Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Love Hina.

Pre-Read by: Zenapax

I Fell For You In San Francisco: Take Me Out To Pac Bell Park

After a late breakfast at the Seoul Garden in Japantown, Shinobu and Keitaro goes back to the hotel to get ready for the baseball game. While waiting for her to finish getting dressed, he goes on the internet to get the weather report for San Francisco. He decides to bring his coat after converting 57 degrees Fahrenheit, finding out it's 13.8 degrees Celsius. He picks up the tickets and stares at them. He's not a baseball fan and knows little about it. He can't help wonder why Shinobu would want to go? He knows she's a softball player, but still. She doesn't act like a fan. Plus, when did she go to a game before? Putting the tickets in his coat, the bedroom door opens.

"How do I look?" She ask, wearing a white sleeveless shirt, black skirt that goes down to her knee, tradition pigtails and her school's softball cap.

"You look great, but you might want to take your coat. It's 13.8 degrees out there."

"But I hear it'll got hot later." He knows by now that San Francisco weather is weird, so he doesn't argue with her. Handing her a ticket, they leave the hotel room and go out front where the cabbie just arrives. Once they're in the taxi, they go to Lombard Street, where they see the most crooked street in the world. They were surprised to see that cars driving there. After a few pictures, they leave for the stadium.

They reach the corner of 3rd and Willie Mays Plaza where the cabbie drops them off. "OK. Here's your stop. I don't know if I'll pick you guys back up after the game, so be prepare to take Muni. "They wave goodbye to the cabbie and turn around to see a statue of a baseball player. Taking a look, they see it's a statue of Willie Mays. After taking some pictures of it, they goes inside the stadium.

Going up a ramp, they enter a hallway where they're a lot of food vendors. Among them are Budweiser, Doggie Diner, Ben and Jerry's, Tully Coffee, Krispy Kreme, popcorn stand, clam chowder stand, lemonade stand and even a Carl's Jr. They are even a few Giant's Clubhouse stores, but they just pass by them. And since they already ate before coming, they try to find their seats. Unfortunately, they don't know how to read the ticket seating. It's takes them until a few minutes before the start of the game to find their seats, which are located in the premium lower box in section 105. They are amazed with the view they have, being in the first row next to the field.

"Will you look at this?" Keitaro says as they both sit down.

"I know. This is a great view of the field." Shinobu tells him. "I feel sorry that the cab driver can't be here. They were his tickets after all."

"Yeah, but the sun is hitting us." Shinobu notices it too and gets some sun block out of her purse.

"Need this?" She hands it to him and they both put some on. They stand up for the National Anthem when it comes on. They heard the beat to it before when they watched the Olympics, but they never heard the words . Once it was over, everyone sits downs and waits for the game for start. As the announcer reads to starting lineups, Shinobu hears a familiar Japanese name. She quickly takes her camera out of her bag.

"What are you doing?" Keitaro ask.

"Kazuhisa Ishii is pitching!" She looks around and is surprised to see him pitching in front of them. She takes out her camera and start taking pictures of him.

"Is he you favorite player?" She take another picture before looking at him.

"Oh no. But it's Hideki's. He was heartbroken when he left to play in America. He wouldn't forgive me if I didn't take his picture while I was around."

The first few innings go by quickly as both pitchers dominate the opposing hitters. By the top of the 4th inning, neither team has scored and both of them are getting a little restless. Deciding to walk around the stadium, they leave their seats and go behind the outfield. Somewhere around the right-centerfield area they see a penny press machine. The get one each with a design of a baseball with the words 'Old Navy Splash Landing' around it before proceeding.

Behind the large scoreboard in centerfield, there are more food stands like the one in the hallways. Passing those by, there is a small line where they see a little boy throwing at a inflatable cage. They ask a near by usher what is going on.

"This is the Pitcher's Challenge," The usher tells them. "For one dollar, you throw three pitches as hard as you can and you'll get to see how fast it was." They both look at each other.

"This seems like fun," Keitaro says.

"It sure looks like it," Shinobu tells him, watching a big man throw. They agree to play and try to pay the usher, but tells them to pay him when it's their turn to throw. They wait in line for a few minute before it's their turn to throw. Keitaro goes first, on her request. The first two throws are 48 M.P.H. and the last is 50 M.P.H. "Those are good pitches Sempai," She says, picking up a ball. She goes into her wind up and is about to throw the ball when she suddenly stops. "UHH...can I throw the ball any way I want?" The usher looks at her funny.

"As long as you hit the target, you can throw is any way you want." With the smile, Shinobu takes a deep breathe and throws, but under hand like a fast pitch softball pitcher. Everyone around her is stunned when the radar reads 57 M.P.H.

'Whoa! Shinobu threw faster then me.' Keitaro thinks. 'Well, she does have training.' She throws again and goes 64 M.P.H. Everyone around is amaze that she can throw that fast as some are chanting "GO! GO! GO!" The last pitch she throws is 69 M.P.H.

"Can I get you name and age miss?" The usher ask her.

"What for?"

"You threw the fastest pitch for females in any age group." He points to the wall that reads 'speed records for the day'. "Now that I look at it, you beat all the males too. I'll just put your name and the 69 you threw in that age group."

"Oh. It's Shinobu Maehara, age 16." The usher ask how to her name before putting it on. He hands her a baseball card of J.T. Snow for being on the list. She puts it in her purse before they leave.

A hundred feet away, they see a large coke bottle with people around. Wondering what's going on, they climb the stair and see people either watching the game at a higher level or in a line of some sort. They look carefully at the coke bottle and see a slide. They immediately know the line is for that and get in it. It takes ten minutes before they climb a ladder and get on the slide. They're surprise to see there are two slides once they the top.

"So, are you going to race?" A different usher ask. They both look at each other, giving off a funny grin.

"Sure."

"Why not?" They both get on a slide and look at each other.

"One..." Keitaro says.

"Two..." Shinobu replies.

"THREE!" They both take off and fly down the slide. It takes a few second for reaching the bottom.

"I win!" Keitaro says with arm in the air for the victory.

"No way slow poke. I won!" Shinobu tells him.

"It's true sir," Another usher says. "She clearly won." With his head down, he walks away with her behind him.

"I beat you! I beat you!"

"Yeah. Yeah." Shinobu knows that he seems distress with her winning.

"You're mad at me, aren't you?" He stops, sweating profusely.

"What makes you think that?"

"Your tone. Are you mad that you lost?"

"No. No. I'm sorry that I made you think that. It's just, I slept late and I need caffeine in my system since the coffee I drank was decaf." He notices a soda machine. "You go on ahead, I'm going to grab a coke." She gives a hand wave before leaving him.

The trip back to her seat is a little different with more people blocking the walkway in right-centerfield. She slowly makes her move when there is an opening to walk in. Halfway down the walkway, she hears a loud crack of the bat. People behind her start to run past her, knocking down the people ahead of her.

"I got it!" She hears one person scream.

"No way! I'm grabbing it!" Another person says. Shinobu just watches the people fighting for a certain spot in the walkway, blocking any way for her to pass them. She then feels a strong wind coming towards her.

"The wind shifted the ball!" She looks up and sees why the people are causing chaos in the walkway as a speeding ball comes flying at her. Too late to move out of the way, she covers her face with her arms, waiting for impact. She feels someone tugging her shirt, then cheers. Slowly, she puts her arms down and sees someone on the ground.

"Damn! Did you see that?"

"Yeah! He caught Bonds' 661st homerun ball!" She feels grateful that the man caught the ball. Before she can move to help him up, the man rolls over and they see each other, face to face.

"Sempai?!" She runs up to him. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah. I saw the ball coming at you, so...huh?" Trying to stand up, he notices something in his other hand, looking a bit scare. Shinobu looks at it and see a torn white shirt. Feeling a cold wind, she holds herself to keep warm, but something doesn't feel right. She looks down at herself and realizes that her shirt is gone, exposing her bra. She blushes harder then ever, noticing that people are staring at her.

"MOMMY! MOMMY! WHAT ARE THOSE?!" Seeing a little boy says that, pointing at her.

"BOBBY!" She sees a man bend down and cover the boy's eyes as a woman starts beating him with her purse.

"THAT'S IT SHERMAN! NEXT TIME, WE ARE HIRING A BABYSITTING. DAMMIT! EVERY TIME WE GO OUT AS A FAMILY, THERE IS ALWAYS A HALF NAKED GIRL SOMEWHERE!" Once the family walks away from her, she feels something on her. Turning her head, she sees Keitaro behind her.

"Show's over everyone! Nothing left to see." People around being to sigh, going back to the ball game. "Shinobu, are you all right?"

"Hmmm...a little," She says, still feeling embarrass. "What happened?"

"I was walking back to our seats when I saw you standing alone. When you covered yourself, I saw the ball coming at you and ran through the crowd to grab it before it hit you." She turns to hug him.

"You saved me, Sempai! Thank you."

"Well, I caused you to show your...huh..."

"It's OK. Better that then getting hit by the ball."

"But you don't have a shirt. And from the scoreboard there *pointing at scoreboard* it's 70 degrees Fahrenheit, just above 21 degrees." She looks a little disappointed.

'Why is he talking like this?' She thinks. 'Doesn't he like my body?' She begins to blush again.

"Want me to buy you a shirt? I don't want you getting hot in my coat." She happily nods, both walking to the small Giants Clubhouse Store. Looking around, she sees pins, mini bats, large plastic bats, magazines and other souvenirs before looking at shirt. She sees one she likes, but is expensive."

"Are you sure?"

"After I ripped yours off, it's the least I can do."

"Then...I want that one." Pointing to a baseball jersey. Keitaro looks at the price, seeing it's 150 dollars.

"This one?" The salesman asks. Keitaro turns to Shinobu, who is nodding.

"Yes sir, but why is it that much?"

"It's an authentic jersey of Barry Bonds." He doesn't understand, but buys it anyway. Once they have it, they walk in front of the girl's bathroom.

"Go in and put it on. I'll be waiting for you out there." She takes the bag into the bathroom and gets change. After a minute, she comes out wearing the jersey.

"How do I look?"

"Different."

"Different? Is that bad?"

"No. But I never seen someone wearing a baseball jersey and a skirt." She looks down at herself.

"Oh." She lets out a giggle.

"Don't be." They walk back to their seats and watch more of the game. It gets a little exciting as the Giants' pitcher is pitching a no-hitter while the Giants' hitters are putting more runs on the broad. At the end of the sixth inning, they get up for some food and to go Gilroy Garlic Fries. They both order Philly cheesesteaks while sharing garlic fries and a large Sprite.

After finishing their food, they continue to watch the game. Keitaro sees that Shinobu is enjoying herself, but still can't figure out why she wanted to come here. Or why she wanted a jersey.

"Isn't this fun Sempai."

"Sure. It's my first time going to one of these." He realizes that this is the perfect opportunity to have his question answer. "Shinobu, when was the last time you went to a baseball game?"

"I was six years old when my parents took me."

"Oh. So your parents are baseball fans?"

"Yeah. My mom like the Yakult Swallows and my dad likes the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes. He played for both teams."

"Wait? Your dad played baseball?" Shinobu is a little surprise and angry that she slipped up. She turns to him, looking very curious.

"Yes. Yes he did."

"WOW! I didn't know that your dad played baseball. Was he was any good? How come he retired?" Shinobu hesitates to tell him because the end of his career is too painful. But when she looks at Keitaro, she knows that he'll comfort her.

"Want me to tell you about his career?" He nods. "OK. He was attending Osaka University, when a scout for the Yakult Swallows saw him play. They thought he was good enough to play, so they signed him after he graduated. He played his first year in 1978. He wasn't power hitter, but he did lead the league in runs scored and then Central League record of 83 stolen bases. Not only did he get the Central League Rookie of the Year Award, but also helped the Swallows win the championship series. But he tells me the best part of playing for them was when his teammate, Tsutomu Wakamatsu introduce him to my mom."

"So, that's how they met?" Shinobu nodded.

"They were dating in the middle of the season and continue to, even when he got traded."

"They traded him? Why?"

"From what my dad told me, the team wanted to keep Wakamatsu after he won MVP. In order for that, they got rid of a lot of players for payroll. The only reason my dad got traded was he came in a package with another player.

"How did he feel about that?"

"He was fine with it because he got traded to the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes. And the fact that my mom decide to be with him made it better. They lived together in Osaka while he played. His batting average and runs scored got better, but couldn't win the championship series against the Hiroshima Toyo Carp his two seasons there."

"Two seasons? What happened?"

"He was a free agent and the Yomiuri Giants signed him."

"He was signed by them?" He may not know baseball, but he did know that the Yomiuri Giants are the richest baseball team and can sign any great player.

"He played first base and some had to replace Sadaharu Oh when he retired." Keitaro is now impressed. Whether you were a baseball fan or not in Japan, everyone knew Sadaharu Oh.

"Oh my gosh! Your dad replaced Sadaharu Oh?! Did he live up to expectation?"

"Not his, but they needed him to be on base and score those runs. He led the league in stolen bases with 102, leading them to the championship his first year as a Giant."

"Your dad must have been in the championship series his whole career."

"Not really, he missed out the next season in 1982, even those his homerun and R.B.I. numbers were increasing. They came back in 1983, but lost to the Seibu Lions. That would be his last championship series."

"Last? How come?" Shinobu begins to cry. Keitaro notices this and puts his arms around her. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No. No. I will. It's just sad every time I think about it." She digs into his shirt, wiping away the tears. "During a pre-season game against the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, pitcher Manabu Kitabeppu beaned my dad in the face." He is stun to hear this.

"Was he OK?"

"He was, but he's blind in his right eye. Because he bats left, he couldn't see the ball very well. He couldn't field the ball like he used to. He had no choice but to retire." Shinobu begins to cry again and Keitaro puts both arms around her for comfort. He understands that her dad's dream was taken away from him by someone else and if he could play some more, she would get a chance to see him play.

"It's OK. Just let it all." He notices that people around them are staring. Giving them a evil glance, they look away and back to the game.

"Thank you Sempai." She gives a tight hug before pulling back, wiping her tears. "Anyway, my dad got his own day from the Giants because they felt sorry that he retire early. That was when I went to my first and only game until now. Everyone in the stands where cheering and praising him. It was a great experience to witness."

"Is that why you have play softball? Play first base? Bat left?"

"Yes. He taught me how to play like my mom taught me how to cook. I got this jersey because he also wore number 25 for all the teams he played for."

"What happened to all the money?"

"He was always signing for less then he was worth because he was only a speedster. The most he ever made was 42,052,500 yen with the Giants and that was good enough for them to start their own business and save most for college once I was born."

They continue to watch the game, but she's emotionally drained from telling the story that she falls a sleep. She dreams of what her dad must have done in his career. The celebration when he won two championships, running hard to steal every base, trotting around the bases after rare homerun shots. Then she remembers him teaching her about baseball. They would be together whenever he has a day off, either playing catch, learning to hit or fielding the ball. She has lots of fun doing those things. Just before lunch started, he would end it by hugging her and saying "I'm proud of you."

The image of those remembers put a smile on her face, when she is woken up with a tingling feeling on her lips. She slowly opens her eyes and is surprise to see Keitaro. His eyes are close, so his doesn't know that she saw him. 'This can't be happening?!' She thinks. 'I must be dreaming.' She closes her eyes, but still feels his lips pressing against her. She opens her eyes again and the same image appears. 'This is no dream! He's really kissing me! But...why?' She feels him about to pull back, so she quickly closes her eyes again. To make believe she doesn't know anything, she opens eyes a minute later.

They watch the rest of the game, with the Giants winning with the score of 11-0 with a perfect game from the Giants' pitcher, Kirk Rueter. After the game, they exit the stadium and wait for a cab instead of taking muni. It takes twenty-five minute before one picks them up. Once they're back in the hotel, they pack most of their things for tomorrow's flight home. Once they do, Shinobu goes to the balcony, wondering why Keitaro kissed her.

Note: All the players and teams (American & Japanese) are real. By the way, Mitsuo Sumi won the Central League Rookie of the Year Award in 1978.

Warning: Please don't use this story as a guide to San Francisco. I don't want to be responsible for you getting lost!

GOOD OR BAD, PLEASE REVIEW =)