We Fell in Love
'Love Hina' is by Ken Akamatsu
Writer's notes: Events are coming together for Haruka's big day. There are just some things to tidy up, and a few minor headaches to deal with.
Time line: Summer 2014, just a couple of days before the school break and into the midst of July.
Chapter 14: Details, details
This is one time when having too many hands stirring the pot does not spoil the broth.
"There's nothing worse than tying up loose ends before a big wedding," says Mariko looking out her balcony window. Her cell phone has been ringing constantly since she and Kina started planning for Haruka's wedding right after Junpei's proposal. She finds that this is a lot of fun though a might stressful at times.
It seems that the whole cast of characters is getting involved one way or another. Karma, as it might, tries to help everyone keep some sense of sanity during all of the changes that are happening around the old Hinata.
"It would be a lot worse if we had to include catering in this mix," says Ringo. She has joined in on the 'planning committee' for the upcoming nuptials because school has just finished for her.
Daisuke has been busy with the groom-to-be as he acts as Keitaro assistant in getting things organized for the upcoming re-build. The Hinata is now a hive of activity since the weather is nice outside and, re-construction is going on all over the Hill making things even more nuts than usual around here.
"Shit. I hear that, Mariko. You too, Ringo," says Kina nodding, "it's very difficult to get a caterer and cake-maker out here on such short notice. It's a good thing that we have our own resident chefs and Kei-kun's Tou-san around or we'd be screwed trying to find someone right now".
Mariko and Ringo nod at her sentiment as they continue to e-mail, text, Twitter™, Face book™ and Skype™ their way through Haruka's upcoming nuptials and what it entails. All three of the planners here are learning very quickly, how far-reaching and powerful the influence of the Urashima is, as they list his Imperial Majesty and the heir apparent as friends of this noble clan.
Kitsune is walking by her best friend's room and steps in for a few minutes. She wants to see just how everything is going, and by the look of things, the whole operation seems a bit disorganized. Enjoying the chaos, she stands off in the background and watches as her three friends are going at it.
"Who would have thought that?" thinks Mariko aloud.
"Hey, I agree," answers Kina as Ringo nods her head next to her.
However, not all of this amazes Kitsune too much. She has had an idea of her boyfriend's extensive family connections for quite a while now. The night that he took both his and her friends out to the most exclusive restaurant in Japan gave it to her.
This is just some of the banter going on in Mariko's room just a week before the big day. She has her room set-up as a wedding planning center with an erasable marker board for keeping everyone on track. Her laptop and cell phone are just as busy as their owner is. For some reason, its batteries are stronger than theirs are right now.
In addition, the three women have become good friends since this has all started and for some reason they work together well. It is especially strange since they have different personalities' that under normal circumstances would cause them to clash. Through all of this, they have come to know that the Hinata's environment is not a normal one, and it does not help having a nervous bride-to-be pacing around the place fretting about everything.
Haruka has her manager running the Tea Shoppe because she cannot seem to concentrate on business right now. At least that is what she has everyone believing right now, if only the others knew the truth.
Junpei has done his best to keep his fiancé calm, but ends up looking pretty wrecked the next morning and, he has to go to work too. Guess where! In addition, he is in on the joke with his fiancé.
It seems that through all of this, Sarah is coping with the madness quite well right now. When she is not doing anything else, she is staying very close to her Kaa-san. Sarah tries very hard to stifle her giggles when she is around Kaolla and the others. She is also in on her Kaa-san's little joke.
"I think you should do this for a living, Mariko," says Kitsune. Her friend gives her a look that speaks volumes and that is not all good right now.
Following her into the room is Naru and Kanako. They see want to see if they can help their Sempais.
Mariko smiles because she can definitely use the dark-haired genius' organizing skills right now.
Kanako digs right in and Naru acts as her assistant. The brunette is taking a little break from her summer college work. It helps her to stay sane. She decided to help her girlfriend on this project to forget about fall classes for a while.
"You should run for political office when you're older, Kana-chan. This country would be in good hands then," says Kitsune. This causes some giggles from the others in the room.
Kanako smiles at her Onii-chan's girlfriend and continues to work, she appreciates the sentiment but this young woman has a strong hatred of bureaucracy and red tape. She believes in tackling problems head-on.
"Minna-san, who is hungry around here?" asks Tetsuo calling out as he and Shinobu bring in bentos and a large Thermos™ full of fresh ice cold barley tea, "Shino-chan and I brought plenty for everyone."
"Did someone mention food?" asks Kaori smiling. She, as well as Mutsumi, steps into Mariko's room to see if they can help too. Neither one has much going on as the statuesque woman is on hiatus from school and the comedy club circuit right now.
Mutsumi giggles at the bright smile on her girlfriend's face as she peruses the delicious looking food choices that the youngest two here at the Hinata have whipped up.
"Now we have two of our three 'super geniuses' in the room," says Kina. This gets a few stifled giggles from the others.
"Don't forget to count your fingers afterwards," says Naru getting laughs from the others. She likes teasing her older yuri Sempai who does the same to her all the time.
"That would be apropos if Kaolla-chan was here. Where is our resident 'mad scientist' anyway?" asks Kaori almost sarcastically, "it's not like her to miss a meal."
The others just shrug as they all shovel food hungrily into their mouths while they keep working.
"I was working on my Transporter," says the girl in question. She comes walking in with Sarah in tow and smiles when she sees the food boxes.
Kaori nearly jumps out of her seat.
The others are a bit startled at the timing of the Princesses' entrance. She always seems to pop in at the oddest times.
"Stop that, Kaolla-chan. You're lucky that Sarah-chan is next to you or I would have said something very nasty," says Kaori. She glares at Kaolla for a second before shrugging and going back to eating her delicious bento.
Kaolla and Sarah join their Sempais for lunch. It seems that the Hinata chefs brought plenty to keep even the two biggest appetites in the place happy. Sarah takes it a lot slower than her friend does.
"Revise my last statement. Three 'super geniuses' are now present," announces Kina in-between bites. More giggles come from the older women as Kaolla just shrugs and continues to eat.
"How's your Kaa-san right now, Sarah-chan?" asks Mariko after lunch is over.
"I think Kaa-san is about to elope if her wedding day doesn't happen sooner," answers Sarah. This causes some giggling and laughter in the room. The young girl feels very comfortable around the older residents.
She is like every ones Imouto-chan here and would not have it any other way. Mariko and Kina spoil her rotten, much to Haruka's dismay.
"I bet. She's pretty much 'chomping on the bit' as they say in America," says Kaori with a sense of added naughtiness in her tone. This causes more laughter.
"If what I hear coming out her bedroom at night is any indication," chimes in Mariko, "the wedding day cannot come too soon for Junpei. Did you see what he looked like this morning? I think that the 'The Haruka Express' ran him over again last night."
The room now bursts out with very loud laughter.
"Then what happened?" asks a familiar voice.
Everyone in the room looks to Mariko's traditional doorway. They see Haruka standing there with her arms folded and leaning against the jamb with a not too pleased look at the proceedings going on here at her expense.
Feeling like being a real ball-buster at this moment, she just gives them all a glaring look. Actually, Haruka is working hard at stifling her own laughter, which Sarah notices right away. If they only knew what was really going on her mind right now.
"Oh shit," whispers Kaori who instantly covers her mouth.
Everyone goes back to work, Haruka collects her daughter and the two of them quietly laugh after they head out of Mariko's room. She is going to continue letting them think that she is on edge and feeling bitchy.
'Kami, how I love this,' thinks Haruka smiling at her daughter.
Kitsune and Keitaro make plans…
Now we move to a different room in the Hinata. One, where someone is sitting at a very expensive antique rolltop desk, and is on the internet looking up places to go for a holiday.
Keitaro is still in awe of the revelation that he came to in his Obaa-san's office in Tokyo a couple of days before. He very much wants to take Kitsune somewhere special for their first holiday together. He also realizes that he needs to start making memories with her.
The fact that he cannot help around the Hinata at this time while all the work is going around him gives him the perfect excuse to get away with his beloved Fox. The other thing that strikes Keitaro right now is the fact that he is not moping around as he did previously.
Realizing that there are circumstances beyond his control, he does however have the support of family, friends and a very beautiful woman. The guilt, he believes, that he was experiencing is no longer plaguing him. It also goes a long way to freshen ones' perspective on things.
Onward we go…
Keitaro hears a loud cacophony coming from Mariko's room with laughter and loud voices, then silence.
After a few more moments, the traditional door to his and Kitsune's room slides open. The object of his thought is standing there looking down the hallway for a moment before stepping in. Sliding the door closed behind her, she leans back against the wall for a moment and has her hands behind her looking up at the ceiling seemingly breathing a sigh of relief for some reason.
"What's the matter, Kit-chan?" asks Keitaro seeing the look on Kitsune's face finding it a little amusing.
"Normally, Haruka has a great sense of humor. But right now though, she's wound up way too tight," answers Kitsune. She did not see the expressions on either one of their faces when they stepped out of Mariko's room. The shock would have been too much.
"I'll say she is. Haruka wants this wedding to be over with, and soon. Junpei's the same way because he looks a bit 'rough around the edges'," adds Keitaro understanding how the older couple feels right now.
"She almost scared the shit out of Sarah-chan too sneaking into Mariko's room like she did," says Kitsune giggling. She comes over to where Keitaro is sitting and pulls her chair up to their desk to see what he is doing.
Neither one of them, or any of the others, know that Junpei and Haruka are way passed being nervous about their upcoming wedding and are just yanking everyone's chains right now around the Hinata. She has calmed way down, her old anger and anxiety has disappeared since she has two very special people in her life now. It seems that the old prankster that Haruka was in University has returned, and with her beau and daughter's help, she is making everyone think that the two of them are going nuts waiting for their special day.
By the way, Junpei looks the way he does because Haruka has been very insatiable in bed lately and is trying hard to make up for lost time.
Sarah just enjoys pranking the others.
For now, it is onto other matters for Keitaro and Kitsune.
"New York, the South Seas, Australia or the Caribbean… Your choice, Kit-chan," says Keitaro turning his laptop to the side so she can see what he has been doing.
He never gets a verbal answer when tears form in her eyes before she grabs him and starts French kissing the living daylight out of the man she loves. Right now, no other destination on the globe means much to her at this moment than right here. The thought of Keitaro wanting to begin travelling somewhere and making memories with her sets Kitsune's heart aglow.
Keitaro does not throw his arms up or frantically wave them around because of her reaction catching him off guard. He has come to expect this when Kitsune is happy about something.
After she releases him, Kitsune says, "I'm glad that I have a passport, big boy. Because you are going to spoil me rotten like you always do." She smiles very warmly at Keitaro before giggling at the goofy look on his face.
"I guess that this means you want to then, Kit-chan?" asks Keitaro after his brain starts working again.
"Oh yeah, Kei-kun. Alone with you in a fancy hotel room or at a beach cabana somewhere. I'll show you things that will just blow your mind," answers Kitsune getting out of her seat and sitting on his lap.
He puts his arms around her waist and says, "I love you, Kit-chan. You make my life complete, so as I said the choice is yours."
When she places her arms around his neck. "Mister, you ain't gonna sleep tonight if I have anything to say about it. My choice would be New York, I've always wanted to see the Big Apple," she replies using her Kansai drawl. She knows that he likes this because he thinks it is cute.
Kitsune keeps her promise that night.
There is also lot of laughter and many stifled giggles around the Hinata.
Outdoing Motoko in the screaming department, Kitsune has even Hina Baa-chan smiling at their antics.
A very different Motoko…
Under the guidance of Mariko and Kina, the teenage Swordswoman has been turning quite a few heads in the world of modeling. If the jealous stares that she has received from the other girls are any indication, she will be at the top of this profession in no time flat. Tall and extremely graceful, due to her Shinmeiryu training, her natural beauty and poise has been making the top photographers and designers drool over getting their hands on her.
This is something that almost has her head spinning, but she has a steadying pillar with her who helps her keep focused.
Asahi is extremely proud of his girlfriend and goes with her everywhere she has done a shoot or a show over the past couple of months.
Neither one lets the other out of their sight for very long. This is not out of jealousy or worry about some lecherous producer or designer. She is very good at defending herself as some have found out. It is because their love is very intense for one another. On her breaks, she spends every moment she can with her Asahi-kun and holds his hand.
It is summer break, and since school does not re-open until the beginning of September, they hang out at Nobu's new repair garage where the Hinata residents used to park their cars.
Asahi wants to help his Onii-san when he is not with Motoko because of their close relationship. The tall Otōto-san respects the quiet nature of his Onii-san.
In addition, Asahi likes turning a wrench himself.
"Well, Motoko-chan. How do you like having to listen to Kina?" asks Nobu looking over at her. He is in the middle of a transmission repair and steps away from the vehicle for a moment to take a short break. It is up on the new hoist that Keitaro had installed for him in here.
"She has been a very good Sensei when it comes to my modeling career," answers Motoko almost blushing. It strikes the young woman odd that Nobu would ask her such a question. He is, as a rule, very quiet.
She looks over at what her beau is doing right now. He is cleaning oil and grease off the parts that his Onii-san has taken off the car that is up in the air.
"Kina-chan can be a little off-putting sometimes with her enthusiasm, but she says that you are a natural, whatever that means," he adds. Nobu knows that his girlfriend can go a two hundred kilometers-an-hour when she gets involved with something.
"I like that about her, Nobu-san. Kina-Sempai's enthusiasm is something that I find admirable," replies Motoko. She gets the gist of what Nobu is trying to convey and smiles at him.
"It's nice that Kina-Sempai and Mariko-Sempai believe that you're beautiful, Motoko-chan. Because I already know that you are," says Asahi chiming in after listening to their conversation.
Motoko has a tear in her eye because her boyfriend is always so positive and knows exactly when to say the right things.
In front of Nobu, and ignoring the grime on his coverall, Motoko grabs Asahi from behind spins him around and plants a scorcher of a French kiss on his mouth.
Losing sight of where and how messy he is, Asahi returns the kiss with equal passion.
To his horror, he realizes that he may be doing something very stupid right now but Motoko is not catching on or, maybe she does not seem to care. Something else has her rapt attention at this moment.
"Gomen, Motoko-chan," says Asahi after the kiss breaks. He looks down the front of his girlfriend to see that her blouse and jeans have stains on them.
"Oops, Asahi-kun," says Nobu before turning away and laughing at the sight.
This is strange sound coming from him and gets the two teens to laugh as well. Ah, to be young….
A couple of days before the big wedding…
Haruka has been having the time of her life looking and acting like the nervous bride-to-be. She lets Hina Baa-chan in on her little joke and the older woman laughs.
Hinata is glad to see that Haruka's old prankish sense-of-humor has returned.
"Haruka-chan, I have to know something. Is the way that Jun-kun looks right now also an act?" asks Hina with a knowing hint in her voice. She is sitting in an overstuffed chair that was her Tou-san's favorite.
"No, Baa-chan. I'm afraid that's my doing," says Haruka, "I think I may be going overboard with him at night."
Her face turns red and she looks down at her hands.
This is the first time since before she graduated University that these two have taken any time to say more than five uncontentious words to each other. Clearing the air in Hina's office has gone a long way to letting these two be civilized together in the same room.
"You are acting just like your Kaa-san did right about now, because Yoko made a wreck out of your Tou-san before their wedding too. You also have the same sense of humor that she did. By all the gods how I miss her," says Hina reminiscing.
"I just hope she's looking down and watching over me. I went to the new shrine out back and prayed that she is," says Haruka almost crying. Like her Baa-chan, she misses her too.
"Well, Haru-chan. Before we get all weepy and melancholy. Where do you and Jun-kun want to go on your honeymoon?" asks Hina with a gleam in her eye. Her smile returns and it is a lascivious one.
"That's an easy one, Baa-chan. With him being an architect and all, we have decided to go to Rome and then maybe travel around Italy some. He wants to see the sites and the ancient Roman Forum. I'd like that too on the account that it's a very romantic city," answers Haruka as her own smile breaks out.
"Great choice for a honeymoon destination, Haru-chan. Just be careful around those Italian men though, because a beautiful woman like you just might get a lot of pinches on the ass. That happened to me when I traveled there in my younger days," says Hina as her eyes light up.
Haruka looks over at the wizened matriarch of the Urashima and is very surprised by what she said. It has been too long since she last heard her like this.
"Who knows, I just might enjoy it too," says Haruka.
Hina looks over at her granddaughter who is also looking back at her. They try to stifle their laughter and after about failing miserably the two bust out uncontrollably.
With this dispensed with, the elder Urashima and her granddaughter finish what had started in Hina's office a short while back.
They are close again.
Hina is about to say something very rude, but Sarah comes running in followed by Kaolla. The young girl comes up and hugs her Kaa-san.
'This is how it should be,' thinks Hina clearly pleased.
End of Chapter