Disclaimer:

I do not own anything from Love Hina or any copyrighted material. Any other characters used in this fic are mine, however.

Chapter 5 – Mixed Emotions

The next day started out like any other at the Hinata Sou. Once the younger residents left for school, Keitaro got ready to make his errands in town. Right now he was in his room, making sure he had the things he needed.

"Alright I got my coat and my wallet," said Keitaro. "What am I missing?"

All this morning, his mind was focused elsewhere; it seemed that the past twenty-four hours had taken a lot out of him mentally than any other day before…and today was no exception. Glancing around the immediate he spotted the checkbook along with the list of materials he needed to make the repairs on the roof.

"Bingo," he remarked. "I better get going."

Putting on his coat and grabbing his checkbook, he stepped out into the hallway. At that moment, Kitsune just happened to be passing by his doorway, still think about what happened on the roof. They never saw it coming – the sound of the two colliding into one another, followed by both of them falling to the floor resonated within the hallway.

"Ow," said Kitsune, rubbing her head.

"I'm sorry Kitsune," said Keitero, getting up. "I didn't see you there."

"Huh…oh it's okay Keitaro," she replied. "I got too distracted and wasn't looking where I was going."

Without thinking, Keitaro reached down and grabbed onto Kitsune's free hand with his. With great care and effort, he pulled the fox girl to her feet once more.

"You sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine, really," she answered.

The pair stood there for a brief moment, not saying anything else. Although they were just standing there, something felt different in that situation…and for some strange reason, it felt good. Turing their gaze downward, they both realized that they were still holding hands. Nervously the two let go, too embarrassed to look at each other.

"S-Sorry…I uh…forgot that I…um," stuttered Keitaro, rubbing the back of his head.

 Kitsune blushed. "It's…its okay…I uh…really didn't mind it."

"Well…um…anyway, I gotta go and do these errands," he replied.

"Oh, oh yeah," she replied. "I shouldn't keep you then."

Keitaro stepped around her and began to walk down the hallway…but stopped. He turned his gaze back at Kitsune, a bit of a nervous look was still upon his features.

"Say Kitsune," he said. "I was wondering…I have a lot of things to get in town and…well–"

"You need help carrying it back?" asked Kitsune.

"Yeah, I don't think I can manage it alone."

Kitsune was surprised, but smiled. "Sure…let me just grab my coat."

"Great," he replied. "I'll meet you in the living room.

Keitaro walked down the hall while Kitsune went back into her room. She couldn't help but smile – ever since she spent yesterday afternoon with him, all she could think about was how pleasant it felt.

Stepping back out in the hallway, Naru happened to be walking by. The minute she saw Kitsune she moved toward her friend with a sort of surprised look on her face.

"Hey Kitsune," Naru said. "Keitaro told me you two are heading back in town."

"That's right," she answered.

"So…have any other plans in store for today?"

Kitsune felt embarrassed at what Naru was implying. "N-No. He just needed help getting the things back to the dorm – that's all."

Naru shrugged. "Well…if you say so. Have fun."

"As long as you don't make a surprise appearance and assume the worst, I will," commented Kitsune with a smirk.

Naru rolled her eyes and walked toward her room. Kitsune sighed and put her coat on. Walking down the stairs, she finally made her way to the front door where Keitaro was waiting.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah," she answered. "Let's go."

~~

Naru sat in her room, reading and taking note in preparation for the upcoming entrance exams later in the year. Glancing out her window, she caught a glimpse of Kitsune and Keitaro walking down the stairs of the Hinata Sou. It appeared that the two were enjoying themselves as they walked out of sight. Witnessing this, Naru couldn't help but wonder if there was something happening between them.

'Ever since Kitsune got back,' she thought 'she seems…different in a way.'

Naru placed her pencil down and leaned back in her chair. She closed her eyes, trying to piece together the facts in her mind. Several conclusions formed in her mind, but a few did seem to fit the answer to her friend's behavior.

'Could it be that…?' Naru then shook her head. 'No way! This is Kitsune we're talking about!'

Her gut instinct told her that something was up – she didn't know what it was, but it was there. Opening her eyes, she leaned forward and rested her elbows on her desk. This situation between the two definitely called for an emergency meeting with the other residents. Maybe they'd be able to help figure out what exactly is going on, maybe not.

A rustling noise caught Naru's full attention. Turing back to her desk, she glimpsed her notes and various papers fluttering in the breeze. Rushing over to them, she quickly gathered them up and shoved them in a nearby folder. There wasn't time to ponder about her friend…not yet anyway. For now at least, she'd have to worry about it later in the day.

'I better talk to the others when they get back from school,' she thought and then added, 'and keep a close eye on those two.'

~~

An hour later, Kitsune and Keitaro are walking back to Hinata Sou with an armful of building materials for the roof. Turing the corner, the two began to make their way up the long flight of stairs.

"Thanks again for coming with me Kitsune," said Keitaro. "It'd probably take me a few trips to get all of this stuff."

"No problem," replied Kitsune. "It's the least I could do."

Reaching the top of the stairs, Keitaro frees his right hand and reached inside his pocket. Kitsune stood there for a moment, observing the young manager fumble around for his keys.

'He does so much around here,' she thinks, 'and asks for so little in return…guess now is a good time to ask him.'

Taking a deep breath, she straightened up slightly and put on her trademark foxy look.

"Say Keitaro…how long do you think it'll take ya to fix the roof?"

"Oh I dunno…a couple hours or so if I start now," he answered, not looking up. "Why do you ask?"

"Well seeing how much work you've been doing, I was just wondering if you'd like to come with me to the bar later to…relax a bit," she asked, and then added "that is…I mean, if you're not busy or anything this evening."

Keitaro was surprised at her offer – so much so that he nearly dropped his keys. He never expected Kitsune, or anyone for that matter, to ask him something like that. But deep down, he was glad she did. Quickly regaining his composure, he gave a small smile back at Kitsune.

"Sure, why not," he answered. "Once we're done with dinner, we'll go."

"Great! Just let me know when you're ready."

With that the two entered the dorm and went about their business. Unbeknownst to either of them, Naru happened to be listening to their conversation in the balcony above. Giving an exasperated sigh, she made her way back to her room.

" 'No others plans for the day'…yeah right," Naru said. "There's definitely something go on here, and I'm gonna find out what it is."

***

A/N – Hope everyone enjoyed chapter 5, despite its length or any OOC-ness I may have unintentionally made. I still have a good idea where to take this story, so it shouldn't be too hard to fit the next few chapters together later on.

Anyway, you guys know the routine! Hope you'll stay tuned – I'll have chapter 6 up as humanly possible!    ^_^