Love Hina – Relations
Fanfic by Steven Biggs
Chapter Three – Past
Saturday Evening
Everyone gathers around the coffee table once more. Yohko spreads out a few photo albums on the table with one hand as she holds Keitaro off with the other.
"Mother! Why did you bring those? You said that you wouldn't show them to anyone without asking me first!"
She smiles sweetly at him.
"I did ask you if I could bring them if we ever came to visit, remember?"
"I remember, and I remember that I said no!"
"But, I did ask you. So it's alright."
The girls all crowd around the table and watch as Yohko flips the pages.
"This is a picture of Kei-kun when he was just two years old."
Su looks over her shoulder.
"What's that thing in his hand?"
"Kei-kun was just starting to discover himself."
"MOTHER, NO! NOT THAT PICTURE!"
As Keitaro leaps over the couch to try to grab the album, Motoko nonchalantly deflects him with her sword.
"Please, it is not polite to interrupt your own mother. Continue Yohko-san, this is most educational."
Shinobu leans close to the picture.
"Sempai is so cute! And look at the smile on his face!"
Kitsune points to another picture.
"What's this one? All I can see are arms and legs."
Yohko thinks for a moment.
"I believe this is Kei-kun's little friend that he used to play with. She left soon after this picture was taken."
Naru stares at the photo.
"What are they doing?"
"Kei-kun tripped and fell on her while he was trying to bring her an ice-cream. They had vanilla all over themselves and it was so cute watching her lick it off his cheek."
"Do you have anymore pictures of her? I can't see her face."
"I'm sorry, but this is the only one we have. We gave the rest to her family before they left."
"What, what was her name?"
Yohko touches her chin.
"Hmm, I can't remember. Keishi, do you recall her name?"
Keitaro's father looks at the photo.
"I'm afraid not. I'm not very good with names anyway. But wasn't this the other little girl that played with them?"
"No, I don't believe so. That poor child wasn't allowed outside most of the time because of her asthma."
Naru looks at her.
"What other girl?"
"There was another little girl that stayed close to Kei-kun and his friend. She would always run over and slap him for no apparent reason, but I think she really liked him. It was very strange, on the day his friend left, he tried to chase the moving van down the street. This other little girl stood and watched him the entire time. As he was coming back up the street, she walked over, kicked him in the shin, hit him on the head with her stuffed toy, and then ran away."
Kitsune laughs.
"That's Keitaro-san for ya! Every girl he meets takes notice of him, just enough to figure out where to hit him!"
Naru leans closer to Keitaro and grabs his arm.
"Maybe they really saw something more. Keitaro is very kind and sweet."
Shinobu holds up another picture.
"How cute! Sempai's wearing squirrel pajamas!"
Keitaro hangs his head.
"Not that one too."
Motoko leans over and stares at another photo.
"This is exceedingly strange. Why is Urashima hanging from the ceiling by his head?"
Yohko looks at the picture.
"Oh, I'm sorry. That one is upside down. He actually fell while trying to hang up a poster welcoming his new sister."
Naru looks at him.
"I didn't know that you had a sister."
"Well, she's my adopted sister, actually."
Su flips through the albums.
"Is there a picture of her?"
Keishi shakes his head.
"Kanako-chan doesn't like to have her picture taken. For some reason, she thinks a camera will weaken her soul."
"I believe that it will actually entrap my essence, leaving it vulnerable to anyone that possesses the picture."
Everyone turns to the door. A young woman with long black hair stands there. A black cat with a bell around its neck sits on her shoulder. She walks over and stands next to Keitaro.
"Keitaro is the only one that I would ever allow to do such a thing to me."
Keitaro smiles at the newcomer and gives her a hug.
"Kanako-chan! It's wonderful to see you! Mother didn't say that you were coming too!"
Keitaro's hug causes a warm smile to spread across Kanako's face. It slowly fades and she steps back and reaches up to touch his shoulder.
"It is as I thought. You have been injured. Who did this to you?"
Naru bows her head.
"It was my fault. I'm really very sorry."
Kanako calmly looks at her for a few seconds. She then pulls a small notebook from a pocket and writes in it. The cat on her shoulder looks at her notes.
"Meow, don't you think that's a little extreme?"
Kanako shakes her head.
"Not at all."
The girls stare at the cat. Keishi takes a sip of sake and laughs.
"Are you still doing that ventriloquist act with your cat? No one will ever fall for such an obvious trick."
The cat looks over at him.
"You're even denser than Keitaro, meow."
Yohko scolds Kanako.
"Kanako-chan, that's not a nice thing to say about your father and brother."
Kanako looks at the cat.
"Please apologize, Kuro-nya."
The cat nods its head and looks at over at them.
"I'm very sorry this family is so dense, meow."
Tama-chan flies into the room and lands on Su's head. Kuro-nya does a double take and leaps from Kanako's shoulder and latches onto one of the support beams.
"Meow! Where did th-that flying turtle come from?"
Su grabs Tama-chan and begins to tie her up in preparation for a stew.
"This is just our pet hot-spring turtle Tama-chan, who will soon be dinner!"
Yohko reaches over, takes the turtle, and pats it on the head.
"What a cute flying turtle!"
Kuro-nya looks over at Kanako.
"Everyone will accept a flying turtle without question, but not a talking cat. Go figure, meow."
Kanako moves to the couch and sits next to Keitaro, pushing Naru aside.
"It is so nice to see you again, Keitaro-kun."
Keitaro reaches over and pats her on the head.
"I missed you too, Kanako-chan."
"I am a young woman now. You can stop treating me like a little sister."
He smiles at her.
"You'll always be my little Kanako-chan!"
Kanako sighs.
"We will see."
Naru holds her hand out to Kanako.
"It's very nice to meet you. I'm Narusegawa Naru."
Kanako looks at her hand for a few moments before grasping it.
"That would be a very beautiful name to see on a tombstone."
Not quite sure how to respond, Naru just nods her head.
"I, uh, never thought of my name quite like that. Thank you."
"It will be my pleasure."
A little while later, Kanako excuses herself. She heads upstairs to the restrooms, but pauses at the tops of the stairs on the second floor.
"That is Keitaro-kun's room there. I wonder what it looks like?"
"Meow, you're going to look even if I suggest you don't, aren't you?"
She smiles at the cat.
"Of course! You know how concerned I am about Keitaro-kun."
As she starts to move down the hallway, Tama-chan flies past her at a high rate of speed.
"Mew!"
Kanako stares at the receding turtle.
"I wonder why it is in such a hurry."
She turns around and is instantly run over as Motoko charges off the stairs.
"Come back here, you audacious, high-roller of a turtle! Face me like a man, uh, turtle!"
Kanako skids down the hallway and comes to a stop outside the manager's room.
"Wh-what was that?"
Kuro-nya pokes his head out from underneath her.
"I didn't know that the bus ran through here!"
She stands up and brushes herself off.
"That must have been Aoyama-san. I will not allow her to accost me in such a manner again."
At that moment, Tama-chan flies down from the other end of the hallway. As she passes, Kanako reaches out and catches her.
"Why would Aoyama-san be chasing this turtle?"
Motoko appears at the end of the hallway. She slows down as she approaches Kanako.
"Urashima-chan! I am sorry for running into you a moment ago. "
Kanako tenses and turns to face her.
"I will not allow you to surprise me again!"
Motoko stares at her outstretched hands. Tama-chan, still in her grip, raises a flipper.
"Mew!"
"AAAAAAAIIIIIIIEEEEEEE! TURTLE!"
Chi swirls and crashes through the hallway. Motoko, screaming Keitaro's name, rushes downstairs. Tama-chan, making love-noises, is in quick pursuit. Kanako, piled upside down in the corner, stares at the empty stairs.
"Well, that did not go quite as I had planned."
Kuro-nya, shaking its head, crawls out from underneath her.
"I was wrong, meow! That wasn't a bus, it was the freight train! Express edition!"
Kanako stands and, looking both ways, moves back down the hallway and enters Keitaro's room. She looks around at the desk, the futon, the table, the futon, the closet, and the futon. She leaps over and lands on the futon. As she hugs the pillow, a smile brightens her face. Kuro-nya sits on the table watching her.
"Meow, you look happy! I can hear you purring from over here."
"It smells just like I remember him!"
(Author's Note: If you have seen Ai Yori Aoshi, you know what Kanako looks like as she lies on the futon! ^_^ )
Kanako stands up, moves to the desk, and picks up one of Keitaro's sketchbooks. As she flips through the pages, she can see that most of the drawings deal with Naru, and to a lesser extent, the other girls. Setting the book back in its place, she moves to his closet. After searching through it for a few minutes, she takes some clothes from a box and carries them to her room at the end of the hallway.
"This should be sufficient for my needs."
"Meow, are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes. It is necessary if I am to save Keitaro-kun from that, that woman."
Kuro-nya licks its paw and scratches behind its ear.
"You know, meow, it doesn't seem like the Writer is going to let you get away with this."
Kanako's dark eyes look at the cat.
"He will if he knows what is good for him."
The cat quickly looks around.
"Kanako-chan, you know that it's not a good idea to argue with the Writer!"
"What does He think he can do?"
As Kanako returns to the first floor, she trips and rolls down the stairs. As she stands up, a frying pan drops from the ceiling and lands on her head. She takes a step towards the common room and her skirt catches on a nail, ripping it off and revealing her teddy-bear panties. She quickly grabs the skirt and wraps it back around her waist.
"Okay, okay! I get the message already! But, I warn you that I do not plan to fail!"
The Writer smiles mischievously. ^o^
End of Chapter Three.
Fanfic by Steven Biggs
Chapter Three – Past
Saturday Evening
Everyone gathers around the coffee table once more. Yohko spreads out a few photo albums on the table with one hand as she holds Keitaro off with the other.
"Mother! Why did you bring those? You said that you wouldn't show them to anyone without asking me first!"
She smiles sweetly at him.
"I did ask you if I could bring them if we ever came to visit, remember?"
"I remember, and I remember that I said no!"
"But, I did ask you. So it's alright."
The girls all crowd around the table and watch as Yohko flips the pages.
"This is a picture of Kei-kun when he was just two years old."
Su looks over her shoulder.
"What's that thing in his hand?"
"Kei-kun was just starting to discover himself."
"MOTHER, NO! NOT THAT PICTURE!"
As Keitaro leaps over the couch to try to grab the album, Motoko nonchalantly deflects him with her sword.
"Please, it is not polite to interrupt your own mother. Continue Yohko-san, this is most educational."
Shinobu leans close to the picture.
"Sempai is so cute! And look at the smile on his face!"
Kitsune points to another picture.
"What's this one? All I can see are arms and legs."
Yohko thinks for a moment.
"I believe this is Kei-kun's little friend that he used to play with. She left soon after this picture was taken."
Naru stares at the photo.
"What are they doing?"
"Kei-kun tripped and fell on her while he was trying to bring her an ice-cream. They had vanilla all over themselves and it was so cute watching her lick it off his cheek."
"Do you have anymore pictures of her? I can't see her face."
"I'm sorry, but this is the only one we have. We gave the rest to her family before they left."
"What, what was her name?"
Yohko touches her chin.
"Hmm, I can't remember. Keishi, do you recall her name?"
Keitaro's father looks at the photo.
"I'm afraid not. I'm not very good with names anyway. But wasn't this the other little girl that played with them?"
"No, I don't believe so. That poor child wasn't allowed outside most of the time because of her asthma."
Naru looks at her.
"What other girl?"
"There was another little girl that stayed close to Kei-kun and his friend. She would always run over and slap him for no apparent reason, but I think she really liked him. It was very strange, on the day his friend left, he tried to chase the moving van down the street. This other little girl stood and watched him the entire time. As he was coming back up the street, she walked over, kicked him in the shin, hit him on the head with her stuffed toy, and then ran away."
Kitsune laughs.
"That's Keitaro-san for ya! Every girl he meets takes notice of him, just enough to figure out where to hit him!"
Naru leans closer to Keitaro and grabs his arm.
"Maybe they really saw something more. Keitaro is very kind and sweet."
Shinobu holds up another picture.
"How cute! Sempai's wearing squirrel pajamas!"
Keitaro hangs his head.
"Not that one too."
Motoko leans over and stares at another photo.
"This is exceedingly strange. Why is Urashima hanging from the ceiling by his head?"
Yohko looks at the picture.
"Oh, I'm sorry. That one is upside down. He actually fell while trying to hang up a poster welcoming his new sister."
Naru looks at him.
"I didn't know that you had a sister."
"Well, she's my adopted sister, actually."
Su flips through the albums.
"Is there a picture of her?"
Keishi shakes his head.
"Kanako-chan doesn't like to have her picture taken. For some reason, she thinks a camera will weaken her soul."
"I believe that it will actually entrap my essence, leaving it vulnerable to anyone that possesses the picture."
Everyone turns to the door. A young woman with long black hair stands there. A black cat with a bell around its neck sits on her shoulder. She walks over and stands next to Keitaro.
"Keitaro is the only one that I would ever allow to do such a thing to me."
Keitaro smiles at the newcomer and gives her a hug.
"Kanako-chan! It's wonderful to see you! Mother didn't say that you were coming too!"
Keitaro's hug causes a warm smile to spread across Kanako's face. It slowly fades and she steps back and reaches up to touch his shoulder.
"It is as I thought. You have been injured. Who did this to you?"
Naru bows her head.
"It was my fault. I'm really very sorry."
Kanako calmly looks at her for a few seconds. She then pulls a small notebook from a pocket and writes in it. The cat on her shoulder looks at her notes.
"Meow, don't you think that's a little extreme?"
Kanako shakes her head.
"Not at all."
The girls stare at the cat. Keishi takes a sip of sake and laughs.
"Are you still doing that ventriloquist act with your cat? No one will ever fall for such an obvious trick."
The cat looks over at him.
"You're even denser than Keitaro, meow."
Yohko scolds Kanako.
"Kanako-chan, that's not a nice thing to say about your father and brother."
Kanako looks at the cat.
"Please apologize, Kuro-nya."
The cat nods its head and looks at over at them.
"I'm very sorry this family is so dense, meow."
Tama-chan flies into the room and lands on Su's head. Kuro-nya does a double take and leaps from Kanako's shoulder and latches onto one of the support beams.
"Meow! Where did th-that flying turtle come from?"
Su grabs Tama-chan and begins to tie her up in preparation for a stew.
"This is just our pet hot-spring turtle Tama-chan, who will soon be dinner!"
Yohko reaches over, takes the turtle, and pats it on the head.
"What a cute flying turtle!"
Kuro-nya looks over at Kanako.
"Everyone will accept a flying turtle without question, but not a talking cat. Go figure, meow."
Kanako moves to the couch and sits next to Keitaro, pushing Naru aside.
"It is so nice to see you again, Keitaro-kun."
Keitaro reaches over and pats her on the head.
"I missed you too, Kanako-chan."
"I am a young woman now. You can stop treating me like a little sister."
He smiles at her.
"You'll always be my little Kanako-chan!"
Kanako sighs.
"We will see."
Naru holds her hand out to Kanako.
"It's very nice to meet you. I'm Narusegawa Naru."
Kanako looks at her hand for a few moments before grasping it.
"That would be a very beautiful name to see on a tombstone."
Not quite sure how to respond, Naru just nods her head.
"I, uh, never thought of my name quite like that. Thank you."
"It will be my pleasure."
A little while later, Kanako excuses herself. She heads upstairs to the restrooms, but pauses at the tops of the stairs on the second floor.
"That is Keitaro-kun's room there. I wonder what it looks like?"
"Meow, you're going to look even if I suggest you don't, aren't you?"
She smiles at the cat.
"Of course! You know how concerned I am about Keitaro-kun."
As she starts to move down the hallway, Tama-chan flies past her at a high rate of speed.
"Mew!"
Kanako stares at the receding turtle.
"I wonder why it is in such a hurry."
She turns around and is instantly run over as Motoko charges off the stairs.
"Come back here, you audacious, high-roller of a turtle! Face me like a man, uh, turtle!"
Kanako skids down the hallway and comes to a stop outside the manager's room.
"Wh-what was that?"
Kuro-nya pokes his head out from underneath her.
"I didn't know that the bus ran through here!"
She stands up and brushes herself off.
"That must have been Aoyama-san. I will not allow her to accost me in such a manner again."
At that moment, Tama-chan flies down from the other end of the hallway. As she passes, Kanako reaches out and catches her.
"Why would Aoyama-san be chasing this turtle?"
Motoko appears at the end of the hallway. She slows down as she approaches Kanako.
"Urashima-chan! I am sorry for running into you a moment ago. "
Kanako tenses and turns to face her.
"I will not allow you to surprise me again!"
Motoko stares at her outstretched hands. Tama-chan, still in her grip, raises a flipper.
"Mew!"
"AAAAAAAIIIIIIIEEEEEEE! TURTLE!"
Chi swirls and crashes through the hallway. Motoko, screaming Keitaro's name, rushes downstairs. Tama-chan, making love-noises, is in quick pursuit. Kanako, piled upside down in the corner, stares at the empty stairs.
"Well, that did not go quite as I had planned."
Kuro-nya, shaking its head, crawls out from underneath her.
"I was wrong, meow! That wasn't a bus, it was the freight train! Express edition!"
Kanako stands and, looking both ways, moves back down the hallway and enters Keitaro's room. She looks around at the desk, the futon, the table, the futon, the closet, and the futon. She leaps over and lands on the futon. As she hugs the pillow, a smile brightens her face. Kuro-nya sits on the table watching her.
"Meow, you look happy! I can hear you purring from over here."
"It smells just like I remember him!"
(Author's Note: If you have seen Ai Yori Aoshi, you know what Kanako looks like as she lies on the futon! ^_^ )
Kanako stands up, moves to the desk, and picks up one of Keitaro's sketchbooks. As she flips through the pages, she can see that most of the drawings deal with Naru, and to a lesser extent, the other girls. Setting the book back in its place, she moves to his closet. After searching through it for a few minutes, she takes some clothes from a box and carries them to her room at the end of the hallway.
"This should be sufficient for my needs."
"Meow, are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes. It is necessary if I am to save Keitaro-kun from that, that woman."
Kuro-nya licks its paw and scratches behind its ear.
"You know, meow, it doesn't seem like the Writer is going to let you get away with this."
Kanako's dark eyes look at the cat.
"He will if he knows what is good for him."
The cat quickly looks around.
"Kanako-chan, you know that it's not a good idea to argue with the Writer!"
"What does He think he can do?"
As Kanako returns to the first floor, she trips and rolls down the stairs. As she stands up, a frying pan drops from the ceiling and lands on her head. She takes a step towards the common room and her skirt catches on a nail, ripping it off and revealing her teddy-bear panties. She quickly grabs the skirt and wraps it back around her waist.
"Okay, okay! I get the message already! But, I warn you that I do not plan to fail!"
The Writer smiles mischievously. ^o^
End of Chapter Three.