Kyle Dohring

This was based before the renovations in the Love Hina series. That means that Keitaro never said "Narusegawa,
I love you! With his ankle sprained, no Christmas special, nor the spring or LH agains, so there are some
things to clear up, non?

One Step Too Far: Chapter 2

"Where did those two go to?!" Kitsume inquired of the girls attending
the special conference being held at the hot springs, "I thought that
Naru was infuriated at Keitaro and that she wasn't talking to him... And now they go and run away with each other?!"
They had hurriedly gathered there after they had both realized that
both Keitaro and Naru were gone, something that meant either
they were both away at the same time co-incidentally, but more likely,
as the girls (or at least some of them) would have liked to think,
were running away together again, just like that one time when they
both tried to commit suicide together. They had protested against
that, but the girls knew their plans, and stopped them in time
"I don't think that's how it's happening Kitume-Sempai." Shinobu tried
to explain, "She looked pretty mad when I last saw her, and I didn't
see Keitaro with her either..."
"Then it's settled!" Su yelled, jumping on Mokoto, who shot her a
look of annoyance, "We'll go and find them!" She started to jump
around the springs shouting
"Search! Search! Search! Search!" She then proceeded to bound up to
the roof and then gracefully fall down into her room.
"Where does she get all her energy..." Hakura remarked, taking a long
drag on her cigarette.
"I don't know and I don't care lets GO!!!" Sara commanded as she sprinted toward her room also.
"I'll never get those two." Kitsume said between sighs, "They always
want to interfere with those two."
"Sounds like you, Kitsume," Mokoto remarked "now let's catch up to them
before they get lost."

************

Tears streamed from Naru's eyes. "Why do I always do this?"
She thought, "Why do I always push him away?" Narusegawa's mind was full of thoughts, but one stood out more.
She quickly did a 180 and started running back to Hinta Inn.

Keitaro was running as fast as he could, but kept on getting caught in the crowd as he ran.
He finally got a rhythm for it and was jumping around the people, when he got hit, hard, in the
shoulder, causing him to spin around. Just before he landed, he thought he caught a glimpse of
the person who hit him. The only thing he could see was two hairs
sticking put of the person's head like antennae. That soon escaped his mind as he fell on his
elbow, the tension causing seering pain to
course through him. He yelled and looked over to see his arm bent
in two places, his elbow, and upper arm. The pain was so intense, he could hardly talk. The only
thing he managed to say was,
"Narusega..."

************

Otohime was still trying to find where Naru was, when she saw a hole in
the crowd. As she approached it, she heard people hurriedly talking,
saying things like:
"Someone call an ambulance!"
"Give him room! Come on!" Otohime moved through the crowd, trying to
see the poor person who was in so much pain that they needed to go
to the hospital. She finally got into a place where she could see
the person. She gasped, and let out a weak "Ara..." Before fainting.

************

"OOOOOWWWWW!" Keitaro yelped as he tried to move his arm
"Sempai, don't move it, you have to follow directions!" Shinobu
was with Keitaro at breakfast in the hospital.
Keitaro's room was decorated with some notes from the girls "saying
get well soon", and Su even converted her "Virtual Kun", which could
read people's fantasies, to a "Game Kun", which would allow Keitaro
some amusement while trying to recover. The only thing missing from
the room was something from Naru. She had become dislodged from
normal life at the dorm, and rarely showed up for meals, Shinobu
had to deliver them to her room.
"I'm worried about Naru-Sempai, she's been acting strangely lately."
Shinobu confessed.
Keitaro hardly heard any of it, he was so depressed that even after
he had finally told Naru his true feelings, she had rejected him once again.

He arrived back at the Hinata Inn, and was greeted my everyone happily, they even threw a party for him.
He walked around the party with a
happy smile on his face, until he realized that Naru hadn't shown
up. His mood immediately dropped, and he drooped his head.
"They throw too many parties" he thought.

He slowly headed back to his room, the short walk was full of questions
and reasons why she hadn't shown up at the party, and why she assaulted him before that caused the break in the first
place.
1. She hates me
2. I'm a ronin who will never achieve anything
3. I'm an accident prone baka who always gets in bad situations
4. I'm a liar
5. She must have some thoughts about Otohime and me
The list went on and on, Keitaro was too ready to find anything wrong
with himself. He let out a long sigh, and then a yelp of pain as he instinctively tried to open the
door with his bad arm.

**************

Meanwhile, Naru was upstairs, cradling her legs in her arms and slowly rocking back and forth, humming
a tune that she couldn't get out of her head lately. It was called "Be for you, be for me". She and
Keitaro had sung a duet of it once at a karaoke. They had had fun at the time, but now humming that love song,
she felt like she was on the verge of bawling. She heard Keitaro's door open, and stopped immediately.
Keitaro still must think that she hurt him on purpose, because when she talked to Kitsume a while back...

"So, I hear you're behind this latest injury of our Kanrinin, Naru." Kitsume hummed, her smile as tight as her
eyelids.
"What are you talking about? I didn't touch him!" Naru protested, a large sweat drop forming on her forehead.
"The way I hear it, you hit him and sent him sprawling." Kitsume said, her grin still intact, "So, wanted to end
things with a bang?"
"NO! I didn't even know he was hurt until I got back!" Naru almost screamed, "I was brushing past a lot of
people, I could have done that to anyone!"
"Well," The meddling girl replied, "You should tell him that then."

Those six words were playing over and over in her head, she was trying to figure out what to do. She still had
to be mean to him, unless he would stop studying. She had to stop the tension between them though. Five weeks
had been plenty of time to think about it. The hole in the floor was a good way to surprise him, and maybe bring some
laughter back into her life...

She bent over to open the hole up, and moved her Lido-kun doll out of the way, but hesitated, partly because she
was nervous, and secondly, because she heard conversation.
"Keitaro, when you get better, I expect you to start working again right away." Mokoto, had to be.
"Keeeiiitttaaarrrooo, you've gotta see my new improved Mega Mecha Tama soon!" Su, they all must be saying goodbye
before he can rest.
"Kecharo, whycha leave the parchy? Cha saake hus hurdly buun tuched!" Kitsume, always looking for an excuse to drink.
"Bye Keitaro, sleep well!" Sara called, there foot steps went out of his room, and then spread out over the dorm.
But, as she listened, she could just barely hear Shinobu's voice.
"Sempai, are you mad at Naru?" She almost whispered, Naru had to press her head against the floor to hear.
"No, Shinobu-chan, I must have deserved it, or else she wouldn't have done that." Keitaro said defensively. Naru
blushed at hearing that he didn't hold it against him. She had shown him little affection throughout the whole
course of their relationship, well, knowing each other, and yet he always was faithful to her, and never held
anything against her.
She heard Shinobu leave the room, and moved the piece of wood over the hole to the side. She was surprised as about
as much as he was when she saw him staring back up at her.

"AAAAA! Naru!"
"AAAAA! Keitaro!" they both said at the same time.
"Um... Narusega-"
"Keitaro, let me explain..." Naru began, "I overreacted. I blew up on you for something that I would usually
just forgive you for after a while, but... I'm going through a rough time with my family. Mei-Chan is sick,
and I don't know what's wrong... I've tried to hide it but..." A tear ran down her cheek, and she hung her head.
"Narusegawa..." Keitaro said, an obviously concerned look on his face. He pulled himself up the hole that
separated their rooms, through much pain because of his arm, and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's ok, you're strong,
(ouch)I know you can get through this." He started trying to rub his arm through the cast.
"What were you doing looking up at the hole anyway?" Naru whispered through sniffs, "I hope that you weren't trying
anything perverted." She looked up at him, and her gaze sharpened. "Were you?"
"NO!" Keitaro blurted instinctively, then thought, and said more slowly, "I was just worrying about you, and I was about
to knock on the board and try and explain..."
"It's all right Keiraro, it was my fault it got so out of hand." Naru apologized, "And about your arm, I didn't
know about it. I really didn't even hear about it until all the girls came back, and told me that they saw you
being hoisted up into an ambulance with Otohime with you. That girl, she really should learn to control herself."
Naru suppressed a laugh, "Remember when we met her when we were "running away", and how much you acted alike?"
"Yeah..." Keitaro smiled, "But Naru, I expected about that much about my arm. I know... That you... He trailed off,
blushing wildly. "Care about... me too much... To do something like that on purpose to hurt me..."
Naru got a familiar urge to punch him, but suppressed it, for now, she thought. Better to heal themselves then to hurt
him more and test his loyalty.
They sat and talked together for a long while, relating past events, things that needed doing, like getting into
Toudai for one, and just getting to know each other again. They walked down from Naru's room feeing a lot better,
not to mention relieved.

Just as they were about to round the corner to the stairs, they heard a voice calling them.
"Naruu and *hic* Kecharo are bach togecher! Chat calls fur mor chake!" Kitsume babled as she downed about a half a bottle
of sake in one swig.
"Kitsume, I think you've had enough for now." Naru said, snatching the bottle out from her hand. "But... Keitaro,
isn't there a party for you out there? Come on, let's go!" Naru grabed his hand and lead him outside. Most of the
residents of the dorm were out there on the grass, most of them looked depressed, except for Su, who was, as usual,
pouncing around the group. She almost stumbled when she saw Keitaro and Naru smiling, and beside each other too!
"Keitaro and Naru are baaaaack!" She yelled while running around her
dorm members with a newfound energy. "Party party party!"
Shinobu, Sara, then Hakura slowly looked up, and all their moods
instantly shined. Even Mokoto, who was training on the roof of the
inn, interrupted her routine and jumped down to join them.
Keitaro looked over the group, a huge smile on his face. Naru would
have been smiling, except for the fact that Kitsume was leaning on her,
her drunkenness obviously taking its toll on the woman.

The party went great. They laughed and played, and drank, and ate,
but since they were all outside, none of them heard the phone
ringing...

************

A week later, things were finally back to normal. Keitaro was being
punched through walls, and those events ended in laughter, sometimes
there were some soft moments between Keitaro and Naru, which were
a welcome relief. Keitaro wanted, and was succeeding in, taking her
mind off her sick sister, even tough he couldn't be sure. Keitaro,
Naru, and Otohime were busy studying when Hakura opened the door to
their room.
"Naru, phone." Hakura announced, "It's your family."
Naru's face suddenly turned to one of deep concern and rushed out to
answer the phone.
"I wonder what's wrong?" Otohime smiled, turning to face the door.
Naru came in five minutes later, her expression causing the turtle lady
to instantly faint.
"She's dead," Naru said, her face full of disbelief "Mei-chan is
dead."

End of chapter 2