Disclaimer: This is the part where I generally attempt to make some witty remark about how stupid it is that I have to say "I do not own Love Hina". So I'll conform to the "policies" set down by the "government" and "say" that "I" don't own "Love Hina".
Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal. – Irish Gravestone
Blood Hina
Chapter Eight:
Legacies and Orientations
The grinding of the broom against the stone was going to kill him, Keitaro decided. He had been listening to it for nearly three hours, virtually nonstop. His hands hurt and blisters were starting to develop but he continued scrubbing the bath. He wanted to stop; needed to stop though by doing that, he ran the risk of something worse happening.
Ever since he returned from the dead, he had been hungry. Not for food, though. Keitaro ate every night with the inn's tenants. To put them at ease, he would say something like "Not even death can keep my away from Shinobu-chan's cooking!". That wasn't a total lie-- he certainly did like Shinobu's cooking a great deal and even if though he gained no nourishment from it, he still enjoyed eating it.
What Keitaro had desired but kept from himself for the past month or so was much more complicated… He knew that his body required sustenance, that is, blood or flesh. The idea of killing someone, though, disgusted him, even though he done it before and for the same reason. He had hated himself then and he hated himself whenever he even briefly considered killing anyone for food.
Morals aside, Keitaro simply loved them too much. The idea of murdering one of his friends frightened him. It wasn't the basic premise that was frightening but the fact that it was so easy to think about. However, each time the idea of killing again came into his mind, he pushed it down and busied himself with his duties. In serving his friends, he was able to forget his recent urge to kill them.
What had set off his most recent cleaning spree began innocently enough. Keitaro had been watching TV in his room with Naru next to him. It seemed to him that she was going out of her way to spend more time with him. Not that he minded; he felt very at ease when he was with her. As they watched TV, she had shifted and leaned against him. His eyes had met the bare skin of her neck. The second that happened, his mind was flooded with images of what of it would be like to bite her… Her soft skin being sliced methodically by his fangs and Naru screaming and moaning as he drank from her.
Once those thoughts invaded him, Keitaro did the only thing he could think of: Run. He ran out to the baths, grabbed his broom, and started scrubbing like there was no tomorrow. Naru had followed him at first, gotten angry when he ignored her, and stormed off.
Keitaro stopped finally after several hours of working. His hands were sore and bleeding and he was about ready to faint. But, he wasn't hungry anymore. He plopped down on the hard stone and stared up at the night sky. He couldn't see any stars; Tokyo's lights assured that. But he was barely able to pick out the pale crescent moon upon the dark blanket.
"Keitaro."
Keitaro jumped slightly and turned on his side to see Naru. She stood in the doorway to the inn with the moonlight on her. She tilted her head to one side a bit, looking a bit worried. This brought the still red scar on her cheek into view. He knew from having overheard Kitsune and Motoko talking that the scar and opened earlier in the morning and had refused to close again until late afternoon. Keitaro silently cursed himself for being so careless and giving her the wound.
"Keitaro," Naru repeated. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, yeah! Fine," said Keitaro as he stood. "Couldn't be better, Narusegawa! How about-"
Keitaro took a step towards Naru and tripped over his dropped broom. He flew head first into her and his face was buried in her chest. Instead of his usual punch, Naru did nothing. She stared down at Keitaro's head, a bit too shocked to do anything.
"Soft..." murmured Keitaro. Naru's eyes grew wide and she gritted her teeth angrily.
"You… Pervert…" she hissed. Naru drew back her fist and slammed it into Keitaro's face. The blow knocking him into the bath he had spent so much time cleaning.
"You're incapable of change, you know that?!" yelled Naru. She swore quietly and stormed back into the inn. That is, she would've had not Kitsune been standing there, watching. So, instead, Naru stormed into Kitsune and they both ended up on the floor.
"Gah… Naru, watch we're you're going!" muttered Kitsune while trying to untangle herself from Naru.
"And you shouldn't stand in doorways like that!"
"I just came to tell you Keitaro that a guy just showed up at the front door looking for a place to sleep. He's the manager, Keitaro's gotta' do something, right Keitaro?" Kitsune looked around slightly confused. "Err… Where is Keitaro?"
A few bubbles came up from the bath and Naru scowled. "Useless idiot…" she muttered under her breath. "So who's this guy who just shows up, eh?"
"Ah, that's the thing! He says he's from Tibet!"
"Tibet?" asked Keitaro as he hauled himself out of the bath.
"Yeah! Maybe he's a monk or something… He's not too old or anything, bn" said Kitsune.
"How did he get out?" Naru asked, suddenly.
"What do you mean?" said Keitaro.
"I mean, wasn't Tibet annexed by China or something? They killed all of the Bhuddist monks…"
"Well… Kitsune, how old is this guy?" asked Keitaro.
"Our age; 20's," she replied.
Naru shook her head. "It makes no sense… Why don't we just go and talk to this guy?"
"Well, that is what I came to get you guys for…" sighed Kitsune as they went back into the inn.
"Would you like more tea, Sengi-san?" asked Shinobu politely. "You've already finished your third cup so-"
"Ah, that would be delightful, Shinobu-chan. The tea is excellent. In all my years, I have not had a cup this magnificent." answered the man who sat next to her. Kaolla was hanging off his shoulder and Sarah sat to his side opposite of Shinobu who went about pouring his tea and blushing as she always did. Naru, Keitaro, and Kitsune entered the room at this moment.
"This," said Kitsune. "Is the manager of this place. Urashima Keitaro."
"Ahhh…." the man smiled warmly and stood. Kaolla tumbled off his back onto the couch and mumbled something quietly. His smiled faded slightly when he looked at Keitaro but then became more intense, as though forced.
"I bid you thanks for allowing me to stay here, Urashima-san." The man bowed low and rose back up, the forced grin still upon his face.
Keitaro, followed by Naru, bowed accordingly. "It's really fine… Err… Sengi-san was it?"
"Ah, pardon my profound rudeness. Yes, I am Sengi."
"Ah…" said Keitaro slowly. He wasn't sure he liked this man. There was something that made him uneasy about the way he looked and acted. It couldn't be anything physical; his skin was dark, almost as much as Kaolla's and his graying hair was pulled back and tied. He wasn't very tall and quite skinny at that. Finally, Keitaro decided that what bothered him about this man was how easy it was for him to force himself to smile which in and of itself opened up a new line of concerns.
"What attracted me to this inn, Urashima-san, was the… What is the Japanese word… When you've got things set up right…Organization, I suppose. By Feng Shui standards, this building is very good."
"Oh… Is that so?"
"Yes, yes. Back in China, you see, I was something of a Feng Shui master, if I do say so myself. In fact, I'd like to discuss with you the design of this building. In private."
"Oh…" said Keitaro. He scratched the back of his head and shrugged. "I really don't know much about the building's architecture. I wouldn't be the person to ask but-"
"But I think I should be able to discern a few things about the building's Feng Shui from speaking with you, neh? It will only take a few minutes and the night is still young."
Finally, Keitaro relented. "Alright but I really don't know-"
"Excellent! Let us find a private place to speak at once. Might I suggest your personal chambers?"
"Sure I suppo-"
"Then let us be off at once! Time is money!" Sengi pushed Keitaro out of the room and all but forced him up the stairs leaving the rest of the tenants in slight shock.
"He didn't finish his tea…" murmured Shinobu. Kaolla laughed and grabbed the tea cup. She downed it in a single gulp and handed it back to Shinobu.
"There! All gone!"
"I think it's strange…" muttered Naru. She leaned against the . "The way Sengi-san acted… It's almost like he knew Keitaro from before…"
"From before, eh?" Kitsune grinned, an idea forming in her head. "Maybe, just maybe, Keitaro went to Tibet while he was away… And maybe, just maybe he found himself a…" Kitsune waited a second, making sure she had everyone's attention before continuing. "Chinese lover!"
Shinobu put her hands to her mouth and whimpered quite like she always did in situations such as these. Kaolla and Sarah giggled as Naru fell over in surprise and shock. "What the hell are you talking about?!" she demanded as she stood.
"Well… Think about it this way… Keitaro gets pounded on by you--" Kitsune pointed to Naru. "--so much that he begins to look for another lover… But, alas, he's afraid of women because of you and Motoko… Err… Where is Motoko?"
"She went on a class trip, remember? She left last night. You were there. You gave her a half empty bottle of sake to share with her friends," said Naru, glaring at Kitsune.
"Oh yeah… Well, guess where that other half went!" laughed Kitsune. "Anyway, Keitaro finds himself a guy in China who cares for him in that… loving… intimate… caring way. He wants to get away from all the girls here so he finds a real manly man!"
"No… No, Urashima-sempai can't be… Err… Not that there's anything wrong with that."
"C'mon, Kitsune, stop kidding around! There's no way Keitaro can be gay! Not that there's anything wrong with that…" said Naru.
"No… No…" said Shinobu, shaking her head and covering her face with her hands. "A person's sexual orientation is no one's business but their own…"
"Kaolla," said Sarah, pulling on her friend's sleeve. "Does this mean Keitaro's gonna' be a girl from now on?"
"I dunno…"
"So, Urashima-san… It's been awhile, hasn't it?" asked Sengi as he and Keitaro sat down.
"Eh…? What do you mean?"
Sengi laughed. "It's only be what? 50 or so years?"
"I really don't know what you're talking about…" said Keitaro, getting a bit more confused with each passing second.
"I have to say. I'm surprised. Pleasantly, I assure you. I was convinced that I had done you in before… But, it brings joy to my dead heart to see you here. You're happy with these girls, aren't you? I'm not surprised by that; you always were popular with women."
"I'm sorry... But I really don't know what you're talking about. I… I haven't seen you before in my life," said Keitaro, hopelessly lost. However, his mind finally began to work and started putting two and two together: Sengi mentioned his dead heart. And who have dead hearts?
"Kuei-jin…" whispered Keitaro. His muscles tightened for the expected fight.
"Urashima…" said Sengi softly. His eyes pierced Keitaro, found out what was in his mind and his soul. "No… You're not Urashima. That is, you're not the Urashima I knew…You are one of the Hungry Dead, I can tell."
"The Urashima you knew?" asked Keitaro. It was going to be a long night, he realized.
"Let me explain… And start from the beginning…" Sengi sighed. From inside his robes he brought forth a pipe. Fire jutted from his finger and lit it. He put the pipe to his mouth, inhaled, and let the smoke drift out.
"Many years ago, as you probably know, Japan and China engaged in a cultural exchange program. I was in the Chinese Emperor's court at the time, mortal, mind you, and I met a Japanese diplomat by the name of Urashima Keitaro. From what I can tell, your ancestor.
"Urashima and I, we became friends quickly. He was a great man then, energetic and brilliant. Charming and just generally pleasant to be with. People genuinely liked him. People loved him. And I admired him for all of this.
"We were friends, in our mortal lives, for six years. Then, however, I fell ill and died. I went to hell, Yomi, as you're familiar with no doubt, for I often had my way with the Emperor's concubines. I imagine that's what did me in in the end.
"However, I rose from my grave much the same as you did. I became Hungry Dead. At first, I fretted and lamented my fate. What was to become of me? I wondered. Then, I remember from my mortal life the intelligent and brave man. Urashima. He would help me, I realized, for he always had a solution for every problem he came in contact with. And he would've helped me as he would've helped anyone who asked for his assistance.
"I spent two years searching the Orient for him till finally I found him. Can you imagine my (and his) surprise when we found each other? You see, he had become Kuei-jin as well, through some strange twist of events, and had begun searching for me as well. To help him just like I thought he would help me.
"That was the beginning of it. We spent the next millennia together. We did all manner of amazing things. We explored the jungles of the South East, ventured through the Mongolian desert, fought dragons in Southern China, ate with Emperors and beggars alike… It was only in the last century that we were together that things began the downward spiral.
"Urashima and I; we both took mortal lovers every once in awhile. He did so more than I because I think he was afraid of being lonely. He found one girl, her name escapes me, I'm sorry to say, but she was the daughter of a great samurai. He romanced her and they fell in love and eventually, he told her of his nature. She accepted him for what he was and from then on, she traveled with us. Unfortunately, she could not keep up with out pace… She died only ten years later, apparently from exhaustion as we trekked through India's jungles.
"He blamed himself for her death. I tried to console him but emotions always eluded me and by tell him that it was my fault too, I think I only made it worse. From then on, he was never the same. He loved that girl so much… As things continued, each day he became more and more depressed. And soon, he became twisted too. His mind began to distort things. He became more and more violent… Lashing out and killing people for no reason. I left him soon thereafter, though I now regret it. Like I said, he was afraid of being lonely and after I left him, he had nothing else to do so…
"Well, I did not see him for nearly a century after that. Then, on whim, I ventured to Japan in 1867, to see how the revolution had changed things and whether or not Urashima had taken part in the thing. I found him. He was… Sickening. At least I thought so then. The haven where he resided was covered in blood and body part from all manner of creatures which he had slaughtered. Yes, he told me. He had taken part in the revolution. He fought not on the Imperialist side or with the Shogunate but simply for the love of killing. I could estimate that he might've killed over a thousand men in that war… Needless to say, I left Japan afterwards.
"The times between then and the 1930's were actually rather happy for myself though I can't say the same for Urashima. I spent most of my time dealing traditional Chinese artwork all over the world. I was quite popular in France in the '20s and… I'm getting off topic now." Sengi took a moment to take a puff from his pipe before he continued.
"We go into WWII and those horridly wretched days. I did some fighting myself not only in the East but I also found myself by a strange course with Russian soldiers in the West. Don't ask me how for I can not explain it still.
"At the end and with Japan's defeat, I decided to search for Urashima again. I feared what he had become during a war of that scale; if the revolution had turned him into a monster, what could this hellish undertaking have made him? I soon had my answer.
"I caught up with Urashima in Kyoto. He was… More animal than man. Not even an animal. Animals have sense; animals can be kind and well tempered. He instead was a demon of the most savage proportions. He hated… Everyone. Even his own people. He would launch into night long rants about how they had failed their country. He decided, I found out, to cleanse Japan and then the world. Apparently, he meant to do that by wiping out virtually everyone or putting them under his control.
"So, I did what I had to do. I slew Urashima, my former friend. It hurt me to do so but I knew that, in some way, this was for the better. Sending him back to hell tormented me but… The real Urashima, the man I had admired for so many years would've wanted it that way."
Sengi sighed and leaned back. He blew some more smoke from his pipe and looked out the window into the clear night sky.
"So, there you have it. That is Urashima's legacy."
Keitaro was very silent. There was nothing he could really say. But, he found something.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.
"Thank you," Sengi said. He bowed his head and grinned. A real smile this time.
"You are most definitely Urashima's descendent. I can tell from being around you. It is like he is with me again… The first thing that tipped me off, you know, were all the girls. Urashima loved women greatly, as I said."
Sengi laughed a bit sadly. "A few things, Urashima-san. Those girls, do not ever think that you can be with them."
"Huh?" asked Keitaro.
"They are mortal; you immortal. It is a tragedy waiting to happen. No doubt you've already fallen in love with one-- or more of them. Do not end up like my friend. Do not let it take roots. You are different from them now, and you must learn that."
Keitaro was silent. Everything he had feared was being told to him. He tried to say something but he stumbled over the words.
"You drink from humans. You feast upon them. Don't ever forget that… I should tell you, I only came here tonight because I sensed the life here and I thought of having myself a good meal."
His muscles tightened again. Keitaro licked his lips. "I… I won't let you hurt them. If you-"
Sengi shook his head. "No, no… I won't hurt them. I'll find my dinner somewhere else, don't worry. You shouldn't worry about me as much as you worry about yourself."
Keitaro tried to answer but Sengi cut him off.
"And… Urashima created a few enemies in his time. They may or may not come to find you… I'd suggest just explaining it and-"
"Thanks, I will," muttered Keitaro. Sengi nodded and stood, packing away his pipe.
"Well, thank you Urashima-san for you hospitality."
"Oh, it was no problem! Thanks for explaining everything to me. And I think you've made some new friends with the girls downstairs," said Keitaro, changing the subject to something lighter.
"All I did was show them a magic trick or two. You do know there's a flying turtle around here… Right?" asked Sengi.
"Oh, Tama-chan! Yeah, she's been here for awhile now," said Keitaro. He stood, bowed, and then stepped forward to open the door for Sengi. Unfortunately, he slipped on a magazine and fell into the other man.
Sengi groaned as Keitaro knocked him to the ground. Just then, though, the door flung open. Assembled in the hall were the Hinata Inn tenants. They stared for a few seconds at the compromising scene of Keitaro lying on top of Sengi. Naru was the first to take action…
"Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry!" she yelled, bowing quickly. "We didn't know… That you two were… You know-"
"Not that there's anything wrong with it!" chorused everyone else.
"Yeah, Keitaro! We support your new alternative lifestyle! 'Cause there's really nothing wrong with it! Hell, I can take you clothes shopping now!" said Kitsune, grinning.
"Sempai…" said Shinobu quietly. "I didn't know… I didn't think that you were…" She caught herself suddenly and then began apologizing. "Not that there's anything wrong with it!"
"No…" said Naru, putting her head in her hand. "A person's sexual preference is their own business!"
"Yeah," said Kitsune. "I have many gay friends!"
"Because there's nothing wrong with it!" everyone said at once.
"My father is gay!" yelled Kaolla. Everyone became silent at once and stared at her. She laughed proudly at the attention. Sarah shrugged and joined in the laughing.
"But," began Naru. "There's nothing wrong with that! Because…"
"…a person's sexual orientation is no one's business but their own!" yelled everyone at once.
There was no sound after that. Keitaro said nothing. Sengi said nothing. The assembled tenants said nothing. The cicadas outside continued their perpetually annoying buzz.
Then, without saying a word, Sengi stood. He bowed first to Keitaro and then to the girls. Slowly, he walked out the door, into the hall, down the stairs, and left the building.
With him gone, attention was focused on Keitaro.
"Did we… Scare him away?" ask Naru. Shinobu bowed quickly.
"We're sorry, Sempai! We didn't mean to scare away your boyfriend!"
"He's not my boyfriend!" Keitaro finally yelled. "He's… Just a Feng Shui master like he said. What I mean is, I'm not gay."
"Not that there's anything wrong with that!" everyone yelled at once.
An hour later, Keitaro was sitting on the roof of the inn, alone, in contemplation. He was actually thankful for the outburst from the girls. It took his mind away from the history of his ancestor. He still didn't want to think about it. The idea that he could descend the same path as his namesake did was frightening to say the least.
Keitaro was snapped out of his train of thought when he felt a gentle prod on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Naru standing above him.
"Mind if I lay here?" she asked, pointing the spot next to him. "Or is it reserved for your boyfriend?" She stuck out her tongue at him, mocking him a little.
Keitaro smiled. "It'll always be open for you."
Naru lay down next to him. She let her hand intertwine with his.
"So, what did you two talk about it?" she asked.
"Ehh… It's a secret."
"A secret? Oh, come on… Tell me," she prodded.
"Nothing you'd understand."
"Ahh… Real 'manly' stuff, right?" asked Naru, giggling.
"Ah! No, Narusegawa! Like I said, I'm not… like that. Not that there's anything wrong with that."
Naru smiled and leaned closer to Keitaro. They lay like that, looking up at the sky for a minute before the sound of the inn's main door opening was heard.
"Ah, Motoko-chan must be home. I need to go greet her…" Keitaro got up and made to climb down from the roof. Instead, he tripped on a loose shingle and fell face forward into Naru's crotch.
Naru did nothing for a few seconds. Then, pulling him up by his hair, she looked him in the eye. "Don't know how I could ever think you were gay…" And with that, she tossed him into the air and Naru-Punched him into the Pacific Ocean.
Naru sighed. "Idiot never learns… Always ruins things." She shook her head and got down from the roof before going in the greet Motoko in Keitaro's place.
End Part IV
Author's Notes:
First off, the entire "Not that there's anything wrong with that!" thing was based off that one episode of Seinfeld… God that was funny. Of course, it wasn't meant to be offensive to homosexuals and I really don't believe it was. Besides, you had the seriousness of Urashima and Sengi's past. The lighthearted part fit in well.
Anyway, Blood Hina is about half over. If things go as planned, there will be 3-4 more parts wherein I shall see how depressing I can make the story. Ha ha, no, not really. If you care, things will get depressing (to an extent) but like a German Lieutenant said to his commander as the army assaulted Stalingrad one cold winter: "There's always a December before the May." (It should be noted that said Lieutenant then went outside and dropped dead. True story.)
So, until next time, boys and girls, ja.