Disclaimer: I don't own anything! Except for the words and the story, I own em'
Introduction: I'm a working on the railroad…
Haitani: Yo, I'm Haitani, and I'm the author o' this fic. In this chapter, I'll let ya see how the girls are without Keitaro and how Keitaro developed feelings for Yumiko. If I miss anything it'll be in the next chapter, all right?
Kitsune: S' all right! Missed ya, where'd ya go?
Haitani: Oh, here and there… Mostly I was poking around in the Eva and Bleach fics. I'm a floater.
Austin Powers: Oh my God! He left a floater!!!
Kitsune: What was that?
Haitani: Oh nothing…
Kitsune: So, made up your mind 'bout the pairings?
Haitani: The final pairing is a secret! But I'm pretty sure Yumiko, Naru, Mutsumi, Motoko and you get involved with someone at some point in the fic. I won't even think of a Keitaro/Shinobu pairing anytime now! Their kid will practically scream, "How're you gonna breast feed me ma? You ain't got no tits!" (No offense to Shinobu fans out there, I just think she's too young that's all)
Kitsune: Me? Why me? And who does Motoko get?
Haitani: S-e-c-r-e-t!
Kitsune: Haitani, that's annoying. Its sooo not you…
Haitani: I think so too, anyway the fic's gonna start in a few lines so get goin'
Kitsune: All right… all right…
Haitani: To help you concentrate, I'll have a bottle of cherry flavored sake ready if you make it look good!
Kitsune: All right!!! That's good enough for me!
Haitani: As I always say, on with the fic!
Chapter 2: Hinata-sou minus 1 ronin
Naru sat at her kotatsu, the weather was getting colder and colder by the day and in a few months it would be winter already. But it was wrong! Everything was all wrong! Keitaro was gone, and what did he leave? Nothing! Absolutely nothing!!! The rest of the residents rarely talked to her these days too.
Why? Why did it have to be now? Naru asked herself the exams are only 2 months away and with Keitaro gone, the guilt stops me from even lifting my pencil… Damn it all!
Her room door slowly slid open and Kitsune walked in, her hair was beginning to grow longer, the departure of Keitaro also had an effect on her too… So do you like girls with long hair, Keitaro?
She sat down next to her best friend and said, "Y'know Naru, the tension in the air is so thick, it's really getting harder to breathe these days. You should really try to talk with them, especially Shinobu. It's been nearly a month y'know…"
"I'll keep that in mind…" Naru replied blankly, her mind still trying to sort all the thoughts entering and leaving her mind at that moment.
Seeing that this time she wasn't going to get anywhere again Kitsune stood up and began to walk towards the door. Her foot had barely touched the wood outside Naru's door when Naru asked, "Why didn't he hate me back then? Any other person would have hated me with all their heart at that time…"
Kitsune paused for a while and replied, "I don't know… maybe it's because he wasn't 'any other person'." Trying to avoid another question Kitsune closed the door behind her and walked away.
I'm sure he hates us now! She thought bitterly to herself as she leaned against the wall and looked out the window, still hoping that Seta's van would appear in the distance with Keitaro waving happily at them from the passenger's seat. But that would never happen… Keitaro would never want to come back! Never! Never! Never!!! She wiped the tears from her eyes angrily with her shirt sleeve. "Just get over it!!!" She screamed to no one in particular and then stormed off, furious with herself.
Has it already been a month? It feels like it's been years… Naru thought as she tried to concentrate on her practice exam booklet. This sucks…
A few hours later, after finishing her exam booklet she looked out the window and thought to herself, maybe Kitsune is right, acting all depressed isn't going to bring Keitaro back… Alright! I've made up my mind, later I'll go and talk to everyone, and maybe they'll understand. Now that I think about it, I wonder how Keitaro is doing.
Meanwhile…
Somewhere in Okinawa Keitaro was beginning to feel a bit uneasy. Sure, working with my hands is better than studying all day! And yeah, I'm getting a pretty good tan! But… how the hell am I going to enjoy myself if she's wearing that!!! He thought to himself as he made sidelong glances at Yumiko's newest and most revealing addition to her wardrobe up to date. It's… it's even more risqué than Kitsune's best!
"I… I have to resist…" Keitaro whispered to himself
A chibi devil-Keitaro appeared on his left shoulder and whispered to his ear, "Nice huh? Her's are a bit smaller than Mutsumi's but I'll bet they're larger than Naru's"
A chibi angel-Keitaro appeared on his right shoulder and screamed, "Shut up! Stop polluting Keitaro's mind with your perverted sex talk you man-whore!"
"And what are ya gonna do ya nerd? Cry?" Devil-Keitaro replied as he gave Angel-Keitaro 'the finger'
"Don't push me!"
"Wahahahaha!!! Die ya dickhead!" Devil-Keitaro taunted as he gave angel-Keitaro two 'fingers' and began to pound Angel-Keitaro to a pulp.
Angel-Keitaro's hands were shaking as he pulled out a gun and readied himself to pull the trigger, apparently he was the clumsy side of Keitaro because he tripped before he could aim and accidentally shot himself. "No more angelic geeks to stop us Keitaro now go and squeeze those melons!!!" he cheered before he and angel-Keitaro disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"I… I can't control myself anymore…" Keitaro mumbled under his breath as he slowly walked towards Yumiko. "Damn that angel klutz!"
Yumiko brushed the dirt off the slab of stone she was working on and saw a strange colored pattern. She excitedly turned around and accidentally smacked Keitaro across the face with her shovel, knocking him out temporarily. "Seta-san! I found something! Hurry!"
Seta appeared next to her in a flash and bent over to examine the artifact, not noticing that he was stepping on Keitaro's hand. "Definitely a turtle cult artifact! Good work Yumi!" Seta exclaimed. "Huh? What are you doing down there Keitaro?"
"Just taking a break… by the way, the hand… you're stepping on the hand!" Keitaro pointed out. That was close. At times like this I'm glad accidents happen!
Seta lifted his foot and replied, "Oops, sorry Keitaro! But look at what Yumi found! Hahahaha"
"Hmm… Do you hear something?" Keitaro asked as he pressed his ear to the ground "It sounds like… A river is coming directly at us… coming directly at us? Oh crap!" Keitaro managed to say before a wall of water rammed against them at full force.
"Help!" Yumi and Keitaro cried as the current swept them away. Seta laughed merrily all the way.
Author's Notes The search for manager II
Grandma Hina skimmed through the new applications, they weren't any better than the last. Maybe I should start a poll she thought to herself.
"Well I took the liberty of conducting a poll in Hinata-sou and the results are…"
Bring back Keitaro- IIII
Call Seta- IIII
The 'I love kids' guy-
Haruka's gang- I
Let Grandma Hina manage- I
Suddenly Kitsune came in dragging Haitani behind her. "Where is the sake! My delicious, expensive sake with a hint of cherry, in a beautiful long necked crystal clear bottle. Haitani told me you snatched it from him the second I left. Gimme!" Kitsune demanded
"Haruka has it. Or maybe it would be more proper if I say Haruka had it." She replied
"You can't mean… Oh no!" Kitsune exclaimed the second the words left Grandma Hina's mouth
Haruka gave her an empty bottle and said, "Here y'are. It was great~♥"
"No… Nooo!" Kitsune screamed, "My sake, my beautiful sake! Waah! My precious…"
The real notes I'm real thorough about researching these things
In the anime episode 23 is probably still around volume 6 in the manga, since that's when Naru thought Mutsumi was the promised girl. But I like having Kentaro and Mei around so I sort of combined them, weird idea, huh? But it really fits because Mutsumi's house burns down at around 12:00AM January 1, 2000 and volume 6 is sometime around August 1999 so I can still let Motoko stay at her place for a while. But I made it that the discovery of the photo came sooner.
But I can assure you that Keitaro will be back before the New Year! Later everyone!