The Reconstruction of Keitaro Urashima
Chapter 2: Exodus and Loss
Written by Crossover Maniac
Co-Authored by Andrew Joshua Talon
DISCLAIMER: Love Hina was created and is owned by Ken Akamatsu. I am not making any profit off this writing.
Also, this story is slightly AU in that Naru never failed to get into Tokyo U, and Mutsumi and Keitaro never went on a trip to Kyoto to try and sort their lives out. Until now...
*****
"Crawling in my skin
These wounds / they will not heal
Fear is how I fall
Confusing what is real
There s something inside me that pulls beneath the surface
Consuming / confusing
This lack of self control I fear is never ending
Controlling / I can t seem
To find myself again
My walls are closing in
[Without a sense of confidence / I m convinced
there's just too much pressure to take]
I ve felt this way before
So insecure
Discomfort, endlessly has pulled itself upon me
Distracting / reacting
Against my will I stand beside my own reflection
It s haunting how I can t seem
To find myself again
My walls are closing in
[Without a sense of confidence / I m convinced
there's just too much pressure to take]
I ve felt this way before
So insecure..."
- "Crawling" by Linkin Park
*******
Keitaro Urashima took a deep breath of the brisk morning air. He sighed as he shivered slightly; The twenty-two year old had been sitting at this bus stop since 5:00 AM. He checked his watch; The bus was at least half an hour overdue. Everyone else who had been waiting had decided to walk to work or school, leaving the unhurried young man by himself.
At last, the bus trudged up the hill and settled to a noisy stop in front of Keitaro. He climbed aboard the rickety vehicle, which looked like it had seen better days, and collapsed into one of the cold, hard plastic seats. He closed his eyes and tried to relax, feeling no need to look out the window at the town that haunted him.
Keitaro's mind, as if it hadn't had enough pleasure in torturing the five-year ronin, drifted lazily to the event that had led him to this seat with the hard, unforgiving surface.
The rage, the unspeakable agony of the truth of his past, had ripped through Keitaro's soul like shrapnel from a concussion grenade. He had, in the darkness of his room, begun stuffing clothes into an orange backpack he had left over from high school. Every cry, every growl he made was eerily audible to the tenants meandering around the kahirrin's room. Haruka stared at the door in a sort of shock, her cigarette on the floor, forgotten. The other girls were whispering amongst themselves in heated whispers, gesturing a great deal like base coaches in an ABL game. Haruka took a deep breath, and slowly parted the door to Keitaro's room.
"Get. Out." Came the snarl from within the dark room. Haruka got her wits together and shoved her shock aside. She took a step into the room.
"Beat it, damn it!" Something about Keitaro's tone, the ragged, helpless rage, made Haruka froze. Nevertheless...
"Keitaro, please. Tell me what's wrong," she said quietly. The dark figure of Keitaro recklessly emerging from the cheerless room backed Haruka out into the hallway. He had thrown on a jacket and gloves, his backpack slung over one shoulder. His breathing was labored, reeking of emotional exhaustion. His hands shoved a notecard into her hands.
"Contact info, for any legal problems," he rasped by way of explanation. Unceremoniously, he turned and began striding down the hall, a chain watch he had strapped to his pack jingling with each step.
Naru's shock had predictably given way to anger, and she called out in her condenscending tone she reserved exclusively for the ronin.
"What the Hell's wrong with you, baka?!" An angry bark of laughter caught her off guard, as Keitaro turned back with a tormented grin.
"Two years, where you haven't given a damn about me, and NOW you want to know what's wrong with me," Keitaro gasped out as he began laughing hysterically, leaning against the wall for support as tears ran down his cheeks. Only his nigh-psychotic laughter was heard in the stunned silence of the other Hinata tenants.
And he kept laughing, mirthless and biting, as he staggered down the hallway, and finally got out the door. Shinobu Maehara, initially frozen in shock, ran to the window of one of the empty rooms.
"Sempai! Where are you going?!" Keitaro was just crossing the stone-tiled yard, when he paused, and turned slowly to look at Shinobu. His cold, hate-filled face made the young girl gasp in fright.
"Bitch," he spat, just loud enough for her to hear it. He then turned on his heel and stalked down the steps. Shinobu began to cry out his name, pleadingly, but he took no notice of this. He ignored her, stepping out into the darkness...
**************************
"Ugh," Urashima grimaced as he opened his eyes. He wasn't going to get any peace within the world of dreams; He would have to contend with the living realm.
Keitaro looked out. He was nearing the bullet train station that was to be the starting point for his exodus. He pulled the stop cord, and the moment the lumbering bus came to a stop he was off and headed for the ticket booths.
"What's your cheapest one-way ticket?" The clerk in the ticket window looked over her papers for a moment.
"The Kyoto express, it'll be leaving in fifteen minutes," she stated, handing Keitaro a ticket. He paid the woman and headed off, double checking to make sure his wallet and ticket were secure in his jean pockets.
The bullet train was sleek, a long silver serpent that offered hope to the despondent Urashima. Keitaro made his way onboard, got to his seat without incident, and settled back into the velvet cushions. He sighed, his gaze wandering over to the window.
The bustling activity of the rail platform played out like a screensaver, endlessly recycling with people of every creed and situation. Lonesome teenagers, homely senior citizens, oblivious college students, stern parents, indifferent employees, and idiotic tourists passed by like fish in an aquarium. Keitaro patted his pockets, and found a stick of gum in his breast pocket. He popped it into his mouth, relishing the crisp, minty flavor it released over his tongue. He noted that the rest of the car was empty; He realized he was in the very last car, the cheapest seats. He shrugged mentally: More room for him.
"Oh my-!" Keitaro caught the image of a woman tripping in the aisle from the corner of his eye. He lunged out of his seat and stretched his arms.
"OOF!" Both Keitaro and the woman collapsed in a heap, Keitaro noticing that his hands were being pressed into the carpet by her breasts. He instinctively blushed.
"Oh God, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, are you alright?" Keitaro grabbed the woman by her shoulders and hefted her up. He turned her to face him.
She wasn't breathing. Her long, brown hair cascaded around her like a death shroud. Her green and tan dress seemed to darken in Keitaro's horror, becoming burial robes to his stunned mind.
"OH SHIT!!!" Keitaro quickly but carefully laid the woman on her back. He racked his brains for the CPR lessons he got from Aunt Haruka, pinched the woman's nose shut, tilted her head, and bent his head down to her lips.
Keitaro breathed into her mouth, and felt the air go into her lungs from the inflation of her chest. He lifted his head and knit his hands into a fist over her heart.
"One... Two... Three... Four... Five!" He growled, pumping her heart manually. He bent down again-And met the eyes of the woman. Two warm, brown pools stared into his, then shifted down to where his right hand was on her chest. Keitaro quickly pulled his hand away and took a deep breath.
"Um... Sorry. You kind of collapsed, and you weren't breathing, so I... um..." Keitaro sighed. The woman giggled.
"Ara ara, I see. I thankyou for your concern, but it's okay! I'm an anemic, and so I'm prone to minor fainting spells." Keitaro jerked slightly and stared at the woman in amazement.
"You call not breathing minor?!" The woman sighed, and averted her eyes.
"I'm sorry. I've probably caused you enough trouble," the woman lamented in a calm, understanding way. Keitaro stood up and extended his hand, which she accepted, and pulled her up to her feet. She brushed her long dress off, and smiled sadly.
"I'll just head to my seat, okay?" Keitaro, feeling concerned over this woman's carefree attitude over her precarious health, cleared his throat.
"Um, I'd be willing to walk you to your seat," he offered. She smiled at him, full of such warmth and happiness Keitaro felt like staring into her face. It was profoundly uplifting, like a sunrise in a hot spring. The woman looked at her ticket as Keitaro smiled good naturedly.
"So, where's your seat?" The woman looked about her, then smiled as she pointed to the seat paired with Keitaro's.
"Right here!" Keitaro fell over animishly.
"Oh my, sorry" she said, slightly embarrassed. Keitaro stood up, rubbing his head.
"No trouble. I could use someone to talk to, after..." Keitaro sighed heavily, collapsing in his seat. He was just realizing how tired he really was. The rage, the despair... It had torn through him like a missile barrage. The woman sat down next to him, and put her hand reassuringly over his. Keitaro started, and stared at her caring expression.
"Tell me about it," she said, squeezing his hand with hers. Keitaro flushed despite his best efforts.
"Um..." She squeezed again, smiling encouragingly into his tired face.
"Tell me about it," she insisted. Keitaro chuckled slightly, looking up at the ceiling.
"It'd be helpful if I knew your name," Keitaro mused.
"Or visa-versa," she added, smiling happily,"I'm Mutsumi Otohime. And you?"
"Keitaro Urashima."
*******************************
"..." Shinobu Maehara stared out the window of the Hinata's kitchen, scrubbing a plate idily. It had long since been wiped of any lingering food particles, but Shinobu didn't really care about that.
["Narusegawa's right; You are a perverted idiot!"]
Shinobu's eyes were unfocused, dull. She continued as a robot malfunctioning might in her chore, and yet...
["Just where you do think you're going, baka?" ]
The haunting memories continued to crowd her mind, no matter where she went the guilt and anguish followed.
["ALRIGHT ALREADY! WE'LL TAKE THE BULB OUT OF YOUR ROOM!"]
"Sempai," she murmured. Shinobu let out a shuddered sob, holding the soapy plate to her bosom. It soaked the front of her dress, but this was ignored as multitudes upon multitudes invaded her thoughts.
'IT'S YOUR FAULT HE'S GONE! YOU'RE A BITCH TO HIM, JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHERS! HE TRUSTED YOU, AND YOU THREW THAT TRUST AWAY! YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN NARUSEGAWA!' Shinobu's head bowed, as tears began to escape from her eyes.
"It is my fault," she gasped, her self hatred overwhelming her. She slid to the ground, sobbing quietly.
"Why didn't I see it? Why?!" She sobbed to herself, breathing sporadically. Keitaro had been nothing but kind to her, since the first day he'd arrived, even, and she'd...
She'd turned into a chibi-Narusegawa. The agony wretched her heart like talons from a hawk as she continued to weep bitterly.
*******************************
Motoko missed a falling leaf she'd been targeting for her training today. She raised an eyebrow; That was the ninth one she'd missed today. The kendo girl walked away from the scattered leaves, and assumed a meditative stance on the patio deck.
"Why can I not focus?" She wondered aloud. Naturally, the answer popped into her mind, but she shrugged it off with her usually cold demeanor.
"Feh. That idiotic weakling?" Motoko attempted to console herself. She focused harder on meditation, attempting to drive away any and all emotion from her soul.
Once again, she failed. She growled in frustration.
"HIKEN...ZANKUSEN!!!" The blast of hyper-sonic air lashed out, blasting the tree she'd targeted into shards. She snarled in rage.
"HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!!"
A large crater was now present where the furious volley had struck. Motoko took deep breaths, but still did not feel releived.
"HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!!"
And another volley decimated the area to three times it's original size. Motoko leapt at a tree that had survived her onslaught and began slashing it. All technique, all discipline, all thought was lost as she struck the tree again and again and again. She had reduced it to the finest dust imaginable before she finally fell to one knee, exhausted. She panted, too tired to care if she was crying. She pulled her legs up into a fetal position, the silent tears running down her face and splashing across her uniform.
"I see," came a calm, quiet voice above her. Motoko turned her head to see Haruka standing over her, shaking her head while puffing on her cigarette.
"I...I just..." Haruka shook her head coldly, then walked away from Motoko. The kendo girl stared in disbelief before curling into an even tighter ball and started sobbing, audibly now.
*******************************
Narusegawa was silently reading an English booklet on the couch, while Kitsune Konno sat nearby with a sake bottle in hand. Naru looked up from her reading, observed her high school friend, and then turned back.
She did a take. Kitsune hadn't touched her bottle. It was still corked, even. And worse, Kitsune was idily staring at her toe without so much as a smirk.
Naru sighed, closing her book.
"Alright, what's wrong?" Kitsune turned an eye toward Naru, then just as quickly went back to her study of the human foot.
"Kitsune, what's with you?" Kitsune snorted.
"Yeah, I suppose it wouldn't bother you," she commented, pulling an old magazine from a pile on the table and flipping through it angrily. Naru blinked, then sighed in disgust.
"What? That baka pervert went on his own! I didn't-" At this, Kitsune's hand came out of nowhere and slapped Naru hard across the face. Narusegawa, in stunned pain, felt the burning red mark on her cheek as Kitsune stood up, glaring at the Tokyo U student.
"That 'baka pervert' worked his ass off for us for two years," Kitsune snarled,"and what did we do to him? We tortured him, Narusegawa, we HURT him." Kitsune dropped her sake bottle in Naru's lap.
"I'm disgusted in myself, and you. He LET me cheat him, he LET you beat him up, and he LET us harass him. And now he's gone. Figure it out yourself, hm?" And with that, Kitsune stalked up the stairs, leaving Narusegawa in a stunned silence.
*******************************
Suu stared at the sky, the twinkling stars seeming to dance before the young foreigner's eyes. She took this in, and then proceeded to ignore the majesty of the universe above her. A sigh.
"Oni-chan," she murmured, gazing out across the valley,"where are you?" The sky didn't reply, and the blonde sighed in a tired sort of way.
Suu was starting to wonder if she'd contributed to Keitaro's leaving. It was conceivable, and the thought of it filled Suu with dread. She loved Keitaro very much; He was basically her big brother in this strange land. The thought that she might have truly and profoundly hurt him...
The stars twinkled regardless as the foreigner cried out her fear into the night.
*******************************
(CoA/N:) Well, my new friend CrossoverManiac accepted my offer to help him continue this series, and thus here it is. I haven't done anything serious for a very long time, and thus I hope to expand my skills as a writer with this project.
Also, as I am a big fan of Keitaro, this story appealed to me because of the seldom-seen dark and tormented side of our hero. Here, he will have to find out who he truly is, and while I intend (and, I hope, CrossoverManiac intends) to have Mutsumi Otohime and others help him part of the way, ultimately he must find his own way in the Universe. I intend to serve as a "set-up" guy, throwing the elements of this story into the proverbial nuclear accelerator and giving CrossoverManiac the logistics he needs to determine the results of those mixes.
I must stress that this will NOT be a Keitaro/Narusegawa fic. Narusegawa seems to only have Keitaro around as something to kick around and boost her ego. You don't abuse the people you love, and Naru doesn't seem to love Keitaro with all the emotional, spiritual, and physical abuse she dishes out to our humble hero. However, I conceed that it is up to CrossoverManiac to determine if any romance will occur in this story. I'm a bit of a hopeless romantic though, so I'll just drop a few subtle hints, unless CM gives the go-ahead for some full-blown romance.
While I'm all gung-ho for Keitaro and Mutsumi getting together, if CM allows it and enough people want it, I'd be happy to push Keitaro or any other characters in a different direction for romance. Motoko is a prime subject, because she's not mean to Keitaro for her ego; She's mean to him out of the fear of what she might feel for him (ie love), something Keitaro can help her with. Motoko is willing to learn, whereas Naru is not. Shinobu also comes readily to mind, though instead of Kei trying to earn back her trust (Manga 1) she'll have to earn HIS trust.
I haven't put in Kanako Urashima, Keitaro's "Dark Angel" of a badass little adopted sister, simply because I didn't see a suitable entrance for her. That may change, but as I said, CM's the boss.
Finally, be assured that this is my longest note, and I will never write one so large as this again, now that everything I need to say is out.
Thus, please R&R, and continue reading.
Chapter 2: Exodus and Loss
Written by Crossover Maniac
Co-Authored by Andrew Joshua Talon
DISCLAIMER: Love Hina was created and is owned by Ken Akamatsu. I am not making any profit off this writing.
Also, this story is slightly AU in that Naru never failed to get into Tokyo U, and Mutsumi and Keitaro never went on a trip to Kyoto to try and sort their lives out. Until now...
*****
"Crawling in my skin
These wounds / they will not heal
Fear is how I fall
Confusing what is real
There s something inside me that pulls beneath the surface
Consuming / confusing
This lack of self control I fear is never ending
Controlling / I can t seem
To find myself again
My walls are closing in
[Without a sense of confidence / I m convinced
there's just too much pressure to take]
I ve felt this way before
So insecure
Discomfort, endlessly has pulled itself upon me
Distracting / reacting
Against my will I stand beside my own reflection
It s haunting how I can t seem
To find myself again
My walls are closing in
[Without a sense of confidence / I m convinced
there's just too much pressure to take]
I ve felt this way before
So insecure..."
- "Crawling" by Linkin Park
*******
Keitaro Urashima took a deep breath of the brisk morning air. He sighed as he shivered slightly; The twenty-two year old had been sitting at this bus stop since 5:00 AM. He checked his watch; The bus was at least half an hour overdue. Everyone else who had been waiting had decided to walk to work or school, leaving the unhurried young man by himself.
At last, the bus trudged up the hill and settled to a noisy stop in front of Keitaro. He climbed aboard the rickety vehicle, which looked like it had seen better days, and collapsed into one of the cold, hard plastic seats. He closed his eyes and tried to relax, feeling no need to look out the window at the town that haunted him.
Keitaro's mind, as if it hadn't had enough pleasure in torturing the five-year ronin, drifted lazily to the event that had led him to this seat with the hard, unforgiving surface.
The rage, the unspeakable agony of the truth of his past, had ripped through Keitaro's soul like shrapnel from a concussion grenade. He had, in the darkness of his room, begun stuffing clothes into an orange backpack he had left over from high school. Every cry, every growl he made was eerily audible to the tenants meandering around the kahirrin's room. Haruka stared at the door in a sort of shock, her cigarette on the floor, forgotten. The other girls were whispering amongst themselves in heated whispers, gesturing a great deal like base coaches in an ABL game. Haruka took a deep breath, and slowly parted the door to Keitaro's room.
"Get. Out." Came the snarl from within the dark room. Haruka got her wits together and shoved her shock aside. She took a step into the room.
"Beat it, damn it!" Something about Keitaro's tone, the ragged, helpless rage, made Haruka froze. Nevertheless...
"Keitaro, please. Tell me what's wrong," she said quietly. The dark figure of Keitaro recklessly emerging from the cheerless room backed Haruka out into the hallway. He had thrown on a jacket and gloves, his backpack slung over one shoulder. His breathing was labored, reeking of emotional exhaustion. His hands shoved a notecard into her hands.
"Contact info, for any legal problems," he rasped by way of explanation. Unceremoniously, he turned and began striding down the hall, a chain watch he had strapped to his pack jingling with each step.
Naru's shock had predictably given way to anger, and she called out in her condenscending tone she reserved exclusively for the ronin.
"What the Hell's wrong with you, baka?!" An angry bark of laughter caught her off guard, as Keitaro turned back with a tormented grin.
"Two years, where you haven't given a damn about me, and NOW you want to know what's wrong with me," Keitaro gasped out as he began laughing hysterically, leaning against the wall for support as tears ran down his cheeks. Only his nigh-psychotic laughter was heard in the stunned silence of the other Hinata tenants.
And he kept laughing, mirthless and biting, as he staggered down the hallway, and finally got out the door. Shinobu Maehara, initially frozen in shock, ran to the window of one of the empty rooms.
"Sempai! Where are you going?!" Keitaro was just crossing the stone-tiled yard, when he paused, and turned slowly to look at Shinobu. His cold, hate-filled face made the young girl gasp in fright.
"Bitch," he spat, just loud enough for her to hear it. He then turned on his heel and stalked down the steps. Shinobu began to cry out his name, pleadingly, but he took no notice of this. He ignored her, stepping out into the darkness...
**************************
"Ugh," Urashima grimaced as he opened his eyes. He wasn't going to get any peace within the world of dreams; He would have to contend with the living realm.
Keitaro looked out. He was nearing the bullet train station that was to be the starting point for his exodus. He pulled the stop cord, and the moment the lumbering bus came to a stop he was off and headed for the ticket booths.
"What's your cheapest one-way ticket?" The clerk in the ticket window looked over her papers for a moment.
"The Kyoto express, it'll be leaving in fifteen minutes," she stated, handing Keitaro a ticket. He paid the woman and headed off, double checking to make sure his wallet and ticket were secure in his jean pockets.
The bullet train was sleek, a long silver serpent that offered hope to the despondent Urashima. Keitaro made his way onboard, got to his seat without incident, and settled back into the velvet cushions. He sighed, his gaze wandering over to the window.
The bustling activity of the rail platform played out like a screensaver, endlessly recycling with people of every creed and situation. Lonesome teenagers, homely senior citizens, oblivious college students, stern parents, indifferent employees, and idiotic tourists passed by like fish in an aquarium. Keitaro patted his pockets, and found a stick of gum in his breast pocket. He popped it into his mouth, relishing the crisp, minty flavor it released over his tongue. He noted that the rest of the car was empty; He realized he was in the very last car, the cheapest seats. He shrugged mentally: More room for him.
"Oh my-!" Keitaro caught the image of a woman tripping in the aisle from the corner of his eye. He lunged out of his seat and stretched his arms.
"OOF!" Both Keitaro and the woman collapsed in a heap, Keitaro noticing that his hands were being pressed into the carpet by her breasts. He instinctively blushed.
"Oh God, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, are you alright?" Keitaro grabbed the woman by her shoulders and hefted her up. He turned her to face him.
She wasn't breathing. Her long, brown hair cascaded around her like a death shroud. Her green and tan dress seemed to darken in Keitaro's horror, becoming burial robes to his stunned mind.
"OH SHIT!!!" Keitaro quickly but carefully laid the woman on her back. He racked his brains for the CPR lessons he got from Aunt Haruka, pinched the woman's nose shut, tilted her head, and bent his head down to her lips.
Keitaro breathed into her mouth, and felt the air go into her lungs from the inflation of her chest. He lifted his head and knit his hands into a fist over her heart.
"One... Two... Three... Four... Five!" He growled, pumping her heart manually. He bent down again-And met the eyes of the woman. Two warm, brown pools stared into his, then shifted down to where his right hand was on her chest. Keitaro quickly pulled his hand away and took a deep breath.
"Um... Sorry. You kind of collapsed, and you weren't breathing, so I... um..." Keitaro sighed. The woman giggled.
"Ara ara, I see. I thankyou for your concern, but it's okay! I'm an anemic, and so I'm prone to minor fainting spells." Keitaro jerked slightly and stared at the woman in amazement.
"You call not breathing minor?!" The woman sighed, and averted her eyes.
"I'm sorry. I've probably caused you enough trouble," the woman lamented in a calm, understanding way. Keitaro stood up and extended his hand, which she accepted, and pulled her up to her feet. She brushed her long dress off, and smiled sadly.
"I'll just head to my seat, okay?" Keitaro, feeling concerned over this woman's carefree attitude over her precarious health, cleared his throat.
"Um, I'd be willing to walk you to your seat," he offered. She smiled at him, full of such warmth and happiness Keitaro felt like staring into her face. It was profoundly uplifting, like a sunrise in a hot spring. The woman looked at her ticket as Keitaro smiled good naturedly.
"So, where's your seat?" The woman looked about her, then smiled as she pointed to the seat paired with Keitaro's.
"Right here!" Keitaro fell over animishly.
"Oh my, sorry" she said, slightly embarrassed. Keitaro stood up, rubbing his head.
"No trouble. I could use someone to talk to, after..." Keitaro sighed heavily, collapsing in his seat. He was just realizing how tired he really was. The rage, the despair... It had torn through him like a missile barrage. The woman sat down next to him, and put her hand reassuringly over his. Keitaro started, and stared at her caring expression.
"Tell me about it," she said, squeezing his hand with hers. Keitaro flushed despite his best efforts.
"Um..." She squeezed again, smiling encouragingly into his tired face.
"Tell me about it," she insisted. Keitaro chuckled slightly, looking up at the ceiling.
"It'd be helpful if I knew your name," Keitaro mused.
"Or visa-versa," she added, smiling happily,"I'm Mutsumi Otohime. And you?"
"Keitaro Urashima."
*******************************
"..." Shinobu Maehara stared out the window of the Hinata's kitchen, scrubbing a plate idily. It had long since been wiped of any lingering food particles, but Shinobu didn't really care about that.
["Narusegawa's right; You are a perverted idiot!"]
Shinobu's eyes were unfocused, dull. She continued as a robot malfunctioning might in her chore, and yet...
["Just where you do think you're going, baka?" ]
The haunting memories continued to crowd her mind, no matter where she went the guilt and anguish followed.
["ALRIGHT ALREADY! WE'LL TAKE THE BULB OUT OF YOUR ROOM!"]
"Sempai," she murmured. Shinobu let out a shuddered sob, holding the soapy plate to her bosom. It soaked the front of her dress, but this was ignored as multitudes upon multitudes invaded her thoughts.
'IT'S YOUR FAULT HE'S GONE! YOU'RE A BITCH TO HIM, JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHERS! HE TRUSTED YOU, AND YOU THREW THAT TRUST AWAY! YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN NARUSEGAWA!' Shinobu's head bowed, as tears began to escape from her eyes.
"It is my fault," she gasped, her self hatred overwhelming her. She slid to the ground, sobbing quietly.
"Why didn't I see it? Why?!" She sobbed to herself, breathing sporadically. Keitaro had been nothing but kind to her, since the first day he'd arrived, even, and she'd...
She'd turned into a chibi-Narusegawa. The agony wretched her heart like talons from a hawk as she continued to weep bitterly.
*******************************
Motoko missed a falling leaf she'd been targeting for her training today. She raised an eyebrow; That was the ninth one she'd missed today. The kendo girl walked away from the scattered leaves, and assumed a meditative stance on the patio deck.
"Why can I not focus?" She wondered aloud. Naturally, the answer popped into her mind, but she shrugged it off with her usually cold demeanor.
"Feh. That idiotic weakling?" Motoko attempted to console herself. She focused harder on meditation, attempting to drive away any and all emotion from her soul.
Once again, she failed. She growled in frustration.
"HIKEN...ZANKUSEN!!!" The blast of hyper-sonic air lashed out, blasting the tree she'd targeted into shards. She snarled in rage.
"HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!!"
A large crater was now present where the furious volley had struck. Motoko took deep breaths, but still did not feel releived.
"HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!! HIKEN ZANKUSEN!!!"
And another volley decimated the area to three times it's original size. Motoko leapt at a tree that had survived her onslaught and began slashing it. All technique, all discipline, all thought was lost as she struck the tree again and again and again. She had reduced it to the finest dust imaginable before she finally fell to one knee, exhausted. She panted, too tired to care if she was crying. She pulled her legs up into a fetal position, the silent tears running down her face and splashing across her uniform.
"I see," came a calm, quiet voice above her. Motoko turned her head to see Haruka standing over her, shaking her head while puffing on her cigarette.
"I...I just..." Haruka shook her head coldly, then walked away from Motoko. The kendo girl stared in disbelief before curling into an even tighter ball and started sobbing, audibly now.
*******************************
Narusegawa was silently reading an English booklet on the couch, while Kitsune Konno sat nearby with a sake bottle in hand. Naru looked up from her reading, observed her high school friend, and then turned back.
She did a take. Kitsune hadn't touched her bottle. It was still corked, even. And worse, Kitsune was idily staring at her toe without so much as a smirk.
Naru sighed, closing her book.
"Alright, what's wrong?" Kitsune turned an eye toward Naru, then just as quickly went back to her study of the human foot.
"Kitsune, what's with you?" Kitsune snorted.
"Yeah, I suppose it wouldn't bother you," she commented, pulling an old magazine from a pile on the table and flipping through it angrily. Naru blinked, then sighed in disgust.
"What? That baka pervert went on his own! I didn't-" At this, Kitsune's hand came out of nowhere and slapped Naru hard across the face. Narusegawa, in stunned pain, felt the burning red mark on her cheek as Kitsune stood up, glaring at the Tokyo U student.
"That 'baka pervert' worked his ass off for us for two years," Kitsune snarled,"and what did we do to him? We tortured him, Narusegawa, we HURT him." Kitsune dropped her sake bottle in Naru's lap.
"I'm disgusted in myself, and you. He LET me cheat him, he LET you beat him up, and he LET us harass him. And now he's gone. Figure it out yourself, hm?" And with that, Kitsune stalked up the stairs, leaving Narusegawa in a stunned silence.
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Suu stared at the sky, the twinkling stars seeming to dance before the young foreigner's eyes. She took this in, and then proceeded to ignore the majesty of the universe above her. A sigh.
"Oni-chan," she murmured, gazing out across the valley,"where are you?" The sky didn't reply, and the blonde sighed in a tired sort of way.
Suu was starting to wonder if she'd contributed to Keitaro's leaving. It was conceivable, and the thought of it filled Suu with dread. She loved Keitaro very much; He was basically her big brother in this strange land. The thought that she might have truly and profoundly hurt him...
The stars twinkled regardless as the foreigner cried out her fear into the night.
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(CoA/N:) Well, my new friend CrossoverManiac accepted my offer to help him continue this series, and thus here it is. I haven't done anything serious for a very long time, and thus I hope to expand my skills as a writer with this project.
Also, as I am a big fan of Keitaro, this story appealed to me because of the seldom-seen dark and tormented side of our hero. Here, he will have to find out who he truly is, and while I intend (and, I hope, CrossoverManiac intends) to have Mutsumi Otohime and others help him part of the way, ultimately he must find his own way in the Universe. I intend to serve as a "set-up" guy, throwing the elements of this story into the proverbial nuclear accelerator and giving CrossoverManiac the logistics he needs to determine the results of those mixes.
I must stress that this will NOT be a Keitaro/Narusegawa fic. Narusegawa seems to only have Keitaro around as something to kick around and boost her ego. You don't abuse the people you love, and Naru doesn't seem to love Keitaro with all the emotional, spiritual, and physical abuse she dishes out to our humble hero. However, I conceed that it is up to CrossoverManiac to determine if any romance will occur in this story. I'm a bit of a hopeless romantic though, so I'll just drop a few subtle hints, unless CM gives the go-ahead for some full-blown romance.
While I'm all gung-ho for Keitaro and Mutsumi getting together, if CM allows it and enough people want it, I'd be happy to push Keitaro or any other characters in a different direction for romance. Motoko is a prime subject, because she's not mean to Keitaro for her ego; She's mean to him out of the fear of what she might feel for him (ie love), something Keitaro can help her with. Motoko is willing to learn, whereas Naru is not. Shinobu also comes readily to mind, though instead of Kei trying to earn back her trust (Manga 1) she'll have to earn HIS trust.
I haven't put in Kanako Urashima, Keitaro's "Dark Angel" of a badass little adopted sister, simply because I didn't see a suitable entrance for her. That may change, but as I said, CM's the boss.
Finally, be assured that this is my longest note, and I will never write one so large as this again, now that everything I need to say is out.
Thus, please R&R, and continue reading.