Love Hina: A Manlier Side
Chapter 7
Shinobu opened her drawer, her face a wide smile and her eyes like twinkling stars. She started rummaging through her tidy collection of clothes, trying to pick something out. 'Today's my date with Sempai! I'm so happy!' she thought as she swiped through dresses, skirts, blouses and whatnot. After a moment of uncertainty, she finally settled on a thin, black sweater and a grey thigh-high skirt, accompanied by black stockings. She looked at herself in the mirror and did a quick twirl. 'It feels good!!!' she smiled widely at the mirror and looked at her watch. 'Good timing,' she thought and walked out of her room.
Kitsune, outside loitering as usual, noticed Shinobu coming downstairs. At first, she gave it no thought, then realized her different attire and looked back at her. "Shinobu?" she called, surprised by the lack of the simple one-piece dress she usually wore.
She looked towards the sofa where the older woman stretched over. "Hai?" she asked, her smile never leaving her face.
Kitsune, stumped, simply stared. 'This girl is very happy today, and very dressed. What is going on?' While trying to form an answer, Naru walked in.
"Eh? Shinobu?" she asked, stumped as well. "What's the occasion?"
"I have a date today!" she beamed. If it was possible, the smile grew wider. This stunned Naru and Kitsune.
"D-d-d-date?" both mouthed, not believing their ears. Shinobu, not noticing their disbelief, nodded vigorously. "With who?"
Her smile subsided a bit but still stayed while her cheeks reddened slightly. "Urashima-sempai," she whispered, loud enough for them to hear. Two faces faulted upon hearing the name.
"Keitaro???" both yelled, disbelief now incredulity. The younger girl's face reddened a bit more as she shyly nodded. Both older girls were now rendered speechless, trying to process the information with their brains, which also did a face-fault. Kitsune's came back online first and she approached the younger resident and bent down to her height. She brought her face close to one of her ears.
"Remember, Keitaro is a guy. Even if he forces you, do not let him have it easily," she whispered, smirking the whole way. Shinobu simply looked down, extremely flushed. Naru picked up on what her friend said.
"Kitsune!!! Shinobu's only 13 years old! Keitaro has enough common sense to not do that on someone that young!!!" she yelled. She then approached Shinobu, grabbed her arm and gently tugged it. "Come on, you can't be late on your first date right?" she gently encouraged as the two of them left the Inn, leaving a smirking Kitsune.
Naru led the younger girl to the top of the stairs and gently pushed Shinobu forward. "You'll be all right. Keitaro was a great date," the older girl tried to sooth the blue-haired girl's nerves. She then noticed someone at the base of
the stairs and realized it was none other than Keitaro himself. "Come on! He's down there!" she said. Shinobu noticed too and started to run down the stairs. "Have fun!" Naru yelled at the rapidly shrinking girl.
Keitaro walked around a corner and saw a figure running down the stairs like a madman. The streak of blue that passed by him momentarily, then back, was enough to tell that it was his date for today. He gave the said girl a quick lookover and whistled. "You look nice today, Shinobu-chan," he complimented, to which Shinobu reacted by just blushing and looking down.
"Thank you, Sempai," she whispered lightly. She then looked up and noticed what Keitaro was wearing: alongsleeve white shirt, bottomed with a pair of blue jeans, very different from what he usually wore around the house. "You look good too," she complimented him back.
"Ah, this is nothing," he scoffed in good humor. Shinobu gave a smile as he placed a hand around her shoulder. "Come on, let's go have some fun," he said, to which the girl's smile grew even bigger.
From the top, Naru observed the interaction between the two. While she couldn't hear anything because of the substantial distance, she could tell by the body language that they were already starting to have fun. 'He may seem different, but...' she thought to herself. Suddenly, she felt a feeling of anger inside her and felt like running over. 'Ooooh...I should run over there and give both of them a nice punch! That'd feel so better!' she thought, then gasped. 'Wait...did I say I wanted to even punch Shinobu-chan?' She placed her feet on a step and sat on the ground, trying to think. 'What is with me? One minute I'm encouraging Shinobu on her first date and the next minute I hate her guts! Am I...jealous?' She sat there, contemplating her feelings, especially towards her kanririn and study buddy.
At that moment, Motoko walked up the stairs, having come back from a practice session at a different dojo that invited her to spar with the students. She noticed the almost statue-like Naru sitting, staring in front. If she didn't know any better, she would've sworn that Naru became the Thinking Man. Concerned, she approached the older woman.
"Naru-sempai," Motoko called out. Nothing was her reply. She then placed a hand on Naru's shoulder and slowly shook her. "Naru-sempai," she called out, this time a bit loudly. This woke up the brown-haired woman as she looked around, suddenly aware of her surroundings, and spotted Motoko.
"Oh, hi, Motoko-chan. How was practice?" she asked, noticing the bokken on one of her hands.
"It was fine as usual," she replied. Then her previous image of Naru came back. "Umm...are you all right?" she asked, with a hint of concern.
"Eh? Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Naru asked, confused.
"When I came up, I saw you in a position that resembled a statue. You were also unresponsive," the swordswoman replied.
"Oh. I was doing some thinking," Naru replied.
"Ah. Well, I had better get going. Some lunch would be nice about now," Motoko said as she walked towards the Inn.
"Shinobu's not in right now," Naru called out. Motoko stopped and faced her. "She's on a date with Keitaro."
"Oh really? That sounds nice," the black-haired girl said absent-mindedly. She continued her way back towards Hinata Inn. Kitsune observed everything from the courtyard and opened her mouth once the swordswoman was out of sight.
"Well, Naru, it looks like you've got some competition coming your way," she said. Naru turned to her friend with a confused look, to which the older girl just shook her head with a smile. "You like Keitaro and so does Motoko. How much more direct can I get?"
Naru immediately turned her face forward, a blush taking over her entire visage. "N-n-no! That's not it!"
Kitsune picked up on her teasing, "Of course it isn't! You just saw Shinobu walk away, comfortably close and snuggled in with Keitaro. THAT'S what's bothering you!"
The image of Shinobu with her arms clasped around Keitaro flashed in her mind and stayed there like a bright neon sign. Naru then suddenly got up and started running towards the Inn and her room while letting out a frustrated "ARGH!" As she got to the door, she turned around and faced her friend. "Mitsune! You're horrible!" she yelled and turned towards her room. The said woman just chuckled as Suu ran out of the building, only she had a smile as opposed to a frown
"Hey, what's with Naru? Does she want to play?" Suu asked expectantly.
The fox-lady didn't understand what the hyperactive girl was referring to, but she then remembered how fast Naru ran into the building. "I don't know. You should ask her yourself. She needs to put some things off her mind for a while," she finished with a smirk. Hearing this, the Hinata transfer student ran back. Kitsune then faced the steps leading down and let out a wistful sigh.
Motoko entered her room, closed her door and sat down, intending on doing some meditation. A good half-hour of silence permeated the room as Motoko retained a stern face, which suddenly fell into one of shock. "Did I agree to the date between Urashima and Shinobu??? Why is it that I can only think of that one cursed word???" she yelled out.
Naru burst into her room, slammed her door and immediately took out her diary. A good half-hour of silence permeated the room as Naru sat there, blankly looking at an empty page, save one word: "Date". She then got up in frustration. "Argh! Why can't I think of something else? Why does that date always come back to mind???" she yelled out.
"I need some fresh air," was heard from two places simultaneously as one girl picked up her bokken while the other picked up a light jacket and walked out.
"498! 499! 500!" Motoko yelled as she brought herself down, dropping her bokken, in fatigue, taking giant gulps of air. As her sore muscles unwound, she sat down, back towards the railing of the patio, looking up in deep thought. "Why did they go on a date? How could they? Shinobu is only some thirteen years old!"
Motoko paused for a moment. "I wonder...what does it feel like to go on a date?" When the words came out of her mouth, her eyes became the size of
saucers as a hand flew to her mouth. "Did I just say I wanted to go on a date?" she asked herself incredulously. Denying it, she gripped her bokken and went
back to practicing, with a determined look on her face.
Naru walked down the streets of Hinata in random directions, making a left or a right at any intersection. "Keitaro...Keitaro..." she repeated numerous times, almost in a charm. "Why do I always end up thinking about him? Do I have feelings for him?" No answer came. "Do I...then have feelings..." she trailed, not being able to answer the question. Then she made one more random turn and almost fell back in shock. "Speak of the devil..." she muttered as she saw a smiling Keitaro and Shinobu walking down the street. Fortunately for her, they didn't notice her presence some mere feet away as both of them walked arm-in-arm, engrossed in conversation. If Naru didn't know either of them better, she would've sworn that they were an actual couple. Naru quickly hid behind a pile of boxes stacked vertically and observed the couple walk by as they talked nonstop.
"So, how's school going for you?" Keitaro asked between bites of a hot dog he purchased.
"It's all right, Sempai. Ever since you've come and tutored me, my grades have improved very much. Thank you," she said, bowing slightly.
Keitaro chuckled. "It really isn't much, honestly. You worked hard and that's what counts," he humbled himself. "Do you have many friends at school?"
Shinobu's smile faded slightly, but still stayed. "I don't have many friends at school." At that point, her smile widened. "But all my friends are at Hinata Inn. I don't care if I don't have any at school because I can trust those at Hinata Inn."
"That's good to hear from you. Sigh, I remember how timid you were when we first met. Too bad I didn't really give a good impression," Keitaro mused loudly, looking up to the sky.
The young girl giggled slightly, remembering how he presented himself. "Yes, I don't think wearing nothing would be a good idea next time," she joked. Both shared a quick laugh. Keitaro then looked down from the sky and noticed a bench.
"Here, let's go sit there," he said, ushering the resident chef to the bench. Both sat down comfortably close to each other, Shinobu enjoying her proximity to her date. Unknown to both, Naru crept into a nearby bush. "Say, do you have any boyfriends at school? Or at least any guy friends?"
At the mention of "boyfriend", Shinobu immediately gazed on the grass beneath her feet, her face reddening by the second. "Boy...friend?"
"Come on, Shinobu-chan, I know there's a boy you like in your class, or a class or two above you. It's all normal at your age," Keitaro gently prodded. Little did he know he was hitting closer to home than he actually thought.
"Umm..." Shinobu nervously stammered. Keitaro looked at her expectantly.
"Is it someone older than you?" he asked, hoping that would jump-start the nervous wrack sitting next to him.
"Yes," she whispered softly.
"Ah. Does he go to your school?" he continued.
The blue-haired girl shook her head, suddenly having lost the ability to cover up her infatuation with the man next to her.
"Does he go to school?" he asked.
It took all her willpower not to lose composure and run off like a chicken that just lost its head. She shook her head yet again.
Keitaro laughed good-heartedly. "Ha ha ha, it can't be me now, can it?" Since he had his face up towards the sky again, he didn't see Shinobu's eyes widen, her face exhibit shock. "Who would like a sad third-year dropout like me anyways?" He heard some sniffing sounds from next to him and looked down to see Shinobu crying. "What's wrong?" he asked, suddenly concerned.
Shinobu sniffed a few times before throwing herself onto Keitaro."Sempai!" This took Keitaro and Naru both by surprise; both just froze there for a moment in their respective positions. The manager gained some senses and embraced the younger girl with one arm while petting her head with his other hand. Unknown to both, Naru sat there in the bushes, frozen and unresponsive, just staring at the scene ahead of her and taking in whatever she saw.
"Shinobu, what's wrong?" he asked in a soothing voice. In response, the blue-haired girl just cried into his chest, slowly wetting his shirt. Keitaro decided to let her cry whatever was troubling her out before asking her again. They stayed in this pose for the next five minutes, during which Naru just watched. During the time the couple hugged, emotions were tearing the brown-haired girl left and right. On one end of the spectrum, she wanted to disregard the circumstances and run to comfort the younger girl. Yet on the other end, she saw herself in place of the younger girl. She didn't even have enough time to accept or deny any of these emotions, for Shinobu had stopped crying.
"Sempai," she started. The said man looked down at her, making eye contact. Looking down into the blue eyes, Keitaro saw something that he never saw in them, or in her, for that matter: confidence. "I have a confession to make." Keitaro dumbly looked at her and simply motioned to her to continue. "I..." she stuttered before taking a deep breath.
'What is she going to say?' ran throughKeitaro's and Naru's minds as both held their breaths, though Naru had a better, or worse, idea. "Could it be?"
"I like you," the blue-haired girl whispered at first. Then she repeated herself, a bit forcefully, "I like you!" While Keitaro looked at her, still trying to make sense of what she said, the younger girl looked up at him, her eyes glazing with tears.
Inside her, those that represented her body, her mind and her soul were in turmoil, playing the blame game and pointing fingers.
"What the hell did you start doing that for??" the mind, a Shinobu wearing a black full-body leotard and armed like a second armor, yelled at the body, a Shinobu donned in a kimono.
"Well then, why did you have to follow up with the proclamation??" the body yelled back. By now, both had their heads against each other, glaring and growling at each other like wolves over the carcass of their prey.
"You do realize that she has had this bottled up inside of her for God knows how long. Couple that with her parents divorcing and that puts more strain on the dam. It was only a matter of time before it burst," the soul calmly said. The other two stopped glaring at each other and digested the soul's words.
Minutes passed as both just looked down at each other, one in confusion, the other in anxiety. Finally, the confused one opened his mouth. "You know, I did expect you to have a crush on someone, but of all people, I never expected it to be me. Why?"Shinobu and the three elements racked overtime to come up with something, but at the heat of the moment, nothing really worked out. "Oh well, whoever said love was explainable?" he said. After taking a breath, he started again. "First, let me say thank you. When you confessed, in a way, it has made me feel welcome and special, not just to you, but to everyone else back at the Inn." He paused to look up at the sky and let out a sigh before continuing again. "I still remember the first time I came to the inn, how I ran into Narusegawa naked-" At this, Naru blushed behind the bush. "-how I flashed you-" His date's reaction mirrored Naru's. "-and all the accidents and whatnot that happened ever since then. Every time I would do something and end up being sent to somewhere, I would ask myself 'Is this the final straw?' and luckily I would still be allowed to stay as the manager, whether they said it or not."
His date burst in to counter what he said. "But Sempai! You changed! You're not clumsy anymore! You haven't caused an accident for the last week or so at least! You-"
He silenced her by placing a finger on her lips. "Maybe I have, at least to some extent," he said. Hesitation overcame him for a moment before he continued. "Shinobu-chan, I'm sorry, but I cannot reciprocate your initiative, at least not in your manner." The said girl's head dipped in disappointment.
'I knew it...Sempai doesn't like me,' she thought to herself, dejectedly. The three elements simply shook their heads in sadness.
"But why? Why can't you?" she asked, tears threatening to burst out again. The resident manager looked down with a slight smile.
"Because you will be easily scarred with love at your age. It can be most rewarding, and yet, it can be the most painful thing in the world and there is no chance in hell that I'll see any of my beloved tenants and friends scarred like that," he replied. "Don't worry, you will find that certain someone down your road and he'll make you happy," he finished, patting her head.Shinobu looked up at her date, digesting and finally comprehending his words. While the dam didn't burst, a lone tear made it down her face, which Keitaro swiped with the back of his hand.
"Feeling better?" he asked. She simply nodded as she was brought into another hug. While the one a while back was a fierce and desperate one, this one was one of gentleness and calm. When they broke it, the young girl now had a small smile. Her date stuck out his arm and said, "Come on, let's go home," to which she accepted and both took off.
Once they were out of sight and earshot, Naru tentatively stepped out of the bush and looked towards where he walked. A sigh later, she whispered, "Keitaro..." Suddenly remembering the fact that they were now going home, she panicked. "Oh no! I need to get home before they do!!!" and took off on a run.
After about ten minutes of breakneck running and squeezing through various objects and people, Naru arrived inside the Inn, hands on knees and torso bent as she viciously gulped in packets after packets of air. Soon after, an irregular thumping pattern echoed in the living room as Motoko sauntered in to find out who just came back. The former looked up and noticed how the latter's jet black long hair was loose and stuck to her face and neck. Her face showed a shower of sweat and fatigue and her body was broadcasting SOS signals to the nearest bed or chair. "I take it you had a lot to think about and didn't want to do it?" Naru asked between gulps of air.
"You could put it that way," Motoko answered. "Likewise?"
"Likewise," Naru agreed. "Likewise." Upon saying that, she took off her shoes, which seemed to take longer than usual and both ladies walked to the sofa, collapsing on it. As both ladies' heartbeats slowed down to a more relaxed pace, sleep slowly invaded their bodies, loosening their inhibitions one by one. A distinctive "Keitaro" filled the air as they simultaneously dropped their inhibition regarding the opposite gender. Upon registering the sound, both bolted upright and looked at each other, faces blushing. After a moment of eye-lock, they looked down at the floor, still blushing. "You..."
Naru started, then paused. "You won't tell right?"
"As long as you don't" was her reply, turning to face the older girl. As soon as Motoko said that, the front door opened and a twin chorus of "Tadaima!" filled the air. They noticed the resident chef walk in and head towards the kitchen with a slight smile gracing her features. Seconds later, Keitaro walked in, with a similar smile on his visage. He turned to see an extremely tired Naru and Motoko. "Hey girls," he greeted.
Both snapped their heads up. "H-h-hi," they stuttered. Keitaro noticed how deeply they were breathing.
"You two OK? You look like you just got chased by something," he asked, slightly concerned.
"Yeah, we're fine. If you'll excuse me," Motoko said and left for her room. Feeling very uncomfortable in front of him after her little "accident" the swordswoman briskly walked upstairs. Naru got up, following Motoko.
"I need to shower. I'll see you at dinner," Naru said as she also went, or more like ran, up the stairs. Perplexed by their behavior, Keitaro just looked up the stairs before following suit and heading towards his room.
----
TBC
FINALLY!!! There's chapter 7 of this series, which I don't know how long I'll take it just yet. I reallyreally apologize for doing jack over the summer, but I hope this fic will make up for it.
Special thanks go to Chryswolf and James Edwards for prereading parts of this fic, so to say, and giving comments.
The body, mind and soul scene was inspired by the Eva fic "Shinji Grows Up". Take a read at it, and laugh.
And finally, NEVER use word's "Save as HTML" if you're using a system other than English. It WILL screw everything when you upload to fanfiction.
Chapter 7
Shinobu opened her drawer, her face a wide smile and her eyes like twinkling stars. She started rummaging through her tidy collection of clothes, trying to pick something out. 'Today's my date with Sempai! I'm so happy!' she thought as she swiped through dresses, skirts, blouses and whatnot. After a moment of uncertainty, she finally settled on a thin, black sweater and a grey thigh-high skirt, accompanied by black stockings. She looked at herself in the mirror and did a quick twirl. 'It feels good!!!' she smiled widely at the mirror and looked at her watch. 'Good timing,' she thought and walked out of her room.
Kitsune, outside loitering as usual, noticed Shinobu coming downstairs. At first, she gave it no thought, then realized her different attire and looked back at her. "Shinobu?" she called, surprised by the lack of the simple one-piece dress she usually wore.
She looked towards the sofa where the older woman stretched over. "Hai?" she asked, her smile never leaving her face.
Kitsune, stumped, simply stared. 'This girl is very happy today, and very dressed. What is going on?' While trying to form an answer, Naru walked in.
"Eh? Shinobu?" she asked, stumped as well. "What's the occasion?"
"I have a date today!" she beamed. If it was possible, the smile grew wider. This stunned Naru and Kitsune.
"D-d-d-date?" both mouthed, not believing their ears. Shinobu, not noticing their disbelief, nodded vigorously. "With who?"
Her smile subsided a bit but still stayed while her cheeks reddened slightly. "Urashima-sempai," she whispered, loud enough for them to hear. Two faces faulted upon hearing the name.
"Keitaro???" both yelled, disbelief now incredulity. The younger girl's face reddened a bit more as she shyly nodded. Both older girls were now rendered speechless, trying to process the information with their brains, which also did a face-fault. Kitsune's came back online first and she approached the younger resident and bent down to her height. She brought her face close to one of her ears.
"Remember, Keitaro is a guy. Even if he forces you, do not let him have it easily," she whispered, smirking the whole way. Shinobu simply looked down, extremely flushed. Naru picked up on what her friend said.
"Kitsune!!! Shinobu's only 13 years old! Keitaro has enough common sense to not do that on someone that young!!!" she yelled. She then approached Shinobu, grabbed her arm and gently tugged it. "Come on, you can't be late on your first date right?" she gently encouraged as the two of them left the Inn, leaving a smirking Kitsune.
Naru led the younger girl to the top of the stairs and gently pushed Shinobu forward. "You'll be all right. Keitaro was a great date," the older girl tried to sooth the blue-haired girl's nerves. She then noticed someone at the base of
the stairs and realized it was none other than Keitaro himself. "Come on! He's down there!" she said. Shinobu noticed too and started to run down the stairs. "Have fun!" Naru yelled at the rapidly shrinking girl.
Keitaro walked around a corner and saw a figure running down the stairs like a madman. The streak of blue that passed by him momentarily, then back, was enough to tell that it was his date for today. He gave the said girl a quick lookover and whistled. "You look nice today, Shinobu-chan," he complimented, to which Shinobu reacted by just blushing and looking down.
"Thank you, Sempai," she whispered lightly. She then looked up and noticed what Keitaro was wearing: alongsleeve white shirt, bottomed with a pair of blue jeans, very different from what he usually wore around the house. "You look good too," she complimented him back.
"Ah, this is nothing," he scoffed in good humor. Shinobu gave a smile as he placed a hand around her shoulder. "Come on, let's go have some fun," he said, to which the girl's smile grew even bigger.
From the top, Naru observed the interaction between the two. While she couldn't hear anything because of the substantial distance, she could tell by the body language that they were already starting to have fun. 'He may seem different, but...' she thought to herself. Suddenly, she felt a feeling of anger inside her and felt like running over. 'Ooooh...I should run over there and give both of them a nice punch! That'd feel so better!' she thought, then gasped. 'Wait...did I say I wanted to even punch Shinobu-chan?' She placed her feet on a step and sat on the ground, trying to think. 'What is with me? One minute I'm encouraging Shinobu on her first date and the next minute I hate her guts! Am I...jealous?' She sat there, contemplating her feelings, especially towards her kanririn and study buddy.
At that moment, Motoko walked up the stairs, having come back from a practice session at a different dojo that invited her to spar with the students. She noticed the almost statue-like Naru sitting, staring in front. If she didn't know any better, she would've sworn that Naru became the Thinking Man. Concerned, she approached the older woman.
"Naru-sempai," Motoko called out. Nothing was her reply. She then placed a hand on Naru's shoulder and slowly shook her. "Naru-sempai," she called out, this time a bit loudly. This woke up the brown-haired woman as she looked around, suddenly aware of her surroundings, and spotted Motoko.
"Oh, hi, Motoko-chan. How was practice?" she asked, noticing the bokken on one of her hands.
"It was fine as usual," she replied. Then her previous image of Naru came back. "Umm...are you all right?" she asked, with a hint of concern.
"Eh? Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Naru asked, confused.
"When I came up, I saw you in a position that resembled a statue. You were also unresponsive," the swordswoman replied.
"Oh. I was doing some thinking," Naru replied.
"Ah. Well, I had better get going. Some lunch would be nice about now," Motoko said as she walked towards the Inn.
"Shinobu's not in right now," Naru called out. Motoko stopped and faced her. "She's on a date with Keitaro."
"Oh really? That sounds nice," the black-haired girl said absent-mindedly. She continued her way back towards Hinata Inn. Kitsune observed everything from the courtyard and opened her mouth once the swordswoman was out of sight.
"Well, Naru, it looks like you've got some competition coming your way," she said. Naru turned to her friend with a confused look, to which the older girl just shook her head with a smile. "You like Keitaro and so does Motoko. How much more direct can I get?"
Naru immediately turned her face forward, a blush taking over her entire visage. "N-n-no! That's not it!"
Kitsune picked up on her teasing, "Of course it isn't! You just saw Shinobu walk away, comfortably close and snuggled in with Keitaro. THAT'S what's bothering you!"
The image of Shinobu with her arms clasped around Keitaro flashed in her mind and stayed there like a bright neon sign. Naru then suddenly got up and started running towards the Inn and her room while letting out a frustrated "ARGH!" As she got to the door, she turned around and faced her friend. "Mitsune! You're horrible!" she yelled and turned towards her room. The said woman just chuckled as Suu ran out of the building, only she had a smile as opposed to a frown
"Hey, what's with Naru? Does she want to play?" Suu asked expectantly.
The fox-lady didn't understand what the hyperactive girl was referring to, but she then remembered how fast Naru ran into the building. "I don't know. You should ask her yourself. She needs to put some things off her mind for a while," she finished with a smirk. Hearing this, the Hinata transfer student ran back. Kitsune then faced the steps leading down and let out a wistful sigh.
Motoko entered her room, closed her door and sat down, intending on doing some meditation. A good half-hour of silence permeated the room as Motoko retained a stern face, which suddenly fell into one of shock. "Did I agree to the date between Urashima and Shinobu??? Why is it that I can only think of that one cursed word???" she yelled out.
Naru burst into her room, slammed her door and immediately took out her diary. A good half-hour of silence permeated the room as Naru sat there, blankly looking at an empty page, save one word: "Date". She then got up in frustration. "Argh! Why can't I think of something else? Why does that date always come back to mind???" she yelled out.
"I need some fresh air," was heard from two places simultaneously as one girl picked up her bokken while the other picked up a light jacket and walked out.
"498! 499! 500!" Motoko yelled as she brought herself down, dropping her bokken, in fatigue, taking giant gulps of air. As her sore muscles unwound, she sat down, back towards the railing of the patio, looking up in deep thought. "Why did they go on a date? How could they? Shinobu is only some thirteen years old!"
Motoko paused for a moment. "I wonder...what does it feel like to go on a date?" When the words came out of her mouth, her eyes became the size of
saucers as a hand flew to her mouth. "Did I just say I wanted to go on a date?" she asked herself incredulously. Denying it, she gripped her bokken and went
back to practicing, with a determined look on her face.
Naru walked down the streets of Hinata in random directions, making a left or a right at any intersection. "Keitaro...Keitaro..." she repeated numerous times, almost in a charm. "Why do I always end up thinking about him? Do I have feelings for him?" No answer came. "Do I...then have feelings..." she trailed, not being able to answer the question. Then she made one more random turn and almost fell back in shock. "Speak of the devil..." she muttered as she saw a smiling Keitaro and Shinobu walking down the street. Fortunately for her, they didn't notice her presence some mere feet away as both of them walked arm-in-arm, engrossed in conversation. If Naru didn't know either of them better, she would've sworn that they were an actual couple. Naru quickly hid behind a pile of boxes stacked vertically and observed the couple walk by as they talked nonstop.
"So, how's school going for you?" Keitaro asked between bites of a hot dog he purchased.
"It's all right, Sempai. Ever since you've come and tutored me, my grades have improved very much. Thank you," she said, bowing slightly.
Keitaro chuckled. "It really isn't much, honestly. You worked hard and that's what counts," he humbled himself. "Do you have many friends at school?"
Shinobu's smile faded slightly, but still stayed. "I don't have many friends at school." At that point, her smile widened. "But all my friends are at Hinata Inn. I don't care if I don't have any at school because I can trust those at Hinata Inn."
"That's good to hear from you. Sigh, I remember how timid you were when we first met. Too bad I didn't really give a good impression," Keitaro mused loudly, looking up to the sky.
The young girl giggled slightly, remembering how he presented himself. "Yes, I don't think wearing nothing would be a good idea next time," she joked. Both shared a quick laugh. Keitaro then looked down from the sky and noticed a bench.
"Here, let's go sit there," he said, ushering the resident chef to the bench. Both sat down comfortably close to each other, Shinobu enjoying her proximity to her date. Unknown to both, Naru crept into a nearby bush. "Say, do you have any boyfriends at school? Or at least any guy friends?"
At the mention of "boyfriend", Shinobu immediately gazed on the grass beneath her feet, her face reddening by the second. "Boy...friend?"
"Come on, Shinobu-chan, I know there's a boy you like in your class, or a class or two above you. It's all normal at your age," Keitaro gently prodded. Little did he know he was hitting closer to home than he actually thought.
"Umm..." Shinobu nervously stammered. Keitaro looked at her expectantly.
"Is it someone older than you?" he asked, hoping that would jump-start the nervous wrack sitting next to him.
"Yes," she whispered softly.
"Ah. Does he go to your school?" he continued.
The blue-haired girl shook her head, suddenly having lost the ability to cover up her infatuation with the man next to her.
"Does he go to school?" he asked.
It took all her willpower not to lose composure and run off like a chicken that just lost its head. She shook her head yet again.
Keitaro laughed good-heartedly. "Ha ha ha, it can't be me now, can it?" Since he had his face up towards the sky again, he didn't see Shinobu's eyes widen, her face exhibit shock. "Who would like a sad third-year dropout like me anyways?" He heard some sniffing sounds from next to him and looked down to see Shinobu crying. "What's wrong?" he asked, suddenly concerned.
Shinobu sniffed a few times before throwing herself onto Keitaro."Sempai!" This took Keitaro and Naru both by surprise; both just froze there for a moment in their respective positions. The manager gained some senses and embraced the younger girl with one arm while petting her head with his other hand. Unknown to both, Naru sat there in the bushes, frozen and unresponsive, just staring at the scene ahead of her and taking in whatever she saw.
"Shinobu, what's wrong?" he asked in a soothing voice. In response, the blue-haired girl just cried into his chest, slowly wetting his shirt. Keitaro decided to let her cry whatever was troubling her out before asking her again. They stayed in this pose for the next five minutes, during which Naru just watched. During the time the couple hugged, emotions were tearing the brown-haired girl left and right. On one end of the spectrum, she wanted to disregard the circumstances and run to comfort the younger girl. Yet on the other end, she saw herself in place of the younger girl. She didn't even have enough time to accept or deny any of these emotions, for Shinobu had stopped crying.
"Sempai," she started. The said man looked down at her, making eye contact. Looking down into the blue eyes, Keitaro saw something that he never saw in them, or in her, for that matter: confidence. "I have a confession to make." Keitaro dumbly looked at her and simply motioned to her to continue. "I..." she stuttered before taking a deep breath.
'What is she going to say?' ran throughKeitaro's and Naru's minds as both held their breaths, though Naru had a better, or worse, idea. "Could it be?"
"I like you," the blue-haired girl whispered at first. Then she repeated herself, a bit forcefully, "I like you!" While Keitaro looked at her, still trying to make sense of what she said, the younger girl looked up at him, her eyes glazing with tears.
Inside her, those that represented her body, her mind and her soul were in turmoil, playing the blame game and pointing fingers.
"What the hell did you start doing that for??" the mind, a Shinobu wearing a black full-body leotard and armed like a second armor, yelled at the body, a Shinobu donned in a kimono.
"Well then, why did you have to follow up with the proclamation??" the body yelled back. By now, both had their heads against each other, glaring and growling at each other like wolves over the carcass of their prey.
"You do realize that she has had this bottled up inside of her for God knows how long. Couple that with her parents divorcing and that puts more strain on the dam. It was only a matter of time before it burst," the soul calmly said. The other two stopped glaring at each other and digested the soul's words.
Minutes passed as both just looked down at each other, one in confusion, the other in anxiety. Finally, the confused one opened his mouth. "You know, I did expect you to have a crush on someone, but of all people, I never expected it to be me. Why?"Shinobu and the three elements racked overtime to come up with something, but at the heat of the moment, nothing really worked out. "Oh well, whoever said love was explainable?" he said. After taking a breath, he started again. "First, let me say thank you. When you confessed, in a way, it has made me feel welcome and special, not just to you, but to everyone else back at the Inn." He paused to look up at the sky and let out a sigh before continuing again. "I still remember the first time I came to the inn, how I ran into Narusegawa naked-" At this, Naru blushed behind the bush. "-how I flashed you-" His date's reaction mirrored Naru's. "-and all the accidents and whatnot that happened ever since then. Every time I would do something and end up being sent to somewhere, I would ask myself 'Is this the final straw?' and luckily I would still be allowed to stay as the manager, whether they said it or not."
His date burst in to counter what he said. "But Sempai! You changed! You're not clumsy anymore! You haven't caused an accident for the last week or so at least! You-"
He silenced her by placing a finger on her lips. "Maybe I have, at least to some extent," he said. Hesitation overcame him for a moment before he continued. "Shinobu-chan, I'm sorry, but I cannot reciprocate your initiative, at least not in your manner." The said girl's head dipped in disappointment.
'I knew it...Sempai doesn't like me,' she thought to herself, dejectedly. The three elements simply shook their heads in sadness.
"But why? Why can't you?" she asked, tears threatening to burst out again. The resident manager looked down with a slight smile.
"Because you will be easily scarred with love at your age. It can be most rewarding, and yet, it can be the most painful thing in the world and there is no chance in hell that I'll see any of my beloved tenants and friends scarred like that," he replied. "Don't worry, you will find that certain someone down your road and he'll make you happy," he finished, patting her head.Shinobu looked up at her date, digesting and finally comprehending his words. While the dam didn't burst, a lone tear made it down her face, which Keitaro swiped with the back of his hand.
"Feeling better?" he asked. She simply nodded as she was brought into another hug. While the one a while back was a fierce and desperate one, this one was one of gentleness and calm. When they broke it, the young girl now had a small smile. Her date stuck out his arm and said, "Come on, let's go home," to which she accepted and both took off.
Once they were out of sight and earshot, Naru tentatively stepped out of the bush and looked towards where he walked. A sigh later, she whispered, "Keitaro..." Suddenly remembering the fact that they were now going home, she panicked. "Oh no! I need to get home before they do!!!" and took off on a run.
After about ten minutes of breakneck running and squeezing through various objects and people, Naru arrived inside the Inn, hands on knees and torso bent as she viciously gulped in packets after packets of air. Soon after, an irregular thumping pattern echoed in the living room as Motoko sauntered in to find out who just came back. The former looked up and noticed how the latter's jet black long hair was loose and stuck to her face and neck. Her face showed a shower of sweat and fatigue and her body was broadcasting SOS signals to the nearest bed or chair. "I take it you had a lot to think about and didn't want to do it?" Naru asked between gulps of air.
"You could put it that way," Motoko answered. "Likewise?"
"Likewise," Naru agreed. "Likewise." Upon saying that, she took off her shoes, which seemed to take longer than usual and both ladies walked to the sofa, collapsing on it. As both ladies' heartbeats slowed down to a more relaxed pace, sleep slowly invaded their bodies, loosening their inhibitions one by one. A distinctive "Keitaro" filled the air as they simultaneously dropped their inhibition regarding the opposite gender. Upon registering the sound, both bolted upright and looked at each other, faces blushing. After a moment of eye-lock, they looked down at the floor, still blushing. "You..."
Naru started, then paused. "You won't tell right?"
"As long as you don't" was her reply, turning to face the older girl. As soon as Motoko said that, the front door opened and a twin chorus of "Tadaima!" filled the air. They noticed the resident chef walk in and head towards the kitchen with a slight smile gracing her features. Seconds later, Keitaro walked in, with a similar smile on his visage. He turned to see an extremely tired Naru and Motoko. "Hey girls," he greeted.
Both snapped their heads up. "H-h-hi," they stuttered. Keitaro noticed how deeply they were breathing.
"You two OK? You look like you just got chased by something," he asked, slightly concerned.
"Yeah, we're fine. If you'll excuse me," Motoko said and left for her room. Feeling very uncomfortable in front of him after her little "accident" the swordswoman briskly walked upstairs. Naru got up, following Motoko.
"I need to shower. I'll see you at dinner," Naru said as she also went, or more like ran, up the stairs. Perplexed by their behavior, Keitaro just looked up the stairs before following suit and heading towards his room.
----
TBC
FINALLY!!! There's chapter 7 of this series, which I don't know how long I'll take it just yet. I reallyreally apologize for doing jack over the summer, but I hope this fic will make up for it.
Special thanks go to Chryswolf and James Edwards for prereading parts of this fic, so to say, and giving comments.
The body, mind and soul scene was inspired by the Eva fic "Shinji Grows Up". Take a read at it, and laugh.
And finally, NEVER use word's "Save as HTML" if you're using a system other than English. It WILL screw everything when you upload to fanfiction.