Moonlight, Starbright
By Kaolla: Version Two
Disclaimers: Why do I always get the urge to write fics when I have a million others in progress? And especially since I already have an original fic based heavily on Love Hina in the works... Okay. I don't own Love Hina or any related characters. Although I wish I owned Kaolla and Amalla. And Tama the erotic turtle :O Oh, and I'm currently typing this with a non-working s key (I'm getting by on copy-pasting the letter) which will hopefully change soon, so bear with me for now, okay?
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. As there are many fics based on the others (including Kitsune) and very few based on Kaolla (who also only has two episodes- three counting the kissing episode- where she's prominently featured) I decided to try my hand at a Love Hina fic based on her, as she's a favorite of mine. Oh, and don't let the pen name decieve you- me are menfolk.
Moonlight, Starbright
Chapter 1- Phone Home! Amalla In Hinata Again: Dusky
~*~*~*~*~
In the kitchen of the Hinata Apartments, a tanned, blonde girl was grinning from ear-to-ear as she merrily added quite a bit of tobasco sauce and pepper to a simmering pot of spaghetti sauce. "Now it'll be extra-yummy!" Declared Kaolla Su, dipping her finger in for a taste test. "Mmm!"
"Oh no! Kaolla, what did you do to my sauce? You... you didn't add too many spices to it, did you?" Shinobu Maehara asked, walking into the kitchen and watching, horrified, as Kaolla decided a little more pepper wouldn't hurt.
"Nah, it'll be fine! I just made it really yummy!" Normally, one wouldn't be inclined to worry about these words... had they come from someone who didn't define "yummy" as "Hey! I can breathe fire now!" Actually, anything she didn't know the definition of was assumed to have the properties of being yummy until the mystery word was defined for her.
She didn't notice Shinobu whimpering, large blue eyes filling with tears as the entire pepper shaker was emptied into the pot. "No, Kaolla, don't! I... I'm sure it's yummy enough now." Shinobu's voice broke on these last few words, and then she fainted.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Kaolla took another taste-test. "Yum! Now that's more like it! Right, Shinobu?" No response. She turned around, and saw her best friend passed out on the floor- or at least too shocked to do anything. "Hey, what are you doing on the floor?"
~*~*~*~*~
"YAAAAH! Get outta my way, Keitaro!" Cried Mitsune "Kitsune" Konno as she pushed a glass under the tap and turned it on. She quickly drained her glass and was pushed out of the way by Keitaro Urashima, who may as well have had smoke billowing from his ears. Naru Narusegawa peeped into the kitchen, chuckling as Keitaro quickly gulped down his glass of water, and Kitsune refilled her own.
"You two are always so quick to dig in. I guess you didn't listen when Shinobu said it might be a bit too strong for you..." This remark was punctuated by Kaolla crowing "Mmm! Delicious!" from the dining room.
"Yeah, well, we were starvin'!" Kitsune replied, now chugging her third glass of water. "Aah... I feel better now. Maybe we shouldn't keep so many spices around here."
"But then the food won't taste as yummy!" Came the complaint from the dining room.
"Su, why did you feel the need to add so much spice to the food?" Asked a stern Motoko Aoyama. "You could have just waited until dinner was done. Then you could have just added it to your own food."
"Aww, I'm sorry, Motoko. I thought everyone would like it if I spiced up their food a little, that's all."
"That's all right, Kaolla," Shinobu reassured her. "Just... try not to do it again in the future, okay?"
"Okay! Hey, Shinobu, want to try out my latest invention when you're done eating?"
"Ah... n-no thanks. I was just gonna go take a bath in the hot spring and maybe go to bed."
"I'll never understand that girl's obsession with extra-extra-spicy food," Kitsune muttered. "Isn't her country somewhere in the desert?"
"Uh-huh!" Came the energetic affirmation from behind her. Kitsune and Keitaro whirled around to see Kaolla perched on Naru's shoulders. "But over there it got really cold at night, and all the spices helped warm us up when we ate! Plus they were-"
"Really yummy, right?" Naru finished, while Kaolla nodded. "But what about during the day? Don't tell me you ate all that spicy stuff in the daytime too!"
Kaolla's face took on a rare look of extreme confusion. "Actually, I don't remember what I ate in the daytime there. I don't think I was ever really awake during that time."
"You slept during the day there?" Keitaro asked, scratching his head. "But wouldn't it have been too cold then, at night, to wear the clothes you guys wear?"
"Hmmm.... that's funny, I don't know the answer to that, either. And I didn't have any trouble remembering anything about my country until today..." Then she grinned as she spotted something behind Kitsune. "Aha! There you are, Tama! This time I'll make turtle stew out of you!" She started to leap forward, but Naru grabbed the back of her shirt with a cry of "Su, don't!" and caused the foreign girl to land on top of Keitaro, pulling Naru down with her. Keitaro stumbled back into Kitsune, and they were all on the floor in a tangled heap.
"Oh no! What happened in there? Keitaro, are you all right?" Came Shinobu's worried voice. She stopped in the doorway and gasped at the sight, and Motoko showed up behind her. And Motoko did not look happy.
"U-ra-shi-ma..." She growled, pronouncing each syllable crisply. "I can't believe you would have the nerve, and with Su even! She's only a junior high school student!" She grabbed her bokken from the sash tied to her waist, and raised it above her head. "Secret Technique: Air-Splitting-"
"Muyah!"
And, in mid-cry, Motoko's face was the landing ground for a turtle.
"...T...t....t-t-t-t-t-t-t-TURTLE!!!!!" Shrieked the kendo girl, toppling over backwards onto Shinobu.
"Ah!" And the pair landed at the feet of Haruka Urashima, who surveyed the scene with impassive eyes, cigarette dangling out of the corner of her mouth.
"Hi, Aunt Haruka-" Keitaro started, but was cut off by one of Haruka's slippers smacking him in the head, with the usual demand of "Just call me Haruka."
"Hey, Su. Phone call," Haruka added, causing all eyes to land on the blonde, who leapt up and ran out of the kitchen, laughing as she did so.
"A phone call for Su?" Naru asked, getting up off the floor. "That's odd... do you know who it's from?"
"I think it was her sister- Amalla. Sounds like she's back in Hinata, although I couldn't tell if she was just stopping by to visit, or if she intended to take Su back to her country again."
"Amalla's back?" Was the collective cry that had risen from the five younger residents. It seemed that every time Amalla came to Hinata- twice now, far as they could remember- chaos soon ensued, either in the form of Kaolla and Amalla's "big brother" Lamba Lu, or Shiro, Amalla's pet alligator. And in both cases, those visits had involved Kaolla taking her adult form and more chaos ensuing- although on the last visit, that seemed to have been fixed up.
"How did she sound?" Keitaro asked, helping Kitsune up. "Did she seem urgent or anything?"
"No. Actually, she sounded pretty relaxed. So I'm inclined to believe that this time, her visit is strictly casual."
"Whew... that's a relief."
~*~*~*~*~
"Okay, big sister, I'll be sure to look out for him. Bye!" Kaolla put the phone back and flopped onto the couch, looking at the ceiling. "It's nice of her to come visit like this. I wish she'd come by to do just that more often..."
"Oh! Kaolla! Was that your sister?" Shinobu called, walking into the living room and taking a seat next to her friend. Kaolla looked at her and nodded.
"Mmm-hmm. She said she wanted to come by tomorrow and see me, and that she lost Shiro. And he might be wandering around Hinata right now."
"W-what?!"
"Oh, don't worry. I don't think he'll be coming here any time soon. If he does, well... he doesn't bite too much!" Kaolla laughed after saying this, in a manner that suggested maybe Shiro DID bite that much and Kaolla just didn't realize it.
"A...are you sure?" Shinobu squeaked, holding her fists balled up in front of her mouth, eyes wide.
"No, not really."
"How can you be so calm about it?!"
"About what, girls? Oh, and what did Amalla say?" It was Haruka, who was leaning against the doorframe to the living room.
"Oh, Shiro's somewhere wandering around Hinata, and my big sister wanted to come by tomorrow to visit me without meaning to take me back or anything."
"Ah. I figured as much." Haruka took her cigarette out of her mouth and eyed it as though it was a withered carrot or some other such vegetable. "So I guess we'll have to be on the lookout for a large white alligator for the time being?"
"I guess so..."
~*~*~*~*~
At that very moment, about a mile from the Hinata Apartments, Kentaro Sakata groaned as he found himself eye-to-eye with a large white alligator once more.
"Does this mean that that crazy woman is back in town?" He asked as Shiro growled and started to crawl towards him. "Oh, all RIGHT... Hey! Be careful! Those shoes cost a fortune!" Shiro didn't listen as he started to gnaw on the buckle, while Kentaro sighed in defeat. "All right, but shoes like this don't just grow on trees, you know- Oh? It's you again..."
Amalla Su grinned as she watched Shiro tug Kentaro's shoes off and munch on them. "THERE you are. Do you have any idea how worried I've been? Now come on. We need to go back to Mutsumi's apartment. It's getting late."
Kentaro closed his eyes, smiled in a suave manner, and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, if you insist- although I don't really know you that well- YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Shiro had taken Kentaro's left foot into his mouth and was now gnawing on it.
"I meant Shiro, you idiot!"
"Of course- OW!" Kentaro sat down, rubbed his foot, and winced as he watched Amalla walk away, the alligator leaping along behind her and chomping on Kentaro's shoes. "What a psycho..."
"Hey! I heard that, little man!" A ragged, drool-covered shoe clonked him in the forehead. "Jerk!"
~*~*~*~*~
"Hey, guys, I'm goin' to bed now. Goodni- WHOAAAH!" Kitsune let out a quick yelp as her foot came down on top of a roller-slate, causing it to roll forward and push her back. As she landed hard on her butt, she noticed the skate sprout tiny wings with jet intakes under them, and blinked as it roared away. Then she sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "That girl... how many times have we had to tell her not to leave her inventions laying around? Su!" She called. "Su, get down here right now and pick up your skate...rocket-thing!" A minute or two passed. "Su? Honey, you okay up there?"
Kitsune stood up and began to ascend the stairs. "Huh... I wonder why she's not answerin' me. Usually no matter where she is in the place, she comes running in a matter of seconds if someone calls. Unless..." She shuddered at the next thought, which was punctuated by the faint music of someone plucking a mandolin. Her eyes- normally closed so that they were nearly invisible- widened as far as they could. "Oh no! Don't tell me that girl's grown up again!" As she headed for the stairs to the roof, the door to Naru's room opened, and the sleepy, auburn-haired girl peeked out.
"Kitsune, what's the matter with you? Some of us are trying to-"
"No time to talk, Naru," Kitsune said as she rushed past, grabbing Naru's arm and dragging her along. "I think Su's transformed again!"
"What?! But I don't-" The sound of the mandolin grew louder as she followed her best friend up the stairs. "Wait, the moon didn't look red when I saw it earlier!"
"Well, last time it was in broad daylight and that big brother of hers was here, so-"
"Wait, you mean Lamba? But I didn't hear Haruka or Su mention him-" Both girls stopped as they reached the roof and saw a sight that was a bit unusual- it was Kaolla, indeed, plucking at her mandolin, but as her fourteen-year-old self- not the adult Kaolla who seemed to have been the only one who had the madolin. Her expression was unusually melancholy, and she stopped playing for a second or two to absently stroke Tama, who was perched on her shoulder.
And, upon looking at the moon, Naru and Kitsune noticed it was the pale yellow-orange of autumn, just as it usually was.
Naru spoke first. "Uh... Su? Are you all right?"
Those words seemed to snap Kaolla out of her odd state. She turned to them, waving and grinning. "Hey, Naru and Kitsune! What are you doing up here on the roof?"
"We were about to ask you the same question," Kitsune told her. "Hey, where'd you get the mandolin? I thought only your adult form had it."
Kaolla looked at the instrument she was holding, as if it had just blown up in her hands. "Actually, I don't know. I thought that when I left my country, I left this behind too..." Then she shrugged. "Guess not! Oh-" She noticed Tama just then. "Now I've got you!" And in seconds, the hot springs turtle was tied up and being lowered- by way of fishing pole- into a pot of boiling water that Kaolla had acquired from nowhere in particular.
"Su, don't!" Ceied the other two girls. Naru ran forward and snatched the fishing pole out of the foreign girl's hands. "Honestly... so, Su, what ARE you doing up here on the roof?"
Kaolla frowned, and shrugged. "Actually, I don't know. One minute I was going to the kitchen for some bananas, and then the next thing I know, you and Kitsune were here, and so was I, and I was playing the mandolin."
"Hmm... that sounds very familiar..." Naru shook her head. "In any case, are you going to come inside soon and go to bed? It's getting late, you know."
"Don't worry! Actually, I'm kind of tired, so I think I'll go right now." Naru and Kitsune watched as Kaolla slid down off the other side of the roof, followed by the ever-present Tama. After a few seconds of silence, they assumed she was now in her room and sleeping in one of the many tropical trees that grew in her room.
"Naru, did I go temporarily deaf or did I just hear Su say she was tired?" Kitsune asked, scratching her head.
"Hey, I guess even she can be tired sometimes. I think I'll get back to bed now too. Night."
"Night." As Naru left, an object sitting on the roof caught Kitsune's eye. She went over and picked it up. "Huh... Su forgot her mandolin..."
~*~*~*~*~
To be continued...
Author's Notes: (since the notes in the begining were getting too long anyway) Okay, first off... I'm terrible with finishing fics, but I hope to get this one done, at least. It's my first Love Hina fanfic, though, so go easy on me. Second, I have only seen the first 25 episodes and the Christmas special, and have never read the manga, so... yeah. Just to let you know in case I screw up info found in the manga, in the spring special, or in Love Hina Again.
Third- while I do own the DVD, I have only watched the dub, occasionally with subtitles on to see the difference in dialogue (I dunno why, but I have a hard time watching subs- although I actually find the dub voices to be well done. Yes, this even means Southern Floozy Country Girl Kitsune™) and thus the way some characters refer to others (i.e. Keitaro saying "Narusegawa," Shinobu calling Keitaro "Mr. Urashima," etc) will be different from what some of you are used to.
And fourth- I'm not exactly happy with Fanfiction.net at the moment, and while I abhor their policies (banning lemons was the last straw for me. I'll not rant here about it) the only way my work will be read and hopefully commented upon would be here, as at the forums I go to, VERY few people have read/seen/heard of Love Hina, so I suppose this will have to do for now (Plus, fandomination are second to Fanfiction.net in fanfic-Nazi-ism, and no other sites I know of have the sexy review system or oragnization this place does)
Kay, bye, and see you all in the next chapter. MAYBE...
By Kaolla: Version Two
Disclaimers: Why do I always get the urge to write fics when I have a million others in progress? And especially since I already have an original fic based heavily on Love Hina in the works... Okay. I don't own Love Hina or any related characters. Although I wish I owned Kaolla and Amalla. And Tama the erotic turtle :O Oh, and I'm currently typing this with a non-working s key (I'm getting by on copy-pasting the letter) which will hopefully change soon, so bear with me for now, okay?
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. As there are many fics based on the others (including Kitsune) and very few based on Kaolla (who also only has two episodes- three counting the kissing episode- where she's prominently featured) I decided to try my hand at a Love Hina fic based on her, as she's a favorite of mine. Oh, and don't let the pen name decieve you- me are menfolk.
Moonlight, Starbright
Chapter 1- Phone Home! Amalla In Hinata Again: Dusky
~*~*~*~*~
In the kitchen of the Hinata Apartments, a tanned, blonde girl was grinning from ear-to-ear as she merrily added quite a bit of tobasco sauce and pepper to a simmering pot of spaghetti sauce. "Now it'll be extra-yummy!" Declared Kaolla Su, dipping her finger in for a taste test. "Mmm!"
"Oh no! Kaolla, what did you do to my sauce? You... you didn't add too many spices to it, did you?" Shinobu Maehara asked, walking into the kitchen and watching, horrified, as Kaolla decided a little more pepper wouldn't hurt.
"Nah, it'll be fine! I just made it really yummy!" Normally, one wouldn't be inclined to worry about these words... had they come from someone who didn't define "yummy" as "Hey! I can breathe fire now!" Actually, anything she didn't know the definition of was assumed to have the properties of being yummy until the mystery word was defined for her.
She didn't notice Shinobu whimpering, large blue eyes filling with tears as the entire pepper shaker was emptied into the pot. "No, Kaolla, don't! I... I'm sure it's yummy enough now." Shinobu's voice broke on these last few words, and then she fainted.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Kaolla took another taste-test. "Yum! Now that's more like it! Right, Shinobu?" No response. She turned around, and saw her best friend passed out on the floor- or at least too shocked to do anything. "Hey, what are you doing on the floor?"
~*~*~*~*~
"YAAAAH! Get outta my way, Keitaro!" Cried Mitsune "Kitsune" Konno as she pushed a glass under the tap and turned it on. She quickly drained her glass and was pushed out of the way by Keitaro Urashima, who may as well have had smoke billowing from his ears. Naru Narusegawa peeped into the kitchen, chuckling as Keitaro quickly gulped down his glass of water, and Kitsune refilled her own.
"You two are always so quick to dig in. I guess you didn't listen when Shinobu said it might be a bit too strong for you..." This remark was punctuated by Kaolla crowing "Mmm! Delicious!" from the dining room.
"Yeah, well, we were starvin'!" Kitsune replied, now chugging her third glass of water. "Aah... I feel better now. Maybe we shouldn't keep so many spices around here."
"But then the food won't taste as yummy!" Came the complaint from the dining room.
"Su, why did you feel the need to add so much spice to the food?" Asked a stern Motoko Aoyama. "You could have just waited until dinner was done. Then you could have just added it to your own food."
"Aww, I'm sorry, Motoko. I thought everyone would like it if I spiced up their food a little, that's all."
"That's all right, Kaolla," Shinobu reassured her. "Just... try not to do it again in the future, okay?"
"Okay! Hey, Shinobu, want to try out my latest invention when you're done eating?"
"Ah... n-no thanks. I was just gonna go take a bath in the hot spring and maybe go to bed."
"I'll never understand that girl's obsession with extra-extra-spicy food," Kitsune muttered. "Isn't her country somewhere in the desert?"
"Uh-huh!" Came the energetic affirmation from behind her. Kitsune and Keitaro whirled around to see Kaolla perched on Naru's shoulders. "But over there it got really cold at night, and all the spices helped warm us up when we ate! Plus they were-"
"Really yummy, right?" Naru finished, while Kaolla nodded. "But what about during the day? Don't tell me you ate all that spicy stuff in the daytime too!"
Kaolla's face took on a rare look of extreme confusion. "Actually, I don't remember what I ate in the daytime there. I don't think I was ever really awake during that time."
"You slept during the day there?" Keitaro asked, scratching his head. "But wouldn't it have been too cold then, at night, to wear the clothes you guys wear?"
"Hmmm.... that's funny, I don't know the answer to that, either. And I didn't have any trouble remembering anything about my country until today..." Then she grinned as she spotted something behind Kitsune. "Aha! There you are, Tama! This time I'll make turtle stew out of you!" She started to leap forward, but Naru grabbed the back of her shirt with a cry of "Su, don't!" and caused the foreign girl to land on top of Keitaro, pulling Naru down with her. Keitaro stumbled back into Kitsune, and they were all on the floor in a tangled heap.
"Oh no! What happened in there? Keitaro, are you all right?" Came Shinobu's worried voice. She stopped in the doorway and gasped at the sight, and Motoko showed up behind her. And Motoko did not look happy.
"U-ra-shi-ma..." She growled, pronouncing each syllable crisply. "I can't believe you would have the nerve, and with Su even! She's only a junior high school student!" She grabbed her bokken from the sash tied to her waist, and raised it above her head. "Secret Technique: Air-Splitting-"
"Muyah!"
And, in mid-cry, Motoko's face was the landing ground for a turtle.
"...T...t....t-t-t-t-t-t-t-TURTLE!!!!!" Shrieked the kendo girl, toppling over backwards onto Shinobu.
"Ah!" And the pair landed at the feet of Haruka Urashima, who surveyed the scene with impassive eyes, cigarette dangling out of the corner of her mouth.
"Hi, Aunt Haruka-" Keitaro started, but was cut off by one of Haruka's slippers smacking him in the head, with the usual demand of "Just call me Haruka."
"Hey, Su. Phone call," Haruka added, causing all eyes to land on the blonde, who leapt up and ran out of the kitchen, laughing as she did so.
"A phone call for Su?" Naru asked, getting up off the floor. "That's odd... do you know who it's from?"
"I think it was her sister- Amalla. Sounds like she's back in Hinata, although I couldn't tell if she was just stopping by to visit, or if she intended to take Su back to her country again."
"Amalla's back?" Was the collective cry that had risen from the five younger residents. It seemed that every time Amalla came to Hinata- twice now, far as they could remember- chaos soon ensued, either in the form of Kaolla and Amalla's "big brother" Lamba Lu, or Shiro, Amalla's pet alligator. And in both cases, those visits had involved Kaolla taking her adult form and more chaos ensuing- although on the last visit, that seemed to have been fixed up.
"How did she sound?" Keitaro asked, helping Kitsune up. "Did she seem urgent or anything?"
"No. Actually, she sounded pretty relaxed. So I'm inclined to believe that this time, her visit is strictly casual."
"Whew... that's a relief."
~*~*~*~*~
"Okay, big sister, I'll be sure to look out for him. Bye!" Kaolla put the phone back and flopped onto the couch, looking at the ceiling. "It's nice of her to come visit like this. I wish she'd come by to do just that more often..."
"Oh! Kaolla! Was that your sister?" Shinobu called, walking into the living room and taking a seat next to her friend. Kaolla looked at her and nodded.
"Mmm-hmm. She said she wanted to come by tomorrow and see me, and that she lost Shiro. And he might be wandering around Hinata right now."
"W-what?!"
"Oh, don't worry. I don't think he'll be coming here any time soon. If he does, well... he doesn't bite too much!" Kaolla laughed after saying this, in a manner that suggested maybe Shiro DID bite that much and Kaolla just didn't realize it.
"A...are you sure?" Shinobu squeaked, holding her fists balled up in front of her mouth, eyes wide.
"No, not really."
"How can you be so calm about it?!"
"About what, girls? Oh, and what did Amalla say?" It was Haruka, who was leaning against the doorframe to the living room.
"Oh, Shiro's somewhere wandering around Hinata, and my big sister wanted to come by tomorrow to visit me without meaning to take me back or anything."
"Ah. I figured as much." Haruka took her cigarette out of her mouth and eyed it as though it was a withered carrot or some other such vegetable. "So I guess we'll have to be on the lookout for a large white alligator for the time being?"
"I guess so..."
~*~*~*~*~
At that very moment, about a mile from the Hinata Apartments, Kentaro Sakata groaned as he found himself eye-to-eye with a large white alligator once more.
"Does this mean that that crazy woman is back in town?" He asked as Shiro growled and started to crawl towards him. "Oh, all RIGHT... Hey! Be careful! Those shoes cost a fortune!" Shiro didn't listen as he started to gnaw on the buckle, while Kentaro sighed in defeat. "All right, but shoes like this don't just grow on trees, you know- Oh? It's you again..."
Amalla Su grinned as she watched Shiro tug Kentaro's shoes off and munch on them. "THERE you are. Do you have any idea how worried I've been? Now come on. We need to go back to Mutsumi's apartment. It's getting late."
Kentaro closed his eyes, smiled in a suave manner, and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, if you insist- although I don't really know you that well- YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Shiro had taken Kentaro's left foot into his mouth and was now gnawing on it.
"I meant Shiro, you idiot!"
"Of course- OW!" Kentaro sat down, rubbed his foot, and winced as he watched Amalla walk away, the alligator leaping along behind her and chomping on Kentaro's shoes. "What a psycho..."
"Hey! I heard that, little man!" A ragged, drool-covered shoe clonked him in the forehead. "Jerk!"
~*~*~*~*~
"Hey, guys, I'm goin' to bed now. Goodni- WHOAAAH!" Kitsune let out a quick yelp as her foot came down on top of a roller-slate, causing it to roll forward and push her back. As she landed hard on her butt, she noticed the skate sprout tiny wings with jet intakes under them, and blinked as it roared away. Then she sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "That girl... how many times have we had to tell her not to leave her inventions laying around? Su!" She called. "Su, get down here right now and pick up your skate...rocket-thing!" A minute or two passed. "Su? Honey, you okay up there?"
Kitsune stood up and began to ascend the stairs. "Huh... I wonder why she's not answerin' me. Usually no matter where she is in the place, she comes running in a matter of seconds if someone calls. Unless..." She shuddered at the next thought, which was punctuated by the faint music of someone plucking a mandolin. Her eyes- normally closed so that they were nearly invisible- widened as far as they could. "Oh no! Don't tell me that girl's grown up again!" As she headed for the stairs to the roof, the door to Naru's room opened, and the sleepy, auburn-haired girl peeked out.
"Kitsune, what's the matter with you? Some of us are trying to-"
"No time to talk, Naru," Kitsune said as she rushed past, grabbing Naru's arm and dragging her along. "I think Su's transformed again!"
"What?! But I don't-" The sound of the mandolin grew louder as she followed her best friend up the stairs. "Wait, the moon didn't look red when I saw it earlier!"
"Well, last time it was in broad daylight and that big brother of hers was here, so-"
"Wait, you mean Lamba? But I didn't hear Haruka or Su mention him-" Both girls stopped as they reached the roof and saw a sight that was a bit unusual- it was Kaolla, indeed, plucking at her mandolin, but as her fourteen-year-old self- not the adult Kaolla who seemed to have been the only one who had the madolin. Her expression was unusually melancholy, and she stopped playing for a second or two to absently stroke Tama, who was perched on her shoulder.
And, upon looking at the moon, Naru and Kitsune noticed it was the pale yellow-orange of autumn, just as it usually was.
Naru spoke first. "Uh... Su? Are you all right?"
Those words seemed to snap Kaolla out of her odd state. She turned to them, waving and grinning. "Hey, Naru and Kitsune! What are you doing up here on the roof?"
"We were about to ask you the same question," Kitsune told her. "Hey, where'd you get the mandolin? I thought only your adult form had it."
Kaolla looked at the instrument she was holding, as if it had just blown up in her hands. "Actually, I don't know. I thought that when I left my country, I left this behind too..." Then she shrugged. "Guess not! Oh-" She noticed Tama just then. "Now I've got you!" And in seconds, the hot springs turtle was tied up and being lowered- by way of fishing pole- into a pot of boiling water that Kaolla had acquired from nowhere in particular.
"Su, don't!" Ceied the other two girls. Naru ran forward and snatched the fishing pole out of the foreign girl's hands. "Honestly... so, Su, what ARE you doing up here on the roof?"
Kaolla frowned, and shrugged. "Actually, I don't know. One minute I was going to the kitchen for some bananas, and then the next thing I know, you and Kitsune were here, and so was I, and I was playing the mandolin."
"Hmm... that sounds very familiar..." Naru shook her head. "In any case, are you going to come inside soon and go to bed? It's getting late, you know."
"Don't worry! Actually, I'm kind of tired, so I think I'll go right now." Naru and Kitsune watched as Kaolla slid down off the other side of the roof, followed by the ever-present Tama. After a few seconds of silence, they assumed she was now in her room and sleeping in one of the many tropical trees that grew in her room.
"Naru, did I go temporarily deaf or did I just hear Su say she was tired?" Kitsune asked, scratching her head.
"Hey, I guess even she can be tired sometimes. I think I'll get back to bed now too. Night."
"Night." As Naru left, an object sitting on the roof caught Kitsune's eye. She went over and picked it up. "Huh... Su forgot her mandolin..."
~*~*~*~*~
To be continued...
Author's Notes: (since the notes in the begining were getting too long anyway) Okay, first off... I'm terrible with finishing fics, but I hope to get this one done, at least. It's my first Love Hina fanfic, though, so go easy on me. Second, I have only seen the first 25 episodes and the Christmas special, and have never read the manga, so... yeah. Just to let you know in case I screw up info found in the manga, in the spring special, or in Love Hina Again.
Third- while I do own the DVD, I have only watched the dub, occasionally with subtitles on to see the difference in dialogue (I dunno why, but I have a hard time watching subs- although I actually find the dub voices to be well done. Yes, this even means Southern Floozy Country Girl Kitsune™) and thus the way some characters refer to others (i.e. Keitaro saying "Narusegawa," Shinobu calling Keitaro "Mr. Urashima," etc) will be different from what some of you are used to.
And fourth- I'm not exactly happy with Fanfiction.net at the moment, and while I abhor their policies (banning lemons was the last straw for me. I'll not rant here about it) the only way my work will be read and hopefully commented upon would be here, as at the forums I go to, VERY few people have read/seen/heard of Love Hina, so I suppose this will have to do for now (Plus, fandomination are second to Fanfiction.net in fanfic-Nazi-ism, and no other sites I know of have the sexy review system or oragnization this place does)
Kay, bye, and see you all in the next chapter. MAYBE...