Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina. I own a gun, I own a sword, I 0wnz j0 455 in Quake, I'll give you my own, I stick to my own kind, I only speak English, I'll even fight oni if you show me how! But I do not own Love Hina. (Yes, I DO feel very clever right now, thank you very much…)
He who is outside his door already has a hard part of his journey behind him. - Dutch Proverb
Blood Hina
Chapter Nine:
Picture Yourself on TV
If a tree falls in a forest and there is nobody around, does the falling tree make a sound? Well, scientifically, it must but if there's no one there it might not make a sound. But we can't know because there's no one there. But maybe it does make a sound and nobody hears it. Or alternatively, what if it doesn't make a sound and nobody's there to not hear it? But if someone's there, it's going to make a sound so maybe it makes a sound when someone's there but if nobody's there, maybe it doesn't make a sound. Or… No, wait… That's not right…
"Keitaro!"
The vampire's eyes opened suddenly. Keitaro recoiled when he saw another pay of eyes on a face staring right back at him.
"Narusegawa!" he exclaimed in surprise, still very startled.
The girl sighed. "What were you doing? It was like you were sleeping but having a bad dream," said Naru.
"Ahh…" Began Keitaro a bit uneasily. "Just trying to meditate. I don't think I'm very good at it."
"Wouldn't be the only thing," grinned Naru. She stuck her tongue out at him eliciting a sigh from Keitaro. "Anyway," Naru continued. "I came looking for you because… There's something you should see."
Keitaro tilted his head to the side. "Huh?"
"…and so Senkou has returned from their world tour and will now performing here. Isn't that right, Urashima-san?"
Keitaro stared at the TV. The man on the screen, an exact replica of him, smiled broadly with his hands clasped behind his back.
"That is correct! Senkou will be performing tonight at the Meiji Theater. Tickets are already sold out but there are two more concerts scheduled for tomorrow night."
The camera shifted off of Urashima to the reporter who gave his closing statement. The news anchors then began talking about something else, most likely some sort of impending disaster or inevitable nuclear war. Keitaro ignored all of this. He was still in a state of shock and he didn't realize the fact that most of the inn's tenants had been gathered around, watching the news program.
"How… How can't there be two Urashima-senpais?" wondered Shinobu, breaking the silence.
"Most unsettlingly," muttered Motoko grimly.
"Keitaro," said Kitsune as she put her arm around his shoulders. "My advice is to get as much cash out of this as possible before-"
"Keitaro!" squealed Kaolla. "Can you get us free tickets?"
Sarah grinned. "My vampire will get us tickets! Right, Keitaro?"
Keitaro said nothing as everyone stared at him. Finally, his mind began to work slightly. Slightly.
"Bathroom," he said stupidly. He took a tentative step backwards. Unfortunately, Naru happened to be standing behind him. He fell back into her which got the usual result.
"Idiot!" Naru shouted. Like a swallow returning to Capistrano, Naru's instinct kicked in and she in turn kicked Keitaro through the roof.
Keitaro landed with a 'splash' in the baths. Instead of getting out, he let himself float near the top, staring up into the night sky blankly.
This, he decided, was bad. Sengi had said that he had killed Urashima nearly fifty years before, hadn't he? But, what if Urashima has survived? Then there was a psychotic, homicidal vampire with several centuries worth of power who bore a personal grudge against… Everyone. There was one of those, running around Tokyo.
All I wanted, thought Keitaro, was a normal life. To live with Naru and Shinobu and Motoko and Kitsune and Sara and Aunt Haruka at the inn… To go to Toudai and find happiness. Marry Naru. Have children. Grow old. Die peacefully. That's all I really wanted.
"Keitaro? Did I hit you that hard?"
Naru stood at the edge of the hot spring, looking down at Keitaro.
He shook his head and laughed. "Not any harder than usual. I'm invincible, remember?" He gave a mock flex of his muscles and Naru giggled.
"But, you've been kinda' weird lately. Like you're worried." Naru sat down on the stone and pulled her legs up to her chin, holding them there. "What's wrong?"
"Ahh… nothing." Keitaro sat up and ran a hand through his wet hair. "Just feeling a bit weird after seeing that guy on TV…"
"Yeah," said Naru. "That was weird, wasn't it?"
"What is 'Senkou' anyway?" inquired Keitaro.
"It's just a pop band. They have a big following in Hong Kong and Britain."
Keitaro nodded and Naru sighed.
"You're still not telling me something? What's on your mind?" Naru smiled gently. She laid a hand on Keitaro's shoulder. "You can tell me. We're friends, right?"
"Narusegawa…" Keitaro whispered. He put his own hand over hers and pulled it close to his chest.
"You don't have to worry, Keitaro," Naru said in little more that a whisper. "I said I'll be with you always. Nothing will change that."
He smiled and reached up a hand to her face. Keitaro ran his fingers over Naru's cheek for a second before she grabbed onto his shirt and pulled him out of the water. Their heads closed in and nearly touched.
"Myu!"
Keitaro's eyes flew open. They focused on a small, yellow and green turtle kissing him. He pulled away in shock as Naru laughed.
"Didn't know you felt about Tama-chan that way!" yelled Naru. Tama-chan myued happily again and flew up to rest on Keitaro's head.
Keitaro laughed and hoisted himself out of the bath. He squeezed some of the water out of his clothing and got to his feet.
"Where're you going?" Naru asked. She dipped her legs in the water and kicked playfully.
"Err…" Keitaro scratched his head and laughed. "I wanted to go to Tokyo and figure out who the other Urashima is."
"Alright. Go change into something dry and we'll get going."
"'We'?" asked Keitaro. He stared at Naru. She, on the other put her hands on her hips and turned her nose up.
"I'll be going to keep you out of trouble. You get into enough trouble in Hina and I don't even want to think about how bad it could be in Tokyo."
Keitaro slumped his shoulders and hung his head. "Am I really that bad?"
There's no business like show business like no business I know...- "No Business Like Show Business"
Blood Hina
Chapter Ten:
Them's the Breaks
"There's no way to get in!" Naru finally yelled in frustration. None of the hundreds of people crowding outside the Meiji Theater noticed. They were too busy crowding around outside of the Meiji Theater like most crowds do while waiting for a band. So, in other words, there was a human drain clog.
People pushed and shoved against the two as they stumbled through the knots of humanity. Signs were plastered up everywhere, proclaiming that the concert was sold out. That didn't keep the human drain clog from crowding around and getting nothing down, though.
"Maybe we can go around the back!" shouted Keitaro.
"What?!" Naru shouted back. She strained her ears to hear what Keitaro was saying. Before he could answer, he was knocked to the ground and swallowed up by the masses of people.
"Gah! Keitaro!" cried Naru. She bent over and thrust her arm into the forest of legs, grasping around for her friend. Finally, she found something that felt like a male in his early twenties with glasses. She grabbed Keitaro and ripped him out of the throng. Just as she did this, however, a man behind her engaged in the time honored tradition of pinching the butt of a cute girl.
"Pervert!" Naru yelled. She spin kicked the offender and sent him flying. People looked at her a bit strangely and stood to the side as she dragged Keitaro out of the crowd.
"Freaks…" muttered Naru quietly. She stopped and leaned against a wall tiredly. "Keitaro, why don't we just go home? It's hopeless…"
"You go on ahead," said Keitaro. He stood up, brushed himself off, and smiled at her. The fact that he could still smile and laugh after being trampled amazed Naru. "I just want to see if I can still get in."
A swift wind blew past them at that second, scattering Naru's hair. As she combed it with her fingers, she glared at Keitaro. "I can't go back and leave you here. Who knows what kind of trouble you'll get into?"
Keitaro allowed himself a slight grin. Naru's glare only increased, however. "What's so funny?" she yelled fiercely.
"Ahh! Nothing! Nothing! Maybe we can go around the back. There might be a door there or something."
"Fine…" muttered Naru. They went into the alley behind the theater and, lo and behold, there was a back door. One guarded by a tall, dark skinned foreigner.
"Uhh… Good evening!" said Keitaro, walking up to the man. He offered his hand and smiled nervously. "We… Uhh…"
Naru sighed and pushed Keitaro out of the way. "We lost our tickets. Mind letting us in? Please?" she asked, making sure to smile widely and wink at him.
The guard was not impressed.
"No ticket, no concert," he grunted.
"Pleeeease…" pleaded Naru. She smiled sweetly at him. "Maybe there's something we can do for you in exchange…" Naru's hands drifted up to the top of her blouse and undid the first button.
The guard smiled. "Keep going…"
Naru smiled even more sweetly and unceremoniously kneed the guard in the groin. As he doubled over, wheezing, she grabbed the keys from his belt and unlocked the door.
"Wow…" said Keitaro, dumbfounded. They were behind stage and, as it seemed, in the way. Stage crews darted left and right, carrying various props and other paraphernalia. Keitaro and Naru stumbled through the chaos, keeping an eye out for anyone who looked like… Keitaro. Other than Keitaro himself.
"Hey! Urashima!"
Keitaro spun around, looking wildly for the voice and the voice's intended target. Then he realized that the speaker was right in front of him.
"Heeeey… Urashima, nice chick!" the man said, laughing. Naru blushed slightly. She grabbed onto Keitaro's arm tightly and smiled sweetly. "Urashima-san, your office is just right over there." The man pointed down to a hallway on the other side of the stage.
"Ahhh… Thanks… Uhh…"
"Oji. Remember me? Oji?"
"Ah! Yeah, Oji, sorry."
Oji laughed as he walked away. "Yeah, just take it easy, Urashima!"
Naru and Keitaro hurried over to the officer, opened the door, and entered.
"If we wait here, he's sure to come around, right?" said Naru as she reached around in the darkness for the lights. Keitaro didn't answer. Finally, she turned on the lights.
He was paler than usual. That's what Naru noticed first. He was staring at the floor. She followed his line of sight to find four bodies sprawled on the carpeting with a variety of syringes, beer bottles, and puke stains surrounding them.
"This…" said Keitaro. "This… this… this is really bad."
"They're the members of Senkou!" yelled Naru. She spun and slammed the door shut.
"This is really bad…"
"We can… Uhh… hide the bodies!" Keitaro suggested. He began to pace with his hands behind his back. "And sneak out quietly…"
"Yeah and then-"
And then there was a knock on the door.
The man who strikes first admits that his ideas have given out. – Chinese Proverb
Blood Hina
Chapter Eleven:
Win Some, Lose Some
"Hey, Urashima-san!"
Oji opened the door. He looked at Keitaro first. Then Naru. Then the corpses of Senkou on the floor. Then to Naru again. Then to Keitaro. Then the corpses. Then to Keitaro. Once more, he looked at the bodies before focusing on Keitaro.
"You… Killed… the band…"
"No, no, no!" said Keitaro, waving his hands. "You've got it wrong! See-"
"Senkou is dead… My life has no meaning…"
"Wait, Oji-san…" said Naru.
"You… killed them…" Oji had a blank look on his face, simply stunned. "Why would the manager kill his band? Why would you kill Senkou in the first place?! Why-"
"Oji-san, would you inform the crew that the concert will be cancelled tonight and that they can go back to the hotel?"
Oji spun and standing behind him was… Keitaro. Or so it seemed.
"W-what, Urashima-san?"
"I said that you should inform the crew that the concert-"
"But you always said the show must go on!"
Urashima stared at Oji. "The show can't go on if the performers are dead, idiot… Just go tell them that the concert is cancelled. Don't mention anything about Senkou's death."
"But… But…"
"Do it."
Oji stammered out a "Yes, sir", bowed, and hurried out of the room. Urashima strode in, ignoring Keitaro and Naru, and examined the corpses on the floor.
"Heroin. Idiots," muttered Urashima to no one in particular. He straightened up and addressed Keitaro.
"So, Urashima-san!" laughed Urashima. "For convenience and so that others are not confused, may I just call you 'Keitaro-san'?"
Keitaro nodded mutely.
"Ahh… Good. You know, I thought you were done for when I ambushed you a few months ago. I should've known you would come back like me. From what I've heard, you're nearly as strong as I am!"
"Where did you hear that?" demanded Keitaro, suddenly becoming angry.
"I have my connections. So, tell me, Keitaro-san… Who's the girl?"
The both looked at Naru who was staring at Urashima. "You… Look… Like… Keitaro…"
"Not very bright, is she, Keitaro-san?" asked Urashima.
"Wait just a minute!" yelled Naru angrily. "You said you were the one who ambushed Keitaro… So you killed him?! You started this whole thing!"
"Err… In a way, I suppose I did. But you know-"
Naru didn't let him finish. Instead, she slapped him as hard as she could. Which was very hard indeed. Urashima stumbled back a step, nearly tripping over one of the cadavers.
"Why you…" he hissed. Naru raised a hand to slap Urashima again. Instead, he grabbed her forearm and twisted her arm to the side. Next, he took hold of her shoulder and spun her whilst keeping her arm behind her back. He bent over and pressed his wait onto her, keeping Naru in place. This took less then a second and it was over before Naru even realized he had caught her.
Naru's eyes began to water from the pain. She struggled a bit and was about to cry out when there was a loud cracking noise. Urashima's grip on Naru was released and he stumbled backwards. Keitaro landed solidly next to Naru.
"Narusegawa, are you hurt?"
"N-no…" she managed to get out. Urashima laughed.
"Well done, Keitaro-san!" Urashima had a shoe print on his face from Keitaro's kick. He smiled broadly, baring his fangs. "It is good… I can fight my descendent. How many can say that they did that?"
Urashima launched himself at Keitaro and tackled him. Keitaro fell to the ground with a thud and laid there, next to the body of Senkou's lead singer.
"C'mon, Keitaro-san! Fight back! Or do you need some… Motivation?"
Urashima look a long step forward and took hold of Naru's hair. He hoisted her up, suspending her completely by her hair. Naru cried out as the roots of her hair were ripped out.
Keitaro wasted no time. He leapt forward and body slammed Urashima. Hard. The force sent them both flying out of the room. Naru fell the to floor and rubbed her scalp while she watched the two men fight.
The fight soon became very one sided. Keitaro was on top of Urashima, punching his face relentlessly, seemingly determined to maim his ancestor in the worst way possible.
"Argh! Off!" Urashima jabbed Keitaro hard in the ribs and knocked him off. He rolled to his feet and picked up Keitaro by his neck, much the same as he had done to Naru. His grip tightened slowly, his nails beginning to draw blood. Naru watched in horror as Urashima choked Keitaro. Finally, he opened his mouth, revealing two long fangs. He was about to drive them into Keitaro when instinct kicked in. Literally.
Keitaro kicked Urashima in the groin with as much strength as he could muster. Urashima collapsed in agony. He dropped Keitaro in a heap as he sank to his knees, clutching the family jewels. Suddenly, he was grabbed by the scruff of the neck, picked up, and hurled through the stage curtains. Urashima landed in the laps a few unlucky girls who promptly hit him over the head with their purses because his face just happened to be in a crotch.
"Narusegawa," said Keitaro quickly, turning around to look at her. "Are you okay?"
"Fine… What about you, though?" She pointed to his neck and the bloody marks that remained.
"Ehh… Just a scratch. C'mon!" Keitaro grabbed Naru's hand and they both dashed out of the theater.
Naru and Keitaro ran through the streets for little more than a minute before Keitaro stopped.
"Narusegawa," he said, focusing on her in the dim light. "Get on my back?"
"Your back?" Then Naru heard the whistling of the wind beginning to surround them.
"Yeah, we'll have to fly."
Naru nodded dutifully and climbed onto Keitaro's back, holding onto his neck and putting her legs around his waist. Secretly, she was excited about this: Keitaro had only flown her twice before. The second time also happened to be on the same day that Kaolla had decided to test out her new air-defense system. Keitaro spent much of the ten minutes they were in the air dodging exploding shells.
The strong winds pushed the pair up into the sky and flew them along. It was an incredible feeling, to be flying simply on the power of the natural winds, like Monkey or a god. Naru hugged Keitaro tighter as they gained more altitude. Finally, they soared above the skyscrapers and Tokyo was at their feet.
"Wow…" Naru whispered into Keitaro's ear. He himself was too stunned to speak. They both gazed down at the incredible brilliant lights and the massive buildings below them.
"This is incredible…" said Keitaro breathlessly.
"Hey! I can see Toudai from here!"
"Really? Err… Want to go there?" asked Keitaro. He twisted his head around a bit to look at Naru.
"Sure! It always looks so nice at-"
"Catch, Keitaro-san."
Keitaro looked around wildly when he heard the voice. Suddenly, Naru's grasp on him loosened before slipping off of him completely. He spun around a bit in mid-air, just barely seeing a figure floating beside him. Finally, he saw Naru, plummeting to the ground.
"Narusegawa…" he whispered. With an incredible fury, the wind pushed him into a dive. Like a bird of prey, Keitaro swooped in on her. The winds and the chi surrounding Keitaro pushed him faster and faster as he hurtled towards Naru.
Finally, when she wasn't more than twenty feet above the ground, Keitaro grabbed onto Naru. He couldn't stop, he suddenly realized. Quickly, he rolled in the air and a second later, he hit the hard concrete of the street below.
They lay there for a second, catching her breath. The adrenaline coursing through Naru's body slowly began to diminish. As her mind cleared, Naru took notice of where Keitaro's hands were. One was clutched around her waist. That was fine. The other, however, was firmly embedded in her chest.
"Keitaro…" Naru said softly. She freed herself and stood over him.
"Narusegawa, are you okay?" he asked in a slight daze.
"Yes… Pervert!" She kicked him though not as hard as usual. Keitaro groaned and pulled himself up.
"Sorry, Narusegawa!" Keitaro said, bowing quickly.
"Hmmph," said Naru, folding her arms and turning up her nose. "Are you hurt?"
"I'll live," grunted Keitaro.
"She kicks you after you saved her life, Keitaro-san? In my day, that wouldn't have been tolerated."
"I really… Really… Really… hate that voice," said Naru. She turned around and there, standing in the light was Urashima.
"You…" muttered Keitaro. "Why did you do that? Why did you attack Naru?!"
"Common courtesy," Urashima answered shortly. He smirked. "I won't be here long so I'll make this quick. Keitaro-san, I assume you already know about my past so we won't go into that. However, there's one thing Sengi didn't tell you about…"
Urashima's smile grew larger once Naru and Keitaro's attention was fully devoted to him.
"How shall I put this… You see, our fates are interlocked because… Our souls are. Your soul shares part of mine… The 'Evil' part. Sometimes it's called P'o though Freud called it 'Thanatos'. That explains why, in your life you may have been a worthless combatant but in death… In death and as a vampire, you are very powerful. But you shouldn't expect to defeat me in anyway. I'm still much more powerful than you, even if our souls are combined like that."
Keitaro tried to say something but it got lost in his throat. He tried again and finally made some sound. "Why did you kill me?"
"Just getting rid of the competition," Urashima said, smiling. "If you want to come and find me, I'll be in Hong Kong. I have unfinished business there with our mutual friend Sengi. Until next time…" Urashima bowed. "Aurevoir!" There was a great explosion and a flash and then, Urashima was no longer there.
"Keitaro," said Narusegawa a few moments after Urashima disappeared. "We should go back to the inn and-"
"I'm going to Hong Kong."
"And… What?!"
Keitaro smiled weakly. "I have to go to Hong Kong."
"But… Why?"
"Did…. Didn't he give me enough reason to?" yelled Keitaro, louder than he meant.
"Sorry," Naru apologized. "But we should go back to the inn and-"
"You go. I need to get to the airport before daylight."
Naru shook her head. "If you're going so soon, I'm coming with you."
"What? B-b-but Narusegawa, you-"
"I need to watch you, Keitaro. You get into too much trouble without me!" she yelled, tossing her hands into the air. Her expression softened a bit, then. "Besides… I want to be with you. Always. You know that. I'm going to Hong Kong with you. End of discussion."
Keitaro tried to protest but one look at Naru and he realized he was licked. Instead, he sighed. "Well, come on then. There should be a flight we can catch."
"We should go back to the inn and pick up Mitsune first."
"Huh?" asked Keitaro. Picking up Mitsune made no sense.
"Oh, you didn't know…" Naru slapped her head lightly. "Mitsune lived in Hong Kong for two years with her father. She's fluent in Cantonese. That's also where she picked up her… Habits."
"It all makes so much sense now," marveled Keitaro. "But, either way, we can't go pick her up. It'd be too much trouble and I don't want to involve anyone else."
Naru sighed. "Alright, I understand. Let's get going. To Hong Kong!" She laughed.
"You want to fly?" asked Keitaro, lowering himself slightly, expecting Naru to get on his back.
"No more flying."
End Part V
Author's Notes:
*yawn* Gomen nasai. I'm tired. That can explain why this chapter is a bit sloppily written. You can blame the lateness of this chapter on the following things (Hey, kids! Pick your favorite scapegoat!):
1.) The economy
2.) Osama Bin Laden
3.) George W. Bush
4.) The economy
5.) The forest fires in the West
6.) Neverwinter Nights
7.) Excel Saga
8.) Virtua Fighter 4
9.) The economy
So… Err… Anyway…
I finally got ahold of the Love Hina manga. It's easily better than the anime… And I swear, the ending is perfect. Akamatsu-sensei's follow up comic is funny as hell too ^_^
Since BH is nearly finished (only one or two more parts left), I've begun thinking about future projects. I don't think I want to do a follow up to BH but rather a normal (I.E. something that lacks demons, vampires, weird Eastern magic, etc) romantic Love Hina story. Because, as they say, it isn't war that is man's greatest affair but love.
Or, I could just become a hack smut writer. Yeah, that sounds good.
Well, kids, until next time, ja.