Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina; it's characters, places, or plots. I am
not making profit from this fiction, merely just expressing my imagination
off this manga, which is the property of Ken Akamatsu and TokyoPop.
A/N:: It's taken me a while (since I've been working on my other fics) but I've finally finished chapter two and getting over a massive, MASSIVE writer's block. I hope I didn't leave too many people in suspense. Once again, sorry if it seems ooc and if the 'voices' in Naru's head don't make sense. I'm trying to use Naru's uncertain feelings toward Keitaro work to her disadvantage, so I can afford to have some of the voices not make any sense (I think) oh well, if you have any suggestions, be sure to say so in reviews.
Stop These Voices. . .
Chapter 2: She Awakes
Christmas day passed by painfully slow. Everyone sat around Naru's bed and either watched her or Keitaro intently. No one opened a single gift. Keitaro sat clinging onto both Naru and Liddo-kun, Mutsumi had fainted, Motoko sat drumming her fingers (since she didn't have her sword with her), Shinoubu sat in a chair, hands crossed over her lap, Sarah and Su played a game of blackjack, Haruka was trying to get the fainted Mutsumi to wake up, and Kitsune sat next to Keitaro trying to cheer him up the entire time, which was starting to wear on Keitaro's nerves.
"Come on Keitaro, Naru's goin' to be fine! We should try to spend today happy." Mitsune said, tugging Keitaro's sleeve gently.
"No, I'm staying here until Naru wakes up, and that's final Mitsune!" Keitaro snapped back at the fox lady, causing all the girls to look at him.
"Erm. . .I'm sorry Kitsune, I'd rather stay here with Naru than go somewhere else." He repeated, this time with less irritation directed towards Mitsune.
"Fine, suit yourself Keitaro." Kitsune said and got up, "I need something to drink, and sitting here is kinda. . ." Mitsune never finished the end of her sentence as she left the hospital room slouched over. Mutsumi finally woke up from her fainting spell in the arms of one very relieved Haruka.
"Oh, my, how long was I out this time?" She said, mildly flustered.
"About an hour." Haruka replied, taking the unlit cigarette out of her mouth.
"Urashima is still sitting there?" Mutsumi asked in a rather stupefied voice. This just made Haruka sigh and put the cigarette back in her mouth.
"Yep, he says he's not going to leave until Naru wakes up."
"Oh my, that might be a while won't it?"
"Yep."
Mutsumi hung her head low for a bit and took Mitsune's seat next to Keitaro.
"Urashima, I just have a quick question for you." Mutsumi said bluntly. Keitaro turned and stared at her, blankness in his eyes.
"How do you feel about Naru?" She asked, once again, quite bluntly. The room went silent, and all eyes transfixed on Keitaro, even Mitsune's, who was returning from her unsuccessful stroll to find alcohol.
"Yes Urashima, do tell." Motoko provoked.
Keitaro's face couldn't get any redder at that moment. It looked like his head would explode in a giant fireball. That's when Naru's hand twitched and her eyelids fluttered for a brief second. Keitaro instantly turned his gaze upon Naru.
-===========================================-
'This feeling, what's this warmth in my hand?' Naru thought.
"It's nothing, you might as well just go back to the eternal slumber." A voice in her had called out.
"Yes, it's nothing, go back to your little corner and cry yourself to sleep."
'SHUT UP!' Naru's mind yelled out at the tormenting voices.
"Cry cry cry, go ahead and cry." The voice Naru named "Crybaby" taunted.
"Keitaro hates you Naru, he just acts nice because he needs to tolerate you. He really loves Mutsumi. Every time you hit him, the more he falls in love with Mutsumi. Wow, he must REALLY love Mutsumi then!" The last voice struck a nerve.
'No. . .no, he can't love Mutsumi can he? I thought. . .we. . .NO! NO! NO! NO!'
-===========================================-
"NO!!!" Naru's eyes snapped open as she screamed. Everyone's attention immediately snapped onto Naru. Keitaro almost jumped from his seat when Naru screamed. Mitsune and Motoko were almost immediately by Naru's side. Naru just sat in her bed, panting heavily from her nightmarish experiences.
"Naru, are you okay?" Everyone almost said in complete unison, excluding Sarah, who really didn't care. Naru nodded weakly, her face pale and sweaty. Naru looked around the room to see everyone looking at her intently. She glanced down and found that Keitaro's hands held hers firmly. Several things ran through her mind at once.
'He's. . .holding my hands?.'
"Who cares! He's probably only doing it to look chivalrous in front of the other girls!" A voice rang out.
"Yes! He's just trying to look good in front of MUTSUMI."
'Keitaro's not like that! He wouldn't do such a thing! You're making no sense!' Naru's conscience rang out.
"Really? How would you know?"
"Yes yes, how do you know for sure. You've said it yourself, he's a pervert. . .a baka!"
'But. . .but. . .' Naru's uncertainty got the best of her.
-===========================================-
Keitaro looked into Naru's eyes with an expression of surprise and hurt when she yanked her hands free from his and balled up into a fist.
"Uh. . .I'm sorry Naru! I'm sorry! You looked like you were in so much pain I just. . .I thought that I could share your pain if I. . ." Keitaro lowered his head waiting for the punch. Even though Naru was hospitalized, Keitaro bet that she could still pack a punch. But the punch never came. Keitaro raised his head and saw Naru staring intently at her own fist, as if trying to figure out why she balled it up in the first place. This caused Keitaro to hesitate.
"Naru, are you feeling well?" Haruka repeated herself after seeing Naru jerk away from Keitaro, rather unexpectedly since Naru seemed to have a nice expression planted on her face when Keitaro was holding her hand.
"I'm . . . not sure, what happened?" She asked hesitantly.
"You. . .were hit by a car Christmas eve." Keitaro responded weakly before anyone else could answer. His eyes were transfixed to the ground so no one could see the pained expression on his face.
"Hit. . .by a car. . .?" The memories started to float back to Naru's mind. She saw Keitaro kissing Mutsumi. The most painful memory from 'The Night' was when she told Keitaro goodbye. Of course, her conscious was not spared by the constant commentary from the voices in her head.
"Naru? Naru?" Naru snapped out from her mild nightmare thanks to Mitsune shaking her rather violently while the others were telling her to stop shaking Naru so hard.
"Sorry, my head still kind of hurts and. . ."She drawled off again while talking, a distant look in her eyes.
"We should go, Naru needs her rest. . ." Motoko said out loud to everyone, ". . . Including you Urashima." She glared at him with the last part of her statement.
"But. . .but I want to . . ." Keitaro started stammering but was cut off by Naru.
"Keitaro, everyone, I agree with Motoko. . .can you please leave?" Naru stated weakly as she closed her eyes again.
"Naru sempai?" Shinoubu asked.
"Yes Shinoubu. . .?" Naru replied even weaker than before, as if each second she stayed awake was draining the life from her.
"Will you be. . .okay without us here?" Shinoubu asked lightly, glancing from a very depressed looking Keitaro to a very exhausted Naru. Naru only nodded her head weakly and put a hand on her forehead, making it obvious she was developing a headache.
"Well, you heard her, let's leave already! We still got gifts sitting back home for us to open!" Sarah shouted anxiously, causing everyone to shush her, "Sheesh, sorry." Sarah said, lighter than before as she kicked an imaginary pebble. Everyone started filing out, Haruka and Keitaro the last to leave. Keitaro didn't want to leave Naru alone in the hospital, something had trigged the "overprotective" instinct in his mind and Haruka had to negotiate with a rather stubborn Keitaro to get him to leave.
"Tomorrow morning, I swear we'll come back tomorrow morning to see her Keitaro, Naru needs her rest." Haruka repeated one last time before she was tempted to smack Keitaro upside the head and drag him back to the inn.
"But . . . She's still in pain and I . . . Haruka let me go!" Keitaro was slowly being dragged by the collar of his shirt by Haruka.
"We'll come back Keitaro, Naru isn't just going to die overnight if you're not there."
"But . . . but . . ." Keitaro gave up and hung his head, forcing Haruka to drag him all the way back to the inn. Before being dragged from the room totally, Keitaro gave Naru one last fleeting glance and tossed Liddo-kun to her. Miraculously, it landed right next to her.
-===========================================-
'I should have hit that pervert for holding my hand like that. . .' Naru's conscious "said" out loud.
"Yes yes, should have punched that baka into the next dimension! Kill that baka so he'll never try anything perverted on you!" the voice of Naru's "angry" side rang out
'Kill Keitaro? No, I can't do anything like that. . .he's not perverted enough to deserve that. . .besides he's, a sweet guy. . ." Naru's conscious replied lightly, as if the comment about killing Keitaro wasn't such a big deal. Definitely not the reaction the angry side of Naru was looking for.
"Sweet? Sweet huh? What about all those times you've caught him spying on the girls, all the time's he's fondled Kitsune and Mutsumi. All those times trying to grope you! He deserves justice! Think like Motoko. . ." Think like Motoko? Naru's conscious would have "laughed" if it was corporeal. Instead, her conscious found it amusing.
'I can't believe I'm talking to my own mind. . .'
"Hmm well believe it, because we'll be here a while."
'We? We who?' Naru's conscious started becoming confused. Suddenly, an outburst of voices in several different tones rang in her mind. The conscious of Naru started finding itself overwhelmed and backed into a black corner of Naru's mind.
"Cry cry little girl! The boy you love doesn't love you back!"
"He's a baka and you know it, just let go of him!"
"Kill him instead! Kill him and hide his body in the springs!"
"Or kill yourself, get this all over with! No one cares for you! No one wants you around! Keitaro hates you! Kitsune claims to be your best friend but will sell you out in a heartbeat! Shinobou will snatch up Keitaro if given the chance. Motoko only thinks of herself. Su doesn't care for you, she lives off in gag a land, you could be dieing painfully and she'd never notice! Mutsumi is your rival for Keitaro, she'll never help you! Just take that gun hidden in . . ."
'SHUT UP!!!' Naru's conscious interrupted the seemingly senseless ramblings of the "suicidal tendency" voice, ' Just, leave me alone! Go away! I just want to be able to think without these voices. . .'
"What's the matter, can't take the truth?" Another voice jumped at the opportunity to torment Naru's conscious. Her conscious sat cowering in the corner, 'Keitaro. . .please, stop these voices. . .'
End Chapter
A/N:: Once again I apologize for stalling on this fic. I had a bad case of writers block and just wasn't in the mood to write this fic. In a way, I still have a writers block, but I managed to shove it aside to finish this chapter. R&R plz so I can work on this more, point out anything I need to work on, but If you flame I'll . . . *pulls out a chainsaw and fires it up, then puts a white hokey mask on* . . .chop down a tree near your house and let it fall on it! BWAHAHAH! *ahem* anyway, I also apologize for anything cliché, I'm striving to avoid using clichés (like the ending of this chapter) *cough cough, falls on the ground hacking and coughing* erm. . . ahem well, that's it, done rambling, off to start chapter three when Naru returns to Hinata and REALLY starts emotionally hurting Keitaro (not the wimpy little thing she caused just by tugging her hand away). *trots off* Sayonara!
A/N:: It's taken me a while (since I've been working on my other fics) but I've finally finished chapter two and getting over a massive, MASSIVE writer's block. I hope I didn't leave too many people in suspense. Once again, sorry if it seems ooc and if the 'voices' in Naru's head don't make sense. I'm trying to use Naru's uncertain feelings toward Keitaro work to her disadvantage, so I can afford to have some of the voices not make any sense (I think) oh well, if you have any suggestions, be sure to say so in reviews.
Stop These Voices. . .
Chapter 2: She Awakes
Christmas day passed by painfully slow. Everyone sat around Naru's bed and either watched her or Keitaro intently. No one opened a single gift. Keitaro sat clinging onto both Naru and Liddo-kun, Mutsumi had fainted, Motoko sat drumming her fingers (since she didn't have her sword with her), Shinoubu sat in a chair, hands crossed over her lap, Sarah and Su played a game of blackjack, Haruka was trying to get the fainted Mutsumi to wake up, and Kitsune sat next to Keitaro trying to cheer him up the entire time, which was starting to wear on Keitaro's nerves.
"Come on Keitaro, Naru's goin' to be fine! We should try to spend today happy." Mitsune said, tugging Keitaro's sleeve gently.
"No, I'm staying here until Naru wakes up, and that's final Mitsune!" Keitaro snapped back at the fox lady, causing all the girls to look at him.
"Erm. . .I'm sorry Kitsune, I'd rather stay here with Naru than go somewhere else." He repeated, this time with less irritation directed towards Mitsune.
"Fine, suit yourself Keitaro." Kitsune said and got up, "I need something to drink, and sitting here is kinda. . ." Mitsune never finished the end of her sentence as she left the hospital room slouched over. Mutsumi finally woke up from her fainting spell in the arms of one very relieved Haruka.
"Oh, my, how long was I out this time?" She said, mildly flustered.
"About an hour." Haruka replied, taking the unlit cigarette out of her mouth.
"Urashima is still sitting there?" Mutsumi asked in a rather stupefied voice. This just made Haruka sigh and put the cigarette back in her mouth.
"Yep, he says he's not going to leave until Naru wakes up."
"Oh my, that might be a while won't it?"
"Yep."
Mutsumi hung her head low for a bit and took Mitsune's seat next to Keitaro.
"Urashima, I just have a quick question for you." Mutsumi said bluntly. Keitaro turned and stared at her, blankness in his eyes.
"How do you feel about Naru?" She asked, once again, quite bluntly. The room went silent, and all eyes transfixed on Keitaro, even Mitsune's, who was returning from her unsuccessful stroll to find alcohol.
"Yes Urashima, do tell." Motoko provoked.
Keitaro's face couldn't get any redder at that moment. It looked like his head would explode in a giant fireball. That's when Naru's hand twitched and her eyelids fluttered for a brief second. Keitaro instantly turned his gaze upon Naru.
-===========================================-
'This feeling, what's this warmth in my hand?' Naru thought.
"It's nothing, you might as well just go back to the eternal slumber." A voice in her had called out.
"Yes, it's nothing, go back to your little corner and cry yourself to sleep."
'SHUT UP!' Naru's mind yelled out at the tormenting voices.
"Cry cry cry, go ahead and cry." The voice Naru named "Crybaby" taunted.
"Keitaro hates you Naru, he just acts nice because he needs to tolerate you. He really loves Mutsumi. Every time you hit him, the more he falls in love with Mutsumi. Wow, he must REALLY love Mutsumi then!" The last voice struck a nerve.
'No. . .no, he can't love Mutsumi can he? I thought. . .we. . .NO! NO! NO! NO!'
-===========================================-
"NO!!!" Naru's eyes snapped open as she screamed. Everyone's attention immediately snapped onto Naru. Keitaro almost jumped from his seat when Naru screamed. Mitsune and Motoko were almost immediately by Naru's side. Naru just sat in her bed, panting heavily from her nightmarish experiences.
"Naru, are you okay?" Everyone almost said in complete unison, excluding Sarah, who really didn't care. Naru nodded weakly, her face pale and sweaty. Naru looked around the room to see everyone looking at her intently. She glanced down and found that Keitaro's hands held hers firmly. Several things ran through her mind at once.
'He's. . .holding my hands?.'
"Who cares! He's probably only doing it to look chivalrous in front of the other girls!" A voice rang out.
"Yes! He's just trying to look good in front of MUTSUMI."
'Keitaro's not like that! He wouldn't do such a thing! You're making no sense!' Naru's conscience rang out.
"Really? How would you know?"
"Yes yes, how do you know for sure. You've said it yourself, he's a pervert. . .a baka!"
'But. . .but. . .' Naru's uncertainty got the best of her.
-===========================================-
Keitaro looked into Naru's eyes with an expression of surprise and hurt when she yanked her hands free from his and balled up into a fist.
"Uh. . .I'm sorry Naru! I'm sorry! You looked like you were in so much pain I just. . .I thought that I could share your pain if I. . ." Keitaro lowered his head waiting for the punch. Even though Naru was hospitalized, Keitaro bet that she could still pack a punch. But the punch never came. Keitaro raised his head and saw Naru staring intently at her own fist, as if trying to figure out why she balled it up in the first place. This caused Keitaro to hesitate.
"Naru, are you feeling well?" Haruka repeated herself after seeing Naru jerk away from Keitaro, rather unexpectedly since Naru seemed to have a nice expression planted on her face when Keitaro was holding her hand.
"I'm . . . not sure, what happened?" She asked hesitantly.
"You. . .were hit by a car Christmas eve." Keitaro responded weakly before anyone else could answer. His eyes were transfixed to the ground so no one could see the pained expression on his face.
"Hit. . .by a car. . .?" The memories started to float back to Naru's mind. She saw Keitaro kissing Mutsumi. The most painful memory from 'The Night' was when she told Keitaro goodbye. Of course, her conscious was not spared by the constant commentary from the voices in her head.
"Naru? Naru?" Naru snapped out from her mild nightmare thanks to Mitsune shaking her rather violently while the others were telling her to stop shaking Naru so hard.
"Sorry, my head still kind of hurts and. . ."She drawled off again while talking, a distant look in her eyes.
"We should go, Naru needs her rest. . ." Motoko said out loud to everyone, ". . . Including you Urashima." She glared at him with the last part of her statement.
"But. . .but I want to . . ." Keitaro started stammering but was cut off by Naru.
"Keitaro, everyone, I agree with Motoko. . .can you please leave?" Naru stated weakly as she closed her eyes again.
"Naru sempai?" Shinoubu asked.
"Yes Shinoubu. . .?" Naru replied even weaker than before, as if each second she stayed awake was draining the life from her.
"Will you be. . .okay without us here?" Shinoubu asked lightly, glancing from a very depressed looking Keitaro to a very exhausted Naru. Naru only nodded her head weakly and put a hand on her forehead, making it obvious she was developing a headache.
"Well, you heard her, let's leave already! We still got gifts sitting back home for us to open!" Sarah shouted anxiously, causing everyone to shush her, "Sheesh, sorry." Sarah said, lighter than before as she kicked an imaginary pebble. Everyone started filing out, Haruka and Keitaro the last to leave. Keitaro didn't want to leave Naru alone in the hospital, something had trigged the "overprotective" instinct in his mind and Haruka had to negotiate with a rather stubborn Keitaro to get him to leave.
"Tomorrow morning, I swear we'll come back tomorrow morning to see her Keitaro, Naru needs her rest." Haruka repeated one last time before she was tempted to smack Keitaro upside the head and drag him back to the inn.
"But . . . She's still in pain and I . . . Haruka let me go!" Keitaro was slowly being dragged by the collar of his shirt by Haruka.
"We'll come back Keitaro, Naru isn't just going to die overnight if you're not there."
"But . . . but . . ." Keitaro gave up and hung his head, forcing Haruka to drag him all the way back to the inn. Before being dragged from the room totally, Keitaro gave Naru one last fleeting glance and tossed Liddo-kun to her. Miraculously, it landed right next to her.
-===========================================-
'I should have hit that pervert for holding my hand like that. . .' Naru's conscious "said" out loud.
"Yes yes, should have punched that baka into the next dimension! Kill that baka so he'll never try anything perverted on you!" the voice of Naru's "angry" side rang out
'Kill Keitaro? No, I can't do anything like that. . .he's not perverted enough to deserve that. . .besides he's, a sweet guy. . ." Naru's conscious replied lightly, as if the comment about killing Keitaro wasn't such a big deal. Definitely not the reaction the angry side of Naru was looking for.
"Sweet? Sweet huh? What about all those times you've caught him spying on the girls, all the time's he's fondled Kitsune and Mutsumi. All those times trying to grope you! He deserves justice! Think like Motoko. . ." Think like Motoko? Naru's conscious would have "laughed" if it was corporeal. Instead, her conscious found it amusing.
'I can't believe I'm talking to my own mind. . .'
"Hmm well believe it, because we'll be here a while."
'We? We who?' Naru's conscious started becoming confused. Suddenly, an outburst of voices in several different tones rang in her mind. The conscious of Naru started finding itself overwhelmed and backed into a black corner of Naru's mind.
"Cry cry little girl! The boy you love doesn't love you back!"
"He's a baka and you know it, just let go of him!"
"Kill him instead! Kill him and hide his body in the springs!"
"Or kill yourself, get this all over with! No one cares for you! No one wants you around! Keitaro hates you! Kitsune claims to be your best friend but will sell you out in a heartbeat! Shinobou will snatch up Keitaro if given the chance. Motoko only thinks of herself. Su doesn't care for you, she lives off in gag a land, you could be dieing painfully and she'd never notice! Mutsumi is your rival for Keitaro, she'll never help you! Just take that gun hidden in . . ."
'SHUT UP!!!' Naru's conscious interrupted the seemingly senseless ramblings of the "suicidal tendency" voice, ' Just, leave me alone! Go away! I just want to be able to think without these voices. . .'
"What's the matter, can't take the truth?" Another voice jumped at the opportunity to torment Naru's conscious. Her conscious sat cowering in the corner, 'Keitaro. . .please, stop these voices. . .'
End Chapter
A/N:: Once again I apologize for stalling on this fic. I had a bad case of writers block and just wasn't in the mood to write this fic. In a way, I still have a writers block, but I managed to shove it aside to finish this chapter. R&R plz so I can work on this more, point out anything I need to work on, but If you flame I'll . . . *pulls out a chainsaw and fires it up, then puts a white hokey mask on* . . .chop down a tree near your house and let it fall on it! BWAHAHAH! *ahem* anyway, I also apologize for anything cliché, I'm striving to avoid using clichés (like the ending of this chapter) *cough cough, falls on the ground hacking and coughing* erm. . . ahem well, that's it, done rambling, off to start chapter three when Naru returns to Hinata and REALLY starts emotionally hurting Keitaro (not the wimpy little thing she caused just by tugging her hand away). *trots off* Sayonara!