'We Fell in Love'
Disclaimer: Ken Akamatsu wrote 'Love Hina' and he owns the rights. This tale written for fun, and I seek no re-dress from it.
Writer's notes: The Hinata will receive new residents and will deal with memories of Keitaro and Kitsune after their initial encounter. We will also see some snippets involving Naru and Kanako, plus Haruka's growing relationship with Sarah. Keitaro takes the other's shopping for the holidays and has a special surprise for his girlfriend.
-Chapter 6-
-Early-December-
"Are you sure, Kit-chan?" asked Keitaro as he sat with Kitsune and some of their friends at a small Izakaya in downtown Tokyo, "This seems a bit sudden."
"Absolutely, Kei-kun," answered his girlfriend with a smile, "There is a tram at the bottom of the hill, and adjusting my schedule won't be that much of a problem."
"I could drive her to school whenever possible," interjected Mariko who drew a surprised look from her best friend.
"How?" asked Kitsune as Keitaro snickered next her. She lightly backhanded him.
"I'll move out there as well," replied Mariko with a big smile. She wanted to be near her best friend as Keitaro's friends had accepted Mariko into their group.
A smile from Kitsune.
"Me too," said Kina with a smile of her own. Although her parents have a nice big house close to the university, she wanted to be on her own and closer to Nobu.
At that, Kitsune did a double take.
A snicker from Keitaro as Kina backhanded him too.
That actually drew a smile and nod from Kitsune.
In return, Keitaro gave his girlfriend a quizzical look and also received a 'you knew better than that' head tilt.
Next to her, Ringo nodded which drew a look from Daisuke.
"My Imouto will be moving in as well," announced Keitaro, "and there are younger girls already living at the Hinata."
"I've always wanted a Imouto," added Kina with a smile.
"Seriously?" questioned Daisuke as the others laughed.
Everyone laughed as Kina then backhanded him.
Ringo shook her head and whispered, "Will never ever learn, sweetie."
Shrugging, Daisuke gave her a sheepish look.
"Kana-chan told me that one whole wing was unused, and could be easily set aside for men or couples," said Keitaro who pointed out something that none of those present had thought about.
Looking at their girlfriends, Keitaro and Daisuke smiled.
Without hesitation, two women then backhanded their boyfriends once again.
Kina just gave her two male friends a dirty look.
Mariko laughed very hard as her best friend had just swatted their new landlord.
-A short time later-
"Hey, where is everyone?" asked Keitaro as he slid the front door open to the Hinata. Along with Kitsune, he stepped into the foyer along with Kitsune, Mariko, Kanako, Daisuke, Ringo, Nobu and Kina. The men had come along, because they too were moving in.
Accordingly, Kitsune and Mariko did not to renew their dorm lease to live campus when it had expired on the 31st. Kina wanted to move out there because it was away from the big cities, as Nobu would be there. The two had become quite serious since Keitaro had brought them together. Plus, Keitaro would be there, so it was a win-win for her. Ringo just wanted to be on her own for the first time, so why not rent a room from someone you knew and trusted.
Although not in their circle, Kanako wanted to be with her Na-chan. Kenichi and Kasumi consented to her move out to the Hinata. They believed that she would be safe there with Keitaro on the premises.
So, eight new residents moved in.
Kanako had already taken care of all the paperwork. At her brother's behest, she came up with the new agreements on her laptop and used her printer for the hardcopies. The paperwork that kept the place running boggled his mind. With him naming her the assistant manager, Keitaro appreciated his younger sister's help and knew that she would be a great partner.
With the next day off from both school and work, Kitsune wanted to spend the rest of the day with her boyfriend and the others in residence.
Plus, they also had to bring up all of their belonging as well, after the gang checked out their new home first. Almost everything that Keitaro and the new residents owned, were either in their cars, a truck which Nobu and Daisuke had rented, or on Keitaro's bike. The rest, his father and old Genda-san would bring by later.
BRRR! BRRR!
Keitaro's smart phone rang. After recognizing the number, Keitaro answered the call.
After the call, he announced, "Haruka-san and Sarah-chan will be up after the Tea Shoppe closes. She told me that a few of rooms have already been set up, so we can move right in and spend the night after getting our stuff inside."
"That's one down," quipped Kitsune. Kanako smiled at her.
The others were also happy with that bit of news.
"I'm going to see if Naru-chan is here, Onii-chan," Kanako said before she quickly ran off and hurriedly climbed up the main staircase.
Inside, and needing a break, every took off their coats and shoes, donned their favorite slippers and went into the main room to relax for a while.
While the others sat and talked, Keitaro and Kitsune made their way into the old kitchen to prepare some hot tea for everyone.
"The kitchen is well-stocked and maintained, Kei-kun," said Kitsune who smiled and looked over at her boyfriend. The cupboards, shelves, pantries and even the refrigerator had plenty in them, so whoever was in charge here, knew exactly what they were doing.
"I heard that the young lady in charge of this kitchen is a real 'go-getter'," said Keitaro as he fired up the large tea kettle, "Her name is Maehara Shinobu. From what Kanako and Sarah-chan tell me, she's a great cook too." After he rode his bike out here from his parents' house, Keitaro wanted to get the chill out of his bones.
"I see that, she's has just about every kind of tea you can think of up here," said Kitsune impressed with the provender on the shelves, "Plus, there are good brands of coffee and cocoa mix too."
At first unnoticed by the two adults, a petite young teen with blue-tinted hair and a bright determined demeanor had entered from the outside kitchen door.
Having heard that there would be new boarders today, she looked over at the duo who had just invaded her domain and stood there with crossed arms.
"Keitaro-Senpai, you should have called ahead because I would have had things ready for you," Shinobu said as she startled both Keitaro and Kitsune.
"Gomen'nasai, Shinobu-chan," replied Keitaro sheepishly as he used an honorific with the young girl, "I saw no one here when we came in, so I thought I would make some tea after being out in the cold." He missed seeing her when he made his initial visit to the Hinata to check out the property.
Much tinier than he had imagined she would be, he appreciated the fact that she lived and worked here. The info on her was fully documented in Kanako's initial assessment. He thought it was interesting that such a strong personality belied her tiny physical appearance. He would keep that in mind when he interacted with her from then on.
"I'll finish this up, Senpai," said Shinobu with a small smile, "You go enjoy our new borders in the common room." Before either could react, she herded the two out of her domain.
Seeing how seriously she took her work here, and in what seemed to be her dominion, Keitaro and Kitsune looked at each other smiling while they were being systematically pushed out of the kitchen by this tiny young girl.
Laughing, it seemed that Keitaro had just found a new friend, but that would come later when they got to know one another better.
"That was something else," chimed in Kitsune who laughed along with Keitaro when they reached their friends in the other room. There they tell them about having met one of the residents, and that she had shooed them away from her kitchen.
Their friends all laughed.
"You would think that she owned this place and not you, Kei-kun," said Ringo as all the women giggled.
"I think she does," said Keitaro who received another good laugh from everyone. That was when he noticed a new presence in the common room.
Seated on the couch was a resident who had come down and held hands with Kanako. Keitaro smiled as he was introduced to his sister's girlfriend and could see for himself why Kanako liked her. She certainly is beautiful enough, with her long brunette hair and a pleasant smile. Everyone noticed that Naru had an interesting bit of hair in front that made her look like she was sporting a pair of twin antennae.
"Keitaro-Senpai," said Naru pleasantly enough as she stood and politely bowed to him, "It's nice to finally meet you. Kana-chan has told me so much about you."
Happily, Kanako smiled as her girlfriend had calmly introduced herself to her beloved older brother. It seemed that even if the two were not close, at least Naru would tolerate his presence because of her love for his younger sister. Before she sat back down, Naru informed Keitaro that only she and Shinobu were the only ones in residence right now.
After a few minutes, Shinobu came into the common room pushing a silver tea service that had an assortment of snacks on it. In the midst of that service, was an expensive looking tea kettle seated over a candle. To one side sat an assortment of teas, cream, milk and sugar. On the other was an assortment of European-style teacups and saucers.
Except for Naru, the newcomers were all amazed that such a tiny girl could organize everything here so easily.
"Wow, she's good," commented Mariko as Shinobu headed back to the kitchen.
The others all nodded in amazement at the petite girl's efficiency.
"Wait until you taste her cooking," said Naru after she sipped her tea, "She's better than any chef in the big city."
Her statement had backed up what Keitaro had said to Kitsune when they were in the kitchen.
-Their story-
After dinner, Keitaro, his friends, the two residents along with Haruka and Sarah lugged everyone's belongings up from the cars down below.
"Got to have a road put in outback, Kei-kun," said Daisuke to his best friend.
"Already on the drawing board," Keitaro replied with a nod.
While the group brought up the new residents' possessions, Shinobu received a constant barrage of compliments from everyone. The girl smiled as she quietly brought in a light box and took it upstairs to Mariko's room.
With everyone's help, all of the luggage and personal items came into through the front door of the Hinata. The three men had handled all of the heavy stuff.
Lastly, on a part of Keitaro's hillside property which sat next to Haruka's Tea Shoppe, there was an old corrugated storage building which had not been used for a while. So, until further notice or when the old place gets rebuilt, it was designated as the Hinata residents' new private parking garage.
On her tablet's to-do list, Kanako saved a memo to have a sign made which stated: 'This storage building is now a private parking lot'.
"Anyone up for a soak in the onsen?" Keitaro asked as he looked around the main room. He definitely was in need of a bath after sweating a lot.
"I sure could use a bath, sweetie," replied Kitsune as she wiped her brow off with the back of her hand, "and would also love to wash your back too." The last part of her reply could be taken as either a tease or a bit of flirting.
Some muted snickering by the newer residents and a mock look of jealousy by Kina. She then smacked Nobu who had failed miserably as suppressing his own laughter.
Keitaro and Daisuke looked at their friend and shrugged. Both knew to keep their mouths shut.
"Well how are we going to do this with kids joining us, Keitaro-kun?" asked Mariko downing some fresh tea.
Knowing to keep it clean, Keitaro answered, "Men wear shorts, ladies bathing suits. Tee shirts are optional."
The others all seemed to like his solution, including Naru who wanted to see her girlfriend in a bikini.
Kanako blushed.
Having already placed their belongings in what used to be the unused wing of the old manse, Keitaro and Nobu went to get changed. Daisuke went upstairs to where he and Ringo had decided to share a room together.
In her room, Kitsune came in and saw the damage to the ceiling. From up above, she heard Kanako comment, "It's on the list."
Having grabbed everything he needed, Keitaro stepped out of his room and went down to the men's locker room to change. The facility still looked in pretty good shape from the last time he was here, even though it had not been in a while. He tested the taps and flushed two of the urinals along with the two toilets just to see if there were any leaks.
'Yup, they still work quite well,' thought Keitaro after he turned the water off and started to change.
Knock! Knock!
The door slid open as Daisuke and Nobu joined him. So far, Nobu had no complaints about having his room next to Keitaro's. Daisuke smiled at how big the room was that he now shared with Ringo. It was far enough away so that no one would hear them at night. It was one of the reasons his girlfriend moved out here as well.
-Keitaro and Kitsune tell their story-
In a less formal setting, Keitaro introduced his cousin and her daughter to the newcomers.
Giggles from the women when Sarah stole the spotlight from Kina.
"Like I said," opined Kina who sat next to Shinobu, "I've always wanted an Imouto."
Seated around the onsen, the newcomers kept the teasing very subtle so that they would not upset Haruka.
It pleased her very much, even though Haruka had her own digs for her cousin.
Next to her, Sarah asked her mother if she could sit over with Keitaro and Kitsune. Since she had met him, the young girl had taken quite a shine to her big-brother Keitaro.
Smiling, Haruka told her that it would okay as long as she did not bother them.
Even Kitsune had to sigh because she thought the situation was very cute.
"Be careful, Kitsune," Ringo said, "because in ten years, you are going to have some major competition from that girl." That had everyone laughing, including Haruka.
Turning bright red, Sarah stuck her tongue out at the soft-spoken woman, which produced even more laughs.
It was quiet for a moment when Mariko looked over at her best friend, and said, "Hey, Kit." The ash-blonde looked at her. "Would you tell us how your first meeting with Keitaro-kun went. Since we were both busy at the time, you had never told me the whole story."
"Sure, Mari-chan," Kitsune said smiling at the younger girls, "It's a story that even the kids will like."
Smiling, Keitaro looked over and nodded to her when she looked at him. She kissed his cheek which was her thanks for his silent support.
Shinobu and Sarah perked up ready to listen. Even Naru and Kanako looked over at the Fox, as they were all ears.
Starting in, Kitsune said, "Mariko dropped me off in front of the Urashima residence. I said I'd find a way home when I saw the bus signs on the street there. But enough of that, I looked down at the front of my dress to make sure I was presentable before heading over to the front door. For some reason, I was a bit nervous."
She then looked to her boyfriend, who nodded again.
Adding his view, Keitaro said, "The front door chime rang. I got off the couch to go answer it. I felt three pairs of eyes boring into me." Kanako gave her brother a cheesy grin. "When I reached down for the door handle and opened the door, the only thing that I could say was, 'Whoa'. I almost keep her standing there because I could not take my eyes off of her. I was totally stunned and blown away."
Underneath the water, Kitsune gave Keitaro's hand a gentle squeeze.
"That may be so, but I felt the same way when I saw Kei-kun face-to-face for the first time," said Kitsune, "and, I could not move either. Karma totally gob-smacked me and now we are together."
"Oh, come on now. There has to be more to it than that, you two," Haruka retorted which caused laughter from the others. She for one was glad to see that Keitaro finally had someone and did not pay attention to that old childhood promise. Although she had another agenda, Haruka would ask him later about Junpei.
"It was terrible, Haruka-nee," teased Kanako with a mock pout, "Those two didn't take their eyes off of each other and Onii-chan ignored me all during dinner. Meanie." She then jokingly stuck her tongue out at Keitaro.
Naru went 'aw' as she gently squeezed her girlfriend's hand.
Giggling now, Kanako just wanted to get in her dig because she loved him more than anything.
"That's not the worst of it," said Mariko who then saw panic in the eyes of Keitaro and Kitsune, "I remember those two were in a major clinch in the hallway of the dorm when he brought her home, and from what I saw when they opened the door, their tongues were really going at it. I thought I was going to have to get a pry bar, or they would at the very least have to get a hotel room."
"Mariko!" hollered Keitaro and Kitsune in unison as they turned bright red. The others laughed very hard at her former roommate's confession.
And so did Haruka, as Sarah gave her a confused look.
Seated there and not looking at each other, Keitaro and Kitsune did not deny any of what Mariko had said, because both knew it was love at first sight. Under the water, they then gently squeezed each other's hand. For the rest of the evening, the two put up with being teased by the others.
Even though Keitaro and Kitsune slept in separate rooms that night, their first day of living together at the Hinata had ended on a good note.
-Christmas Eve at the Hinata-
In bed, an awake Naru held her girlfriend while she slept as they had clasped their opposite hands together. A lot of light had come into her life now because of the young woman who was next to her. She never wanted to be without her.
Kanako was usually awake before her, but Naru was happy that she still slept. The brunette just continued to look at the beauty next to her.
It caused Naru to smile.
"Ohayō, my love," said Kanako as she snuggled into Naru, "I woke up a while ago, you sleepyhead. You looked so peaceful sleeping there that I didn't want to wake you."
Even so, Naru giggled when Kanako turned her head and kissed her cheek. After the previous evening's festivities in their room, a peck on the cheek was very different from the aggressive lovemaking that went on between the two. Both had extra pillows strewn about that they had screamed into.
After one last cuddle, the two lovers finally got out of their futon and straightened up their room. Both of them relished the fact that they were neat, but not too fastidious.
The two showered together before they went back up to their room to start off their day.
Kanako dressed and stepped over to the sliding glass door to look out at the winter scene. There was fresh snow on the ground from the previous evening.
Naru came over and stood behind her girlfriend, wrapped Kanako up by the waist and drew the dark-haired girl back to her. She kissed her neck before taking a look outside herself.
After a moment of bonding, the two young women went downstairs to breakfast hand-in-hand.
By the way, the old hole in the floor had been repaired by Keitaro and Nobu. So, that ended that…
Meanwhile, Keitaro was getting used to a once-in-a-while sharing of a bed which had someone else in it. Kanako used to come into his room at home sometimes just wanting to be held, but with Kitsune snuggling in with him right now, she had to be satisfied with Naru. And, she was…
This experience was on a whole different level. He was not complaining at all mind you, as Keitaro felt very lucky to have such a beautiful woman in the same futon with him.
And, that someone was a real sweetheart too.
Their intimacy was on a level that he could only have dreamed about just mere months ago, before he met Kitsune. They had freely given each other their most precious gift, and afterwards have made it a point to spend a little alone time daily with each whenever they could.
Right now, Keitaro listened to her soft breathing while he held her very close. He moved some stray hairs from in front of her eyes as he watched over Kitsune.
'She is so beautiful,' he pondered.
"Ohayō, Kei-kun," Kitsune said when she finally opened her eyes and looked into the eyes of her lover. She smiled after another magnificent evening of being intimate with each other.
"I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have found you," Keitaro said looking back at the woman he loved.
With tears in her eyes, they hugged and deeply kissed.
-Later that same day, the Akihibara section of Tokyo-
"We have to get something for Shinobu-chan," said Kitsune who was last minute holiday shopping with Keitaro.
Earlier, Mariko headed out, and Kina had gone out with Nobu over to his parent's house. Ringo would be with Daisuke as the two went to a ski resort near Hokkaido for their winter break.
Keitaro and Kitsune still had plenty of company for a day of fun.
The seven remaining residents all gathered together and went holiday shopping. You really could not really call it Christmas shopping since they were all Shinto.
Haruka, Sarah and Shinobu stepped into a toy store that had the young blonde's interest.
Behind them, Naru and Kanako peeled off to visit a lingerie store.
Kitsune teased them by calling them a hentai couple and laughed.
The two teens blushed and took the ribbing in stride.
"Well, the kitchen stuff looks pretty new, hmmm…. Oh, I know Kit-chan. How about we get her a new laptop loaded with apps for her schoolwork, recipes or whatever?" asked Keitaro. The couple looked into the front window of a computer and electronics store.
"She will like that, Kei-kun. Shinobu-chan's a pretty level-headed girl. Great idea," Kitsune said before she kissed his cheek and entered the store with him.
Coming out of the store half-an-hour later, Kitsune said, "Wow, that was expensive! Plus, all those extra apps, what does this thing do? Run the military or something." She still had a little difficulty adjusting to the fact that her boyfriend has money sometimes, because he never flaunted it. What would she think after he had already given the petite teen a top-of-the-line smart phone.
"You should've seen what I spent on your holiday gift, Kit-chan," said Keitaro teasing her.
"You are such a meanie, Kei-kun," replied Kitsune who then whined, "Don't tell a girl that and not give her a clue. Now, I'm going to be thinking what it is the rest of the day." She has his arm while walking down the street to meet the others.
"And, Kit-chan. You are just going to have to wait until you get to my parents' house for Christmas dinner," Keitaro said making it worse for her. Or for him, if he was not careful and teased Kitsune too much about what he got for her, he may get cut off for a while.
"Now you're just being cruel," said Kitsune before she playfully backhanded him.
-Not so lonely this time-
As he had with his son, Kenichi called and invited Haruka along with Sarah to spend the day at his house as an extended family.
As the invitation was also extended to her, Shinobu was very happy about going to the Urashima home for Christmas dinner. The bluenette's mother could not break away from work, but she had sent a lot of gifts to her only child.
Wanting to lend a hand in the kitchen, Shinobu then called Urashima Kasumi to see if she could help cook Christmas Day dinner with her.
After listening to her children boast about her cooking, Keitaro's mother replied and let her know that she'd be happy to have her help.
Smiling, Shinobu bought gifts to give to her new Senpai and his girlfriend.
-Christmas Day at the Urashimas-
As previously stated, the Urashima family was strictly a Shinto. Nevertheless, they also have always been open to western thought and ideas. Most Japanese do not celebrate the western tradition of Christmas or its religious customs. New Years Day is the main holiday this time of year.
The Urashima though, enjoy the part which has them get together as family, eat a big dinner and exchange gifts afterwards. (They did not put up a tree though.)
Pleased, Kasumi saw that her Keitaro and Kanako's boasting about young Shinobu's prowess in the kitchen had proven to be true, and that both her children were eating healthy.
After she had entered the house, Shinobu politely bowed to their mother, and asked, "What can I do for you first, Urashima-san?"
"The vegetables need to be prepped and cooked before anything else. I've got rice ready for the cooker. My husband has gone to one of his shops for bread and treats for later. Here's an apron, let's get going Shinobu-chan," said a smiling Narumi in rapid succession.
When the meal was over, Haruka was going to help with the dishes. Along with Sarah, Kanako and Naru.
The menu included a big Nabe, teriyaki beef, miso soup and salad. On the table would also be meat buns and bread. Sweet rolls and candy would later be served up.
This household has its own traditions and way of doing things.
Standing side-by-side, Kasumi ran a tight ship in her house. Which suited Shinobu quite well. The two smiled at each other as they continued to get the dinner preparations done.
Seated quietly on the couch, Sarah played a hand-held game that Haruka bought her as one of her many gifts. She has grown wonderfully as a normal girl over the past few months, because her mother would not have it any other way.
In the meantime, Haruka, Keitaro and Kitsune sat in the living room. They were in the middle of small talk while they waited for Kenichi to return. His shops were open all day. Kanako took Naru upstairs to see her old bedroom. They only did some kissing and minor petting before they came back down to rejoin the others.
Everyone heard a car enter the driveway and saw Sarah brighten. When Kenichi came in the door, the young blonde shot up after him like she was fired from a gun.
The others all laughed when they saw the Sarah all wide-eyed as she gazed at the bags her uncle had with him.
"Can I help you, Oji-san?" asked Sarah in the sweetest voice possible. Kenichi can never resist her charm.
"Sure, Sarah-chan," replied Kenichi who smiled as he handed her one of the bags, "Take this bag because everything in it's for you." It was the biggest bag that he had with him, and before he could do anything else, the girl wrapped him up in a big hug.
"Thank you, Oji-san," said Sarah who bowed to him before she sat back next to her mother.
Everyone looked over to see what Kenichi had just brought in for her. Beside the expected candy and bakery treats, he gave her some discs for her laptop at home and another MP3 player. She had three of them now.
"Oji-san, you're spoiling my daughter worse than I am," said Haruka smiling at him. She relished that Sarah was now considered part of the Urashima clan.
Now that Kenichi was home, dinner was served and they all gather around the table. After the traditional, "Itadakimasu," blessing, they all dig into the feast. Many oohs and aahs were heard around the table as they put the food into their mouths.
"Never have I ever seen anyone's knife work cut vegetables as precisely as Shinobu-chan did today," Kasumi said as she was extremely impressed, "and, her kitchen prep is beyond exceptional. Shinobu-chan, it would be a privilege to cook with you again sometime."
"Arigato gozaimasu, Urashima-san," said Shinobu who bowed her head.
"This meal is fantastic. I can't wait until you bite into the baked goods that I brought home. Genda-san has really outdone himself today," Kenichi said. He had always boasted about how smart he was to hire the chief baker as his first employee. But that was only half of it...
After dinner, dessert and the dishes were finished with, everyone gathered in the spacious living room for the exchange of gifts.
Earlier that morning, Haruka had already given Sarah her presents along with what her aunt and uncle had given her.
Now comes the older ones turn.
To start with, Haruka received new embroidered aprons that have the Tea Shoppe's logo on it from Kasumi. "I had them custom made for you," said her aunt.
Along with that, Kenichi handed Haruka some receipts. Looking at them, they showed that he had purchased all new appliances for the Tea Shoppe, because he wants his niece to have the very best.
She smiled at her uncle's generosity.
Next, Kasumi received a new diamond ring from her husband that had all of the ladies just staring at her finger after he slipped it on. In front of the others, an overwhelmed Kasumi threw herself at him and gave her husband a huge French kiss.
Turning bright red, Haruka tried to cover Sarah's eyes. Failing miserably, she had to laugh while listening to her daughter giggle.
That kiss has a promise of something more for later in the evening.
"They are married," said Kitsune with a big smile.
The room exploded with laughter as the kiss broke.
When the room settled down, Kanako then received a delicate pair of earrings from Naru, who in return was given a beautiful pendant necklace from her girlfriend. Inside the pendant was a recent smart phone picture of them together which Kanako had printed. On the opposite side were the words, 'To my beloved Naru, always Kanako' etched in. So taken with how much Kanako cared for her, Naru threw all propriety out the window and deeply kissed her in front of everyone.
Neither girl cared as they shared this memory. It surprised the two after they separated, that there are smiles all around the room. Naru too sensed her acceptance into the Urashima family.
Drawing near to the end of the gift exchanges, Shinobu handed neck kerchiefs to Keitaro, Kitsune and Kanako. It was so the trio could keep the sun off their necks on Keitaro's motorcycle.
The petite chef bursts into tears of happiness when Keitaro handed her a gift from him and Kitsune. So taken by their kindness, she could no longer be stoic or stay in the background and hugged her two Senpais by squeezing the stuffing out of them.
On the smaller couch, Sarah sat next to Shinobu and had fun watching her explore all of the apps on her new laptop. The two girls have become very good friends since the young blonde had moved up to the Hinata with her mother.
Kitsune handed Keitaro a new watch because his old one was about to 'give up the ghost'. It's one of those expensive, smart models that had a lot of new gadgets programmed into it. She was not about to tell Keitaro that his father had given her the money so she could get it for him.
Now, we are going to see how much he thinks about her.
And when it was her turn, Keitaro had Kitsune close her eyes. Taking her hand, they stood as he led her to somewhere else in the house. She giggles nervously.
Everyone else followed close behind the couple, as Keitaro took Kitsune outside to the attached garage.
"Where are you leading me, Kei-kun?" Kitsune asked in nervous anticipation. Carefully, she was guided by her boyfriend through another doorway.
The others softly murmured, but were otherwise quiet.
Stopping, she heard jingling not knowing he had just reached into his pocket.
"Okay, Kit-chan. Open your eyes, and Merry Christmas," said Keitaro dangling a set of keys in front of her eyes.
"Oh my," was all she could say when she saw a brand-new Honda N-Box 4-Door hybrid there in front of her. Totally blown away, Kitsune cried when her lover handed her the keys.
"It's all yours, Kit-chan. I even had it registered in your name," Keitaro said to his still stunned girlfriend. He saw Kitsune wake from her slight stupor as she slowly smiled when the news had finally sunk in.
"Mine?" is all she said before grabbing Keitaro and kissing him very deeply.
He put his hands on his head, as her tongue sought to wrestle with his.
After the initial shock wore off, it settled into a lingering romantic French kiss.
"Come on, everyone," said Kenichi as everyone filed out, "let's give them some privacy." Smiling at the couple still out there, he closed the garage door.
-End of Chapter-