Disclaimer: All Love Hina characters belong to Ken Akamatsu as their creator. But the ones you've never seen in Love Hina before is no doubt made up by me.
Author's Notes: In this third and last installment of The Empire Underneath Trilogy (I finally decided it to be one), I'll stop explaining uses of Japanese directly afterwards starting in this chapter. All of the Japanese used here has a translation which can be found at the end of the document.
A train stopped silently as it has reached
its destination: Hinata Train Station. One of the doors slipped open with a
hiss, revealing a tanned figure. Her long dark hair was tied together with a big
red ribbon. She stepped off the train as she adjusted her backpack's position on
her back.
The girl held up an opened book on her hand. A map. She put a
finger on a spot, the train station, then slid her finger, following a road
towards a building marked as Hinata-sou. She nodded. She then closed the book
and slipped it into her backpack.
Just as she was about to walk, her eyes caught a glimpse of
three old men, one of them seemed to be ready to leave.
"Why am I doing this trip?" asked the one who
looked like he was ready to leave.
"Yume..."
"Yakusoku..." The other two old men replied at the
same time.
The leaving old man pondered for a second. Then, tilting his
head aside, "Wasureru na..."
The girl looked stunned.
Some mist came upon the station, and when it dissipated,
the three old men were nowhere to be seen.
LOVE HINA: Super Duper Special Episode! #6
The Empire Underneath III: CONCLUSION
Chapter 1: Surprise Visit
"Gomen, ne, Shinobu..." Kaolla
said, her expression exhausted. "I can't do much further than just fixing
his outer skeleton. They seemed to have developed a much better internal system
than anything I could comprehend. I thought my adjustments would be enough,
but..."
Shinobu bit her lower lip. "Then...?" she asked,
although she could guess what she meant.
Kaolla raised both shoulders. "I can't guarantee his
memory will be fully recovered. I can't even guarantee he still has his human
projection."
Shinobu stifled a cry. Her guess was correct.
Kaolla sighed. "It's not like I haven't tried. I tried
accessing his memory, but this time it's all locked. I can't open a single byte
in all those 6,4 terabytes of memory he has."
Shinobu nodded. "Daijoubu. Arigato, Kaolla." she
said, forcing a smile.
Kaolla nodded. She then turned around. "I'll be in my
room, sleeping." she said. She yawned as she went out of Shinobu's room.
Shinobu turned to the inactive Mecha-Tama on her bed. She
went to sit next to it. Sighing, she put a hand on the cold metal shell.
"Shinsei-kun..." she whispered.
After three seconds in silence, Shinobu began to feel
something under her palm. She turned to the Mecha-Tama in shock. The Mecha-Tama
was shaking. Softly at first, but gradually intensified. Shinobu jumped to stand and
stared at the shaking Mecha-Tama on her bed. "W-What's happening?" she
asked.
The Mecha-Tama began to hover on Shinobu's bed. After about
10 inches, it shone brightly, forcing Shinobu to cover her eyes.
After the light dissipated, Shinobu timidly peeked through her
hands, and sure enough, Shinsei was sitting on her bed. His expression was of
relief. Shinobu turned to him slowly. She bit her lip, just in case she was
dreaming. "S-Shinsei-kun?"
Shinsei turned to her and smiled. "Hai, Shinobu-chan.
I'm alright."
Shinobu couldn't hold a tear. It flowed from her right eye
before she ran and hugged Shinsei, her momentum forced Shinsei onto her bed.
Everyone was gathering in the dining room.
Shinsei was among them. Shinobu was (of course) next to him. "I am alright.
All systems are functioning normally." he said, addressing the lot of
worried-faced people around him. "Although my exoskeleton self-check
results showed something a bit weird."
"I've put on some reinforcements." Kaolla appeared
next to him, hanging upside down from the ceiling. "Glad you can make
it back!" Although she looked cheerful, tired marks hadn't left her face.
"And your memory?" Mitsune asked.
"I seem to have some of my memory erased. The end of it
was just before I collapsed, trying to adjust myself to the 'Ru-Su Unite'."
Shinsei stated. "I do not remember anything afterwards. What happened to
my...I mean the Mecha-Boss?"
"It's a long story." Keitaro sighed, remembering
how Shinobu could be so powerful.
"You don't remember anything?" Naru asked.
Shinsei shook his head.
"It's like this..." Keitaro began.
Shinsei seemed to be listening very carefully.
Keitaro repeated on what happened that day, but he left out
what he didn't see. The last scene which only Shinobu knew. She decided not to
share it with anyone else.
The day ended peacefully. Shinsei was given a
room next to Shinobu's, upon her request. Seeing that she didn't seem to want to
receive no for an answer, Keitaro was forced to agree.
He sighed as he sat on the floor of his room. A cup of
steaming tea was on a table next to him. Naru was on the other side of the
table. "I'm glad that Shinobu finally found someone for her." he said.
Naru smiled. "You think she really like him?"
Keitaro nodded firmly. "Possibly more." He took his
cup and sipped some tea. After sighing, he continued, "Kids these days.
Can't they wait a few more years?"
"You mean, until about my age?" Naru asked.
Keitaro nodded. "About so." he agreed.
Naru shook her head. "This is probably nothing, you
know?" she said. "Everyone's got someone to like when they're young.
It's a natural thing." she said.
Keitaro turned to her. "Like Seta-san?"
Naru blushed a bit. "Well..." she silenced for a
second, then, "Ah, come on! I bet you have a crush once too."
Keitaro nodded, confessing. "Yeah, once, when I'm 5
years old."
Naru's eyes widened. She recognized that period of time.
"You don't mean...you haven't liked another girl since?"
Keitaro tilted his head aside. "Well, starting a few
months ago I began to like another girl, you know? I met her first in the
rotenburo."
Naru blushed.
Keitaro glanced at her and chuckled to see her blush.
"You do remember that, don't you?"
Naru nodded. "Of course."
Keitaro took another sip of tea. After a few seconds of
silence, "Are you going to sleep here again, Naru?"
Shinsei was sitting next to Shinobu on the
edge of her bed. Both were looking down. "I'm sorry if I made you
worry."
Shinobu shook her head. "Daijoubu. What matters is that
you're here again...with me." She added the last two words while blushing.
Shinsei smiled. "I'm honored." he said. He then
looked up and turned to her. "I have a confession." he suddenly said.
Shinobu turned to her, her expression a bit shocked.
"Do you know why Su-chan reported that all of my memory
is protected?" he asked.
Shinobu's face showed total confusion. "How can I understand
anything like that?" she asked back.
Shinsei ignored her. "Actually, I made a last resort in
preserving my memory. I redirected my input..."
Shinobu's eyes turned to swirls.
Shinsei was stunned, then chuckled. "The point is, I
didn't actually lose my memory."
Shinobu's returned normal in an instant. She stared at him
intently. "Then..."
Shinsei tilted his head aside. "It seemed that I'm more human
than I had thought. I lied to the others."
Shinobu was shocked.
Shinsei straightened his head and stared at her, then, "I remembered every detail
until the second my system lost power. And that made my holographic projection
went out."
Shinobu gasped. "It was...after...you said...and I
said..."
Shinsei nodded. "Yes, I heard your last words." he
smiled. He took Shinobu's hands and brought it to his lips. He softly kissed it.
"Aishiteru, Shinobu-chan."
Shinobu could feel Shinsei's warm hand on hers. And she was
sure that her face was completely red. "S-Shinsei-kun..."
Shinsei smiled. "May I heard your last words that day
again?" he asked.
Shinobu could feel his head was about to explode. She looked
up and stared into Shinsei's eyes. "Aishiteru mo, Shinsei-kun..."
The tanned girl sighed a relief as she finally reached the top of the flight of stairs in front of Hinata-sou. She looked up and around, admiring the huge building. She walked to the front door and noticed a plank near it. She pointed the Japanese letters one by one, trying to read it. After confirming that it was Hinata-sou, she smiled. She then knocked on the glass front door.
Keitaro broke his kiss. He sat up. "I
think I heard someone knock."
"At this time of the night...?" Naru asked sleepily
next to him. She checked her watch which was next to her glasses. "It's near midnight." They were
under a big blanket.
Keitaro stood up. "I'd better check it. Maybe someone
needs help."
Naru smiled. "Hurry back, okay?" she said sexily.
Keitaro blushed. "We'll see." He gave her a quick
kiss before going to the door.
Another knock was heard.
Keitaro yawned as he went to the front door. The night lamp
on the table of the living room shone on him and his pajamas. He looked through
the glass and saw Shinobu outside. He frowned. He opened the door.
"Shinobu-chan, what are you doing outside in this time of the night?"
he asked.
The tanned figure frowned, then smiled.
"Shinobu-chan?" she said. She shook her head as she muttered a hum with
a tone telling that he was mistaken. She then pointed herself and said her name,
"Nyamo."
Keitaro needed a few seconds before her words sank into his
mind. His eyes widened as his jaw dropped to the floor. "N-Nyamo-chan?"
Love Hina: The Empire Underneath III: CONCLUSION - Not For Sale or Rent :)
"You really chose a strange time to
visit." Naru said. She, Keitaro and Nyamo was sitting in the living room.
They didn't bother to wake the others up.
Nyamo smiled apologetically. "Sumimasen..." she
said. "I didn't count the time needed to reach here from the station."
Naru and Keitaro raised both eyebrows in shock. "You can
speak Japanese?" Keitaro asked.
Nyamo smiled. "Yes, I can. I didn't feel like talking to
you then. I also have learnt almost every Asian language as
I travel from Pararaleks."
Naru vaguely remembered that Nyamo did say something
in Japanese just as they found the hidden jungle in the middle of the desert.
"What brought you to Japan? Moreover Hinata-sou?"
Keitaro asked, breaking Naru's daydream.
"I've been tracking my grandpa." Nyamo said, her
expression darkened a bit.
'Still?' Keitaro asked in thoughts. He glanced at Naru and was
sure that she was thinking the same.
"I traveled from island to island. I practically visited
every island on the South East Asia, and haven't found a clue of him. I finally
found one when I visited Sebatik Island, it's a small island east of Borneo. One
of the people there claimed that he had seen my grandfather, and said that he
intended to come here, to Japan." Nyamo said. "Then I went here and landed on Kume Island,
it's..."
"An island next to Okinawa, yes, I've heard about it
once." said Naru.
"You have?" Keitaro looked confused.
"Well, if you paid attention to Geography, you would've
known it too." Naru said, shaking her head.
Nyamo smiled. "Tonikaku, someone there said that my
grandpa had gone north. I kept on following his tracks and ended here. I
remembered you said something about Hinata-sou, so I came over."
"Wow," Keitaro sighed. "That's awesome. You
really have a huge willpower, seeking your grandfather across nations."
"And with only a rowing boat, too." Naru couldn't
believe that part.
Nyamo smiled mysteriously. "Yes, well, I've received
some help with that..." she said.
Naru and Keitaro waited for further explanation, but Nyamo
kept silent. Keitaro understood that she must have some things that she wouldn't
want to share, and he perfectly understood. He smiled. "Ja, ganbatte
kudasai, ne!" he said.
Nyamo smiled. She grasped the air, turning her palm into a
fist as she nod. "Um, I will not give up until I see him again."
Naru was awed. She silently thought whether Keitaro would
search for her like that if she was missing. She sighed. "I don't think
so..." she whispered.
"Nani?" Keitaro asked.
Naru raised both hands groggily. "N-Nothing, ha, ha,
ha..."
Keitaro let it go at that. She turned to Nyamo. "Then we
need to get you a room, then."
"Anoo, if it's okay, I'd like to stay with
Naru-san." said Nyamo. "Is it okay with you two?"
Both Naru and Keitaro was stunned. They looked at each other.
It seemed that they wouldn't continue the kiss after all.
Morning came. Birds landed on Shinobu's
room's window's ledge. They chirped cheerfully, waking the girl.
Shinobu opened her eyes sleepily. For a moment, she couldn't
recognize the pattern she saw in front of her face, but then she remembered.
Shinsei's shirt. Shirt?! Shinobu opened her eyes full and realized that she was
sleeping in Shinsei's hug on her bed. Her head was exactly in front of his neck.
She was sleeping with Shinsei. On her bed...With Shinsei...She blushed
furiously.
Shinobu dared not to move. She reviewed her position. Shinsei
was sleeping silently. His arms were around her, hugging her tightly. Not tight
enough to choke her, but also tight enough to make her blush furiously.
Something on the back of her mind wondered how Shinsei, which human form was a
hologram, can touch her, and felt warm. She remembered Kaolla telling her about
the Mecha-Tama's 4D holographic projections but she didn't quite get it. Shinobu
tried to move her hand, but gulped as she realized that her hands were also
around him.
'H-How can we...get to...this position...?' Shinobu thought.
She couldn't remember anything from the night before. Did they... Did
they...do...it? 'I-Iie...' Shinobu cried in thoughts. 'It can't be...'
"Are you awake, Shinobu-chan?" A whisper came from
over her head.
Shinobu looked up and saw Shinsei's face really close
in front of her. He looked at her with loving eyes, and the most beautiful smile
she had ever seen. She could even feel his warm breath on her face. She blushed
even more. "S-Shinsei-kun..." she called him. "D-Did...Did
we...do...it?" She then blushed even more. "I-I
mean...I...a-anoo..."
Shinsei closed his eyes, his smile broadened. "Iie,
Shinobu-chan. We didn't. Look, you still have your clothes on."
Shinobu sighed a relief as she realized that he was right.
"Yokatta..." she said. She would've been very...upset if she'd done it
without remembering anything. Especially with Shinsei. Her tensed muscles
relaxed. But they soon tensed again as Shinsei tightened his hug.
"S-Shinsei-kun..."
Shinsei loosened his hug and looked at her. "Aishiteru,
Shinobu-chan." he said.
Shinobu gulped. She looked at him, and realized that his face
was getting nearer. She bit her lower lip as she realized what he was going to
do.
"Soo na, it can be the umpteenth time, as long as
your heart is pounding when you are doing it."
'My first kiss...' Shinobu thought as she remembered
Keitaro's words. She closed her eyes and listened to her heart. Yes, it was
pounding rapidly. She gulped. She made up her mind and waited.
She could feel her heart burst with a feeling she had never
felt before as she felt Shinsei's soft, warm lips on hers.
Shinobu was still blushing when she heard
someone else entered the rotenburo. She held her towel as she looked up to see
who it was. Naru and...herself?
"Ne, Shinobu-chan." Naru greeted her. "Do you
remember who this is?" Naru asked.
Shinobu took another look on her tanned twin.
"Nyamo-san?" she suddenly realized.
Nyamo smiled as she submerged herself. "Hai," she
nodded.
"Ohayo, minna!" Mitsune stepped into the bath. She
was stunned for a while as she saw two 'Shinobu's. "N-Nani...?"
"Wai! Nyamo! Sore wa Nyamo!" Kaolla exclaimed as
she bounced into the rotenburo. She took a breath as she surfaced. "Ohayo,
Nyamo!"
"Ohayo gozaimasu." Nyamo replied, shocking everyone
but Naru.
Naru explained about her ability in Japanese, also to Motoko
who just came.
"Oh, so you can talk Japanese." Mitsune.
"I thought you're speaking-impaired or someth...Ow!"
Naru was pinching Mitsune's leg underwater, her eyes pierced
into her sharply. Mitsune grinned apologetically as she brushed her aching leg.
Nyamo just smiled. "Yes, well, I didn't feel like
talking at the moment. Gomen, ne." she bowed a bit. Her sitting position in
the rotenburo didn't give her much room to bow anyway.
"Daijoubu." Mitsune said. She laid her back to the
rocks on the edge of the spring. "So, what are you doing here?"
Nyamo smiled a bit. "I tracked my grandfather
here." she replied, again shocking everyone but Naru.
"Still?" Mitsune burst. "Wow, you sure have
the will." she said.
Nyamo nodded. "Arigato. I'll only be here for a short
while until I found another clue on his whereabouts."
"So you won't be staying here with us?" Shinobu
asked.
Nyamo shook her head. "No..."
"What will you do when you finally found him?"
Motoko asked.
Nyamo silenced. She looked down. "I...haven't actually
thought about that yet..." she said, almost whispering. "I'll just
have to find him first. I'll think of anything else later..."
Just then, the bath's door flung open. Everyone's eyes turned
to the door.
"Ne, Shinobu-chan...ah, ohayo, minna." Shinsei came
in calmly, a small package on his hands. He looked confused as he saw the
variation of stares in front of him. Shyness, anger, shock. "Nani?" he
asked.
"Shinsei-kun...this is the women's bath..."
Shinobu-chan said shyly.
Shinsei still didn't seem to understand.
"You're not a woman!" Naru exclaimed as she threw a
bucket to his face.
The bucket hit Shinsei's face directly, but it didn't seem to
affect him. He was smiling in comprehension. "Ah, I see. But, I'm not a man
either. I'm not even human, so don't worry." he said.
That took a gasp from Nyamo. "Y-You're not human?"
she asked.
Shinsei turned to her. It seemed that he just noticed her
there. "Ne, who are you?" he asked. "Hajimemashite, I'm Chatatame
Shinsei." he said, introducing himself.
"Shinsei!" Naru couldn't hold her anger any longer.
"Mecha-Tama or human, you took a male's appearance so you're not allowed
here!"
Shinsei nodded. "Hai, I understand. Tonikaku, here's a
package addressed to someone called...N...Nya..mm..o..Nyamo..." Shinsei read
the awfully written letters on the package.
"For me?" Nyamo exclaimed. Everyone turned to her.
She shook her head. "I haven't told anyone I was coming here." She
jumped out of the rotenburo towards Shinsei. "Let me see."
Everyone was still awed at Nyamo's 'bravery' by jumping out
of the water with only a wet towel on her body when Shinsei calmly gave the
package for her to examine. He didn't seem to be affected by Nyamo's partial
nudity.
He was as calm as Ranba. Shinsei turned to the rotenburo again and this time
found awed stares. He frowned.
"Get out of here!" Naru exclaimed.
Shinsei, who's already capable to experience fear, ran
outside the bath.
"Who's it from?" Mitsune asked.
Nyamo turned the package around and her expression
changed. Shock, then smile. "No one..." she replied. She turned to the
Hinata-sou residents and bowed. "Gomen, I have to open this in
private." she said. She then went outside.
The residents looked at each other in wonder.
Nyamo kept on smiling as she opened the
package. It was a strange black box. It had no edges, all of it was round. Nyamo
pressed a small, hidden button on the side of the box, as if she knew that it
would be there. The box opened up. It seemed to be an enhanced palmtop or some
sorts.
She pressed a button on the panel, and the display went on. A
circle was formed, then stripes on the edges forming an analog clock. Lines
began to sprout from the center towards the stripes, creating twelve hour-hands.
The letters TR appeared under the clock and began to spin on its axis.
Nyamo smiled. 'I knew it. It's them again.' she thought.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Trailer for next chapter: "I got a lead on my grandpa's whereabouts." said Nyamo. "They said he was underground."/ "They?" Keitaro looked confused. "Who're they?"/ "Its a secret. Gomen..." Nyamo bowed. snip "To become truly human, you will need flesh and blood. Real flesh and blood."/ "How can I get it?"/ "Find a donor." snip "He's still alive!" Shinsei exclaimed./ "Who is?" Mitsune asked./ "My...I mean...the Mecha-Boss!" end
Author's Note: I'm trying to cut the length of each chapter so
the overall story won't be as lengthy as the previous. Ten thousand words can
give shivers to anyone who wanted light reading. Anyway, here's some
translations. If I miss some, or you felt (or have proof) that I'm wrong, or you
need more explanation, or anything at all, do
mail me at my current address storymasterq@icqmail.com.
Sorry if it's somehow a mess. ^_~.
Yume : Dream (N)
Yakusoku : Promise (N) (These two are the main theme of Love
Hina. I can't believe I haven't used them until now...)
Wasureru : Forget (V) (The particle 'na'
makes it an adjective, showing one had forgotten something.)
Gomen :
Sorry
(Adding 'nasai' after 'gomen' makes it sound more intense or polite.)
Ne :
Huh
(The word 'ne' is commonly used in many situations, meaning varies from 'Hey' to
'Okay?'
depending on its place in a sentence.)
Daijoubu :
Alright
(In a single word sentence, means 'It's alright', while in question this means
'Are you alright?')
Arigato : Thank you
Hai :
Yes
(Also means 'right!', 'okay', and the sorts.)
Aishiteru : I love you (IMHO,
the sweetest way to say it. The particle 'mo' means somehow like 'too' or
'also'.)
Rotenburo : Outdoor bath (N) (Not necessarily a hot spring, though one must be
crazy to have an outdoor bath with cold
water...)
Sumimasen :
Sorry
(But it is more like 'Sorry for the trouble' or if the mistake wasn't actually
his/her mistake.)
Tonikaku : Anyway
Ganbaru : Try as best as one can (V) (Changing the Japanese letter 'ru' to 'te' makes any
verb a kind of soft imperative, while
'kudasai' technically meant 'please'. For 'Ganbaru', changing
'ru' to 're' makes it a strong imperative.)
Nani : What
Iie : No
Yokatta :
[varies]
(An expression of relief. It's meaning varies from 'I'm glad' to 'Thank God'.)
Ohayo : Good morning (Adding 'gozaimasu' this greeting
more polite.)
Sore :
That
(Kore: This, Sore: That [about a hand reach], Are: That [far away])
Hajimemashite : How do you do (Primarily used in the beginning of
an introduction of self [hajime=start]. Usually ended with
'Doozo yoroshiku' meaning 'Nice to meet you'.)