naru exclaimed, pouting.

"Sorry Naru-Naru," Su said, still grinning, "a King and an Ace always beats three sevens! So, who's up for another game?"

"Me," said Shinobu.

"Not me," Motoko said, standing up to go outside, "I believe I have lost more than enough times for one night."

"Me too," Naru agreed, following her samurai friend. They both made it into the lobby when Naru thought of something.

"Hey, Motoko-chan," she said, "I hope that pervert isn't doing something to Kitsune."

Motoko turned somewhat worried as they were still close enough to the bar for Haruka to overhear them.

"Naru-sempai, do you not remember what Haruka-sempai and Kanako-san said?"

"I don't care... they should have been back by now!"

"Wait, Naru-sempai..."

Naru stomped out of the front door onto the beach, ready to wait for the two. Motoko sighed in defeat, and followed. Haruka watched the two as they went out, one after another.

What's their problem? she thought, shaking her head while lighting up another cigarette.


[[Beach, Promenade - 11.23 pm]]

Yet again, Kitsune and Keitaro were both walking arm-in-arm back to the beach via the promenade, which was now almost deserted, when they went past a sleazy-looking bar. Kitsune noticed two burly men walking out, not looking like the friendly types at all. She winced as she envisioned what would happen if they spotted her and Keitaro.

Uh-oh... here comes trouble, she thought. They better not touch Keitaro if they come over here.

"ANOTHER bar we've been kicked out of!" the first one exclaimed, "I told you they'd do that again!

"Yeah... vindictive bastards, the lot of 'em." the second replied. They turned around and noticed Kitsune walking past.

"Hmm... this could be our lucky night! Look at that one over there!"

"Yeah, she's hot!"

They walked over to Kitsune and Keitaro. Feeling as if someone was behind them, the fox-eyed girl turned around to come face-to-face with the two men. She shuddered inwardly.

"Well, well, well..." the first man said, smiling lasciviously, "what's a hot babe like you doing here? Come with us," he continued, grabbing her arm.

"No, thank you," Kitsune replied, her normally laid-back personality becoming weary as her patience wore thin.

"Yeah, ditch this loser," the second one said as he grabbed Keitaro by the scruff of the neck and threw him into a wall. Keitaro held his arms to his head defensively and curled up into a ball, starting to rock back and forth while making screeching noises out of anxiety. The first man looked at his friend, then roared with laughter.

"Gwahaha! Look, we've got a crybaby!"

They walked up to Keitaro and bent down towards him. The first one started shoving Keitaro around.

"Awww... does baby want his bottle?" the second mocked, making cooing noises. They erupted in laughter once again. By this point, Kitsune had seen and heard enough. She didn't care about the fact that she was being 'picked up' any longer, but they had gone too far when they dragged Keitaro into the thing and proceeded to insult him. Her cool exterior quickly turned to that of rage. She clenched her teeth and opened her eyes, furrowing her eyebrows. She walked up to the two men and tapped them on the shoulder. When they turned around, they had no time to say a word as she gave them both a swift, brain-rattling slap right across the face. Once they had recovered, they stood up and advanced towards her.

"Insult me all you want," she hissed, "but if you ever lay another hand on him, you'll get another one of those."

"Why... you little whore!"

The first man charged towards Kitsune, who moved out of the way before he could reach her. She took off one of her high heels and started hitting the man over the head with the heel. Noticing that he had covered up to protect his head, she took full advantage and kicked him as hard as she could right between the legs. The man dropped to his knees, clutching his battered crotch.

"M-Mummy..." he incoherently squeaked.

She gave him one last whack over the head with the high heel, before turning to the other man. He winced upon seeing Kitsune's angry face. He winced even further upon thinking that he would be getting the same as his friend if he didn't run away, knowing what was best for him.

"Uh... gotta go, bye!" he said running off as fast as he could, leaving his immobilised friend behind. Kitsune sighed in disgust and put her high heels back on. She walked over to Keitaro, who was still curled in a ball. She knelt beside him and rubbed his back soothingly, figuring that it did the trick 99.9% of the time - which it did once again. Kitsune placed her hands under Keitaro's arms and helped him stand up. Keitaro still looked shaky and anxious from the encounter, so she gave him a friendly rub on the shoulder. After a few minutes, he eventually calmed down and fidgeted with his hands.

"Time for hotel now..." he muttered.

Kitsune took hold of his hand again.

"Yeah. Let's get you back. They'll be wondering where we got to."


[[Beach, Northern Shores - 11.47 pm]]

The moon was at it's peak as the time was nearing midnight, with the stars still scattered across the sky. Kitsune was looking up at the moon, the light shining on her face again. The hotel was around a hundred feet away when she stopped walking, as she thought of another idea.

Hmm... Mutsumi-san said that she taught him how to dance when they went for that walk earlier today, and that he was a beautiful dancer. I wonder if he will dance with me...? She mused, looking at Keitaro thoughtfully. She placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him from walking.

"Hey, Keitaro?"

"Yeah."

Kitsune placed her hands behind her back, fidgeting, and looked down towards the sand embarrassedly.

"Umm... I was wondering. Mutsumi-san told me that she taught you to dance, and that you did very well. Do you think you could... dance with... me?" She blushed a healthy hue of crimson as she finished the sentence with a barely audible squeak. Keitaro jumped up and down on the spot, clapping his hands gleefully as his face brightened up in delight.

"Yeah. Want to dance with Kitsune."

Kitsune's head snapped up at that.

"Really? You... you want to dance with me?"

"Yeah. Want to dance with Kitsune."

The expression on her face was beyond delighted, with the blush still visible. She took Keitaro by the hand and led him to the centre of the beach. He held her in the way Mutsumi showed him, and moved rhythmically as he remembered what Mutsumi had told him;

"...Now, when you dance, you can't watch the other person's feet; you have to keep looking up at them..."

He then started to slowly turn, still holding Kitsune.

"Dancing under the starlight," he said, looking at Kitsune. The smile on her face widened as she leaned in towards his ear.

"(It's very nice.)"

They continued dancing for a few moments longer. Unknown to them, Naru and Motoko were both watching them. Naru's face was contorted with anger at the fact that her fox-eyed friend and Keitaro were both holding each other, while Motoko watched in admiration.

"(Why, that pervert! He's touching Kitsune! I'm going to teach him a less --)"

Motoko barred her path by outstretching her arm.

"(Motoko-chan? Can't you see what he's doing to her?)"

"(Yes. Look closely.)"

Naru did so.

"(Wait. Are they...?)"

"(Yes. They're dancing.)"

By this point, Kanako and Mutsumi had come back. They were exchanging light chatter before Mutsumi trailed off. As Kanako was about to ask what was wrong, she noticed why she stopped, raising a smile.

"(You know, Mutsumi-san,)" Kanako whispered, "(he really is a beautiful dancer; even more so when under the night sky.)"

"(Ara... I told you so, Kanako-san,)" Mutsumi replied, with stars in her eyes.

Kitsune was still dancing in Keitaro's arms. She leaned in towards his ear again.

"(Arigato, Keitaro. You've made this a wonderful night for me. I wouldn't have swapped this for anything.)"

"Yeah."

"(I want to kiss you for doing that for me.)"

Kitsune leaned back and looked into his eyes.

"Can I kiss you?"

"Yeah."

She blushed even more, opening her eyes fully.

"Open your mouth slightly. Like this," she said, demonstrating to Keitaro, who did what he was shown. "Now, close your eyes."

Keitaro closed his eyes, cautiously.

"Don't worry," Kitsune said, "I won't hurt you."

"Yeah."

With his mouth open and eyes closed, Kitsune did the same and leaned in closely towards his face, tilting her head at a slight angle to avoid bumping noses with each other. As soon as they both brushed lips, Keitaro pulled away, slightly uncomfortable at the feeling.

"(It's okay,)" she reassured.

She leaned back in, tilting her head again. To her, it felt like forever before their lips made contact. Time stopped completely for her as she luxuriated in the feeling of his lips against hers. She surprised herself with the amount of love and affection she placed into that kiss, although Keitaro never probably noticed. The only noise that interrupted their thoughts was the sound of the small waves breaking. Naru and Motoko could only blush, speechless - for once - at Kitsune's actions; the former clenching her fists till her knuckles went white, and the latter holding her hand to her eyes, peeking through her fingers. Kanako stared on, with jealousy written all over her face. Mutsumi just looked on, a finger on her lips.

Kitsune-san is... ki... ki-kissing... oniichan... Kanako thought, her jealousy growing by the second.

Ara... I wonder if I can join in? Mutsumi pondered, closing her eyes.

She pulled back seconds later, opening her eyes. Keitaro still had his eyes closed.

"So... how did it feel?" she asked, flushing.

"Soft," he replied, slowly opening his eyes.

Kitsune giggled, as it wasn't an answer she expected.

"Then we did it right."

They broke off from each other's hold. Kitsune put her hands behind her back again, and looked at Keitaro, who had a healthy blush on his cheeks. After a few minutes of staring at each other, she took him by the arm.

"Come on, the hotel's over there."

They both walked slowly towards the hotel, Kitsune still blushing as she thought of one more thing.

Heh, she chuckled inwardly, I guess I do love him. Who wouldn't?

They still didn't notice that they were being watched by Naru and Motoko, who had hidden behind a group of bushes. What they did notice was footsteps coming from behind them. Kitsune turned around to see Kanako and Mutsumi walking a few steps behind them, clapping politely.

"Mutsumi-san? Kanako-san?" Kitsune asked, "Where did you two get off to?"

Kanako smirked.

"We both went for a walk shortly after you both went."

"Ara... Urashima-kun, you were brilliant," Mutsumi said, walking over to the two. Kanako turned to face Keitaro.

"Oniichan..." she started, holding one of his hands in both of hers, "that was a really beautiful dance. Mutsumi-san taught you well."

"Yeah."

The three young women smiled fondly at him.

"Come on, sweetie," Kitsune said, looping her arm around his again.

"Yeah," Kanako continued while looping her arm around his free arm, "Haruka-obasan and the others will be wondering where we got to."

The four walked through the front doors of the hotel into the lobby. A few seconds later, Naru and Motoko emerged from the bushes. Motoko walked through the front door, while Naru stood outside, left with her thoughts of what she saw earlier.


::: END CHAPTER TWELVE :::

::: AUTHOR'S NOTES :::

Wow... this chapter was by far the hardest one to write as I never been on a date, so it's probably not very good.

If anyone's wondering, the second half of the chapter title (Tripudio Inferus Est Astrum is Latin for 'Dancing Under The Starlight'.

And about the alternate ending idea. I'll wait till there's a few more reviews before finally deciding on what to do, but at the moment, the scales are tipping heavily in favour of the happy ending... and I decided that I will include an epilogue. But, once I've done the epilogue, I'll post the ending I originally had in mind up as a omake of sorts, so it doesn't interfere with the fanfic in any way. Sounds better, does it not? No? Oh, bugger it...

Apologies to my three beta readers. Although I didn't rush this chapter (I've been working on it since Sunday night), I couldn't send it as I had to be quick in posting it up. I got a new computer today and was told to finish anything I was doing before it was due to be set up. Once again, my apologies.

Now, I start college tomorrow so don't expect updates as quick as 2-3 days. I may be able to update fairly quick throughout the first few days, but as the workload increases, the update frequency will go down. I'm gonna be in for one busy year...

- GaC -