IMPORTANT STUFF!!! Okay, this is UBER IMPORTANT!!! I want to say, first of all, THANK YOU EVEYONE! I love everyone's words of praise and encouragement and all the wondeful stuff. Seth's been really busy, though, with homework and all that beautiful stuff that goes with the learning process. And at one point, if I'm lucky, I'll get a job. But that'll mean less time to do work. ANYWAY!!! Onto the really really really uber important stuff. I keep forgetting to keep all of you informed. This isn't an AU. I'm REALLY sorry if you thought it was. This fic as a whole is more of an extra episode before Keitaro goes off to America. So it goes between manga volumes 10 and 11. Again... GOMEN GOMEN GOMEN GOMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For the second to last time, there is no 0wn4g3 of Love Hina for me. I really would like to. But I could get some vertical lines in front of my face...

- ~ -

Tuesday Morning
07 – Learning Who We Are
SethSolare

Kitsune opened the door to the porch. As the door opened, a cool breeze swept into the hallway. Leaves brushed around her legs and the wind wrapped her up. She stepped outside and slowly shut the door behind her. As the door clicked, she realized the incredible guilt washing over her, for some reason. Though Motoko was a very beautiful girl, Kitsune felt horrible. As she left the room, Motoko looked like she could cry, something that didn't happen much for her. For the first few minutes, Kitsune was thrilled. She had just kissed the girl who would never kiss. If anything, Kitsune should at least apologize.

"I hope I haven't done anything horribly wrong to her. I know she liked it. She kissed me back. I don't think I see anything wrong with that," she attempted to calm herself. "Why did she look like she was about to cry?" Kitsune didn't know what that was supposed to mean. That wasn't her first kiss. Su had kissed Motoko once. Though it wasn't a real kiss, Motoko felt it was stolen from her. Now, the real kiss belonged to Kitsune.

Walking up to the second set of stairs, she could see that Motoko was practicing. "She obviously rushed up here. She's practicing in her shorts and tank top," Kitsune thought. Sinking back down a few steps to hide herself, she watched the girl attack the leaves. As each little leaf split and fell, Kitsune heard the fast expulsion of air from the girl. The attacks were so rhythmic. Forcing every blow to the tiny thing, she swung with great speed and precision. And with every attack, Kitsune watched the dark haired warrior fight the air.

After ten minutes of watching, Kitsune felt very tired of watching, hoping for some kind of verbal opening. The hope for such a thing was pointless. Motoko was practicing and no one should disturb her. Instead, Kitsune sat at the top of the stairs quietly. As she sat, a new breeze brushed past her and into Motoko. Suddenly, Motoko stopped, sighed heavily, and rested her arms. Closing her eyes, Motoko's knees hit the floor with a strong pound. Kitsune stayed where she was, afraid of what might happen.

"Why are you here? Leave me alone!" Motoko screamed. She sobbed between sentences hoping to get rid of Kitsune quickly. But Kitsune didn't leave; she slowly got up and walked over to Motoko. Unable to say anything, she put a hand on Motoko's shoulder. Motoko's shoulder rolled a little and Kitsune quickly removed her hand. The firm grip on the sword was loosened. With tearful eyes and blurred vision, Motoko sheathed the sword and set it aside.

"Get away from me. I can't believe you would ever do that to me," Motoko whispered, her voice almost taken away by the wind. Kitsune stayed silent, though. She walked over to the rail and sat in front of Motoko, legs straight out and back to the rail. Kitsune felt blood rush through her. Her own tears welled up inside of her.

"I don't know why I did that. I just didn't know what I was doing. I…" Her voice trailed away. Kitsune didn't know what else to say. After all the things she had said and did to and for everyone in the house, she was finally out of options. She stared at Motoko. Tears streamed down her face.

The pain seemed unimaginable for Motoko. The inability to verbalize why she was so hurt made the pain exponentially greater. Her hands on her knees, the tears ran from eyes. She knelt there feeling every tear fall and hit the back of her hand. She had known for a long time that Kitsune was bisexual. Kitsune had been known to go out to bars to meet other girls as well as guys. But now, Kitsune had crushed Motoko's hopes of having her first passionate moment with the man of her dreams.

"I don't know why you did it either. Why don't you explain what you were thinking, at least? What went through your mind when you kissed me?" Motoko asked rather forthrightly. Slowly, her tears crept away as she crawled over to Kitsune's left side. She sat against the rail with her legs curled up to her. She knew the movement would make Kitsune wait to respond until Motoko was settled, giving her time to formulate a response. Motoko, finally situated, prepared herself mentally for whatever Kitsune was about to say.

"I, um, I felt that you were making me happy. I was thinking that you were enjoying it. I was thinking that you were a great kisser," Kitsune giggled at her last words. Motoko, between faint sobs, giggled along with her. "But I was thinking that maybe you would be, you know, okay with me."

Motoko's giggling turned into a smile. She hid her real emotion behind that smile. Feeling hurt, she looked at Kitsune, no longer crying. In truth, Motoko loved that face. Kitsune was, as everyone knew, a very beautiful young woman. If she really wanted to, she could have any man she ever wanted, or any woman. Motoko, however, wished that such a beautiful, loving kiss could've come from someone else.

"It wasn't a horrible kiss. I admit that she felt really nice. But, I know what's she's doing. Maybe I should wait for her to figure it out," Motoko thought. Her hope was that Kitsune would be able to figure out why the two of them ended up kissing. She hoped that there would be some realization as to why it was such a passionate, loving kiss, rather than something passionate and rough.

"I guess you really did like it," Kitsune smiled back at her. "I'm sorry that I did that. I know that you wanted it to be with Kei. I know I'm not a great person for that kind of kiss. I was just hoping that somehow something good could come from it. Maybe you… and me," Kitsune said, shyly. Kitsune's words spilled out of her slowly. She didn't know it, but her words were truly meaningless.

"You know I'm not like that," Motoko gave her a playful, childish glare. Kitsune felt a little uncomfortable with this Motoko. She was young and girly. The Motoko from a long time ago would've never acted like that. She was always so quiet. Motoko used to be so chaste and modest. Unlike other girls, Motoko's clothes never suggested anything about her personal life. Ever since Keitaro, Motoko was like the Kitsune of back then. Motoko was in love, and she was far back in the line of people waiting for him. Motoko was also losing to the same person Kitsune was.

"I know you're not. You're very beautiful you know that, though?" Kitsune commented. She turned to put her back to Motoko. Kitsune, then, lay down on her side with her head on Motoko's lap looking towards her feet. Unsure but still willing, Motoko placed a hand Kitsune's right cheek and stroked the hair back behind the ear.

"I wanted to ask you, though. Why exactly did you kiss me? Can you think of a reason at all?" Motoko was, again, mentally preparing herself for the answer she expected.

"I really don't know. I guess I'm just… I don't know," Kitsune responded in a calm voice. Unable to formulate any real reason, she truly couldn't understand her own actions.

"Mind if I butt in?" Motoko asked. She felt prepared to share a thought for her friend.

"Sure, why not?" Kitsune, though she sounded sure, was terrified of the next thing Motoko was about to say.

"You're just trying to find a replacement in me. You're using me to forget about Keitaro and find someone new," Motoko said. She didn't know exactly how her words would affect Kitsune. She decided she'd give more words for Kitsune to go on. "You're simply avoiding the pain of a relationship. You're just not dealing with the things that happen to you. I don't want to be your replacement. You don't really care about me like that. You just want to get rid of the pain and cover it up with me. I'm flattered, and it might actually turn out that way. But I know what you really feel." Motoko sat there still running her hand through Kitsune's hair. Kitsune felt horrible, though. She had done something she never wanted to do. She used Motoko to give herself comfort.

"I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I don't know. I just needed someone to be there for me. I don't… I don't want to be alone." Kitsune cried her heart out. Her tears felt like boiling water. She had never truly been with anyone. She really wanted Keitaro. But, she realized that she just wanted someone to feel about her the way she felt about another. "I haven't really truly been in love before. I've loved someone before, but they never loved me back. I guess I just finally lost control of myself. And I hurt you, Motoko. I'm so sorry," her words came out as almost inaudible sobs. As Kitsune cried, Motoko tried her best to comfort Kitsune. She ran her hand through Kitsune's hair and her other hand down her side. Kitsune couldn't stop crying. For the past couple days, her eyes wouldn't stop shedding water.

"I'm not hurt, anymore. I just needed to settle down. I don't hate you. I was confused from what I was feeling inside," Motoko said as she massaged Kitsune's shoulder. She had some kind of instinct that Kitsune would end up crying. She wished, however, that she had known how she should be acting. She hadn't a clue about what she could possibly do.

The two sat there on the porch for more than an hour, Kitsune crying and Motoko consoling her. The two of them sat there in the shade of several of the trees that surrounded the area. The cut leaves swirled around the two of them as they waited for something. Wind curled around them and wrapped them up. Motoko, at this very sad moment, still smiled.

Kitsune's sobs finally faded away. She felt that with every tear, the pain faded away. She felt much better now than she did before. With all her happiness, Kitsune rolled to face up and saw Motoko staring down at her. "You'd also make a great lesbian," Kitsune laughed loudly. Motoko pinched Kitsune hard on the cheek but laughed either way.

"Too bad I'm already a hot, straight girl," Motoko laughed. She didn't know why it was funny. She knew now, though, that Kitsune was different. Ever since Keitaro, the way she expressed her feelings were even more repressed than before. But, at this moment, Motoko didn't seem to really mind about that. People change and that's the truth that Motoko decided to notice for the time being.

"I guess I should try and find some closure to all of this," Kitsune thought to herself. She figured that her best friend won. Now, she had to stop her internal suffering. She wanted to just let go of her problem. She didn't know what would happen, but it didn't matter. Right now, she was happy with Motoko.

That day, Motoko learned a new thing about Kitsune that she would have never known. The two of them had become better friends than before. She knew that on that Sunday afternoon, Kitsune had become one of her greatest friends. She also knew that the first person to ever fall in love with her was Kitsune.

- ~ -

That last evening, the girls threw a humongous party for their landlord. All the girls told Keitaro that they didn't want him to leave. And every time, they said they understood. As sad as some of it was, Keitaro was still happy that they were always so wonderful to him. Perhaps, he felt that with a little more time, he just might become, "one of the girls." However, he already knew that he was the father of the family. The only thing that bothered him was that the mother was off on her own smiling but silent.

As Kitsune progressively grew from drunk to wasted, Motoko was by her side to keep her standing. But, because of their new friendship, Motoko ended up on the floor as well. Mutsumi, who seemed to be immune to alcohol at all, was prancing around with beer in her hand. The other three girls, Shinobu, Su, and Sarah, inhaled all the food that no one was eating. Then, there was Haruka. She simply stayed sitting on the couch with a little drink in hand and a cigarette in her mouth.

Naru, on the other hand, couldn't focus. As much as she loved parties, this just wasn't the time. There were too many things she hadn't yet done. And she realized that it was already too late for anything. It was a strange feeling. She felt like she had really done nothing at all. There was a feeling of loss. And Keitaro noticed it.

"I really should talk to her," he thought. He knew that something was bothering her. The two of them could always talk. And he thought that maybe talking would be helpful. Maybe because of their friendship, he could be there for her. He, then, stood up from his chair and walked up to her as she stood by the stairs.

"What's going on? Something bothering you?" he asked her. With his voice, she was awoken from her blank stare. Looking back at him, Naru felt a little uncomfortable. It wasn't because of him. It was just because she was thinking of him.

"Crap. He's here. I haven't really come up with the words yet!" she became increasingly flustered. She realized that she couldn't get out of this. But, feigning composure, Naru came up with some kind of response. "Let's go walk outside," she said. She hated that response. "That was stupid. That was the worst idea I've ever had!" She tried to come up with some idea of what to take back what she said. Looking at her watch, it was still midnight, too early to stop a party.

"That would be great," Keitaro nodded. He, then, pushed her on outside. The evening was a little cloudy. The few oddly shaped pillows in the sky covered up a few of the stars. The lights surrounding Hinata Sou were either dimmed or blown out. The lights couldn't be changed for a few more months. The girls, either way, liked the lights a little dimmer. They felt it was mysterious and moody. Motoko was always around to guard the place, anyway.

Because of the dimly lit areas around the dorm, the grounds were unusually dark. It was a different few for the two of them as they walked around. It was harder to see where they were going and each other. And Naru, ended up, somehow, on Keitaro's arm. She clung to him in the dark.

"I wonder where we're going," Naru thought. A little uneasy about some of Keitaro's motives, She felt a little reserved about going with him. It was dark and that made wherever they were going even more secluded than it already was. However, she continued on with Keitaro.

"I wonder how I can tell her," Keitaro thought. He'd wanted to tell her how he felt the formal way for a while. But, things continually got in the way of such a thing. Behind the house, he remembered an old waterfall. It was a very beautiful thing. It made a wonderful sound at night. As he made his way there, the sound of rushing water became louder and it was obvious where he was.

Upon reaching the area, the two sat in a little clearing by the falls. "This is going to be a little weird," Naru thought. She attempted to look at him in the night. Her eyes had already adjusted to the darkness. Looking at him, she felt compelled to smile at his face in the dark. She couldn't understand what about the moment made her smile, but it was the way it was.

"So, what's on your mind?" Keitaro asked her. He looked at her, staring at her smile. "She's so cute when she smiles. I wish she'd smile like that all the time," he thought.

"I was just thinking. What do you think of the other girls? What do you feel about Motoko? Or Kitsune? Or maybe even Mutsumi?" she asked. "What? Did I just ask him that? I don't want to know that! Crap, I'm going to hate this."

"I really like being with them, if that's what you want to hear. Everyone living at the house makes it so much fun to be around," Keitaro told her. He was already curious what she was going to ask.

"Oh," was all she could say. She began to formulate words out of nothing. Ideas that ran through her head momentarily and were out her lips. "Well, what would happen if one of them, I guess, hit on you. I mean, really came on strong, you know?" she asked, incredibly nervous.

Sensing this, he tried to remain calm amongst the words she said. Realizing that she might know more than she should, he tried to create a sentence, "I, uh… well… I guess I would be flattered. I wouldn't mind, maybe," he said. "Wait, why'd I just say that?"

"Oh, so you wouldn't mind if another girl here would ask you out? Does that mean you'll say yes?" she asked. Her smile quickly turned into a concerned look. "Oh no, what've I just done? I've completely messed everything up," she thought.

"No, I don't think I would," Keitaro said.

"Really? Why's that?" she asked, knowing well what the answer was.

"You should know why. I've told you a couple times, I think," Keitaro said, trying to be soft spoken and kind. The words, themselves, might have sounded bad, but the way he said them made Naru melt. And though she tried to get words out, she couldn't.

"I know what I feel for you, Naru. And no matter what, those feelings won't change," he whispered in her ear. She felt an incredible shiver travel down her spine. Looking at him again, it became much harder for her to see him. Tears ran down her cheeks slowly. Through it all, Keitaro looked at her with wonder.

"She's so incredible. She's even more beautiful when she smiles at night. If only…" and his thoughts trailed away. And as she cried, he massaged her shoulder. He knew that this was all too much for any person. She tried to hide her pain, though. She covered her face, as ineffective as it was. That only made Keitaro get even close to her.

"Keitaro, I'm sorry for acting like this. I really should go, I'm sorry," she said as she stood up quickly and ran back to the house. But, as she ran, she heard footsteps that were not hers. She turned to see Keitaro running behind her. She couldn't concentrate on her own running and tripped over herself. Soon, Keitaro was right up to her side again.

Without a word, Keitaro picked her up off the ground. And also in silence, she held onto him, though nothing was really in pain. She simply fell. But she didn't deny the help she was offered. Keitaro carried her all the way to the third floor, to room 304. "He's pretty strong. Wow…" she thought. As they entered the room, Naru saw the clock on her desk, "1:27. It's way too late."

As Keitaro laid her on her futon and sat down with her, he took Liddo from his plywood seat and handed it to her. She held it in her arms and smiled at Keitaro. "He's wonderful. He's just so wonderful," she thought.

"She's beautiful. I can't believe that anyone can be that incredible," he thought. He worshipped that incredible look of hers. Her eyes stared back at his. She wasn't staring long when she finally yawned. She was dead tired and could no longer keep her eyes open. Realizing that she was still in her shorts and short-sleeved shirt, she stood up and looked at him. "I need to change, you know," she said.

"So do I. I guess we should change and then talk again," he said. Naru simply nodded. Removing the covering opening in the floor, Keitaro dropped through. Naru looked away and took out old pajamas. She realized that it was her old martial arts uniform. It was a lot larger on her and it always was. The top reached down to cover half her thighs. "I wore this when Keitaro arrived here. Heh, he made Shinobu cry, that jerk. And he tried his best to make her happy. I gave him band-aids. They were pink with polka dots," she thought as she stared at the box of them on her shelf. "I keep buying the same ones," she said.

He knocked on the plywood cover on his ceiling. Pulling the plywood aside, she let him back up. The two sat down on the futon and said nothing for a while. And then, he took her hand and began to massage it. She smiled at him again with those eyes that seemed to sparkle. He knew that if he didn't leave now, though he had only been there for about ten minutes, he wouldn't be able to wake up early tomorrow for the project details meeting.

"I guess I should go. The meeting is tomorrow, and I have to be there," he said. He didn't really hope to wake up early without Naru's help. His alarm clock broke that Monday and he decided that it would've been pointless to get a new one since he was leaving. He knew, though, that he couldn't do anything without Naru's help. Naru knew it, too.

"Um, Kei, I know your clock's broken and everything," she said. She tried her hardest to say what she wanted to say. Suddenly, her words stopped. She tried to get the sentence out but it was just too hard.

And as she stuttered with syllables, Keitaro finally realized what she was trying to say. He took a space right next to her and lay down next to her. Happy that he was intelligent to figure out what she was trying to say, she let out a breath of air as if she wanted to laugh. But, she was happy. As she closed her eyes, she felt Keitaro's arms wrap around her.

"Maybe if I knew he was this romantic, I would've fallen for him earlier. Wait, was that me? Crap! I didn't mean that! Er, well, I should say something," she thought. She quickly thought of something to say as fast she could.

"I hope you're not thinking what I think you're thinking," she said playfully.

"I'm concentrating on tomorrow, really," he said.

"Good then, I'll wake you up. My alarm clock works," she teased. "And don't hold me so tightly," she giggled. And Keitaro loosened his hold on her. The two of them said nothing to each other as they fell asleep.

- ~ -

Keitaro loved the entire group of girls. They all came to say goodbye to him at the airport. And, like everyone expected, Naru was the one that brought him in. The whole group watched the two as they flirted a little before they finally said goodbye. Keitaro approached the escalator and began to descend. Kitsune watched as he left downstairs with Naru following for another twenty feet before letting go.

As much as she wanted to end everything, it was very difficult for her. Kitsune spent most of the week trying to think of the words. However, she decided that it was beyond impossible. Instead, she watched. She had waited for Keitaro to leave before she decided to tell him. But, naturally, he left. Kitsune, defeated, walked away from the little area and decided to do something else.

"Show's over folks. Time to get wasted," she declared to the group. As she turned to leave, she saw Naru standing at the escalator, perhaps wishing that Keitaro would come back. Kitsune thought to talk to the girl but she didn't know what to say. Instead, "Naru, you ready?" However, Naru said nothing, and the group went on without her.

"Dammit. Why can't I just be honest with him? My only chance and I blew it." Naru told herself this. She sat on the floor hoping for something different. She hoped that she would get a second chance. Maybe he could come back for her. "Half a year. It's just too long without him," she whispered to herself. She stood up, trying her hardest to not show her tears. "Oh well, there's always e-mail," she tried to comfort herself.

Trying to forget about the early morning occurrences, she sat there, looking down at the ground. Maybe he would come back. Then, she thought to that irrationality was her real problem. Her mind drifted off as an announcement was made over the loudspeakers in the airport. "This is depressing."

A few minutes later as she started walking away, she heard two familiar voices behind her. As Seta and Keitaro came back up the escalator, Naru turned to face the two as the announcement was made a second time. Apparently, the flight had been delayed and now there was four hours to kill. Seta decided that he would go off and find Haruka and make a good four hours out of it all. As Seta left, Naru, getting her wish, decided on a new idea. Looking Keitaro in the eyes, "Tell you what, how about I keep you company? Since we won't see each other again for a long time, let's go all out and call it a date," she told him with a smile.

The two of them spent their date going around the airport looking through shops and then a picnic. They went out on the ground outside and had a little something to eat. Naru, like most times, got aggravated by the dumb things Keitaro did. However, the two of them spent as much as they could together laughing and joking. "This is great! I get to spend all this time with Keitaro. GAH! I just need to tell him!" Her thoughts were so incredibly random. She became frantic and lost in her mind. Soon, she finally cracked, "All right, I've made my decision. I'm going to America with you!"

"What!?" Keitaro yelled as loud as possible.

"You heard me! Someone has to keep you out of trouble!" Naru screamed back. She didn't know what to say to him, again. She just couldn't stop talking, now. "Or else you'll end up in jail! Or worse, dead because you tried to feel some girl up. It's true," she said to him with some kind of finality.

"Be reasonable! What about college and your job?!" Keitaro couldn't believe what she was saying. Naru, the naturally reasonable person, finally started to make no sense.

"I'm sure I'll figure it out!" She screamed all the louder.

"You can't just quit!"

"Yes, I can!" she wanted so desperately to go with him. The only thing on her mind was his name. The only thing she wanted was to be with him. She needed him more than anyone.

"B-besides, you'll be gone half a freakin' year! How do you know that my feeling won't have changed by then? Dammit, I lov-" Naru stopped. "Oh no, what've I done? No! I don't want to mess this up! Tell him! TELL HIM!"

"Love?" Keitaro asked. He wasn't exactly sure, but he hoped that she had really said it. Maybe she could say the whole thing. "Please, tell me. I love you, Naru. Tell me, please!" Keitaro couldn't stop thinking about it. But, he remained calm. "I see now, we feel the same way." He attempted to take her hand but she snatched it away as soon as she felt his touch. She didn't want to be weak here. She had to remain strong.

"I have to tell him. Suck it up, Naru. Tell him. I just need an opening," she thought. She developed an excuse again. She couldn't tell him, as much as she wanted to. She couldn't do it. She was already sure that he loved her. But, she couldn't admit it to him. "If I tell him now, I may never be able to take it back. What if I'm making a mistake?" she asked. She couldn't understand.

Sensing her trouble, Keitaro tried to remain calm. "Naru, ever since we got back from Okinawa, I've been thinking about that childhood promise. I'm pretty sure that I made it with you. It just makes too much sense for me to deny it any longer. So I'll make you one final promise," Keitaro took a deep breath as he said this. He was about to make her another promise. With all his heart, he hoped he could keep it. "I'll do my very best while I'm gone, and in six months when April rolls around again, we can finally go to Tokyo U together."

"Keitaro, please let me say something to you. I may never be able to tell you," she thought. Fear overwhelmed Naru completely.

She loved him. There was no doubt about that. She, however, doubted herself. She couldn't understand what was stopping. She cried so terribly. She wanted to love him more than anyone in the world ever could. But, she kept stopping herself. And, again, she stopped.

"I can't promise you that we'll live happily ever after, but there is one thing I can promise you," he said as his heart pounded. He could feel himself leaping out of his body. He could feel himself losing control and finally keeping his mind set on Naru. All of his emotion was in the words he said to her so kindly and so softly.

- ~ -

The two of them waited at Keitaro's gate. Naru couldn't understand his words to her. She loved him. She never told him. But now, she didn't mind. Her words could wait. It didn't have to be now, anymore. He knew it; he just wanted the signature. But, Naru knew for a fact that the two of them were officially together and will always be together. As she thought all these things, she drifted off to sleep just as Keitaro did. Her eyes closed and she knew that what happened was good.

Keitaro, though he closed his eyes, couldn't and wouldn't fall asleep. Naru had been through a lot that day and she most certainly would accidentally sleep. Instead, he stayed awake, feigning a little shut-eye for the next few minutes. However, with his eyes closed, his other senses picked up the little nuances in the world around him. And there was a familiar perfume near him, now.

As he opened his eyes, there was a cheerful voice that greeted him. "Hi there!" Kitsune said happily. She smiled at him as best as she could. She knew it was hard enough to be here, with him. She didn't want to do it like this, but it had to be said. "How're you doing?" She asked him the question so solemnly. It was odd for anyone's mood to change that quickly.

"I'm okay," he said with a little smile. Inside, he didn't know what to feel. He didn't know what to tell her at this time. It was so difficult. He wanted to tell her that he would miss her. But it was hard enough to just say something.

She remained standing and went on. "I wanted to just say goodbye again. I just thought you should know that I'll miss you," she said with confidence. She felt mentally strong and powerful. All her crying had been done on Sunday. "I will, you know. I'm sure she will, too," she said as she pointed to a sleeping Naru.

"I'll miss you, too," Keitaro smiled back at her. He was still quite unsure of what he was going to do or say. He looked at Kitsune with curiosity of her intent of the conversation. Then, he was reminded of something he wanted to ask her since they started talking: "How'd you know I was still here?"

"Oh please, I listened to the announcement. Also, I saw Seta and Haruka walking around. I just figured you'd be here," she told him. She was trying to build up to her point. She tried her hardest, though, to remain calm and relaxed. Breathing a heavy sigh, she took his hands and stood him up.

He looked at her with a smile and she smiled back. She looked at him and she couldn't help but smile. It was impossible for her to see his beautiful eyes and keep a straight face. She felt light and joyous. She was holding the hands of the person she loved the most and staring in his eyes. She took in the moment as she smiled back at him.

"I was wondering, what's everyone else doing?" Keitaro said, still holding onto Kitsune's hands. He looked at her and he was puzzled. He still didn't know what compelled him to kiss her twice. But, the more he thought about her, the more his comfort with her remained. He was happy with her around. She made living at the Hinata Sou lively.

"They're out drinking sodas, eating, and crying a little. They'll obviously miss you," Kitsune said, staring down at her own feet.

"I'm sure they will. I wish I didn't have to leave them. I would've loved to study here, in Japan. But, this is a great opportunity for me."

"And you shouldn't turn it down," Kitsune finished for him. She knew well enough that he had a great chance. And she knew, just like everyone else, that it had to start somewhere. She hoped that it wouldn't be as horrible, though, as everyone thought it would be. Six months, as long as that was, wouldn't be so horrible with phone calls and e-mail.

"I can't do that. I have to do this. I might regret it later," Keitaro told her. He knew that she wanted more than just a simple goodbye. He didn't know what to do here, either. He hoped that she would do something. She hoped she would say goodbye in her own beautiful way. "I think I'll miss you just as much as Naru," he said.

"Not any more than her, though," she said, discouraged, it seemed. Her smile became less of a smile. But she kept looking into his eyes and tried her best.

"I don't know; maybe, maybe not. I'm kind of scared to leave home, myself. I'll miss this place and I know I'm going to be afraid of living with people that I can barely communicate with," Keitaro said. "I just don't know what I'm going to do without this place."

"You don't know what you're going to do without Naru," she came back. Her voice, solemn and calm, just as it had been. She felt incredibly sick and horrible inside. But, the touch of his hands and the stare of his eyes made it subside.

"I don't know. I guess that maybe you could say I just might miss her more than y-" his sentence was cut off by her own words. Her words were quiet and spoken by touching his lips with hers. That was the true feeling and goodbye she wanted. Kitsune closed her eyes as the tears flowed slowly. As she kissed him, she felt the world fall away. She was happy for those few minutes. She wanted it to last longer. But, she didn't want to be caught making out with her best friend's love.

"You dare tell me that," she began, "I'll have to hit you." She wiped a bit of the lipstick she left on his face. "I love you, Kei. But, I'm sorry that it has to end here," she told him. She looked at him in the eyes again. Feeling that overwhelming feeling of happiness wash over her, she let go of his hands. She released her gaze from him. And finally, she turned away from him to leave him behind. She smiled as she walked away leaving two little envelopes in his hand as she turned away from him. He held them and looked at them. He had no idea what they were for. One was pink and the other, white. The pink one had the name "Kitsune" written on the front of it. The other was blank.

"I'm sorry, Kitsune." The words he spoke in his head were just as bad as admitting that he really was sorry. It was strange. Though he cared about her, he did nothing about it. She gave no hint that she hated him for what happened. He knew for sure that someone was in love with him.

But, here, he was alone again. And there was Naru, sleeping. He decided that there would be only one person who really would need that kind of goodbye. He crept up to her and gave her his goodbye present. Then, he left her behind and boarded the plane as Seta ran in behind him.

- ~ -

She didn't know she was asleep. She felt a dreamy vision of the boy of her dreams. And there he was, kissing her goodbye. She could feel the warm breath and soft touch of his hand on he shoulder. She thought she could hear the words goodbye.

Naru's eyes faded open again. She suddenly had an incredible impulse go through her. "Crap, I fell asleep!" she screamed at herself. Then a second impulse went through her. She gasped suddenly and turned to her left. "Keitaro! You're going to be la-" she tried. And there she was, yelling at nothing. What was left was a little note that stated: To Ms. Naru Narusegawa. Gift Certificate. "A kiss! Take care, -K"

An announcement came on announcing the departure of his flight. As Naru listened, she saw the plane leaving. She blinked her eyes several times, trying to affirm the reality of it all. Looking away, she closed her eyes.

"You," she whispered. She felt herself go completely red and hot. "Idiot!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. All of her energy was forced into a complete scream of the word. Perhaps she hoped that he would hear her. But she knew how impossible and childish that was. Instead, she tried her best to smile while clutching the gift certificate.

"I love you, Kei," she admitted.

She turned away from the window and sought to find her friends.

- ~ - ~ -

Something from me: So, I'm going to say it again. I'm SORRY! IT'S NOT AN AU, THOUGH! I CAN'T HELP IT!!!!!!! I'm going to point you up to the message at the top, if you haven't read it yet. Sigh, I'm really sorry. But, I'm not done yet... I know some of you can't read this anymore. It's kinda turning some of you away because of the way it turned out... SORRY! But, I've had all of this planned out. Well, most of it. The main events are a definite, though. I've had most of the whole thing, such as all of Kitsune's events (except for the one above), completely structured and planned. Anyway, I'm almost done, it's about 500 or 1000 words away from done. So, uh, thanks for all those who're still here.