Revised

(Author's Note: I'm sorry, I REALLY sorry. But I couldn't resist but use someone else's idea in a fic a reviewer gave me. Errrrr Damn, Must resist!!!! | Resistance is Futile. | NOOOOOO!!!!!)

A Different Fate
Chapter 3- Musing

Shinobu sat crying in the woods. She ran until she could not run anymore. She tripped and fell and stayed there. She felt so betrayed, even though technically he could not betray her. They were never together, nor ever to be. That thought alone brought her into a deeper depression. She wanted to share sempai's warmth. She wanted kiss him. She wanted to spend romantic dates and romantic nights with Keitaro. But that never was to be. Shinobu lay there, not bothering to move from the same position she landed in. She did not care that she got terribly dirty, and her hair had leaves and twigs in it. She stared off at the ground. She could see rocks, rubble, and bits of dead leaves. She felt lost, empty. She followed her sempai with a passion. Now that passion was gone. Nothing was there. She felt alone like before she came to the Hinata Sou. Keitaro filled the remaining void in her heart, after her friends she lived with over the years. Now the hole in her heart turned into a vortex, sucking in all other feelings of love by her friends.

Su came crashing through the woods. Her approach was not subtle in the least. Even she was pressed to keep up with Shinobu. She bashed through low hanging tree branches and bushes with abandon. She eventually found Shinobu lying in the middle of a patch or dirt. She seemed to have tripped over a root protruding from the ground. Shinobu was unmoving. Su's heart lurched. She turned a pasty green. Shinobu had to be okay, right?

"Shinobu.... You have to be alright, nothing's wrong right?" Su was referring to her physical condition not her emotional. Su sat beside Shinobu and pulled her up in her lap. Shinobu's gaze did not waver, her eyes stayed in the same position even when moved. She was not looking at anything particular. She seemed broken. Su's eyes began to water up.

"Shinobu...Please be ok." Su hunched over Shinobu's form, a few of her tears landed on Shinobu's face. Shinobu awoke from her haze for a moment to see Su hovering over her. Su caught a fleeting glimpse of Shinobu's blinking.

"Oh, Shinobu." Su bent down and gave her a light kiss on the lips. Shinobu looked with wonder into Su's eyes. She saw concern and relief. "S-Su."

"Shinobu, if you need to feel love, maybe I can show it to you?" Su said with a tone unusually serious. It was somewhat ruined by the next playful statement, " I was taught well back home."

"What do you mean 'F-feel' love?" Shinobu questioned, suddenly feeling nervous.

Su smiled sinisterly.

****

Naru ran for what seemed to be hours. Naru's lungs burned for air, but she didn't feel it. She ended up at a beach side road. She walked down to the shoreline. She sat in the sand after watching the sun raise through the sky. She brought her legs against her chest and wrapped her hands around her knees. She watched the waves flow back and forth. She watched as the tide changed ever so slowly. She watched as the sun reached towards the horizon.

"Naru! Naru! I've been looking all over for you."

Naru did not respond as Kitsune approached. "Naru...." Kitsune's approach dropped in speed.

Naru began to speak. "You know, he was the first person I ever felt that way about. I'm not entirely sure I loved him, but I cared about him more than any other guy, except Seta. But my feelings for Seta were a bit different, intangible. I secretly knew nothing would become of it, deep down. Keitaro though, was a sweet guy, who always tried to spend time with me and make me happy. He always got on my nerves, but the thought made me feel warm inside. There are a few times, however, he did not get on my nerves, and made me very happy. He was always so considerate."

"Naru..." Kitsune murmured softly as she stopped a short distance from Naru, as Naru's hair fluttered in the ocean breeze.

"Now I have lost him before I ever had a chance. I suppose it's my fault. If I were ever true and open with him, he never would have posed with Motoko as her husband and give Tsukuro those crazy ideas. He would not of posed to be her husband if he was with me." Naru's voice broke and wavered, "Right? Who am I kidding? Keitaro would always do whatever it took to help any of us."

Kitsune sat in the sand beside Naru and put an arm around her shoulders. "Shhhhh, Lets just watch the sunset. I understand." Naru rested her head on her friend's shoulder as she looked off in the distance at the setting sun.

****

A bit earlier that day, Keitaro and Motoko still hadn't left their rooms. Motoko sat mounted on top of Keitaro, she was resting on his chest.

"Mmmmmmmm." She moaned lightly. "Keitaro, I was always aware of your perversity," Motoko said as she blushed lightly. "But now it seems it was put to good use." Keitaro blushed.

"It felt like your hands were everywhere at once. You felt so much in need, just like I did." Motoko paused for a moment. She felt something stir inside her. "I see you are ready to perform you husbandry duties once more?"

Keitaro finally managed to speak, despite the how surreal this situation was. "Motoko," He said as he blushed lightly, " You're one to call me a pervert. You're insatiable."

She smiled brightly at him. She slowly got off of him, and went to her drawers. She pulled out a gi for herself, along with her chest bindings. She dressed herself slowly in front of Keitaro. Keitaro watched, entranced as she wrapped her chest. She turned to him after she was finish dressing. "Keitaro, you need to dress as well." She tossed him one of her gis.

He put on her gi, and somehow if felt strangely right. "Motoko, I just remembered, we haven't ate all day."

She pecked her husband on his cheek as she stood. "I suppose it is time for me to exercise my wifely duties." Motoko quickly added, "My _other_ wifely duties. I shall cook for you, husband."

Keitaro blanched slightly. He remembered her bland food. He wanted something much more hardy right now, especially with all the recently spent energy. "Um, I want something more filling than what you made last time...please?"

Motoko smiled at him. "Of course, my husband. I'm sure you are quite healthy and don't need to worry about what you eat as I formerly thought." Keitaro blushed at the underlying implications.

Motoko went downstairs to begin cooking for her husband. My husband, she mused. Has a nice ring to it.

***

Shinobu and Su arrived first. They smelled food cooking, and Shinobu went to see who was cooking. Perhaps it was sempai? Shinobu thought this time with a little less adoration and feeling than she usually did with any thought including "sempai."

She walked into the kitchen, with Su skipping behind, to find Motoko cutting vegetables and humming to herself. That was in itself out of place. Motoko didn't hum. She seemed so full of joy at the moment, it was almost visible in the air as glimmers and sparkles. Shinobu decided to speak.

"Um, Motoko, why are you fixing dinner?"

"My husband and I are hungry. As part of my wifely duties, I should cook for him."

Shinobu glanced at what was being made. It wasn't the same bland stuff from before. "You aren't making all that overly healthy food?"

"No, we're quite hungry, and he is quite healthy," Motoko replied as she blushed lightly. Shinobu's eyes widened. She shook her head to clear the thoughts invoked by that statement. She did not need to think about that.

"Mind me helping?"

"Not at all." Motoko glanced over her shoulder to give Shinobu a warm smile that melted her. Shinobu had never seen Motoko smile like that before.

***

Naru and Kitsune arrived back pretty late. They had decided to walk, instead of riding a bus. Naru needed the breathing time, especially from coming back to see the new couple. That was too sudden and too much for Naru. She suddenly one day found her love in another woman's arms when he had never even been in her arms.

Kitsune announced both her and Naru's entrance when they arrived at the Hinata Sou. Naru smelled food in the kitchen and went in to find plates set at the table. It was practically a feast, having twice the normal food because of two people cooking. They heard Shinobu and Motoko's laughter from the kitchen.

They were reminiscing about times with Keitaro. Something they now could admit they mutually enjoyed. At the moment they were talking about how they had met him.

"Sempai came running through the house with you and the other residents, and then he turned sharply, only for his towel to reveal what was underneath. I blushed so hard it hurt." Shinobu paused for a moment. "It was my first time seeing a guy like that...."

Motoko smiled in understanding. "What you said about what you saw, wasn't very nice." Motoko chuckled lightly. Chuckling was something she'd never do before now.

"Well ... I really don't know if it was small or not. After all, it wasn't like I had seen anyone else to compare him to." Shinobu said meekly.

Motoko paused for a moment, and looked at Shinobu. Shinobu looked into her eyes. Motoko blushed lightly, and decided Kitsune was rubbing off on her. "Well, Keitaro is very much a man if...motivated correctly." She continued busying herself in the kitchen after the statement leaving Shinobu gaping. Shinobu blushed crimson, and turned stiff. All expression on her face washed away with red.

"Auuuuuuuuuu," she sounded in response.

Motoko chuckled again. Shinobu was handling her and Keitaro's marriage much better now. I wonder what happened...

Motoko called out for everyone to eat. As she entered the dining room she saw Naru. Naru's face was puffy, and she looked old and tired. She sat down at the table and began to eat without a word. Kitsune watched for moment, in awe, and then sat down right next to her. Su came galloping in the room and jump kicked over the table to land in her seat. Everyone heard footsteps as someone came down the stairs and towards the dining room. The form of Keitaro entered the room. Motoko beamed at him, and pulled out a chair for him. Keitaro blushed at the attention, and went to his seat and sat. Motoko pulled out her own seat next to his, and sat down.

"Here you are, my husband," Motoko said she sat a plate in front of him, and began to feed him with her chopsticks. She would periodically feed herself as she fed him.

CLANK!

The dishes on the table shook as wooden chopsticks came into contact with the dining table at high velocity. Naru stood, her seat being pushed back by her standing. She picked up her plate and left the room. Kitsune shot Motoko a dirty look, and picked up her plate and followed Naru.

Motoko's feeding hand lowered along with her head. She looked off to the side. Keitaro's mouth closed and his blush faded. His head soon joined hers in a stare at the floor. The rest of dinner was silent.

****

"Ya know Kitsune. That should be me." Naru's face was a neutral mask. Kitsune didn't respond. If her friend needed to spill, she'd let her.

"I ... I don't know if I can stand being around here while those two are all lovey dovey. I... suppose I'd have Keitaro by now if I'd just admit it. Why couldn't I Kitsune? I guess it was because I didn't want to hurt what was between me and my other friends. I know you all liked Keitaro too. There is just something about him. I also was afraid to venture into new territory where me and Keitaro would be lovers."

Kitsune sat beside Naru on her bed. She put her hand on her shoulder.

"I'm going to leave for a little while, perhaps go back home, catch up on things. I haven't seen my sister in a while."

"Naru don—"

"Don't worry. I'll come back. I wouldn't leave my friends for a stupid guy."

*****

PLEASE R&R. This fic was updated first because it's a fav. Keep showing me you want it, and I'll keep giving it to you. I'm sure all the ladies know all about that. ^_~

-Authors Notes-
Sorry about the Su/Shinobu. I read that in a fic, which is incomplete, and doesn't even have the next chapter after the Su/Shinobu thing happens. I also apologize for the month it has taken me to update and I don't have a huge long chapter. The next one will be around 4000 words to make up for it ^_~. I've been busy working. I now work about full time and early in the morning. I am NOT a morning person. This makes me very tired. My working full time also cuts out of my fanfic reading/writing time. And I'm sorry readers, I'm a reader first. I'd read a fic before I'd write one. I'm getting mega fast at reading though. I read novel sized fanfics in a day or two.

--Ideas I'm musing on—

Shinobu/Keitaro pairing fanfic.

Keitaro's High school life- Peers can be cruel. I'm quite sure that Keitaro was an outcast, much like myself. I, however, did not have quite the level of girl problems as Keitaro. I'll have to adjust for that, because I wanted this fanfic to be based on my experiences in high school. I've learned a lot of social and real life lessons in high school. And there are lessons you wish you never learned. This will most likely be angst. I'll prolly throw on some Linkin park, and write one day.