Love Hina

Life as a Student

By: Belldandy'sKeiichi

Note: [any text in here is a thought text]

Note: {time will be mentioned in this bracket}

Author's Time: Just finishing up Love Hina vol. 11...

Disclaimer: You know the drill, I own Love Hina...

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~Review~

Keitaro Urashima made a promise to a little girl a long time ago at the Hinata House. The promise was that they will go to Tokyo U together. Keitaro studied, aimed, and took the exam for Tokyo U three times and failed all of them. While studying, he meets up with Naru, his study partner also aiming for Tokyo U, and Mutsumi, who has a memory about the promise that Keitaro made. Now, Keitaro and the gang finally got into Tokyo U. Thinking that his luck has finally change, disaster struck and he broke his leg, making him miss the whole school year. With no class credits, he couldn't move on with Naru and Mutsumi. In the finally attempt to reach happiness, Keitaro takes the placement exam for incoming sophomores and actually passes.

The first day class has started and Keitaro wanted to make a good first impression. In fact, his first impression was so good that everyone thought (mostly the girls) that he was a smart, handsome, incoming student that was applying. Unfortunately this bothered Naru, thinking that Keitaro's just messing around with them.

A couple of days have passed and in the whole sophomore class, Naru and Keitaro are the top students. They started to compete with each other, trying to get a better grade while trying to hide that they actually study and live together. This all comes crashing down when Ari, Naru's best friend, goes over to the Hinata House to study with Keitaro.

After finding out about Keitaro and Naru, Ari learned all about them, where they met, their personalities, what they are like, and along the topic, who they like...sorta. Now, it seems that Ari is part of the trio and it seems that there is something in Ari's mind that she can't shake out.

Now the story continues...

Chapter 4: Helping out a friend

{9:15 am}

"Whoa...check it out...its Ms. Narusegawa..." a guy said to his friends at Naru walked by them.

"Man, isn't she cute..."

"Yeah I know...you think she'll go out with me?"

"Yeah right..."

"Look! It's Keitaro!" A girl said to her friends as Keitaro walked by them.

"Ahh...he's sooo dreamy..."

"He's sooo smart..."

They were walking until they met each other in front of the library. They smiled at each other and walked in together. As the door closed, everyone had a sweat drop on their heads.

"Man...by the looks of things, I bet those two are going out..." a guy said.

"What a bummer..."

Keitaro and Naru looked back at each other and dropped to the floor.

"So, is it really that hard to keep an impression?" Ari asked, carrying a library book.

"Ari...you don't know how hard it is..." Naru told her. "Everyday, you have to be sweet, caring and helpful..."

"To bad you're not always like that..." Keitaro criticized.

"No one asked you...So Ari, what are you doing here?" Naru asked.

"Um...well, I..." Ari stuttered while looking at Naru in the face. Naru raised an eye brow. "Um...sorry! I'll be right back!" She said, running off.

Keitaro turned to her. "What did you do to her Naru?"

"I did nothing!" Naru yelled at him. [But I wonder what's wrong...]

Ari ran behind the farthest book shelf, far away from Keitaro and Naru.

[Gah...what am I doing? Everyday it's been like this... every time I see Naru...]

~Flash Back~

"Well...I really don't want that to happen...now that you mentioned it...I guess...I..." Naru started.

"I guess that I really do care for him...a lot, but I can't tell him, I don't know what his reaction might be..."

~End Flash Back~

[God, every time I see her with Keitaro, I just want to grab her and make her confess to him! Let him know! At lease he should know!] Ari battled with herself.

"Something the matter?"

Ari jumped and looked behind her, reveling Naru.

"N-Naru! Er...HI!"

"Ari, lately, I've been noticing that you've been avoiding me...is there something wrong? You know you can always talk to me with anything."

"Naru...can we talk...outside..." Ari asked.

"Sure...let's go." Naru said, walked towards the exit. "Hey Keitaro...you wait here..." she told him.

**

"Alright...spill it" Naru said to her.

"Ok...errrr why don't you confess to Keitaro!" Ari shouted. "You love him don't you! You care for him! The lease you can do is tell him that you care!" Ari continued. Naru was panicking, looking around to see if anyone else was listening. "When someone loves another, they should tell that person! Even if the response is rejection, they have the right to know!"

"ARI! Ari! Calm down! People can hear you!" Naru said, calming her down.

"Ok...ok...sorry, I got carried away..."

"So what brought this up all of a sudden?" Naru asked.

"Well, what you said, back at the park...I knew you were telling the truth, and on the look on Keitaro's face, he doesn't have a clue about this. And besides, you two look cute together!" Ari said.

"Please, me and that pond creature...you've got to be joking!" Naru said, denying.

[O no...she's not admitting...looks like I have to play my 2 of hearts now...(heh, for all you 13 card players out there...)] "Oh? Tell me then Naru...do you sometimes dream about him?" This caught Naru off guard. "You, in Keitaro's warm embrace, drinking hot chocolate while sitting out on an open fire. Keitaro, whispering sweet nothings in your ear. Keitaro, telling you that he loves you, keeping anything that harms your away, reliving all strees...(heh, not the first time I used this...)"

"Quit it! Quit it now!" Naru cried, begging her to stop. Images were forming on her head of all this things that she said.

"...In hot summers he offers you a cold drink, and cold winters he offers you his sweater... making sure all your desires are satisfied."

"STOP IT! YES! YES! Ok! I do want those things! I admit it!" Naru cried.

[Yes, I broke her open...] Ari said to herself.

"But...what if that's not what Keitaro wants...sure he has confessed his love for me, but that was a long time ago back in spring...but still. I don't know what he is thinking about. I'm not sure if he still feels the same way he did back then. I just don't know..." Naru said, looking away from Ari.

"Then I'll help you! I'll help you get him to revile his feeling for you again!" Ari proclaimed.

"Huh?! Wait, why don't we talk about this over rationally..." Naru said.

"To late for that! It's battle stations! Let's go!" Ari said, walking away.

"This won't end well for me..."

**

First attempt...

{12:45 am}

"Alright Naru...here's the plan..." Ari whispered to her while they walk.

"What plan?"

"Duh, to show if Keitaro has any feeling for you...now here." Air gave Naru a glass of lemonade with two straws in them. "I think you catch my drift, I told him you'll be waiting at the tables near the fountain, a perfect effect. Now go! Hurry!" Ari said, pushing her to the tables. Naru turned back and saw Ari holding up her thumb.

Naru slowly approached Keitaro.

"Hey Naru, what do you want?" Keitaro asked. "Hey, lemonande!"

"Oh...well..." Naru started, talking a seat in front of him. "I thought you might be thirsty..."

"Wow, thanks Naru...huh? Two straws?" Keitaro said in amazement.

"Um...yeah..." Naru fumbled. "Well...I thought....that..."

"Thanks Naru, now I can drink this down twice as fast!" He said, already drinking it. Naru fell over and so did Ari. Obviously, the first attempt failed. "Huh? Did I miss something?"

**

Second Attempt...

"Ok...that first one didn't work...but this is fool proof! Here! Take these pens and start walking!" Ari handing Naru forty pens and pencils and pushing off to Keitaro's direction.

Naru was stubbing, trying to regain balance when she accidentally hit Keitaro, making all the pens and pencils fall.

"Oh my God, I'm soo sorry Naru..." Keitaro said, picking them up.

"O no, it's my fault, I wasn't looking..." She said.

They were in a frenzy, trying to pick up everything when suddenly, both of their hands touched. Naru quickly withdrew her hand in embarrassment and looked at Keitaro's face, hoping to see the same reaction.

"Here's the last one! Sorry again Naru..." Keitaro said, smiling at her.

Naru just sat there looking into space.

"Wow, he's has one of the best poker faces in the world. No sign of embarrassment, no sign of love, nothing...this is going to harder than I thought..." Ari thought to herself.

**

Thrid attempt (and it ain't any better either...)

"Forget it Naru...just never mind..." Air told her. "It's hopeless, just...go..."

"Um...alright, sorry that everything didn't work out as planed. You know, I was also curious if he still loves me...I guess it's a thing in the past..." Naru said, walking away. "See you in class...Hey Keitaro!" She called, seeing him.

[That's right Naru...I'm sorry that I can't tell you about my next plan, I just need you to be yourself this time...] Ari thought to herself.

Keitaro and Naru were walking along when Keitaro saw a text book. "Check it out...someone drop a text book." Keitaro called, rushing towards it.

"Oh? Let me see..."Naru said, running towards him.

[Heh...perfect...] Ari sat in the bushes, with a clear wire in her hands.

As soon as Naru got close enough, Ari pulled tight on the wire, tripping Naru and making her land on top of Keitaro. Ari then tried to get up, but her foot was caught by the branches and roots. So there they were, on top of each other. Naru was looking at Keitaro straight on and vice versa. And if fact, they were both embarrassed. Slowly, their faces started to move closer and closer together until...

"Keitaro! Keitaro! Where are you man! We need an extra man for..." A guy called. In a hurry, they got off each other. Ari finally freed herself but was too late to see anything.

"Um...sorry about that Naru...well, see ya..." Keitaro said to her walking off.

"Sorry Naru...guess that plan was a total bust huh..." Ari said, walked towards her.

"Don't worry Ari...it wasn't a total bust..." Naru said, supporting her. [At lease I know...]

**

{3:00 pm}

"Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow..." Ari said, trying to carry all of her books.

"Hey! Why don't you come over later today, we'll have a study group going on." Naru invited her.

"Yeah, it'll be fun!" Keitaro said.

"Sure...why not, I'll be there around dinner time." Ari waved to them, leaving.

Keitaro was already walking and Ari started to walk, trying to balance out the books but she didn't notice that one of her notebooks fell.

"Ari! Wait! You dropped..." She called after her but she was out of ear shot.

Naru walked over to see what she dropped. She went over and picked it up...but read something that wasn't for her eyes to read.

End of Chapter4

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Naru has stumbled on something that is really dear to Ari and now that Naru knows her little secret, it's really hard for Naru to look at her face to face. Until next time...