Well, here you go. Another chapter, I am trying to update twice a week, once on Monday and again on Friday. Let's see how long I can keep it up. No reviews. Tsk-Tsk!

Standard Disclaimer: Ken Akamatsu own Love Hina. I own all of Motoko. I wish.

Chapter 7: Meia's Makeover Part2 January the 11th

Meia sat behind Dan as he weaved through the crowded streets of Tokyo. She sat deep in thought, that Dan was hiding something that much was certain. The Shinjuko area was famous for it's gangs. Could Dan have been involved in a gang or the yakuza? She had heard from Wu about how Dan had levelled the gang that had tried to attack them. Was he some kind of vigilante? She would have to ask Dan about that.

"Uhm, Dan-kun?" Meia asked shyly before berating herself. 'I can't get his attention by acting like a scared little girl!'

"Ah, we're here!" Dan said, pulling the motorbike into a mall. The mall was huge and was completely filled with shops, mostly dealing with clothing. "This is the second last stage of the transformation! We need to buy you some new clothes. Unfortunately I am not the best at these sorts of decisions so I asked an old friend of mine to come along and help out."

"Yo! Dan-kun! Over here!" A man yelled, waving in their direction. He was short, wiry and had long hair. He wore glasses and a nice suit.

"Yo, Kuta-kun! Nice suit. It seems every time I see you, you always have another suit."

"I never wear the same suit twice, that's bad fashion. Talking about bad fashion..." Kuta stared at Dan's clothing.

"Not a chance!" Dan immediately said, forming a cross with his arms. They shared a chuckle.

"Then why did you ask me to come here? Surely not to continue this bad joke?"

"Well, this girl," Dan indicated Meia, "is becoming a Cinderella, and a Cinderella needs a new wardrobe!"

Kuta looked at Meia, with a practised eye. "Nice figure, very nice hair." He stopped when he looked into Meia's eyes. "Striking eyes," he whispered reverently.

Dan looked amused, "You noticed? Can you imagine she hid them behind thick glasses?"

"Shame...hiding that from the world."

"Uhm," Meia started shyly. "Are you Kuta-san? The fashion King?"

The man adjusted his glasses, light glinting off them. "Yes as a matter of fact I am. You can call me Kuta-kun, and what might your name be?"

"Me...Meia-san"

"Delightful! If you would be so kind as to follow me, we shall start picking out your new wardrobe!" Kuta led the way.

Kuta was a blur of activity as he went from one store to another. Grabbing various items of clothing and flirting with the shop attendants. Many recognised him and asked his advice about this or that piece of clothing. He burrowed through clothes, burying Dan under a pile of skirts, dresses, shirts, blouses, pants and tops. Dan grumbled behind the giant pile and Meia couldn't help but giggle. Dan shot her a dark look, before chuckling.

"It's nice to see that you can laugh too. You should try to more often."

Meia blushed prettily, whilst Kuta was oblivious to their conversation. After a few hours had passed, a heavily laden Dan carried the vast amount of clothes towards the changing rooms. Kuta tutored Meia about what clothing goes with what, and when to wear this or that.

"But we have missed the most important part. Clothes are very important to the fashion. However one cannot forget the accessories, they finish the fashion!" Kuta said, before leading them on another crazed shopping frenzy. Kuta grabbed necklaces, rings, earrings, backpacks, purses, shoes and other things too varied for Meia to keep up with. Slowly she found herself infected with the same fervour and excitement as Kuta and the two sorted through the mall at record speed. The only one not sharing in their excitement was Dan, who was unfortunately carrying the fruits of their labour. After another few hours, Kuta was finally finished with his shopping. He insisted on making Meia try on a few outfits, so that he could make sure that he was right in his decisions. Meia tried on the first outfit that Kuta gave her. She tried on the jeans and simple shirt, and Kuta insisted that she wear high heels with the outfit. Exiting the booth, both Kuta and Dan gave appreciating whistles.

"Dan-kun, I don't suppose I can kidnap this girl to be a model?" Kuta asked, Meia face planted on hearing this.

"I don't know, I guess I can figure something out. Right, Meia-san?" Dan chuckled at Meia's expression. Meia retreated behind the relative safety of the changing booths curtain. She gasped as she saw the next item of clothing that Kuta passed over the curtain. A strapless blue dress, which reached mid thigh, with boots that reached mid calf, Meia had never worn this sort of clothing before. She took a while to put it on and when she checked her reflection in the mirror, she almost didn't recognise herself. She had never worn anything so daring, and she felt very self-conscious as she stepped out from behind the curtain.

"I've justified the huge cost of this journey, wouldn't you agree Dan-kun?" Kuta managed after the two men had been able to talk.

"I think you're absolutely correct, Kuta-kun," Dan said in an equally awed voice. Meia was feeling awkward in front of the two men, and did a little twirl, sending her dress flapping slightly.

"Don't I look good?" she asked, pouting playfully. 'I've got him. Dan-kun won't be able to resist me in something like this!' she thought to herself, as she watched Dan struggle with his ability to talk.

After a brief conversation, Kuta left the two and headed home. Dan and Meia stood awkwardly for a moment before Dan cleared his throat and managed to say something.

"So let's go home?"

Meia pretended to think about it, but she wanted to do something else. 'I should see if I have got my hooks in him. I'm not like Wu-chan; I'm not going to throw myself al over him. I want romance!'

"Well actually I wanted some dinner; you know. It's quite late, and I don't think Shinobu-san will like it with we come home so late."

"I'm sure she won't..." Dan managed before Meia interrupted.

"You're not going to reject a girl who just asked you for dinner are you?" Meia asked.

Dan struggled with the question, quickly looking in his wallet to see how much money he had. Checking the contents and seeing enough, he smiled. "Dinner with the Cinderella is acceptable."

Meia caught her breath, 'He called me beautiful. He. Called. Me. Beautiful. He's the first to call me that. He's the first man to call me beautiful.' She thought in a rush as they headed back into the mall and Dan let her choose the restaurant. She spotted a nice-looking Italian restaurant tucked into the corner, which wasn't too busy. They approached, but the doorman stopped Dan.

"I'm sorry, we don't serve your type," he said with a sneer, as he looked at Dan and his slightly tatty clothing.

"Isn't it enough that I pay for the food and the service?" Dan asked quietly.

"Having someone like you in this restaurant reflects badly on our reputation," the doorman said haughtily.

"I see," Dan said, and then smirked. "I guess your reputation can't sink any lower when arseholes like you work here."

"What did you say?" the doorman yelled, grabbing onto Dan's shirt. Dan's eyes glinted dangerously, but he didn't do anything.

"I said, that your reputation couldn't sink any lower when arseholes like you work here. Did you manage to understand that, or should I use smaller words?"

"Why you...!" the doorman yelled, before trying to punch Dan, there was a blur of motion as Dan twisted and launched the doorman over his back and into the fountain a short distance away. Casually taking Meia's arm, he solemnly led her into the restaurant, glaring at the first waiter who tried to usher them out.

"I will need a table for two, and I will not take no for an answer!" Dan said sternly. 'Wow! He's so in charge! I never imagined that Dan-kun could act like that!' Meia thought excitedly as the waiters scurried to get them a table. They ended up, looking out over Tokyo as the sun set. 'I wanted romance. Here we are, eating dinner at sunset! This is romance!' Meia excitedly thought. The two shared a pleasant silence before the food was ready. When they begun eating, Meia felt the urge to talk a bit about herself.

"I come from a really old samurai family. My entire life I was expected to excel at everything I did. I had no freedom. Everything was decided by someone else, what clothes I wore, what I learnt, what I ate. They even decided my marriage when I was barely 8."

"Didn't your parents have to say anything about that?"

"I never knew my parents," Meia said sadly. "I never met them. Never even knew their names. Several years ago I ran away from home. They found me of course. But I learnt that there was a world outside of the one I had currently lived. I began to run away from home more often, and it was on one of these escapades that I met Grandma Hina. She heard of my plight and offered to let me live in Hinata, and of course I accepted. And that's where I've lived since four years ago." A lone tear ran down Meia's face. It still hurt to talk about these things, despite that it had occurred long ago.

Dan reached over the table and wiped away her tear. "Beautiful woman shouldn't cry. It's unfair on us poor guys!" he said playfully.

Meia looked up in surprise. He continued, "Sure, that is tough, what you've had to go through. But you're still standing. You are successful. You are smart and beautiful." Dan quickly looked away, blushing slightly.

'He called me beautiful. Again. He's the first man I've heard that from, and that I believe. He thinks I am beautiful!' Meia thought before saying, "What did you say I was?"

"I said you were smart."

"No, I'm sure that you said something else as well."

"No that's it"

"I'm sure I heard something more..."

"You must be mistaken." Meia saw the smile playing around his lips, and grinned.

"Well, now that I've poured out my heart to you, how about you return the compliment?"

"You don't want to hear about me," Dan said.

Meia poured emotion into her eyes and voice. "Yes I do, come on, let someone break through defences for once." Dan's eyes were filled with pain, but Meia continued, "Come on, you're the second person to hear my past."

Dan slumped in defeat. "Fine, what do you want to know?" he said.

Meia looked at Dan and shuffled a little closer to Dan. She placed a hand on his before saying; "Tell me about your childhood, Dan-kun."

Dan was silent for a while, not moving. Meia thought that maybe he wasn't going to talk at all, before he started softly. "I was born in Dublin, 20 years ago. My father was a railroad worker, and my mother was a seamstress. I had an older sister." Dan was silent for a while. "We lived in the government-owned flats. My father was an alcoholic, and he used all money that he and my mother earnt to buy alcohol and get raging drunk. Soon he lost his job. He begun to sell my mother to his friends for sex, and before she knew it, she was working the streets day and night. She worked as a seamstress during the day, and worked as a prostitute during the day. My sister and me were never in school, and although I was only 6 and she was 12, we were already working full time. This was still not enough for my father, and soon he begun taking drugs as well. We couldn't earn enough money. My father eventually killed my mother, and forced us to help bury the body in the forest. He used the insurance money to satisfy his urges." Meia was shocked by this story, but still Dan continued, his eyes far away and out of focus. He clutched her hand like a drowning man clutches at wood, and continued. "Soon he forced my sister to become a prostitute, and soon he ran out of money again. He killed my sister." Dan said shortly. There was rage burning in his eyes, and his other hand was clenched into a fist. Blood seeped from his hands as his fingernails dug into his flesh, yet he still held her hand gently. "Again we buried him in the woods. He used the money to continue his lifestyle. Unknown to him, I took some money and found somewhere where I could buy a pistol. I had taken enough money to afford a gun, a Glock 18 pistol. Soon my father ran out of money, and I knew that he would attempt to kill me too. I pretended to sleep, but kept the pistol fully loaded and with me at all times. One night he tried to creep into my bedroom. He was high and completely drunk. Before he could stab me with his kitchen knife, I shot him in the eye, killing him instantly." Meia gasped as Dan said this without emotion.

"Dan-kun..."

"It was far more than he deserved. Being the last member of my family, I inherited the insurance money, and was sent to an orphanage. I hated it there. I crept out and ran with the gangs that roamed the city. I became an excellent shot with my pistol, and before I knew it, I was killing people for money."

"How old were you?"

"12. Soon I left Dublin, and moved to main land Europe, where I lived for a few years, travelling around Europe, living as best I could. One day I met a Chinese man, who immediately recognised the look of a killer. He confronted me, and before I could shoot him, he disarmed me. I expected him to shoot me, but instead he took me to China and taught me how to fight. I spent 3 years living with my master, although I never knew his name. He became my family. Those were the happiest years of my life." Dan's face hardened.

"Dan-kun, you don't have to continue," Meia said, caressing his cheek.

"No, I need to finish. Soon however, people from another Kung-fu school challenged my master. They wanted the land where our school was. They had Triad connections, and my master was shot during the fight. I wanted revenge, although my master had always told me that revenge is not right. I hunted down each of the school's students and masters, killing them with my bare hands. I became like an animal, tearing into my opponents with my bare hands and teeth. Soon the remaining members ran to Hong-Kong. I followed. I hunted down the Triad members as well. I have forgotten most of what I did, but I came back to myself, surrounded by dead Triad members, their leaders torn and broken as if by some savage animal. Surprisingly the thing that helped me regain myself was the pistol I had bought all those years ago in Dublin. I was hunted by the other Triads, so I fled to Japan, where I have stayed until now."

Meia was completely stunned by this story. At first she couldn't believe what she had heard, but looking into Dan's eyes she saw that he was telling the truth.

"Arigato, Meia-san"

"Ehh?"

"You're the first person I have told about myself. Arigato for listening, and helping me with my burden."

Meia reached over and gently kissed Dan on the cheek. "I like you the way you are, despite what you may have done, no matter how bad. I like you the way you are now. So do Wu-chan and the others."

Dan caressed Meia's cheek, gratitude shining in his eyes. "There is nothing that I can do or say that can justify what you have done for me by saying that."

Meia quickly grinned, "Well there is one thing you could do..."

"What?"

"You could pay the bill and take me home. The others are probably worried about us."

"Yes, you're right." Dan stood, paid the bill, and together they left the restaurant. Meia reached out, and held Dan's hand. Then feeling bold, wormed under his arm, so that his arm was draping over her shoulder. Dan blushed at the contact, but didn't say anything. When they reached Dan's motorbike, Meia quickly spun and faced Dan.

"What's wrong Meia-san?"

"There is one thing you could do to make this night perfect for me..."

"What is it, if it's possible I will do it."

Meia smiled before snaking her arms around Dan's neck and drawing him into and embrace. "You can kiss me," she said huskily before sharing a long intimate kiss. Their lips pressed together and their tongues entwined. Meia broke off the kiss first and quickly ducked out of the embrace. "Not bad, but I expected more!" she teased playfully before jumping on the back of Dan's bike. "Let's go!" she said excitedly.

Dan shook his head, "Women!" he said exasperatly before starting the bike and speeding off home.

Wow finished! I never thought I would finish that chapter. It is a bit boring I know, and a bit sappy at the end, but I thought it was about time that we all learnt a little more about Meia and Dan. And yes, I didn't make him tell her about his past in Japan (which is about 4 years) because that is central to the plot, and will be revealed later on.

So, please read and review! I love all my steady readers!