AN: Hey folks, I'm back. As many of you probably surmised from the genre
and previous chapter, this will most likely be a Kaolla/Keitaro fic. Once
again, before any large sharp objects are thrown my way, please remember
that this storyline is slightly AU. Hope you enjoy!
As always, Love Hina and all its characters belong to Ken Akamatsu. _______________________________________________________________________
Child of the Crimson Moon
Chapter 2: All is fair in love and... cooking?
Despite multiple complaints made by Naru regarding Keitaro, Granny Hina departed the next morning for her vacation with the blessing of the residents. While there is still an undercurrent of tension between Naru and the new landlord, things began smoothing over after several days. True to Kitsune's vision, Keitaro launched himself into the chores of the Hinata- Sou landlord. Each day is spent polishing the hardwood floor, cleaning the hot spring, or wiping the windows.
Over time, Keitaro also began to get used to the quirks of each tenant. He knew from day one to keep an eye out for Kitsune, who seemed eager to use her womanly charms to con him out of money or sake, which she can seem to drink gallons of without even feeling its effects...
Naru, while still semi-hostile towards him, has become more relaxed in her views towards him. She was on vacation from her high school, and is set to graduate in a month. As with all soon to be graduates, she secluded herself in her room most of the time, studying for the dreaded entrance exam that she will take in order to apply for a university. This has allowed Keitaro to avoid any confrontations with her...
As for Kaolla, well...
"Um, sis..." Keitaro raised an eyebrow as he watched over her shoulder, a sweat drop on the back of his head. "...Wouldn't that be a bit much for the other girls?"
"Nonsense!" Kaolla smiled back at him, wearing a chef's apron as she labored over the kitchen stove. "This here is exacly how the Molmol royal family eats! Think of it as a treat for you, big brother!"
"You're too kind to me, you know that?" Smiling, Keitaro kissed the top of her head softly as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Blushing, Kaolla smiled and closed her eyes, resting back in his arms. Though the moment only lasted for barely a minute, she savored every second of it.
"Alright landlord..." Kaolla smiled as she pulled away from him. "Why don't you go setup the table and call the others? Lunch will be served soon."
"Hey, don't I get to sample a taste?" Keitaro grinned.
"Get out!" Kaolla grinned back as she snapped a wet washcloth at his rear, causing him to yelp and scramble from the kitchen to his appointed tasks...
_______________________________________________________________________
Having cooked up a feast, Keitaro decided to invite Haruka over for lunch as well. Soon everyone began digging in, but after the first bite...
Naru, Kitsune, and Haruka scrambled over one another towards the kitchen sink. Each of them downing a large amount of water before slumping to the side. Keitaro and Kaolla watched the three, then shrugged at each other and continued eating.
"Need... antacid..." Kitsune mumbled weakly.
"That was... something new..." Haruka coughed.
"What in the world was that, Kaolla?" Naru gasped after her fifth cup of water.
"It's a delicacy from my home country!" Kaolla beamed proudly, as the other three women frowned at the sight of the dishes. All of them was soaked in a lava red soup of some sort, while most gave off an aroma which burnt one's nose. "Besides, Keitaro likes it!"
"Say, you two never really explained how you know each other from before..." Kitsune smiled, sitting back at the table. "I want to know why you two are close like siblings."
"Well, that's kinda a long story..." Keitaro replied, looking embarassed.
"We've got awhile." Haruka lit up a cigarette, as she and Naru returned to the table. "My stomach needs to recover."
"Well..." Keitaro scratched his chin, trying to remember the past...
_______________________________________________________________________
Ten years ago...
Young Keitaro smiled happily as he rode his tricycle through a beautiful garden, taking in the view of every bush which was shaped into either an animal or an important person. The garden seemed to span as far as the eye could see, but this didn't bother the young nature lover.
"Gangway! Coming through!"
Surprised, Keitaro looked behind him before his eyes bugged out in shock. He began pedaling as fast as he could, but was nontheless trampled over by what appeared to be a mechanical horse. The young girl riding it quickly reined it to a stop and dismounted, a sweatdrop forming on the back of her head as she saw Keitaro's legs sticking through a bush.
"Oopsies, sorry about that!" The girl smiled as she pulled him out of the bush, the carefree look on her face changing into one of horror as she studied his face. "Oh no! Big brother! I'll get Big sister to fix you up!" Sprinting as fast as she could, she dragged poor little Keitaro along by the arm. Mere seconds later she arrived at what appeared to be a large palace, gasping for breath.
"Big sis! Big sis!" The young girl called out, and was relieved as another girl came up to her. "Big brother's hurt!"
"What are you talking about, Kaolla?" The other girl replied, "And why did you drag that boy here?"
"Huh?" Blinking, Kaolla then realized that there was another boy standing by her sister. The boy looked identical in almost every way as Keitaro, but was slightly more tanned and had green eyes instead. Helping Keitaro to his feet, she then noticed that he had paler skin and brown eyes.
"Ah, you must be the Japanese ambassador's son." The darker boy smiled and offered to shake hands with Keitaro. "I'm Ramba Su, and I'm sorry about the misunderstanding."
"No biggie. My name's Keitaro." The Japanese boy smiled and shook his hand, then looked at the two girls.
"Ah, where's my manners?" Ramba smiled. "This is my sister, Amalla Su." The older girl nodded to Keitaro. "And I believe you've already met Kaolla Su, my other sister." The younger girl beamed and latched onto Keitaro, making him struggle to breathe for a second.
"Goodie!" Kaolla smiled at Keitaro. "So does this mean you'll be my other Big brother and play with me?"
"Kaolla!" Amalla began to protest, but was restrained by Ramba's hand. He shook his head slightly with a smile, indicating he didn't mind.
"Um, I guess?" Keitaro chuckled nervously, then went bug eyed as Kaolla dragged him away, sprinting towards the gardens.
"Yay! Come on, let's go fix your bike!"
_______________________________________________________________________
Present day...
Naru stared at Kaolla with a look of disbelief, while Kitsune was rolling on the floor with laughter. Haruka was trying her best to hold her poker face, but was struggling not to join Kitsune in laughter.
"You mean that you guys met because you mistook this dumb pervert as your older brother?" Naru asked with an raised eyebrow, while Keitaro looked as if he got smashed with boulders over his head at the words 'dumb' and 'pervert.'
"Hey now, he's not a pervert!" Kaolla pouted, and Keitaro smiled, happy that she was defending him. "Although he is kinda dumb sometimes..." Kaolla added while tapping her chin, as Keitaro crashed to the ground with the force of a boulder twice the size of what Naru's comments were.
"Kaolla!" Keitaro leapt to his feet, nearly embarrassed to tears. But he soon calmed down as Kaolla smiled sweetly at him, indicating she was only joking.
"Well, thanks for the meal Kaolla." Keitaro smiled at her and began cleaning the dishes, "I guess I'll clean up the hot spring after this, then go do some studying."
"That's right!" Haruka exclaimed, puffing a cloud of smoke out. "This is your second year at Toudai, ain't it?"
"Toudai?!" Leaping across the table, Naru grabbed Keitaro's collar and gaped at him. "You mean you're a Toudai student? The most prestigous university in Japan?"
"Er... is that bad?" Keitaro chuckled nervously.
"You're helping me study later tonight!" Naru exclaimed as she shook him violently, her tone indicating that she wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.
Kitsune's ears rang with the sound of money, and she grinned evily to herself. 'Well how about that?' She thought, 'Our landlord is probably studying to be a lawyer or something! All I have to do is play my cards right, and I'll be set for life! But first...'
"Hey Mister Toudai!" Blinking, Keitaro turned to Kitsune. "Would you be a dear and go buy a few bottles of sake for me?"
"Kitsune..." Keitaro frowned at her as everyone else had already left. "You know drinking that much isn't too healthy."
"Fine then." Kitsune grinned, "But I wonder how Naru will react when I 'inform' her of the naughty magazines you have in your closet?"
Keitaro stiffened in fear, then lowered his head in defeat. "Fine, I'll get your sake..."
_______________________________________________________________________
Hours later, Keitaro sat on a bench overseeing a bridge near the Hinata shopping district. Just as he was grumbling over the amount he spent on Kitsune's sake, he noticed the sound of someone crying, and looked across from him to see a woman dressed in a high school junior's outfit in tears.
'She looks so sad...' Keitaro thought, 'It'd be so much better if she didn't have to cry.'
Silently, he took out a sketchbook from his bag. It was a hobby he took up when he was little to pass time, and began sketching the young woman with a smile instead of tears. In mere moments, he was able to capture her face perfectly, from the short hair that seemed to give off a dark blue hue, to her sparkling blue eyes.
Just as he began admiring his own work, a strong gust of wind blew the book out of his hands. With a gasp from both sides, they realized that the book had landed at the woman's feet, the page with her picture seemingly staring back at her.
"But... why...?" The woman sniffled, looking up at Keitaro with wide eyes.
"Ack! Bad hand, bad!" Keitaro smacked his own hand and laughed nervously, then decided to run for it before making himself even a bigger fool.
'He forgot his book...' The woman thought as she picked the said object up, then tried to imitate the smile in the picture. Shaking her head sadly, she looked at the back of the book, and decided to return the book to the address listed there...
_______________________________________________________________________
Having made it back to Hinata-Sou, Keitaro grumbled again as he put the bottles of sake in Kitsune's 'stash' before grabbing some cleaning supplies and headed towards the hot spring.
Moments later, a knock at the front door attracted the resident slacker, and Kitsune opened the door to find the blue haired high schooler. "Well hello there!" Kitsune smiled, "I guess you've come to get a room here at the girl's dorm, hmm?"
"Erm..." The woman blinked, "Actually, I came to return something to a Mister Urashima, is he in?" Kitsune was about to reply when both women sniffed the air. "Is something on fire?" The woman inquired, and after sharing a look, the two sprinted towards the kitchen.
The two arrived to what appeared to be a disaster area, with burnt food on the stove and cutting board. Kaolla was present as well, holding a fire extingusher with wide eyes. The three looked at Naru, who was apparently attempting to cook dinner and was failing horribly.
"This sucks!" Naru wailed, "How am I supposed to do this?!"
The newcomer merely blinked, then looked at Naru. "This is actually salvageable. Do you have any fresh vegetables?" Seeing her nod, the woman smiled. "Excellent, we'll just need to do a few small changes, and the food will be fine!"
With that all three tenants pitched in to help the woman cook, never once questioning her kindness...
An hour later, Keitaro emerged from cleaning the hot spring to find a feast at the dining table. Looking around, he also saw the woman from earlier and smiled nervously. "Oh, hello again..." Keitaro stammered, "I'm really sorry about earlier."
"It's alright, no harm done." The woman replied with a small smile, making Keitaro happier as she returned his book to him.
"She's a great cook too!" Kitsune exclaimed, "I'd probably jump the bridge if I had to stand more of Naru and Kaolla's cooking..."
"It's not that bad, slacker!" The two said women yelled at the fox, who grinned back shamelessly.
"Is that so?" Keitaro blinked, then looked at the young woman. "We'd be happy if you'd stay for dinner, Miss...?"
"Shinobu." The woman smiled. "My name is Shinobu Maehara."
Moments later, the group was enjoying the culinary heaven that Shinobu created for them. While everyone seemed happy and carefree, Shinobu was quiet and shy. After a moment of gathering her courage, the master cook decided to speak.
"Mister Urashima?" Everyone stopped talking and turned towards her. "I heard earlier that this is a girl's dorm, is that true?" Seeing him nod, she continued. "If that's the case, do you mind if I get a room here?" Everyone then turned to the landlord to hear his reply.
"I don't see why not..." Keitaro shrugged with a smile. "Are your parents fine with you staying here though?" Seeing her expression saddening, he began to wonder whether he put his foot in his mouth.
"My parents have been divorced for nearly a year now." Shinobu replied quietly. "I've been staying at a couple of my friends' houses all this time, but I don't want to be a burden...."
The room became deathly silent, no one knew what to say...
"Hey! I just had a great idea!" Kitsune suddenly exclaimed with a smile. "Seeing as Shinobu here is probably a bit low on cash for rent, why don't we let her take over cooking for us in exchange?"
"Sounds like a plan! If that's okay with you of course." Seeing Shinobu nod, Keitaro smiled, then shook her hand. "Welcome to Hinata-Sou, Miss Maehara!"
"Just Shinobu will be fine, Mister Urashima." Shinobu blushed lightly. "No need to be so formal."
"Only if you call me Keitaro in exchange, deal?" Shinobu nodded again shyly, and dinner past with smiles and laughter.
_______________________________________________________________________
Lying on his futon late at night, the landlord yawned and was about to sleep when he heard the door to his room open, then sliding shut. He knew that only one tenant would enter his room before asking permission, but didn't mind her at all.
"Yes, Kaolla?" Keitaro looked up at the young woman, but was surprised to see her teary eyed. Calmly, he sat up and hugged her close, not even noticing that all she wore was an over sized T-shirt and her underwear. "Hey, what's wrong sis...? You can tell me." He comforted her gently, stroking her hair and holding her close.
"Just a nightmare..." Kaolla sniffled quietly, then looked into his eyes. "You mind if I sleep with you, like old times...?" Were any of the other tenants to ask him that, his hormones would've easily killed him. But with Kaolla, he simply smiled and nodded, wiping the tears from her face before settling back into bed.
Resting quietly for a few minutes, Kaolla looked up to see that Keitaro already drifted to sleep. Smiling warmly with a small blush, she brushed her lips lightly against his before resting beside him again.
"Good night, my loving brother..." Kaolla whispered with a contented smile, drifting into blissful sleep without nightmares...
_______________________________________________________________________
Like? No like? Please review!
To praise the author, or to murder him for poor writing? Your opinions count! ^_^
As always, Love Hina and all its characters belong to Ken Akamatsu. _______________________________________________________________________
Child of the Crimson Moon
Chapter 2: All is fair in love and... cooking?
Despite multiple complaints made by Naru regarding Keitaro, Granny Hina departed the next morning for her vacation with the blessing of the residents. While there is still an undercurrent of tension between Naru and the new landlord, things began smoothing over after several days. True to Kitsune's vision, Keitaro launched himself into the chores of the Hinata- Sou landlord. Each day is spent polishing the hardwood floor, cleaning the hot spring, or wiping the windows.
Over time, Keitaro also began to get used to the quirks of each tenant. He knew from day one to keep an eye out for Kitsune, who seemed eager to use her womanly charms to con him out of money or sake, which she can seem to drink gallons of without even feeling its effects...
Naru, while still semi-hostile towards him, has become more relaxed in her views towards him. She was on vacation from her high school, and is set to graduate in a month. As with all soon to be graduates, she secluded herself in her room most of the time, studying for the dreaded entrance exam that she will take in order to apply for a university. This has allowed Keitaro to avoid any confrontations with her...
As for Kaolla, well...
"Um, sis..." Keitaro raised an eyebrow as he watched over her shoulder, a sweat drop on the back of his head. "...Wouldn't that be a bit much for the other girls?"
"Nonsense!" Kaolla smiled back at him, wearing a chef's apron as she labored over the kitchen stove. "This here is exacly how the Molmol royal family eats! Think of it as a treat for you, big brother!"
"You're too kind to me, you know that?" Smiling, Keitaro kissed the top of her head softly as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Blushing, Kaolla smiled and closed her eyes, resting back in his arms. Though the moment only lasted for barely a minute, she savored every second of it.
"Alright landlord..." Kaolla smiled as she pulled away from him. "Why don't you go setup the table and call the others? Lunch will be served soon."
"Hey, don't I get to sample a taste?" Keitaro grinned.
"Get out!" Kaolla grinned back as she snapped a wet washcloth at his rear, causing him to yelp and scramble from the kitchen to his appointed tasks...
_______________________________________________________________________
Having cooked up a feast, Keitaro decided to invite Haruka over for lunch as well. Soon everyone began digging in, but after the first bite...
Naru, Kitsune, and Haruka scrambled over one another towards the kitchen sink. Each of them downing a large amount of water before slumping to the side. Keitaro and Kaolla watched the three, then shrugged at each other and continued eating.
"Need... antacid..." Kitsune mumbled weakly.
"That was... something new..." Haruka coughed.
"What in the world was that, Kaolla?" Naru gasped after her fifth cup of water.
"It's a delicacy from my home country!" Kaolla beamed proudly, as the other three women frowned at the sight of the dishes. All of them was soaked in a lava red soup of some sort, while most gave off an aroma which burnt one's nose. "Besides, Keitaro likes it!"
"Say, you two never really explained how you know each other from before..." Kitsune smiled, sitting back at the table. "I want to know why you two are close like siblings."
"Well, that's kinda a long story..." Keitaro replied, looking embarassed.
"We've got awhile." Haruka lit up a cigarette, as she and Naru returned to the table. "My stomach needs to recover."
"Well..." Keitaro scratched his chin, trying to remember the past...
_______________________________________________________________________
Ten years ago...
Young Keitaro smiled happily as he rode his tricycle through a beautiful garden, taking in the view of every bush which was shaped into either an animal or an important person. The garden seemed to span as far as the eye could see, but this didn't bother the young nature lover.
"Gangway! Coming through!"
Surprised, Keitaro looked behind him before his eyes bugged out in shock. He began pedaling as fast as he could, but was nontheless trampled over by what appeared to be a mechanical horse. The young girl riding it quickly reined it to a stop and dismounted, a sweatdrop forming on the back of her head as she saw Keitaro's legs sticking through a bush.
"Oopsies, sorry about that!" The girl smiled as she pulled him out of the bush, the carefree look on her face changing into one of horror as she studied his face. "Oh no! Big brother! I'll get Big sister to fix you up!" Sprinting as fast as she could, she dragged poor little Keitaro along by the arm. Mere seconds later she arrived at what appeared to be a large palace, gasping for breath.
"Big sis! Big sis!" The young girl called out, and was relieved as another girl came up to her. "Big brother's hurt!"
"What are you talking about, Kaolla?" The other girl replied, "And why did you drag that boy here?"
"Huh?" Blinking, Kaolla then realized that there was another boy standing by her sister. The boy looked identical in almost every way as Keitaro, but was slightly more tanned and had green eyes instead. Helping Keitaro to his feet, she then noticed that he had paler skin and brown eyes.
"Ah, you must be the Japanese ambassador's son." The darker boy smiled and offered to shake hands with Keitaro. "I'm Ramba Su, and I'm sorry about the misunderstanding."
"No biggie. My name's Keitaro." The Japanese boy smiled and shook his hand, then looked at the two girls.
"Ah, where's my manners?" Ramba smiled. "This is my sister, Amalla Su." The older girl nodded to Keitaro. "And I believe you've already met Kaolla Su, my other sister." The younger girl beamed and latched onto Keitaro, making him struggle to breathe for a second.
"Goodie!" Kaolla smiled at Keitaro. "So does this mean you'll be my other Big brother and play with me?"
"Kaolla!" Amalla began to protest, but was restrained by Ramba's hand. He shook his head slightly with a smile, indicating he didn't mind.
"Um, I guess?" Keitaro chuckled nervously, then went bug eyed as Kaolla dragged him away, sprinting towards the gardens.
"Yay! Come on, let's go fix your bike!"
_______________________________________________________________________
Present day...
Naru stared at Kaolla with a look of disbelief, while Kitsune was rolling on the floor with laughter. Haruka was trying her best to hold her poker face, but was struggling not to join Kitsune in laughter.
"You mean that you guys met because you mistook this dumb pervert as your older brother?" Naru asked with an raised eyebrow, while Keitaro looked as if he got smashed with boulders over his head at the words 'dumb' and 'pervert.'
"Hey now, he's not a pervert!" Kaolla pouted, and Keitaro smiled, happy that she was defending him. "Although he is kinda dumb sometimes..." Kaolla added while tapping her chin, as Keitaro crashed to the ground with the force of a boulder twice the size of what Naru's comments were.
"Kaolla!" Keitaro leapt to his feet, nearly embarrassed to tears. But he soon calmed down as Kaolla smiled sweetly at him, indicating she was only joking.
"Well, thanks for the meal Kaolla." Keitaro smiled at her and began cleaning the dishes, "I guess I'll clean up the hot spring after this, then go do some studying."
"That's right!" Haruka exclaimed, puffing a cloud of smoke out. "This is your second year at Toudai, ain't it?"
"Toudai?!" Leaping across the table, Naru grabbed Keitaro's collar and gaped at him. "You mean you're a Toudai student? The most prestigous university in Japan?"
"Er... is that bad?" Keitaro chuckled nervously.
"You're helping me study later tonight!" Naru exclaimed as she shook him violently, her tone indicating that she wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.
Kitsune's ears rang with the sound of money, and she grinned evily to herself. 'Well how about that?' She thought, 'Our landlord is probably studying to be a lawyer or something! All I have to do is play my cards right, and I'll be set for life! But first...'
"Hey Mister Toudai!" Blinking, Keitaro turned to Kitsune. "Would you be a dear and go buy a few bottles of sake for me?"
"Kitsune..." Keitaro frowned at her as everyone else had already left. "You know drinking that much isn't too healthy."
"Fine then." Kitsune grinned, "But I wonder how Naru will react when I 'inform' her of the naughty magazines you have in your closet?"
Keitaro stiffened in fear, then lowered his head in defeat. "Fine, I'll get your sake..."
_______________________________________________________________________
Hours later, Keitaro sat on a bench overseeing a bridge near the Hinata shopping district. Just as he was grumbling over the amount he spent on Kitsune's sake, he noticed the sound of someone crying, and looked across from him to see a woman dressed in a high school junior's outfit in tears.
'She looks so sad...' Keitaro thought, 'It'd be so much better if she didn't have to cry.'
Silently, he took out a sketchbook from his bag. It was a hobby he took up when he was little to pass time, and began sketching the young woman with a smile instead of tears. In mere moments, he was able to capture her face perfectly, from the short hair that seemed to give off a dark blue hue, to her sparkling blue eyes.
Just as he began admiring his own work, a strong gust of wind blew the book out of his hands. With a gasp from both sides, they realized that the book had landed at the woman's feet, the page with her picture seemingly staring back at her.
"But... why...?" The woman sniffled, looking up at Keitaro with wide eyes.
"Ack! Bad hand, bad!" Keitaro smacked his own hand and laughed nervously, then decided to run for it before making himself even a bigger fool.
'He forgot his book...' The woman thought as she picked the said object up, then tried to imitate the smile in the picture. Shaking her head sadly, she looked at the back of the book, and decided to return the book to the address listed there...
_______________________________________________________________________
Having made it back to Hinata-Sou, Keitaro grumbled again as he put the bottles of sake in Kitsune's 'stash' before grabbing some cleaning supplies and headed towards the hot spring.
Moments later, a knock at the front door attracted the resident slacker, and Kitsune opened the door to find the blue haired high schooler. "Well hello there!" Kitsune smiled, "I guess you've come to get a room here at the girl's dorm, hmm?"
"Erm..." The woman blinked, "Actually, I came to return something to a Mister Urashima, is he in?" Kitsune was about to reply when both women sniffed the air. "Is something on fire?" The woman inquired, and after sharing a look, the two sprinted towards the kitchen.
The two arrived to what appeared to be a disaster area, with burnt food on the stove and cutting board. Kaolla was present as well, holding a fire extingusher with wide eyes. The three looked at Naru, who was apparently attempting to cook dinner and was failing horribly.
"This sucks!" Naru wailed, "How am I supposed to do this?!"
The newcomer merely blinked, then looked at Naru. "This is actually salvageable. Do you have any fresh vegetables?" Seeing her nod, the woman smiled. "Excellent, we'll just need to do a few small changes, and the food will be fine!"
With that all three tenants pitched in to help the woman cook, never once questioning her kindness...
An hour later, Keitaro emerged from cleaning the hot spring to find a feast at the dining table. Looking around, he also saw the woman from earlier and smiled nervously. "Oh, hello again..." Keitaro stammered, "I'm really sorry about earlier."
"It's alright, no harm done." The woman replied with a small smile, making Keitaro happier as she returned his book to him.
"She's a great cook too!" Kitsune exclaimed, "I'd probably jump the bridge if I had to stand more of Naru and Kaolla's cooking..."
"It's not that bad, slacker!" The two said women yelled at the fox, who grinned back shamelessly.
"Is that so?" Keitaro blinked, then looked at the young woman. "We'd be happy if you'd stay for dinner, Miss...?"
"Shinobu." The woman smiled. "My name is Shinobu Maehara."
Moments later, the group was enjoying the culinary heaven that Shinobu created for them. While everyone seemed happy and carefree, Shinobu was quiet and shy. After a moment of gathering her courage, the master cook decided to speak.
"Mister Urashima?" Everyone stopped talking and turned towards her. "I heard earlier that this is a girl's dorm, is that true?" Seeing him nod, she continued. "If that's the case, do you mind if I get a room here?" Everyone then turned to the landlord to hear his reply.
"I don't see why not..." Keitaro shrugged with a smile. "Are your parents fine with you staying here though?" Seeing her expression saddening, he began to wonder whether he put his foot in his mouth.
"My parents have been divorced for nearly a year now." Shinobu replied quietly. "I've been staying at a couple of my friends' houses all this time, but I don't want to be a burden...."
The room became deathly silent, no one knew what to say...
"Hey! I just had a great idea!" Kitsune suddenly exclaimed with a smile. "Seeing as Shinobu here is probably a bit low on cash for rent, why don't we let her take over cooking for us in exchange?"
"Sounds like a plan! If that's okay with you of course." Seeing Shinobu nod, Keitaro smiled, then shook her hand. "Welcome to Hinata-Sou, Miss Maehara!"
"Just Shinobu will be fine, Mister Urashima." Shinobu blushed lightly. "No need to be so formal."
"Only if you call me Keitaro in exchange, deal?" Shinobu nodded again shyly, and dinner past with smiles and laughter.
_______________________________________________________________________
Lying on his futon late at night, the landlord yawned and was about to sleep when he heard the door to his room open, then sliding shut. He knew that only one tenant would enter his room before asking permission, but didn't mind her at all.
"Yes, Kaolla?" Keitaro looked up at the young woman, but was surprised to see her teary eyed. Calmly, he sat up and hugged her close, not even noticing that all she wore was an over sized T-shirt and her underwear. "Hey, what's wrong sis...? You can tell me." He comforted her gently, stroking her hair and holding her close.
"Just a nightmare..." Kaolla sniffled quietly, then looked into his eyes. "You mind if I sleep with you, like old times...?" Were any of the other tenants to ask him that, his hormones would've easily killed him. But with Kaolla, he simply smiled and nodded, wiping the tears from her face before settling back into bed.
Resting quietly for a few minutes, Kaolla looked up to see that Keitaro already drifted to sleep. Smiling warmly with a small blush, she brushed her lips lightly against his before resting beside him again.
"Good night, my loving brother..." Kaolla whispered with a contented smile, drifting into blissful sleep without nightmares...
_______________________________________________________________________
Like? No like? Please review!
To praise the author, or to murder him for poor writing? Your opinions count! ^_^