DISCLAIMER: I do not own Love Hina.
The following morning was perfect. The rest of the Hinata girls were outside the café having their time out in the sun. We find Keitaro inside the Beach café, lying on a table.
"Huh---?!!!" Keitaro awoke from his dream.
"Ohayo, Keitaro!" came a familiar voice.
Keitaro squinted and rubbed his eyes to clear his vision. The sunlight bathing his surroundings was making it hard for his eyes to adjust. The last time he was conscious, it was still dark. His vision came to him and he focused his eyes on the angel seated beside him, looking at him with an unmistakable smile.
"Aaahh- Ohayo, Narusegawa." Keitaro replied with a smile. "You know, I had the strangest dream. I dreamt about fighting Seta-san at the ruins and- ouch" Keitaro rubs the back of his head.
"You weren't dreaming Keitaro." Naru answered.
Keitaro lifted his right arm and felt his whole body ache. He also noticed numerous bruises on both of his arms.
"What exactly happened?" He asked Naru.
"Well, let's just say everybody got lost in the script. Oh, and you're no exception." She replied with a smile.
"Then, what you said in my dream is true?!"
"Baka! I already told you that you weren't dreaming! I don't know if your bruises got to your brains or you really are plain stupid!" She commented with a smile.
"Ha ha- I just wanted to make sure. You know me---"
"Sempai!!! Sempai!!!" Shinobu yelled. "Hey Sempai is already awake!"
"Where are we, Narusegawa?" asked Keitaro.
"We're still in the beach house. You were out cold the rest of the time. It's around eight in the morning and the rest of the girls just finished having breakfast."
"Hmm--- I do feel hungry. Is there anything to eat?"
"Don't worry. I knew you were going to be up sometime soon so I made sure there was some left for you."
"Wow, thank you---"
"Why don't you get off the table and take this seat beside me so I can go get your food. "
"Okay." Keitaro pulled his battered body off the table and seated himself as Naru instructed.
"I'll just be a couple of minutes." She told Keitaro, planting a kiss on his right cheek and skipping off to the kitchen. Keitaro turned red and he felt his head spinning.
"Wow, this can't be!" he thought to himself. "Why is Narusegawa acting like this towards me? Is this the beginning of something beautiful?! Aaah--- somebody pinch me!!!"
"BONK!"
Keitaro's thoughts were disrupted by a beach ball hitting the back of his head.
"Sorry sempai!" Shinobu shouted running after the ball.
"Everybody seems so happy! What's going on?!"
"How are you feeling, Sempai?" Shinobu asked, holding the ball with both hands.
"Well, my body still hurts a lot but I'm actually more concerned about how everything seems to be so different this morning."
"Hmmm--- maybe it's just that bump on your head." She smiled sweetly.
"Keitaro, here's your breakfast." said Naru. "Thank you, Narusegawa. This looks good!"
"I was the one who made breakfast this morning!" commented Shinobu.
"Well, in that case, thank you too, Shinobu!" Keitaro smiled as he patted her head.
Shinobu blushed.
"Shinobu!!! What's taking you so long?!" Su cried.
"I'm coming!!!" the young girl replied as she ran off towards the other.
"Where's Haruka-san, Kitsune and Motoko?" asked Keitaro.
"Kitsune went with Haruka-san to buy supplies for the café and Motoko is somewhere along the beach, doing her morning routine. You better stop asking and start eating or your food is going to get cold."
Keitaro didn't reply anymore. Instead, he did as Naru told and started devouring the treat Shinobu made earlier.
'Keitaro?" asked Naru.
"Mmmph?" replied the boy, noodles still hanging from his mouth.
"What happened between you and Seta-sempai last night, did you really do it because you were afraid to lose me?"
"Omph yemph. Mph thnt hee waph gonh hmp thnk hm hamh frh mhe!" He replied, smiling afterwards.
Naru looked at him quizzically and said, "Can you tell me that again AFTER you've swallowed your noodles?"
Keitaro smiled, teeth showing, noodles still hanging in between his pearly whites.
"Okay. Since I've already gone out and blurted it in the open last night, I guess its useless to keep feeding my inhibitions. What I meant to say, was that I thought Seta was really going to take you away and that would mean I might not ever see you again."
Naru blushed.
"But this is weird. Shinobu and Su are just a few meters away from us. Normally, we wouldn't be able to talk in private like this without interruption."
"Don't worry, while you were out cold last night, me and the girls had a nice long chat. Let's just say we were able to resolve a few concerns."
"Okay, I've been very straightforward with you for the past few minutes. I'm expecting to be punched anytime soon. What's holding you back?"
"Uhm, let's just put it this way--- I know you never even dreamt of getting into a real fight with Seta-sempai. But last night, you showed us a side of your personality that you usually don't. I also know that you'd never have the guts to say exactly how you feel about me but you did last night. You even got yourself hurt in the process---"
"Yes? Please continue---"
"Well, because of the events that transpired last night, I came to terms with myself about how I feel."
"So what you told me last night was true?"
"It's not easy to bring it out just like that. That's why me and the rest of the girls talked about it last night. I never thought I'd be able to tell it to you like this but I have always feared rejection. As a little child, I was sickly and was always outcast by my playmates. Of course I've outgrown my childhood illnesses and I've had my own set of friends soon after but as a child, I can only recall two friends who accepted me for who I was back then. Unfortunately, I was too small to recall everything. Oh--- and that's the reason why I was deeply troubled about the feelings that I have locked inside. These girls, they're the closest friends I have and I would do nothing to destroy what we have with each other. And then you came along---"
"What about me?! I'm not doing anything to break up what you have with them!"
"Of course you're not, baka!" she remarked. "But when you stepped into Hinata Sou, you changed each one of us, one way or another, and because of that, you earned your place in each of our hearts. If I knew one of us meant more to you than the others, I would be terribly disappointed. So goes for the other girls."
"So you're telling me that our being alone right now is going to cause a problem sooner or later?" he asked.
"You know, you're a smart guy, Keitaro. But sometimes, it wouldn't hurt to let the other person finish first." Came her sarcastic remark.
"Oh, okay. Go on---"
"Like I said, last night, while you were still out cold, me and the girls talked about a lot of stuff. It was a good thing Haruka-san was there to mediate----"
The following morning was perfect. The rest of the Hinata girls were outside the café having their time out in the sun. We find Keitaro inside the Beach café, lying on a table.
"Huh---?!!!" Keitaro awoke from his dream.
"Ohayo, Keitaro!" came a familiar voice.
Keitaro squinted and rubbed his eyes to clear his vision. The sunlight bathing his surroundings was making it hard for his eyes to adjust. The last time he was conscious, it was still dark. His vision came to him and he focused his eyes on the angel seated beside him, looking at him with an unmistakable smile.
"Aaahh- Ohayo, Narusegawa." Keitaro replied with a smile. "You know, I had the strangest dream. I dreamt about fighting Seta-san at the ruins and- ouch" Keitaro rubs the back of his head.
"You weren't dreaming Keitaro." Naru answered.
Keitaro lifted his right arm and felt his whole body ache. He also noticed numerous bruises on both of his arms.
"What exactly happened?" He asked Naru.
"Well, let's just say everybody got lost in the script. Oh, and you're no exception." She replied with a smile.
"Then, what you said in my dream is true?!"
"Baka! I already told you that you weren't dreaming! I don't know if your bruises got to your brains or you really are plain stupid!" She commented with a smile.
"Ha ha- I just wanted to make sure. You know me---"
"Sempai!!! Sempai!!!" Shinobu yelled. "Hey Sempai is already awake!"
"Where are we, Narusegawa?" asked Keitaro.
"We're still in the beach house. You were out cold the rest of the time. It's around eight in the morning and the rest of the girls just finished having breakfast."
"Hmm--- I do feel hungry. Is there anything to eat?"
"Don't worry. I knew you were going to be up sometime soon so I made sure there was some left for you."
"Wow, thank you---"
"Why don't you get off the table and take this seat beside me so I can go get your food. "
"Okay." Keitaro pulled his battered body off the table and seated himself as Naru instructed.
"I'll just be a couple of minutes." She told Keitaro, planting a kiss on his right cheek and skipping off to the kitchen. Keitaro turned red and he felt his head spinning.
"Wow, this can't be!" he thought to himself. "Why is Narusegawa acting like this towards me? Is this the beginning of something beautiful?! Aaah--- somebody pinch me!!!"
"BONK!"
Keitaro's thoughts were disrupted by a beach ball hitting the back of his head.
"Sorry sempai!" Shinobu shouted running after the ball.
"Everybody seems so happy! What's going on?!"
"How are you feeling, Sempai?" Shinobu asked, holding the ball with both hands.
"Well, my body still hurts a lot but I'm actually more concerned about how everything seems to be so different this morning."
"Hmmm--- maybe it's just that bump on your head." She smiled sweetly.
"Keitaro, here's your breakfast." said Naru. "Thank you, Narusegawa. This looks good!"
"I was the one who made breakfast this morning!" commented Shinobu.
"Well, in that case, thank you too, Shinobu!" Keitaro smiled as he patted her head.
Shinobu blushed.
"Shinobu!!! What's taking you so long?!" Su cried.
"I'm coming!!!" the young girl replied as she ran off towards the other.
"Where's Haruka-san, Kitsune and Motoko?" asked Keitaro.
"Kitsune went with Haruka-san to buy supplies for the café and Motoko is somewhere along the beach, doing her morning routine. You better stop asking and start eating or your food is going to get cold."
Keitaro didn't reply anymore. Instead, he did as Naru told and started devouring the treat Shinobu made earlier.
'Keitaro?" asked Naru.
"Mmmph?" replied the boy, noodles still hanging from his mouth.
"What happened between you and Seta-sempai last night, did you really do it because you were afraid to lose me?"
"Omph yemph. Mph thnt hee waph gonh hmp thnk hm hamh frh mhe!" He replied, smiling afterwards.
Naru looked at him quizzically and said, "Can you tell me that again AFTER you've swallowed your noodles?"
Keitaro smiled, teeth showing, noodles still hanging in between his pearly whites.
"Okay. Since I've already gone out and blurted it in the open last night, I guess its useless to keep feeding my inhibitions. What I meant to say, was that I thought Seta was really going to take you away and that would mean I might not ever see you again."
Naru blushed.
"But this is weird. Shinobu and Su are just a few meters away from us. Normally, we wouldn't be able to talk in private like this without interruption."
"Don't worry, while you were out cold last night, me and the girls had a nice long chat. Let's just say we were able to resolve a few concerns."
"Okay, I've been very straightforward with you for the past few minutes. I'm expecting to be punched anytime soon. What's holding you back?"
"Uhm, let's just put it this way--- I know you never even dreamt of getting into a real fight with Seta-sempai. But last night, you showed us a side of your personality that you usually don't. I also know that you'd never have the guts to say exactly how you feel about me but you did last night. You even got yourself hurt in the process---"
"Yes? Please continue---"
"Well, because of the events that transpired last night, I came to terms with myself about how I feel."
"So what you told me last night was true?"
"It's not easy to bring it out just like that. That's why me and the rest of the girls talked about it last night. I never thought I'd be able to tell it to you like this but I have always feared rejection. As a little child, I was sickly and was always outcast by my playmates. Of course I've outgrown my childhood illnesses and I've had my own set of friends soon after but as a child, I can only recall two friends who accepted me for who I was back then. Unfortunately, I was too small to recall everything. Oh--- and that's the reason why I was deeply troubled about the feelings that I have locked inside. These girls, they're the closest friends I have and I would do nothing to destroy what we have with each other. And then you came along---"
"What about me?! I'm not doing anything to break up what you have with them!"
"Of course you're not, baka!" she remarked. "But when you stepped into Hinata Sou, you changed each one of us, one way or another, and because of that, you earned your place in each of our hearts. If I knew one of us meant more to you than the others, I would be terribly disappointed. So goes for the other girls."
"So you're telling me that our being alone right now is going to cause a problem sooner or later?" he asked.
"You know, you're a smart guy, Keitaro. But sometimes, it wouldn't hurt to let the other person finish first." Came her sarcastic remark.
"Oh, okay. Go on---"
"Like I said, last night, while you were still out cold, me and the girls talked about a lot of stuff. It was a good thing Haruka-san was there to mediate----"