A/N: A new chapter begun two weeks after the last! I believe I must have
one of the most variable update schedules on Planet Earth. A Warning: I'm
doing this in a pseudo stream-of-consciousness fashion. The story's not
exactly SOC, but after the initial scene, which has been floating around
the annals of my damn dirty Commie brain for about a week, it's all
whatever pops into my thinking. Be afraid.
DISCLAIMER: Who would have thought that Ken Akamatsu's personal bodyguards
were better trained than my contingent of Spetz-Natz? In light of that
particular failure, Akamatsu still owns Love Hina, and all I have are two
stories two terrible to put on FFN, plus this one. Oh well, next time will
not be a failure...Insert Doctor Evil laugh
Naru sat in her room. And sat in her room. And, for a change, sat on the balcony. Her mood over the last three days had been a dour mix of silence and sour contemplation, and not even Kitsune had managed to hold a very long conversation with her. The longest conversation with Naru on record since the so-called "Shop Incident" had been Kitsune's...pleasure? It had consisted of Kitsune walking up to Narusegawa the previous day, and making a comment along the lines of "My, Naru, you certainly are down just for being ignored by a guy you have absolutely no feelings for." And Naru's reply? "Shut up, Kitsune," then Naru had stormed off to her room.
Keitaro, too, had been pretty down over the last three days. He had been mostly cold toward Naru, only talking to her during meals. There had been no Toudai study sessions in the three days. Not talking to Naru, though, gave Keitaro more chatter time with the rest of Hinata-Sou's residents, and the majority were quite pleased, especially Shinobu and Motoko (though the Samurai would never admit it). Most of Keitaro's time, now, was spent with Shinobu. He had begun helping her in her Secondary School math classes, and had gone with her on her grocery errands the previous day. During the days, when Shinobu, Kaolla, and Motoko were all gone to school, he had been hanging around with Kitsune. He had even gone, after a bit of prodding (and a bit of Sake), to do some bar-hopping with Kitsune the day after the Incident. However, Keitaro still spent a great deal of his down-time in his room, drawing or reading, sometimes wasting the hours on the internet. The other residents had noted that he only seemed to be truly happy when he was around Shinobu. The only time he had really smiled in the last three days, with the exception of the drunken grin plastered on his features when he went out with Kitsune, was after his grocery run with Shinobu. Needless to say, the other residents were a bit curious. Maybe their questions were soon to be answered.
Keitaro was sketching on his futon, an activity he had been doing quite a lot of the past couple of days. He wasn't really concentrating on his sketchbook, his hand just mindlessly drawing across the page while he stared absently out his window. After observing the trees swaying slightly in the wind, and the familiar visage of Hinata City, he looked down at his sketchbook, wondering what he had doodled. He was surprised to find a sketch of a smiling Shinobu looking back at him. Gah! Why is that girl always on my mind lately?! Keitaro looked at the sketch, and caught himself smiling. He then realized what he was doing and panicked, tearing the page out of his sketchbook and throwing it in his trash-basket, near his study desk. No one can see that...they'd freak out. What's up with me? Always spending time with her...maybe I have a Lolita complex.He shivered and shrugged off the thought. Kami-Sama, let's hope not. Images of the beatings he would receive from Naru and Motoko flashed through his mind, followed by a short movie of his funeral. No one was there except his Aunt Haruka and Shinobu. And Haruka was constantly checking her watch as the minister droned on and on. That's about how it would happen. Keitaro grimaced. No one really cares about me...except Shinobu..but...Keitaro put his hands to his head and groaned. There's no way I'm feeling like this for a 15 year old girl!! I'm, what, seven years older than her? Argh! Keitaro stepped out of his room and began to walk downstairs toward the dining room for a quick snack. On his way, he ran into Kitsune, surprisingly, a completely sober Kitsune. Well, seeing how it's only 2:00, I guess it makes sense. He thought to himself. He then received a bigger shock: Kitsune's eyes were actually open! She grabbed his hand and led him away from the dining area, taking him into the TV room and setting him roughly down on the couch. He looked at her quizzically, his brown eyes begging explanation. Kitsune provided it...to an extent. She stood over him, staring him in t he eyes.
"Alright, kanrinin, we need to have a little talk." She walked over and sat down by him, leaning slightly forward but still keeping his gaze. Keitaro couldn't stand it, and dropped his eyes for a moment before looking back up.
"What's up, Kitsune?" Kitsune waited a moment before speaking.
"I think you know."
"Does it have something to do with Shinobu-chan?" He asked nervously. Kitsune raised her eyebrows.
"No...why would it? I was thinking Naru." Keitaro nodded, and relaxed some. He was happy no one was suspecting he felt anything special for Shinobu. Then again, he wasn't sure himself, so why should he worry? Keitaro's demeanor cooled off a bit then, as the name Kitsune had spoken.
"So, what about Narusegawa-san?" Keitaro spoke in a cold tone. Kitsune looked a bit taken aback, but forged on with what she wanted to say.
"Keitaro, lately you've really been avoiding Naru. And when you're around her, you're cold and distant, and act like she doesn't exist. I thought you were completely fawning over her? What happened?" Kitsune cocked a questioning eyebrow. Keitaro leaned back into the couch for a moment, and then turned his head toward Kitsune.
"Well, Kitsune-san, was happened is that I finally wizened up. I did love Naru, yes, but it gets harder and harder to love someone who gives nothing back in return. I was always nice to her, tried to do everything I could for her, to try and make her happy, to try and make her love me back. But I can't continue. I can't love someone who only gives me pain. And Kitsune, you should know I don't really deserve it! Shinobu understands. That's why I've been hanging out with her so much. It might look a little untoward, but the fact of the matter is that she's the only one in the entire dorms I know I can talk to without fear of being beaten up, or insulted, or swindled." He made a somewhat pointed glare at Kitsune on that remark, and she smiled, a bit ashamed. "She's always there for me when I need her to be, and I believe she's become my best friend." Kitsune looked at Keitaro intently for a moment, and then her trademark grin crossed her features.
"Jeez, Kanrinin, it sounds like you love the girl." She leaned back and smiled even more broadly as Keitaro momentarily looked chocked, then contemplative, and finally a bit angry.
"That's impossible, Kitsune-san. She's too young for me to love. She's like... little sister figure to me. I love her, yes, but in the way you're insinuating." He smiled confidently at her, but a little voice in the back of his mind spoke up. You completely sure of that, Kei? I don't think you are. You really do like her, don't you? They're all right. You're a damn pervert, and a pedophile at that! Keitaro inwardly grimaced and shoved the voice back into the pit it had crawled out of . "No...no, I don't love her in any way other than as a little sister, or a confidante." He nodded, apparently satisfied, and stood up and walked upstairs to the Manager's room. All the way there, though, a part of his mind plagued him with an eternal chant: Are you sure? Are you sure? Are you sure?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------- A/N II: Wow, after a full month of writer's block, I finished this chapter. I like it better than three, as well. In the next chapter, I plan on focusing more on Shinobu's side of the story, and somewhat on Naru's as well. I think I've been neglecting the other characters too much. Well, that's all until Chapter 5! Dasvidania!
Naru sat in her room. And sat in her room. And, for a change, sat on the balcony. Her mood over the last three days had been a dour mix of silence and sour contemplation, and not even Kitsune had managed to hold a very long conversation with her. The longest conversation with Naru on record since the so-called "Shop Incident" had been Kitsune's...pleasure? It had consisted of Kitsune walking up to Narusegawa the previous day, and making a comment along the lines of "My, Naru, you certainly are down just for being ignored by a guy you have absolutely no feelings for." And Naru's reply? "Shut up, Kitsune," then Naru had stormed off to her room.
Keitaro, too, had been pretty down over the last three days. He had been mostly cold toward Naru, only talking to her during meals. There had been no Toudai study sessions in the three days. Not talking to Naru, though, gave Keitaro more chatter time with the rest of Hinata-Sou's residents, and the majority were quite pleased, especially Shinobu and Motoko (though the Samurai would never admit it). Most of Keitaro's time, now, was spent with Shinobu. He had begun helping her in her Secondary School math classes, and had gone with her on her grocery errands the previous day. During the days, when Shinobu, Kaolla, and Motoko were all gone to school, he had been hanging around with Kitsune. He had even gone, after a bit of prodding (and a bit of Sake), to do some bar-hopping with Kitsune the day after the Incident. However, Keitaro still spent a great deal of his down-time in his room, drawing or reading, sometimes wasting the hours on the internet. The other residents had noted that he only seemed to be truly happy when he was around Shinobu. The only time he had really smiled in the last three days, with the exception of the drunken grin plastered on his features when he went out with Kitsune, was after his grocery run with Shinobu. Needless to say, the other residents were a bit curious. Maybe their questions were soon to be answered.
Keitaro was sketching on his futon, an activity he had been doing quite a lot of the past couple of days. He wasn't really concentrating on his sketchbook, his hand just mindlessly drawing across the page while he stared absently out his window. After observing the trees swaying slightly in the wind, and the familiar visage of Hinata City, he looked down at his sketchbook, wondering what he had doodled. He was surprised to find a sketch of a smiling Shinobu looking back at him. Gah! Why is that girl always on my mind lately?! Keitaro looked at the sketch, and caught himself smiling. He then realized what he was doing and panicked, tearing the page out of his sketchbook and throwing it in his trash-basket, near his study desk. No one can see that...they'd freak out. What's up with me? Always spending time with her...maybe I have a Lolita complex.He shivered and shrugged off the thought. Kami-Sama, let's hope not. Images of the beatings he would receive from Naru and Motoko flashed through his mind, followed by a short movie of his funeral. No one was there except his Aunt Haruka and Shinobu. And Haruka was constantly checking her watch as the minister droned on and on. That's about how it would happen. Keitaro grimaced. No one really cares about me...except Shinobu..but...Keitaro put his hands to his head and groaned. There's no way I'm feeling like this for a 15 year old girl!! I'm, what, seven years older than her? Argh! Keitaro stepped out of his room and began to walk downstairs toward the dining room for a quick snack. On his way, he ran into Kitsune, surprisingly, a completely sober Kitsune. Well, seeing how it's only 2:00, I guess it makes sense. He thought to himself. He then received a bigger shock: Kitsune's eyes were actually open! She grabbed his hand and led him away from the dining area, taking him into the TV room and setting him roughly down on the couch. He looked at her quizzically, his brown eyes begging explanation. Kitsune provided it...to an extent. She stood over him, staring him in t he eyes.
"Alright, kanrinin, we need to have a little talk." She walked over and sat down by him, leaning slightly forward but still keeping his gaze. Keitaro couldn't stand it, and dropped his eyes for a moment before looking back up.
"What's up, Kitsune?" Kitsune waited a moment before speaking.
"I think you know."
"Does it have something to do with Shinobu-chan?" He asked nervously. Kitsune raised her eyebrows.
"No...why would it? I was thinking Naru." Keitaro nodded, and relaxed some. He was happy no one was suspecting he felt anything special for Shinobu. Then again, he wasn't sure himself, so why should he worry? Keitaro's demeanor cooled off a bit then, as the name Kitsune had spoken.
"So, what about Narusegawa-san?" Keitaro spoke in a cold tone. Kitsune looked a bit taken aback, but forged on with what she wanted to say.
"Keitaro, lately you've really been avoiding Naru. And when you're around her, you're cold and distant, and act like she doesn't exist. I thought you were completely fawning over her? What happened?" Kitsune cocked a questioning eyebrow. Keitaro leaned back into the couch for a moment, and then turned his head toward Kitsune.
"Well, Kitsune-san, was happened is that I finally wizened up. I did love Naru, yes, but it gets harder and harder to love someone who gives nothing back in return. I was always nice to her, tried to do everything I could for her, to try and make her happy, to try and make her love me back. But I can't continue. I can't love someone who only gives me pain. And Kitsune, you should know I don't really deserve it! Shinobu understands. That's why I've been hanging out with her so much. It might look a little untoward, but the fact of the matter is that she's the only one in the entire dorms I know I can talk to without fear of being beaten up, or insulted, or swindled." He made a somewhat pointed glare at Kitsune on that remark, and she smiled, a bit ashamed. "She's always there for me when I need her to be, and I believe she's become my best friend." Kitsune looked at Keitaro intently for a moment, and then her trademark grin crossed her features.
"Jeez, Kanrinin, it sounds like you love the girl." She leaned back and smiled even more broadly as Keitaro momentarily looked chocked, then contemplative, and finally a bit angry.
"That's impossible, Kitsune-san. She's too young for me to love. She's like... little sister figure to me. I love her, yes, but in the way you're insinuating." He smiled confidently at her, but a little voice in the back of his mind spoke up. You completely sure of that, Kei? I don't think you are. You really do like her, don't you? They're all right. You're a damn pervert, and a pedophile at that! Keitaro inwardly grimaced and shoved the voice back into the pit it had crawled out of . "No...no, I don't love her in any way other than as a little sister, or a confidante." He nodded, apparently satisfied, and stood up and walked upstairs to the Manager's room. All the way there, though, a part of his mind plagued him with an eternal chant: Are you sure? Are you sure? Are you sure?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------- A/N II: Wow, after a full month of writer's block, I finished this chapter. I like it better than three, as well. In the next chapter, I plan on focusing more on Shinobu's side of the story, and somewhat on Naru's as well. I think I've been neglecting the other characters too much. Well, that's all until Chapter 5! Dasvidania!