A/N - Sorry about the long wait, everyone. I've been working on my KeiMot fic (hooray for plot bunnies), and I've been trying to nail down exactly what I'm doing for Talon's magnificent Fanboy War Prequel epic. Also, I'm returning to the States this coming Monday, so packing and tying up loose ends has consumed my time, as well.
As before, I don't own Love Hina.
Chapter 8 - Unimaginable
Two weeks later, Shinobu woke up at the crack of dawn. Before she opened her eyes, she thought, This will either be my first day as a college student or a failure. I don't know what I'd do if it were the latter. She turned and looked at Keitaro, who was still sleeping contentedly, and who seemed to have taken most of the covers. I think I'll kick him next time he steals them all. Or kiss him. One or the other. She leaned over and brushed his hair softly from his face. It's so nice, spending the night with him. I'm sure it's driving him crazy, but he's been so honorable, waiting for me to make the decision for myself. She kissed his forehead and got up, letting him sleep a little longer.
Shinobu dressed quietly in her own room, and sat down at her desk, watching the sunlight begin to touch her floor. She couldn't find her subway card, so she dug through a drawer in search of it. Her fingers touched a small book in the back, and she smiled to herself. She pulled it out and flipped through the worn pages.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, and Keitaro leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Whatcha lookin' at, Shinobu-chan?" he asked, sleepily.
Shinobu blushed, and was about to hide the book, but changed her mind. She said, "Just some sketches I drew a few years ago of us." She showed him a few, where they were invariably kissing or holding hands. "It was just a little crush," she said, grinning.
Keitaro laughed, softly. "This is very cute, Shinobu. I'm still amazed that you've felt this way for so long." He flipped through the book, and smiled. "I remember you had so much fun with me at that summer festival. Do you still have that plushie I won?"
Shinobu smiled and pointed at the cluster of stuffed animals lined up along her bed, and right in the middle was the rather ugly little figure. She said, "I used to hold onto it every night while I slept. It was the only thing anyone had ever won just for me."
Keitaro smiled, and leaned over to kiss her again. "So, are you nervous?" he asked.
Shinobu nodded, and hugged him tightly. "Kei-kun, if I don't get in, will you still love me?"
Keitaro stroked her hair softly and said, "Of course, Shinobu-chan. After all, you still loved me even though I didn't get in. Even if you failed ten times, I'd still be cheering you on every year."
Shinobu smiled and burrowed into his robe. "When do you think we should go in? Do you want to bring the others along?"
Keitaro nodded. "Every time we've gone to see exam results with everyone, we've come away happy. I think that's a fairly good pattern."
"G'mornin', Urashima-kun, Shinobu-chan!" a sleepy voice came from the hallway. Mutsumi stood there, rubbing her eyes. "Today is the day you can see if you're listed, right?"
Shinobu smiled and nodded. "That's right, Mutsumi-san. I'd like to go early, actually, but I don't want to force everyone to get up."
Mutsumi smiled and said, "I don't really think that anyone will mind. After all, we won't get to do this for a while, after today, will we?"
Shinobu laughed. "I hope not."
They each went off to awaken the other residents. Keitaro nearly had to pull Kitsune onto her feet, and the only thing that woke Su up was a banana being waved under her nose. Within a couple of hours, though, everyone was awake and ready, and they left for Toudai.
Shinobu saw that a crowd had already gathered by the time they got there. She heard shouts of joy and heart-wrenching cries of defeat, but she blocked them out as the group from the Hinatasou moved through the mass of hopeful entrants. Her mind was spinning as she approached the emotionless white boards. Oh, God, what'll happen if I don't get in? What will I do for the entire year, next year? How will I be able to fix it? Maybe this was all a mistake? Maybe I've been living in a daydream ever since the day I failed? He says he'll still love me even if I fail, will he? What will happen if I don't see my name? she thought, in a near-panicked state.
She stopped in front of one of the boards, and her hand sought out Keitaro's. She squeezed it as tightly as she could, and when he squeezed back, she opened her eyes. She searched down the list of numbers.
Her eyes stopped. She whispered, in an almost awed tone, "A10325. Maehara Shinobu."
Keitaro looked at her, smiling more broadly than she'd ever seen. She had only a split-second to catch his eye before all of the girls swept her up in their arms and began congratulating her. Kitsune cheered, Su bounced around, hugging random people, Naru applauded, Mutsumi and Motoko each smiled and hugged her. Shinobu was so full of glee at that point that she thought she might pass out.
Suddenly, it seemed as though time froze. Shinobu looked around, and every single part of that moment crystallized into her memory. She knew that, if someone asked her about the moment she got in, she'd be able to describe everything, from the position of her name on the accepted applicants list, to Keitaro's shoes, to the smell of the early spring air, to the shapes of the clouds overhead. It was as though time refused to go on until it was certain that she had lived the moment completely.
In that second, it was as though she could see every part of the last several years with different eyes. She could see herself in that sketchbook of Keitaro's where he'd sketched her smiling, even though she had been weeping. He had been right, though. She could see herself standing on the roof of the Hinatasou, running desperately from her parents, depending on Keitaro's protection. She could almost feel her cheeks light up with joy when he told her that he wished he could eat her cooking forever. She saw herself wandering around Japan, trying to track down Naru and Keitaro, because she was afraid she'd never see them again. She saw Keitaro's face as she asked him about kissing, and that bizarre piece of equipment Su created to get him to kiss her. She saw herself sending him back to Naru with a brave face. She saw Naru helping her with her homework while Keitaro was away. She saw Motoko practicing with her sword, Su chasing after Tama, Kitsune as she got out of the cab that Christmas in Tokyo. She saw Seta as Gyumaoh and Haruka's impassive but kind face. Memories flooded her consciousness, important ones and trivial, happy and sad, and she suddenly realized that the moment when Keitaro found her after she ran away from her mother on their moving day was the moment that her entire life had set itself on this course, and that nothing could ever have kept this from happening.
She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, time seemed to speed up to normal. Kitsune was asking her something, but Shinobu found that she couldn't even speak. She just laughed and spun around and around until she was dizzy and had to hang onto Motoko for balance.
Kitsune smiled. "Still in shock, I guess? I'll give you a bit before you make a decision," she said.
Shinobu took a few deep breaths and said, "I couldn't even hear you, Kitsune, I'm sorry! I just... I can't believe it!"
Kitsune grinned and said, "Don't worry. Every single one of you has gone completely catatonic after seeing your name up there. I just wanted to know what you wanted to do now, where you wanted to go to celebrate."
Shinobu laughed, and said, "I think I'll be in shock for the next four years. But for now, why don't we celebrate at home? That's where I'd like to be, most of all. I hope you don't mind."
Kitsune grinned. "Y'know, that works out great, because it just so happens that we have everything we need there for one hell of a victory celebration!"
The other girls cheered and tugged Shinobu along with them as they left. Shinobu reached back and grabbed Keitaro's hand and said, smiling, "Are you coming, Kei-kun?"
Keitaro took one last look at Shinobu's name up on the accepted list, and smiled, preserving the moment in his memory. He closed his eyes, and squeezed her hand. "Nothing could keep me away, Shinobu-chan."
-----
When they got back to the inn, Haruka was there, waiting. She looked down and grinned as she saw the group climbing the stairs in high spirits, and she called out, "Congratulations, Shinobu! We all knew you could do it!"
Shinobu laughed happily, and said, "Thank you so much, Haruka-san! We need help preparing another celebration!"
Haruka laughed, and said, "I think I can manage that." She looked down at the group of girls surrounding her very happy-looking nephew, and muttered softly to herself, "Six Toudaisei in one house. I wonder if we could advertise this place as a study hall?" She looked up at the inn, and thought, No, the secret isn't the inn, it's in each of the people who brought his or her own dreams here, and reached those dreams because of the love of others who were striving for their own. Better that it remain hidden, a dream in itself. She couldn't shake the feeling that a bell had jingled softly off in the distance as she thought that. She shrugged, and said, as they got to the top, "Keitaro, why don't you help me carry up some drinks from the tea house?"
Keitaro nodded and followed her back down the stairs, in high spirits. Haruka seemed oddly serious, though, so he asked, "Haruka-san, is everything alright?"
Haruka smiled at him. "Yeah, pretty much. I've just got a couple of things I've been wondering, that's all. It can wait. Today's about celebrating. Just think, no one's going to have to study for entrance exams again!"
Keitaro laughed. "That has to be one of the best things I've ever heard. I wonder if we should hold some sort of bonfire for all of those horrible test books or something. Have everyone throw her own in, top them off with mine, and set it ablaze." Keitaro was actually warming to the idea, so a worried Haruka cut him off.
"I'm not sure our insurance covers bonfires. Of course, it covers Mecha-Tamago attacks, but that's only because of that "Act of Su" clause we have in there. Anyhow, Sara might want to look at them before she takes her exams, though that won't be for a few years."
Keitaro rolled his eyes, and said, "I should've guessed. Sara's still so attached to Seta-san, I guess there's no other place she'd want to go, either."
Haruka laughed. "Well, he's an easy guy to get attached to." She blinked, and said, "Hey, did you ever think your life would turn out like this when you first got here?"
Keitaro shook his head. "Not a chance. I still don't know how it happened."
Haruka opened the door of the tea house and walked to the kitchen, rummaging for the bottles. "Well, what happened was that you finally were around people who believed in you. My brother's not one who is particularly good at reassuring people, after all, and his wife is, shall we say, prone to doubting things."
Keitaro nodded. "That could be part of it, but I spent so much more time here fulfilling my duties as manager that I got much less studying done. How does that make sense?"
Haruka handed him a box overflowing with liquor bottles. "You studied less, but you learned more. It's that simple." She grimaced. "Will you stop looking at me like that? This is less alcohol than I usually bring to one of these!" she said as she hoisted another full box in her hands.
"I guess," Keitaro said, incredulously. "Anyhow, Toudai is only part of it. I found some wonderful friends, and I met a girl who I love more than I could've imagined."
Haruka grinned. "And it only took you five years to figure it out," she said, teasingly. "But I'm happy for you. You and everyone here have made me really proud. Now, we'd better hurry before Kitsune goes nuts. Making her wait for booze isn't usually smart," she said, as they hurried up the steps to the celebration.
A/N - This author's note for this chapter is sort of the genesis for my editing of the story. As I said before, I have decided to remove virtually all of the conversational Japanese from my fic, and I think it keeps it rather cleaner than before.
