Density and Perceptions Pt 4
The Pain of Truth
Previously:
All these thoughts ran through her mind as she stepped into her room and closed the door behind her. She gazed toward her study area and slowly approached it, "But I refuse to give up on making Keitaro mine." She vocalized to herself while clenching her right hand into a fist of determination. "I will not give up."
Disclaimer: I don't own LH, so therefore don't sue.
(Note: Many thanks to the reviewers for pleasant and encouraging observations. This isn't quite without violence. Its mainly Naru violence now. Again, thank you for your support. )
Kitsune sat on the couch in her usual position, what was not usual were the thoughts going through her head and the fact that she hadn't yet touched her sake.
I have a feeling that Naru isn't very pleased with what Hawklyn has presented to us. She's always been stubborn and strong willed, but when it comes to Keitaro… Sigh. She hides her feelings within a shell of anger… Girl doesn't get it, she will not get Keitaro by repeatedly hitting him to kami knows where… Sigh, I need a drink.
Kitsune got up from the couch and sighed at the way world around her was, then went up to her room. She paused at the door to Keitaro's room, but it didn't seem occupied as the walls gave up no sound. So, she continued on her way to her own room.
Within the landlord's room, Keitaro had gotten back from his errands to find Hawklyn volunteering to do what was needed while telling him that he had left his laptop in Keitaro's room for him to read up on certain things. Which was why Keitaro had his head in a laptop screen.
Hmmm, let's see, interesting statements here.
Life isn't life without a little pain.
That is quite true.
Keitaro sighed numbly. He could hardly remember a time when there wasn't someone abusing him in some way. Yes, his life was certainly full of pain, physical and emotional pain. He read on.
Our lives are framed by choice. We choose whether to eat or starve, whether we go naked or clothed. Decision making is the most important part of life. We all have our friends whom we don't wish to hurt, yet in the cycle of life there will always be someone hurting. When it comes to Life changing decisions, you must decide firmly with solidarity.
Then it got a little more personable as he read on.
Keitaro, I cannot change the future for you. I can only advise on what you should do. I don't know who you love the most, but I will ask you to consider each girl you like and what her best attributes are (what you like about their personalities etc)……
Keitaro read on, his mind only grasping part of what he was reading, thinking as he read.
Yeah, Narusegawa, the most beautiful girl according to me. Yet sadly, her attitude towards me most of the time is crap, treats me like a doormat. She is sweet to me, but only rarely. How then, can I explain why I love her the most when all she usually does in belittle me?
Then there's Motoko, a sweet, beautiful lady. Carries herself well, hardly speaks excessively, speaks only what needs to be said. She has honor and devotion. Motoko is absolutely loyal to her duties, what ever those duties appear to be. I realize she's hurt me a lot over the time I've known her, yet I forgive her.
Motoko mainly abuses me physically unlike most of the tenants here. She doesn't play with my emotions, unlike Naru… Nani?!
Keitaro suddenly blinked, "What the hell am I thinking?" He asked aloud. Suddenly alerted to a scraping noise from above as Naru peered down at him, an irritated look in her eye.
"I don't know what you're thinking baka, but it better not be anything perverted!" She exclaimated her point by throwing a book towards his head. He tried to move but the book glanced off his ear and hit him on the shoulder as he collapsed on his back from the shock and force of the blow.
Outside Keitaro's room in the hall, Motoko was on her way to the hot springs when some loud voices sprouted from inside followed by an audible thud. Sighing she slid open the door and looked inside to find Keitaro laid out with a book laying askew near his head.
She gasped and hurried over, kneeling as she checked for a pulse. Relieved that there was one, looked over his head with concern, noticing there was a small cut on his ear from where the book had struck. She looked around for some bandages then heard footfalls causing her to look behind her.
It was Kitsune, "Get a bandage, he was hit by a book."
Kitsune's eyes narrowed as she frowned, "A book thrown by Naru?"
"It would seem so." Motoko replied as Kitsune scrambled to get a few bandages. Motoko gently caressed his facial features as she thought things over inwardly.
Well Naru, you did it again. How much longer till you tire of this charade and listen to your heart? You're only driving him away from you… I will happily take him—Where'd that come from? Motoko's cheeks turned rosy at her own thoughts as she heard Kitsune returning with the bandages.
"Here's the bandages. I hope he's alright." Kitsune noticed the slightly colored cheeks that Motoko had and smiled inwardly as Motoko took the bandages from her. Hmm, I think kendo girl is in love…
She cackled to herself as she watched Motoko's fingers bandage him up and noticed something.
Yes, Motoko must be falling for him, she's moving slower then normal for bandaging someone up.
Keitaro groaned and Motoko smiled slightly, "You alright Urashima?"
"Hai, arigato Motoko. I'll be alright thank you. Keitaro refocused his attention on the laptop in front of him.
"Well Urashima, I know I haven't the kindest to you in the past, but if you ever need assistance, let me know." Motoko rose up onto her feet and left the room, closing the door behind her as Keitaro just stared at where she had been.
Wow, first time that's happened.
He shrugged and then he glanced up at the covered hole, glaring at it for a moment before he decided to read the laptop more.
Express how you feel, poetry, art, however you want. Voice your emotions, communicate your feelings through art.
Doesn't sound like a bad idea.
Keitaro spotted the word processing program icon and clicked it. After centering the text alignment, he started to type.
Fallen Star, Fallen Wish
Do you see her there? Standing proud and tall on the hill. Her flame red hair blowing in the wind, As her face looks on impassively toward the horizon.
Then day turned to night, She noticed me there and smiled. In that instance I saw a promise, A promise in the past come to life before me.
She was one of the Toudai promise, Then she noticed where I was and screamed. I met a fist that night, Courtesy of her anti-perversionism.
She was beautiful and sweet, Yet hidden behind a wall of indifference and loathing. A demoness of beauty and temptation, Fueled by a cauldron of misguided judgements and wrong presumptions.
Tonight a star has fallen, A promise holds barely by the strings. Within that promise, A wish has fallen to its death.
She's hostile to me, Berating and wearing me down. She's the wind, I am simply sand in her way.
The time is coming when I won't seek her heart anymore, For her shell refuses to let me see her as she really is. I have labored enough on a fallen wish from a fallen star.
He saved the file and smiled slightly. He really did feel better after writing. Now at least he did not feel like stringing up his tenants like he normally would after a Naru encounter. Normally, he'd get smacked somewhere outside Hinata Sou and end up walking his rage off.
He reflected on the years of pain he'd been through with his friends, and no matter how strange it would seem calling someone who sends you airborne your friend, to him, all were friends. People that he forgave by the time he got back from where ever he'd been launched to. He knew himself deep down, before Hawklyn came, that they really didn't mean their actions toward him.
A knock at the door interrupted his ponderings, "Come in." It was Hawklyn.
"Hey, how are you doing?" Hawklyn had just finished his share of the chores and decided to take a break. He came into the room and sat down.
"Alright, though, Naru threw a book at me for being too loud." He pointed out his now bandaged ear and Hawklyn looked at it concernedly for a bit then nodded for him to go on.
"Anyway, I guess Motoko came in and tended to my ear. After that, I woke up and continued to read what you had advised me to. Figured I'd write out a poem to ease my thoughts-"
Hawklyn nodded approvingly as he spotted the culprit book askew on the floor. He looked at the title then smiled a bit, "She hit you with "War and Peace", Japanese edition. And I think the phrase is for you to hit the books, not have books hit you." He chuckled at his attempted at humor, then turned serious.
"Ok, any observations on what I've had you read? I told the girls this morning that they need to ask before they leap out and kill you." Hawklyn continued as he watched Keitaro's expression change into thoughtfulness.
"After all, we only get one life to live, even if some of us are extra durable. However, what do you know about facial expressions and body language?"
Keitaro looked into his lap as he thought of this rather odd question, "I can tell when someone's angry." He started as Hawklyn listened, "Its harder to discern when they are happy or what level of happiness they're feeling…" He trailed off as his mind could think of no more to add presently.
Hawklyn nodded, "That's ok." He looked at the recent documents and arched his eyebrows in surprise, "You wrote a poem right?" He smiled as Keitaro nodded.
"Nothing to be ashamed of, in fact, I think poems are wonderful tools in communication." Hawklyn looked to Keitaro again, "May I read this poem aloud at dinner tonight? It might ruffle some feathers, but it would help the others see that you are a good person inside. Or if you don't wish for me to read it aloud-"
"-No, reading aloud would be fine, and I'll do it." Keitaro gulped as he knew the reaction would be from at least one person, but as Hawklyn pointed out. It was a way to express what he felt.
He and Hawklyn continue to chat for a while before Hawklyn took his laptop to his room to, among other things, print off Keitaro's poem.
Above the second floor, Keitaro's room in fact, Naru was deep in thought. Writing out her thoughts in her diary, as if cataloguing memories.
…That its hard for me to show him what I really think. Ever since that time in junior high with The Incident, I've been unable throughout high school to keep a boyfriend…
She kept writing as time went on, then finished with her diary entry. Putting her diary in its usual place, she looked around the room, sighing. She decided to go to the hot springs for a bath…
…Sadly, when she got there, the changing room entrance was blocked by a "Cleaning in Progress" sign, which she ignored. Bending under the sign, she proceeded into the changing room, causing a previously non existent alarm to go off, hence alerting whoever was outside. She growled irritably, "KEITARO!"
Keitaro had decided to go clean the hot spring using what Hawklyn had asked Su to build in order to improve the survivability of the cleaning person. It consisted of a gate with a motion sensor that alerted whoever was cleaning that day that someone was entering the changing room. Keitaro had set up the device not five minutes ago and was cleaning the onsen when all of the sudden, the alarm went off in the changing room followed by Naru's shout.
"KEITARO!"
He gulped and looked inside to see a fuming Naru pointing at the cleaning sign.
"What is this for?"
"The sign?" Keitaro asked for clarity, "Or the alarm?"
"Both!" Naru glared at him as he stuttered before finding his voice.
"W-Well, Hawklyn said it was a way alert me so that when someone was in the changing room, I-"
"-You could spy on them?! Y-you perverted baka!" a fist came from nowhere and Keitaro found himself flying toward the forest.
"At least it won't take long to get back." Keitaro sighed as he closed his eyes for the painful landing.
Hawklyn placed the printed out poem in Keitaro's room with a small note on it that said "Bring to dinner". He had heard the commotion downstairs and sighed, "When will Naru learn?" He asked to the empty hallway, not noticing Motoko behind him descending the stairs.
"When will Naru learn what?" Came the soft voice from behind Hawklyn, causing him to jump.
"Eh? Oh, hi Motoko. When will Naru learn to fully think before she reacts? I find it hard to understand how Keitaro takes it from her. You know, all that she does to him seems to be wearing after a while."
Hawklyn looked out over the expanse of the back area of Hinata Sou, glancing back to her as she stood there.
"I was wondering Motoko, so your write poetry or anything like that?"
Motoko blushed under his question, debating whether to tell him that she did or didn't. "N-not really." She decided to play innocent and was thankful Hawklyn had missed her flushed cheeks. "A-anyway, I need to go meditate more, I'm sorry for bothering you…" She scampered back up the stairs as Hawklyn remained in thought.
"Hope dinner goes well."
Naru had gotten in a relaxing bath after sending Keitaro elsewhere courtesy of her fist. Right now, Naru was relaxing along with her longtime friend Kitsune. Elsewhere, Shinobu was preparing dinner evident by the smells wafting through the main floor of the house, determined to make a very good meal tonight. Keitaro was in his room reading over the printed version of his poem.
Suddenly Shinobu's voice rang out, "Dinner!"
Kitsune, Naru and Su were the first to arrive, followed by Motoko, Keitaro and finally Hawklyn.
As they sat down and prepared to eat, Hawklyn remained standing.
"I would like to call to attention Keitaro. He wrote a small poem this afternoon that I think is quite good."
Keitaro took a deep breath as he stood and began to speak, trying to avoid Naru's eyes but failing as he continued on. While speaking, he looked in each of the girls' eyes, but mostly, it was Naru's eyes he saw.
While Keitaro read the poem, Naru felt her heart ice up as she fought to keep control of her tears. He knew she was in pain, she saw that he could see her pain in her eyes. The words that hurt her the most were at the end and seemed to entrench themselves into her mind.
The time is coming when I won't seek her heart anymore,
For her shell refuses to let me see her as she really is.
I have labored enough on a fallen wish from a fallen star.
In short, he had said that he was about to give up on her, but, she realized only moments after Keitaro finished, that didn't mean he'd totally shoved her off a cliff. He did say that she still had a chance.
(A/N: Chapter 5 soon)