A different Toudai, Chapter 3
Author's note: Wow I got my first reviewers! Thank you all so much! There'll be a bit of jumping from character to character here, before we go back to Naru : )
It wasn't like her to do this, but just for today Motoko had gone out on a trip to town before training, and Shinobu had accompanied her. The younger girl's request to come along had come out as a hurried burst, followed by a flood of apologies. Motoko didn't mind; she simply advised her to dress warmly. According to Su's new weather-detector machine, it would be snowing soon. Motoko made sure that she was never within a ten-foot radius of the mechanism. Everyone else seemed to follow this course of action, which confused Su greatly.
"What?" she'd asked. "It doesn't do anything harmful! It only predicts the weather! Look-" and she pressed a fatal button. Its mechanical arm, which was connected to a thermometer on the edge, began to whistle and spin, smashing against one of Haruka-san's prized china cups. Shinobu gasped and Motoko sighed; then both simply fled the scene, leaving Su to clean up the mercury and shattered china.
Now the two dark-haired girls, one tall, one short-one with long hair, one with short hair-were making their way down the long flight stairs. Shinobu had her hands crossed over her chest in an attempt to keep warm, and was lagging slightly behind Motoko. The older, more calm and trained girl had her hands in her pocket and walked silently, a concentrated expression on her face, as if deep in contemplation. Shinobu was afraid to interrupt and kept a step behind. Come to think of it, she wasn't even sure why she had offered to come along with Motoko-of course the skilled kendo girl didn't need company, or anyone to defend her-even when the horde of admirers came after her. Afraid of asking, Shinobu kept her thoughts to herself and thought instead of the others. Su, of course, hadn't changed much after Keitaro's sudden departure; as soon as the initial shock was over she was immediately back to her overexcited self, designing more mechanisms that caused the inhabitants of Hinata Inn to run all over for cover. More than once she'd blown holes in the roof.
Mutsumi Otohime had replied with her usual feminine-sounding "ara ara!" and was the only one that hadn't thought Keitaro would return. The others had all reasoned that yes, he had taken all the clothes and belongings he might need and vanished without a trace, but where else would he go? Or, as Naru put it-"Who would take him in?"
Shinobu remembered Naru's face as she said that-her voice in a slack, indifferent tone, not even looking up from her book. She wondered what had happened between Naru and Keitaro-things had been going so well.
And then there was Kitsune. The noisiest, most raucous girl of Hinata Inn had been escorted home one night by Seta-san shortly after Keitaro left, thus resulting in an argument with Naru, her best friend since high school. Since Keitaro's departure Naru had become very touchy to the subject of guys, no matter which guy was being discussed, whether or not she had anything to do with him.
They'd reconciled their differences when Naru was accepted to Toudai, however, and in those short days before the brunette's departure they became closer than ever. Kitsune left herself only two weeks later-on a venture to Osaka, she'd told them-and had barely written in the months that had passed. Shinobu had heard from Haruka-san that Seta-san had moved to California with Sarah.
So that had left Shinobu, Motoko, and Su at Hinata Inn.
Several times Motoko felt the urge to turn around and see if the younger girl was still following her; Shinobu walked so quietly that she couldn't tell if she was still there. Several moments later she had a thump and a startled "s-sempai, matte kudasai!"
Her long dark hair whirled around as she turned. Shinobu had slipped on a patch of ice and fallen over. Without a word Motoko helped her up; then they continued on their way.
Perhaps, thought Motoko, she had been the one least affected by all the departures around her. After all, a good deal of her life had been spent training; and that had kept her at some distance from the others. She'd never had a best friend, as Naru and Kitsune had been, only her sister, yet it had never bothered her. To Aoyama Motoko, there was only her training.
With Naru and Kitsune gone, Hinata Inn had become much quieter and seemed empty at times. Su had made an obvious effort to fill in for three people- and it was an effort that was not particularly appreciated. Motoko was finding herself sinking deeper and deeper into contemplations at times, deeply immersing herself in her training, both physically and mentally. Training-it always came back to that.
But something had drawn her out of that trance during the last few days. Kitsune was coming home, and Shinobu had invited Naru. Haruka-san and Shinobu were preparing a fancy dinner and Su had decided to put herself in charge of the Christmas tree and decorations. There seemed little left for Motoko to do except for gift shopping. The only person she would really feel comfortable buying things for was her sister, so in a way she was glad Shinobu had come along-she might be able to help her select some presents. She couldn't imagine what Naru and Kitsune might be like. Would Kitsune have developed an Osakan accent? She couldn't help but smile secretly to herself at that idea.
She was surprised to hear the driver's voice announce that they had reached their destination. Apparently Shinobu had paid for their tickets, since she certainly didn't remember doing so. Motoko gave her head a little shake and reminded herself to stay out of such deep thoughts, which she'd been immersed in a little too often recently.
She slowed her pace, making it clear that she wanted Shinobu walking by her side and not behind her, and the younger girl responded accordingly. They passed toy shops and jewelry shops, bakeries and other such stores before Shinobu suddenly stopped and gasped in delight. With her elbows bent 180 degrees and her hands in loose fists at her chin, a wowed expression on her face, Shinobu exclaimed, "It's so pretty. . ."
Motoko led the way into the store and pretended to be examining some potato peelers while Shinobu went and asked the price of the apron. Soon she returned disappointed; Motoko didn't ask why. A few minutes later, her Christmas spirit revived, Shinobu went to go look at other supplies. Motoko made her way to the saleswoman and exchanged a few quick words before tucking a carefully wrapped apron of the exact same pattern and material into her bag.
Ten minutes later they reunited outside the store, each holding a package. Motoko immediately inquired as to Shinobu's purchases.
"I bought Naru some potholders," she said shyly, and the older girl remembered Naru's letter complaining about the lack of cooking supplies she'd brought to Toudai, and was touched that Shinobu remembered-after all, that letter had come in early September. "Do you think she'll like a pattern of strawberries?"
"I think she will," assured Motoko, a smile coming onto her face. The younger girl cast one last longing look at the apron and turned away.
"What did you buy?" asked Shinobu, as they made their way down the street.
"I bought Su a variety of random gadgets for her mechanisms," said Motoko smoothly, her alibi already prepared. Shinobu laughed out loud when she heard this.
"I wonder what Kitsune would like?" she wondered aloud.
Motoko smiled to herself, the spirit of Christmas infecting her soul. It would be fun to buy presents for everyone, and especially to celebrate Christmas together at Hinata Inn again.
Author's note: In case you were wondering, matte kudasai is "please wait" in Japanese. And all of us who have seen Love Hina know what sempai means : )
Author's note: Wow I got my first reviewers! Thank you all so much! There'll be a bit of jumping from character to character here, before we go back to Naru : )
It wasn't like her to do this, but just for today Motoko had gone out on a trip to town before training, and Shinobu had accompanied her. The younger girl's request to come along had come out as a hurried burst, followed by a flood of apologies. Motoko didn't mind; she simply advised her to dress warmly. According to Su's new weather-detector machine, it would be snowing soon. Motoko made sure that she was never within a ten-foot radius of the mechanism. Everyone else seemed to follow this course of action, which confused Su greatly.
"What?" she'd asked. "It doesn't do anything harmful! It only predicts the weather! Look-" and she pressed a fatal button. Its mechanical arm, which was connected to a thermometer on the edge, began to whistle and spin, smashing against one of Haruka-san's prized china cups. Shinobu gasped and Motoko sighed; then both simply fled the scene, leaving Su to clean up the mercury and shattered china.
Now the two dark-haired girls, one tall, one short-one with long hair, one with short hair-were making their way down the long flight stairs. Shinobu had her hands crossed over her chest in an attempt to keep warm, and was lagging slightly behind Motoko. The older, more calm and trained girl had her hands in her pocket and walked silently, a concentrated expression on her face, as if deep in contemplation. Shinobu was afraid to interrupt and kept a step behind. Come to think of it, she wasn't even sure why she had offered to come along with Motoko-of course the skilled kendo girl didn't need company, or anyone to defend her-even when the horde of admirers came after her. Afraid of asking, Shinobu kept her thoughts to herself and thought instead of the others. Su, of course, hadn't changed much after Keitaro's sudden departure; as soon as the initial shock was over she was immediately back to her overexcited self, designing more mechanisms that caused the inhabitants of Hinata Inn to run all over for cover. More than once she'd blown holes in the roof.
Mutsumi Otohime had replied with her usual feminine-sounding "ara ara!" and was the only one that hadn't thought Keitaro would return. The others had all reasoned that yes, he had taken all the clothes and belongings he might need and vanished without a trace, but where else would he go? Or, as Naru put it-"Who would take him in?"
Shinobu remembered Naru's face as she said that-her voice in a slack, indifferent tone, not even looking up from her book. She wondered what had happened between Naru and Keitaro-things had been going so well.
And then there was Kitsune. The noisiest, most raucous girl of Hinata Inn had been escorted home one night by Seta-san shortly after Keitaro left, thus resulting in an argument with Naru, her best friend since high school. Since Keitaro's departure Naru had become very touchy to the subject of guys, no matter which guy was being discussed, whether or not she had anything to do with him.
They'd reconciled their differences when Naru was accepted to Toudai, however, and in those short days before the brunette's departure they became closer than ever. Kitsune left herself only two weeks later-on a venture to Osaka, she'd told them-and had barely written in the months that had passed. Shinobu had heard from Haruka-san that Seta-san had moved to California with Sarah.
So that had left Shinobu, Motoko, and Su at Hinata Inn.
Several times Motoko felt the urge to turn around and see if the younger girl was still following her; Shinobu walked so quietly that she couldn't tell if she was still there. Several moments later she had a thump and a startled "s-sempai, matte kudasai!"
Her long dark hair whirled around as she turned. Shinobu had slipped on a patch of ice and fallen over. Without a word Motoko helped her up; then they continued on their way.
Perhaps, thought Motoko, she had been the one least affected by all the departures around her. After all, a good deal of her life had been spent training; and that had kept her at some distance from the others. She'd never had a best friend, as Naru and Kitsune had been, only her sister, yet it had never bothered her. To Aoyama Motoko, there was only her training.
With Naru and Kitsune gone, Hinata Inn had become much quieter and seemed empty at times. Su had made an obvious effort to fill in for three people- and it was an effort that was not particularly appreciated. Motoko was finding herself sinking deeper and deeper into contemplations at times, deeply immersing herself in her training, both physically and mentally. Training-it always came back to that.
But something had drawn her out of that trance during the last few days. Kitsune was coming home, and Shinobu had invited Naru. Haruka-san and Shinobu were preparing a fancy dinner and Su had decided to put herself in charge of the Christmas tree and decorations. There seemed little left for Motoko to do except for gift shopping. The only person she would really feel comfortable buying things for was her sister, so in a way she was glad Shinobu had come along-she might be able to help her select some presents. She couldn't imagine what Naru and Kitsune might be like. Would Kitsune have developed an Osakan accent? She couldn't help but smile secretly to herself at that idea.
She was surprised to hear the driver's voice announce that they had reached their destination. Apparently Shinobu had paid for their tickets, since she certainly didn't remember doing so. Motoko gave her head a little shake and reminded herself to stay out of such deep thoughts, which she'd been immersed in a little too often recently.
She slowed her pace, making it clear that she wanted Shinobu walking by her side and not behind her, and the younger girl responded accordingly. They passed toy shops and jewelry shops, bakeries and other such stores before Shinobu suddenly stopped and gasped in delight. With her elbows bent 180 degrees and her hands in loose fists at her chin, a wowed expression on her face, Shinobu exclaimed, "It's so pretty. . ."
Motoko led the way into the store and pretended to be examining some potato peelers while Shinobu went and asked the price of the apron. Soon she returned disappointed; Motoko didn't ask why. A few minutes later, her Christmas spirit revived, Shinobu went to go look at other supplies. Motoko made her way to the saleswoman and exchanged a few quick words before tucking a carefully wrapped apron of the exact same pattern and material into her bag.
Ten minutes later they reunited outside the store, each holding a package. Motoko immediately inquired as to Shinobu's purchases.
"I bought Naru some potholders," she said shyly, and the older girl remembered Naru's letter complaining about the lack of cooking supplies she'd brought to Toudai, and was touched that Shinobu remembered-after all, that letter had come in early September. "Do you think she'll like a pattern of strawberries?"
"I think she will," assured Motoko, a smile coming onto her face. The younger girl cast one last longing look at the apron and turned away.
"What did you buy?" asked Shinobu, as they made their way down the street.
"I bought Su a variety of random gadgets for her mechanisms," said Motoko smoothly, her alibi already prepared. Shinobu laughed out loud when she heard this.
"I wonder what Kitsune would like?" she wondered aloud.
Motoko smiled to herself, the spirit of Christmas infecting her soul. It would be fun to buy presents for everyone, and especially to celebrate Christmas together at Hinata Inn again.
Author's note: In case you were wondering, matte kudasai is "please wait" in Japanese. And all of us who have seen Love Hina know what sempai means : )