AN: Hey folks, I'm back once more. I've actually received an e-mail asking
"When will things heat up between Kaolla and Keitaro?" Let's be reasonable,
true romance doesn't exactly happen in a single chapter. It happens over a
long spread of time, so please be patient, all good things will happen in
due time. ^_^
As always, Love Hina and its characters belong to Ken Akamatsu.
_______________________________________________________________________
Child of the Crimson Moon
Chapter 4: Of watermelons and anemics
Login: molmol354
Password: *******
Entry log - Festival
The Cherry Blossom Festival is happening in two days. While this usually means that I get to go pig out on the delicious treats that they make only during this one day of the whole year, this year means something completely different to me.
The cherry blossom is a symbol of friendship and love, and there's nothing I wouldn't do to be loved by Keitaro. Sure, he always treats me like a little sister, but seeing him after ten long years and getting to know him again, I'm beginning to believe that I've fallen in love with him...
They say that when the midnight hour comes during the festival, if a couple professes their love to each other their relationship will be a blessed one. I want to confess my feelings to him then, but I'm also afraid. What if he doesn't see me the same way? I don't know what I'll do if he doesn't return my feelings...
Logoff, Y/N? Y
Sighing, Kaolla closed up her laptop in her room. She then glanced in the direction of Keitaro's room, with a small smile she began getting dressed for school...
_______________________________________________________________________
Breakfast was a rare quiet moment this day in Hinata-Sou, as most of the tenants were busy preparing for school. Both Naru and Keitaro were juggling last minute studying with their meals, Kitsune and Motoko were simply savoring each bite. Shinobu just finished the final touches to everyone's breakfasts, while Kaolla...
"You amaze me, girl." Kitsune commented as she watched Kaolla wolf down enough food for three people. "How can you eat so much and keep that figure of yours?"
"Easy!" Kaolla replied with a smile. "All you have to do is know the proper workout routines, and you'll burn it off like nothing!"
"No kidding?" Kitsune smiled and pulled out a notepad. "Care to share the secrets with me? I could lose a few pounds myself..."
Hopping up to her feet, Kaolla smiled and ruffled Keitaro's hair with one hand. "Oh, it's not really a secret!" She then winked. "All you have to do is spend a few nights with the landlord, and voila!" While Keitaro remained ignorant of his surroundings due to his studying, the rest of the women's jaws dropped as they stared at Kaolla with wide eyes.
"Oops! Look at the time, let's go!" Kaolla laughed as she carried Shinobu under one arm, while dragging Motoko out with the other. Both were still stunned by her comments as Kaolla led them off to school.
Shaking off Kaolla's comment, Naru turned to Keitaro. "Hey, we should get going too. We both have big tests to take at Toudai today!"
Nodding, the landlord rushed out with her. One going to take the entrance exam to the university, while the other taking a test to determine the outcome of his semester's work.
Left alone, Kitsune shrugged. "Well, never a dull moment here!" She smiled to herself.
_______________________________________________________________________
Having parted ways at the front gate of Toudai, Keitaro began running towards his class. Cursing the long distance he has to run everyday due to the school's lack of shuttles, he turned a corner and collided with someone, sending both crashing to the pavement.
"Ow..." Wincing as he sat up, he looked over at the person he ran into. It was a woman with long brown hair shaped back into a braid, and two strand of her hair poked up front in a similar fashion as Naru's. She wore a simple brown apron dress over a green shirt, but what worried Keitaro was that the woman remained motionless.
"Hey, you okay Miss...?" Worried, Keitaro grabbed her wrist to help her up, but jumped back with a scream of horror. "Oh no! There's no pulse! I killed her!" As he cried over the tragedy, the woman suddenly sat upright, scaring him senseless and forcing him to sprint off, thinking she became a zombie.
"Mutsumi Otohime, class A14..." The woman recited with a cheerful smile, then blinked and looked at her surroundings. "Oh dear, I must've fainted again, silly me..."
_______________________________________________________________________
Later in the afternoon, Keitaro sat with a dejected look at a nearby cafe. The incident with the zombie woman having unnerved him to where he nearly blanked out during his exam, and sighed to himself as he cradled a cup of coffee in his hands.
"Guess who?" A playful voice asked as Keitaro found his eyes covered by a pair of hands.
"Hmm... a very attractive high school senior?" He smiled.
"Pretty close." The voice giggled.
"Who happens to be a princess?" His smile grew a bit.
"Getting warmer!" The voice giggled again.
"How's school, Kaolla?" Keitaro laughed, and watched as Kaolla took a seat beside him with a smile.
"They're still going over stuff I already learned back home..." Kaolla made a bored gesture with her hand, then smiled at him. "What about you, how'd the test go?"
"Horrible." Keitaro replied with a frown. "It pretty much went downhill when I ran into some lady who collapsed, and I could've sworn she was clinically dead or something..."
"Hmm, you mean like her?" Kaolla gestured behind him, and sure enough the same woman had collapsed face first on the pavement, her textbooks spilled everywhere. Leaping up in fear, Keitaro was eventually calmed by Kaolla, and the two helped the woman into a chair, who began to stir.
"Oh my, I must have fainted again..." The woman blinked, then smiled at the two.
"Again?!" Kaolla exclaimed as she and Keitaro helped gather up her textbooks. "You mean this happens often?"
"Yes, I am anemic... So it tends to happen often." The woman bowed to the pair as they picked up the last of her books. "Thank you both so much for your kindness!"
"No problem!" Keitaro smiled, then blinked as he read the name on one of her books. "...Mutsumi?"
"Yes? Mutsumi Otohime, that's my name!" The woman smiled warmly.
"Wow! What are the chances of that?" Keitaro smiled as well. "It's me, Keitaro! Remember me from Hinata-Sou?" The woman had a blank look for a moment, before recognition dawned in her eyes.
"Oh my goodness, it is you!" The two laughed as they embraced each other, leaving Kaolla to the side watching with a raised eyebrow.
"Hey Kaolla!" Keitaro smiled, "I want you to meet Mutsumi, we used to play together when I was four years old!"
"Hey, nice to meet you." Kaolla smiled as she shook the older woman's hand, but was frowning inwardly. 'She's pretty good looking, and knew him longer than me? This isn't good...' She thought to herself...
_______________________________________________________________________
The sun had already began setting as Keitaro and Mutsumi began climbing the steps leading to Hinata-Sou, Kaolla had fallen asleep at the cafe, and was being carried back by the landlord.
"I hope I'm not going to be a burden by coming over for dinner..." Mutsumi looked over at Keitaro with a worried look, who simply smiled in reply.
"Really, it's not a big deal!" Keitaro replied, "Besides, not only is Shinobu a great cook, she'll have cooked more than enough for Kaolla's bottomless stomach!" The two laughed, and Mutsumi glanced over at the sleeping girl resting against Keitaro's back.
"You care for her a lot, don't you?" Mutsumi smiled.
"Yeah, she means a lot to me." Keitaro nodded with a warm smile. "Even when I'm down, she's always been there for me." The comment drew a small smile from Kaolla, who pretended to remain asleep.
"Say, Keitaro?" The landlord turned to Mutsumi. "I've been thinking, since you're the landlord of Hinata-Sou and all... you mind if I were to get a room here?" She then smiled. "It'd be great to spend more time with you, plus the trip to Toudai would be shorter from here than my apartment!"
"I don't see why not!" Keitaro smiled, while Kaolla grumbled inwardly to herself. "We'll just have to run it past the others, but they shouldn't mind!"
_______________________________________________________________________
True enough, when the question was popped during Shinobu's marvelously prepared dinner, none of the tenants objected to having Mutsumi joining them. Though there was still the death threats from Motoko and Naru warning the landlord to not take advantage of the anemic, the dinner passed smoothly. Everyone complimented Shinobu's culinary skills, who smiled proudly and blushed from the attention.
When watermelons were served after the meal, everyone discovered what Kitsune would later dub as 'The watermelon fetish' that Mutsumi has. It would seem her love for the fruit easily rivaled Kaolla's craving for food, as she consumed a large amout without even blinking an eye, much to everyone's astonishment.
Late at night, Keitaro climbed up to the top of Hinata-Sou's roof. It was a favorite spot that he frequented to think in peace, or simply to relax. It was a beautiful evening, with the moon and stars glowing brightly, allowing him to see Kaolla watching the stars near his usual spot.
"This spot taken?" Keitaro asked with a smile as he walked up next to where she sat.
"Sure is, it's reserved for you." Kaolla replied with a smile, causing the landlord to laugh and sit beside her. The two watched the skies silently for a long time, before Kaolla broke the silence between them.
"Mutsumi seems like a nice girl..." She commented, and seeing Keitaro nod, decided to nudge him playfully. "Hey, you should ask her out! Shouldn't be hard seeing as you two are childhood sweethearts and all..."
"Not quite, Kaolla." Keitaro laughed, "Sure, she and I go way back... but we're just best friends. She's not really my type anyhow..."
"Oh, I see..." Kaolla acted as if she didn't care, but was inwardly dancing for joy. 'Yes! I still have a chance with him!' She thought to herself happily, and was glad for once that Keitaro was too dense to sense her feelings.
"Hey! A shooting star!" Keitaro smiled and pointed it out to her. "Make a wish!"
Kaolla watched the star disappear into the distance, then nodded to him. "Okay, made my wish!"
"So, what did you wish for?" Keitaro asked.
"Silly!" Kaolla exclaimed as she pushed him playfully, then kissed him on the cheek and rested against him. "If I told anyone, then it won't come true, remember?" Laughing at his own silliness, the landlord wrapped his arms around her, and the two spent the rest of the evening stargazing in each other's arms...
_______________________________________________________________________
Like? No like? Please review!
While I'm not exactly a "review junkie," reading everyone's compliments really does boost my morale in writing this. I personally think it's a bit lacking, but I thank everyone who enjoys it.
As always, Love Hina and its characters belong to Ken Akamatsu.
_______________________________________________________________________
Child of the Crimson Moon
Chapter 4: Of watermelons and anemics
Login: molmol354
Password: *******
Entry log - Festival
The Cherry Blossom Festival is happening in two days. While this usually means that I get to go pig out on the delicious treats that they make only during this one day of the whole year, this year means something completely different to me.
The cherry blossom is a symbol of friendship and love, and there's nothing I wouldn't do to be loved by Keitaro. Sure, he always treats me like a little sister, but seeing him after ten long years and getting to know him again, I'm beginning to believe that I've fallen in love with him...
They say that when the midnight hour comes during the festival, if a couple professes their love to each other their relationship will be a blessed one. I want to confess my feelings to him then, but I'm also afraid. What if he doesn't see me the same way? I don't know what I'll do if he doesn't return my feelings...
Logoff, Y/N? Y
Sighing, Kaolla closed up her laptop in her room. She then glanced in the direction of Keitaro's room, with a small smile she began getting dressed for school...
_______________________________________________________________________
Breakfast was a rare quiet moment this day in Hinata-Sou, as most of the tenants were busy preparing for school. Both Naru and Keitaro were juggling last minute studying with their meals, Kitsune and Motoko were simply savoring each bite. Shinobu just finished the final touches to everyone's breakfasts, while Kaolla...
"You amaze me, girl." Kitsune commented as she watched Kaolla wolf down enough food for three people. "How can you eat so much and keep that figure of yours?"
"Easy!" Kaolla replied with a smile. "All you have to do is know the proper workout routines, and you'll burn it off like nothing!"
"No kidding?" Kitsune smiled and pulled out a notepad. "Care to share the secrets with me? I could lose a few pounds myself..."
Hopping up to her feet, Kaolla smiled and ruffled Keitaro's hair with one hand. "Oh, it's not really a secret!" She then winked. "All you have to do is spend a few nights with the landlord, and voila!" While Keitaro remained ignorant of his surroundings due to his studying, the rest of the women's jaws dropped as they stared at Kaolla with wide eyes.
"Oops! Look at the time, let's go!" Kaolla laughed as she carried Shinobu under one arm, while dragging Motoko out with the other. Both were still stunned by her comments as Kaolla led them off to school.
Shaking off Kaolla's comment, Naru turned to Keitaro. "Hey, we should get going too. We both have big tests to take at Toudai today!"
Nodding, the landlord rushed out with her. One going to take the entrance exam to the university, while the other taking a test to determine the outcome of his semester's work.
Left alone, Kitsune shrugged. "Well, never a dull moment here!" She smiled to herself.
_______________________________________________________________________
Having parted ways at the front gate of Toudai, Keitaro began running towards his class. Cursing the long distance he has to run everyday due to the school's lack of shuttles, he turned a corner and collided with someone, sending both crashing to the pavement.
"Ow..." Wincing as he sat up, he looked over at the person he ran into. It was a woman with long brown hair shaped back into a braid, and two strand of her hair poked up front in a similar fashion as Naru's. She wore a simple brown apron dress over a green shirt, but what worried Keitaro was that the woman remained motionless.
"Hey, you okay Miss...?" Worried, Keitaro grabbed her wrist to help her up, but jumped back with a scream of horror. "Oh no! There's no pulse! I killed her!" As he cried over the tragedy, the woman suddenly sat upright, scaring him senseless and forcing him to sprint off, thinking she became a zombie.
"Mutsumi Otohime, class A14..." The woman recited with a cheerful smile, then blinked and looked at her surroundings. "Oh dear, I must've fainted again, silly me..."
_______________________________________________________________________
Later in the afternoon, Keitaro sat with a dejected look at a nearby cafe. The incident with the zombie woman having unnerved him to where he nearly blanked out during his exam, and sighed to himself as he cradled a cup of coffee in his hands.
"Guess who?" A playful voice asked as Keitaro found his eyes covered by a pair of hands.
"Hmm... a very attractive high school senior?" He smiled.
"Pretty close." The voice giggled.
"Who happens to be a princess?" His smile grew a bit.
"Getting warmer!" The voice giggled again.
"How's school, Kaolla?" Keitaro laughed, and watched as Kaolla took a seat beside him with a smile.
"They're still going over stuff I already learned back home..." Kaolla made a bored gesture with her hand, then smiled at him. "What about you, how'd the test go?"
"Horrible." Keitaro replied with a frown. "It pretty much went downhill when I ran into some lady who collapsed, and I could've sworn she was clinically dead or something..."
"Hmm, you mean like her?" Kaolla gestured behind him, and sure enough the same woman had collapsed face first on the pavement, her textbooks spilled everywhere. Leaping up in fear, Keitaro was eventually calmed by Kaolla, and the two helped the woman into a chair, who began to stir.
"Oh my, I must have fainted again..." The woman blinked, then smiled at the two.
"Again?!" Kaolla exclaimed as she and Keitaro helped gather up her textbooks. "You mean this happens often?"
"Yes, I am anemic... So it tends to happen often." The woman bowed to the pair as they picked up the last of her books. "Thank you both so much for your kindness!"
"No problem!" Keitaro smiled, then blinked as he read the name on one of her books. "...Mutsumi?"
"Yes? Mutsumi Otohime, that's my name!" The woman smiled warmly.
"Wow! What are the chances of that?" Keitaro smiled as well. "It's me, Keitaro! Remember me from Hinata-Sou?" The woman had a blank look for a moment, before recognition dawned in her eyes.
"Oh my goodness, it is you!" The two laughed as they embraced each other, leaving Kaolla to the side watching with a raised eyebrow.
"Hey Kaolla!" Keitaro smiled, "I want you to meet Mutsumi, we used to play together when I was four years old!"
"Hey, nice to meet you." Kaolla smiled as she shook the older woman's hand, but was frowning inwardly. 'She's pretty good looking, and knew him longer than me? This isn't good...' She thought to herself...
_______________________________________________________________________
The sun had already began setting as Keitaro and Mutsumi began climbing the steps leading to Hinata-Sou, Kaolla had fallen asleep at the cafe, and was being carried back by the landlord.
"I hope I'm not going to be a burden by coming over for dinner..." Mutsumi looked over at Keitaro with a worried look, who simply smiled in reply.
"Really, it's not a big deal!" Keitaro replied, "Besides, not only is Shinobu a great cook, she'll have cooked more than enough for Kaolla's bottomless stomach!" The two laughed, and Mutsumi glanced over at the sleeping girl resting against Keitaro's back.
"You care for her a lot, don't you?" Mutsumi smiled.
"Yeah, she means a lot to me." Keitaro nodded with a warm smile. "Even when I'm down, she's always been there for me." The comment drew a small smile from Kaolla, who pretended to remain asleep.
"Say, Keitaro?" The landlord turned to Mutsumi. "I've been thinking, since you're the landlord of Hinata-Sou and all... you mind if I were to get a room here?" She then smiled. "It'd be great to spend more time with you, plus the trip to Toudai would be shorter from here than my apartment!"
"I don't see why not!" Keitaro smiled, while Kaolla grumbled inwardly to herself. "We'll just have to run it past the others, but they shouldn't mind!"
_______________________________________________________________________
True enough, when the question was popped during Shinobu's marvelously prepared dinner, none of the tenants objected to having Mutsumi joining them. Though there was still the death threats from Motoko and Naru warning the landlord to not take advantage of the anemic, the dinner passed smoothly. Everyone complimented Shinobu's culinary skills, who smiled proudly and blushed from the attention.
When watermelons were served after the meal, everyone discovered what Kitsune would later dub as 'The watermelon fetish' that Mutsumi has. It would seem her love for the fruit easily rivaled Kaolla's craving for food, as she consumed a large amout without even blinking an eye, much to everyone's astonishment.
Late at night, Keitaro climbed up to the top of Hinata-Sou's roof. It was a favorite spot that he frequented to think in peace, or simply to relax. It was a beautiful evening, with the moon and stars glowing brightly, allowing him to see Kaolla watching the stars near his usual spot.
"This spot taken?" Keitaro asked with a smile as he walked up next to where she sat.
"Sure is, it's reserved for you." Kaolla replied with a smile, causing the landlord to laugh and sit beside her. The two watched the skies silently for a long time, before Kaolla broke the silence between them.
"Mutsumi seems like a nice girl..." She commented, and seeing Keitaro nod, decided to nudge him playfully. "Hey, you should ask her out! Shouldn't be hard seeing as you two are childhood sweethearts and all..."
"Not quite, Kaolla." Keitaro laughed, "Sure, she and I go way back... but we're just best friends. She's not really my type anyhow..."
"Oh, I see..." Kaolla acted as if she didn't care, but was inwardly dancing for joy. 'Yes! I still have a chance with him!' She thought to herself happily, and was glad for once that Keitaro was too dense to sense her feelings.
"Hey! A shooting star!" Keitaro smiled and pointed it out to her. "Make a wish!"
Kaolla watched the star disappear into the distance, then nodded to him. "Okay, made my wish!"
"So, what did you wish for?" Keitaro asked.
"Silly!" Kaolla exclaimed as she pushed him playfully, then kissed him on the cheek and rested against him. "If I told anyone, then it won't come true, remember?" Laughing at his own silliness, the landlord wrapped his arms around her, and the two spent the rest of the evening stargazing in each other's arms...
_______________________________________________________________________
Like? No like? Please review!
While I'm not exactly a "review junkie," reading everyone's compliments really does boost my morale in writing this. I personally think it's a bit lacking, but I thank everyone who enjoys it.