Ok, so here we go again. Another story, more time to waste reading this. It's been a while since I last posted anything… in fact I at one point considered on giving up writing… but that only got me to write something else. Oh well. I guess it'll be forever before I ever finish anything….
Enough of that crap, I don't own love hina. Otherwise you'd know who the hell I was and people would be sending me death threats ordering me to give them the rights to it
"speech". thoughts. Noises. "LOUD YELLING" "(whispers)"
>>>>>>time/place
Don't worry, you'll figure it out.
Just hurry up and read the damn thing!
The art of betrayal.
Initial Installment …
Downloading…
Rain. The rain poured like a faucet as the sky emptied its pent emotions unto the world. The cold fluid flooded the streets overflowing the roads, it soaked the ground, it beat down on the buildings, and it drenched one man to the bone.
He starred out at the world, his once warm and loving brown eyes now cold emotionless, his soft hands clenched tightly into a fist. Water trailed down his face mixing with his tears of anger and hurt. His brown hair was matted to his forehead head, water dipping off onto his nose.
He felt the coldness travel down his back and his arms leaving a trail of numbess in its wake. His white tuxedo shirt was so wet that it was virtually see-through and it didn't help that it was sticking to his body. His black tie was gone, lost on the floor hours ago, and his first three buttons were undone.
His body shivered, the rain was cold... no, it was freezing. His teeth chattered, he could see his breath in the cold night air. He took a deep breath and started to walk, his shoes squelching with water.
His face was set in a cold mask as he walked away form life, happiness, and the one thing that brought happiness to his pathetic existence…
Naru Narusagawa.
>>>>>>A few hours prior
Keitaro Urashima stood in front of the mirror as he fixed his black tie; his tuxedo had to look perfect. He straightened out his jacket and tightened his belt. The tux curved to his body perfectly and made his shoulders look a little squarer. He looked at himself one last time before he walked out of the door, a smile on his face.
Today I'm getting married! He thought to himself as felt his chest tighten in anxiety. Funny how I'm still nervous, after everything that I've been though...
His shoe squeaked as he almost tripped over his own feet, he flung is arms out to try to steady himself. He got himself under control and nodded, nothing could go wrong.
The sun shined bright upon the small group of people gathered as Keitaro walked up to the podium. The wedding would take place outside in front of the annex, Naru wanted it that way, with the smell of flowers surrounding you and seizing your senses. The sun was directly above giving the scene a surreal look like that of a painting. He smiled as he looked at the audience, just a small group of friends and family.
Motoko was there along with her sister. Shinobu was there. Suu, Mutsumi, Kitsune, Sarah, Haruka, and Seta were all there. Plus a bunch of rather random people that he guessed where friends of naru which made up a total of 35 of the congrigation. Even grandma Hina was there unknowingly. Keitaro scratched his head in nervousness as he stared out at them, his heart beating a little faster
The only one who was missing was one person. The bride, Naru Narusagawa.
The song started.
Keitaro's hands shook with anxiety as he stood there on the altar. His breath sped up and his heart went into mock three.
He held his breath as the notes traveled throughout the meadow, the serenade one that every human knew. The crowd of people turned their heads and waited for the bride to come over the crest of the hill and meet her husband in matrimony.
The song rolled on beautifully and soon ended the first verse. Keitaro stood there biting his tongue in a vain effort to keep himself from shaking to pieces as the anxiety reached a new level of intensity.
The song continued on, the sun now seemed to beat down a little hotter and brighter than before. Keitaro felt sweat building up on the back of his neck. He licked his lips and waited, his body shaking. Seta, his best man, put a comforting hand on his shoulder to calm him down.
And yet it continued, it was starting to get uncomfortable on the podium but Keitaro still held his smile as others turned to him with questioning eyes. He shrugged a little every now and then to stretch his shoulders. Inside he felt as if he was going to explode.
The song was starting to get redundant, and still she didn't come.
Finally the notes seemed to come slowly and wait forever to die out. He checked his watch, she just a little late, no big deal he lied to himself. He shifted his weight from one leg to the other, his knees wobbly.
The song finally ended, a cool breeze blew through giving almost torturous relief to all but the groom. The sun seemed to beat down on him with malicious intent. Something had to be wrong.
Where is she?
It wasn't until the song started over again that people started to murmur. Whispers flooded the small crowd; Keitaro decided to block them all out as he stood there in the sun smiling. But it was easier said than done.
"(where is she)"
"(is this some kid of joke?)"
"(Look at that loser standing up there all alone-)"
" (Is she coming?)"
"(He's pretty cute, this is so sad-)"
"(I wonder what's happening.)"
"(I guess he got dumped...)"
She'll be here… she'll be here… she'll be here… she'll be here… she'll be here… he continuously told himself over and over and over.The song came to an abrupt halt when people started to stand up and talk openly. Keitaro's panicked eyes scanned over the audience until they locked onto those of his aunt's. She nodded reassuringly, stood up, and left. Her exit unnoticed by the crowd of friends.
Seta put an arm on his shoulder again but this time to reassure him. Keitaro thanked him for his kindness and straightened up and continued smiling.
She'll be here…The people calmed down and were seated once more but the song failed to start up again. Keitaro's world seemed to be crashing down on him but he held his smile, but it was as if it was painted onto his face, fake. Cold sweats raked his body as he looked around at the crowd of disheveled people. His eyes foucused on the frought row where all the hina honeys were seated. They looked at him questionably.
Shinobu was the first to get up and approach him. Her maturation over the years was something that Keitaro had watched with pride as if he were her father. Her long blue hair waved in a light breeze as she headed towards him. She wore a white sundress that accentuated her new curves and made keitaro's eyes widen at her beauty. Keitaro kicked himself for wishing to be a little younger yet wondered why he never noticed it before.
"Sempai… err… Keitaro, where is she?" she asked in a concerned tone as she starred deep into his eyes. He starred out her, his eyes like that of a frighten child.
"I don't know Shinobu… I don't know." He answered with a sad sigh.
"Don't worry sempai, I'm sure she'll be here."
She gave him a sweet smile before returning to her seat, her blue hair swishing behind her.
"Urashima… kun." A rather controlled voice called to him. Keitaro turned around only to find Motoko behind him her raven hair shining in the light like silk. She gave him a small smile before her face turned serious.
"Naru seems to be late." She pointed out evenly.
"I noticed." Keitaro answered slightly irritated.
"I'm sorry for my rudeness," Motoko apologized with a bow, "Naru normally isn't late for anything, let alone her own wedding. Have you sent someone to look for her?" Motoko asked as she gave him a confused look.
"Haruka left a few minutes ago." He answered curtly. Motoko looked at him with raised eyebrows. His eyes widened as he realized how he was acting.
"I'm sorry Motoko I-"
"It's ok, it's your wedding, and you have the right to be a little stressed." She interrupted with a smile.
"But I have no right to-"
"Don't worry about it, I forgi-" it was at that moment that Haruka returned and silence descended like a blanket of dread. The crowd split for her as she waked through the middle, her face set in stone and the usual cigarette gone. She walked stright to the podium and stopped before Keitaro, her look only wavering as she starred him in the eyes.
Keitaro looked at her with hope as she approached. He felt a small flutter in his chest as his hands tightened.
"She's gone."
reality>>>>>>
Lightning flashed in the sky as he started up his van, the roar of the engine drowning out the pitter-patter of rain. The tires squealed as he burned out of the driveway and down the empty road. The speedometer roared to sixty and above as his face washed of emotions. Naru… why? I loved you… and I'm sure isaid ita thousand times... but tell me what has it ever meant? Why did you do this to me? You kill me, you'll fill me up but just to watch me break? Was it all a trick, or a bunch of coincidence that just lead up to this?has everything that's happnedgone round by chance? Or is there only one way that it was always meant to be? Am I destined to never be with the one I love?
The van started to shake at one hundred, the American settings something that was rare in Japan.
He careened down the streets with no care for pedestrians that may cross his path nor the destination that he was headed. All he wanted was to be alone, gone...
The roads were wet and his van slid around turns barely missing the guardrails. His engine roared as it reached it's final gear and toped off at one fifty.
Trees flew past his windows, every now and then a house passed by. A right turn caught his attention. It stretched around the side of a large drop off. A hill rose up on the right blocking the vision of oncoming cars.
He flew towards it, within seconds it was upon him.
He grinned.
He flew around the turn, his body leaning with it as the van tires screamed. Road rushed passed him as he slid around the turn, his van slightly hydroplaning. He was halfway through the turn when he was blinded by the high beams of a car. He felt the van slip out form under him.
He chuckled.
back to the wedding>>>>>>
"Gone!?" seta exclaimed with wide eyes. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to the group of four.
"She took everything, her clothes, her pictures, everything." Haruka said loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Are you sure?" Keitaro choked out catching everyone's attention. His expression was beyond panic and sadness. He just looked… lost.
"I'm sorry, she left this for you." Was all Haruka could say before she handed him a sealed envelope and walked off leaving him on the altar alone. Seta turned to him with a sad sigh before he too walked away with a sigh of dissopointment.
He turned his attention towards the white envelope and suddenly it felt like he was holding some sort of bomb. His fingers trembled as he slowly undid the top and pulled out a single sheet of paper. Written on it was a message for him…
He decided to read it aloud.
Keitaro,
Weird huh, how we've come all this way and everything's lead to this? I would have never imagined that I would get married to someone as great as you. It was like a wonderful dream… but that's all it was to me, a dream. I'm looking for a nice way to say I'm out, I want out.
I know it seems sudden, but I'm not so sure of myself anymore. I know I told you that I loved you and everything... but now I'm not so sure. As I sit here alone on the night before our wedding, I'm having second thoughts. I've been contemplating my next move and I've come this decision… I can't marry you. I just can't see us happening. It was fun and all but I just can't. Us don't work. I need so me space so I'm leaving. I'm not sure if I'll be back or not so don't wait for me… I wouldn't.
By the time you get I'll be long gone…
I'm sorry Keitaro but I just can't.
Love, your friend,
Naru.
He starred out as people exchanged looks of astonishment, anger, and pity.
Oh god, please don't tell me this has been in vain! His mind cried as he felt his body begin to tremble. Does it all mean… nothing?
The people starred at each other but did nothing, too shocked to know what to do next. Soon however the crowd started to disperse. First a few left and soon the others followed. However some not without talking to Keitaro.
Pity, it was all Keitaro saw as people walked up to him. They said various things, apologies, a thank you here and there, and even words of encouragement, but all he saw was the pity. The pity drove him insane.
He starred out at every face, every eye, and saw only pity. It daunted him, mocking him with his own pathetic nature. Even the world pitied him; soon afterwards it started raining.
Black umbrellas were pulled out but he didn't accept any, he just stood there and let the rain soak him, it felt… fitting. But Even then all he got was pity. He didn't need their pity, he didn't need anything, anyone, certainly not these fools. All he wanted to does was wake up from this nightmare…
He growled as he noticed that the girls had decided to stay out in the rain with him. Didn't they realize that he wanted to be alone?
Several hours later they were still there.
He growled.
"Why don't you leave?" he asked coldly through clenched teeth as one of the girls passed him.
"We don't want you to do anything stupid." It was Kitsune. He glared at her and she walked away, fear sparkling in her eyes.
Still they wouldn't leave, their presence driving him to new heights of irritation. He glared at them as they continued to mill around him. As he continued to glare they decided to stand a safe distance away from him… but they still wouldn't leave.
Night came and the rain picked up but none left. There was so much rain that it seemed like a wall of water was rushing down on the world, you could barely see anything in front of you.
But he could still see them, standing there looking at him with pity. His fists tightened, his teeth clenched, his body shook, and he took a step forward.
He had had enough.
"QUIT PITYING ME!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. The reaction was immediate, all the girls turned and looked at him, all he could see was pity.
They on the other handhad never seen him act like this, his rage was a rather enigmatic thing that they rarely ever experienced.
He rushed them, his fist drawn back ready to strike. They scattered, their shadowy figures disappearing into the unknown beyond the blurry vision that the rain provided.
"We're only here to support you." A voice cut through form behind him. It was Motoko.
He skidded to a halt, his feet slipping out form under him, and he found himself sliding down the wet grass on his back.
"Quit pitying me, I don't need you FUCKING pity." He growled as he pulled himself up, his tux now muddy. They gasped, he never cursed.
"We're not pitying you sempai." a voice tried to calm him. His head shot to the left were Shinobu's voice came from.
"Go away." He growled
"No." it was Motoko again this time at his right. They were surrounding him. He growled, his hands slowly raising to his head.
"Go away!" he yelled .
"No." it was simple, she wouldn't leave… they wouldn't leave. He gripped his head tightly.
"Go… away…" he growled loudly.
"No." his fingers dug into his scalp, his hands shaking from the pressure.
"Go. the. FUCK. away!" he screamed and he doubled over as pain overtook his mind.
Then something happened. It was like an explosion of air. All the rain was pushed out in a dome shaped area of fifty feet, the air flew outwards around him in Gail force.
His eyes zoned in on Motoko whose position was given away when the water disappeared.
Motoko took a step back as her eyes locked onto his blood red ones. Fear shot through her body as she starred at him.
Where has this power come from? She asked herself as his aura continued to keep the rain form falling anywhere near them. He took a step toward her, the rain on the ground hissing as it was boiled and evaporated under his foot. She took a step back, ten feet not feeling as safe as before.
"I told you to go away." He said as he glared at her.
"I..."
"Why didn't you listen?" his voice sounded crazed.
"Keitaro?" she asked as she starred at his ever-reddening eyes.
"So I'll help you." Another gust of wind blasted form him, this one scalding hot. She brought up her hands to block. In an instant it felt like her arms were on fire. She screamed and then she felt nothing but the air rushing past her.
She slammed into a tree and slid down the trunk, her vision darkening as she passed out.
Keitaro straightened himself out and looked at her. His attack had sent her flying several feet before the tree stopped her. He grunted and walked away, even as the others rushed upon their fallen companion.
present>>>>>>>
It all happened in slow motion, the crunch of metal surrounding him as the passenger door rushed at him; the shape of the door disfigured. The door stopped a foot closer to him, the passenger seat now right next to his. He starred out the window as the other car passed him unscathed. A piece of debris slashed his cheek open.
The van did another flip and slammed into the ground upside down, the ceiling coming another inch closer to his head. The cement seemed to come closer and closer to his face as he starred out from his upside down position in the car, his seatbelt digging into his shoulder and neck. He could see the ceiling caving in on him, the metal screaming and sparks flying. The weight shifted to the right and he felt that the ground failed to support him.
He watched as the front of the van flipped up towards the sky, rain still hitting the severely cracked windshield. He felt weightless as the van fell backwards off the drop off, his hair flowing in the wind.
His body jerked when the back of the van hit something; metal flying past him and slamming into the dashboard. His head was thrown to the side knocking his face against the window and sending his glasses flying.
He opened his eyes to see the ground rushing towards him, his back pressed to the seat by the G forces. A pencil escaped form the floor and seemed to float next to his head as they fell. All the while the wind seemed to be rushing in his ears.
The van slammed into the ground like a rocket slamming his body forward into the steering wheel, he felt ribs snap. The last thing he saw was the glass heading for his unprotected eyes.
Haruka sat up straight in her bed, her breath ragged. She looked at the clock, 12:00 pm. She sighed and tried to calm her speeding heart. Something about her dream had scared her, what it was however eluded her.
She wiped her clammy hands on her blanket and stood up, her legs wobbly. She had just decided to go get a drink and was halfway across the room when her phone rang.
She stumbled over to her dresser and picked it up muttering a disgruntled-
"Hello?"
"Hello, is this Urashima, Haruka?" a soft female voice on the other side asked.
"Yes… why?" she asked as she wiped her eyes of sleep.
"This is Takako from Hinata hospital, are you related to a Urashima Keitaro?" the voice asked. Immediately Haruka was awake.
"What happened to Keitaro?" she asked, her voice panicked.
"well Keitaro is in the ICU after a tremendous car crash at the-"
"ICU!? CAR CRASH!!?? I'll be right over!" she interrupted before she rushed out of the room still clad in only her nightclothes. Leaving the phone still hanging off the line and the side of her dresser.
"Ma'am… ma'am… MA'AM!?" it screamed but there was no answer.
Shinobu awoke to screech of tiers. She shook her head and walked over to the window, the storm still raging outside.
She watched as what seemed to be Haruka's car fly by, the blue Shelby Mustang Gt500 a car that she had never seen Haruka actually drive.
Where's Haruka going? She asked herself as she stepped away from the window, a flash of lightning illuminating the outside scenery. She shrugged and went back to bed.
The hospital doors flew open as a very awake Haruka walked in with only her nightgown and a jacket on.
Damn you Naru, damn you. She cursed as she walked up to the reception area. The building smelled of sterilizers and baby powder, she didn't like it.
The woman behind the desk seemed to be in her early twenties, very nice looking with brown hair and green eyes. They looked each other in the eyes before they nodded.
"Haruka."
"Takako."
In an instant a doctor was at Haruka's side as they walked down the halls towards the ICU. The doctor was American, black hair and blue eyes. His pace was swift but he wasted no time in telling her the details.
"The patient has suffered two broken ribs which have punctured a lung, he has internal bleeding, his collarbone is fractured, there are slight abrasions on his left arm, he has a slight case of whiplash, and two fingers on his left hand are broken. All of that can be fixed but what I concerned with are his eyes. We have removed the glass embedded in his eyes but the damage is done, he will never see again." The doctor exclaimed with a sigh as Haruka stopped in her tracks.
"Never?" she pleaded.
"It would be a miracle." The doctor answered with a slight shake of his head.
Why Keitaro, why? She asked as the walk grew silent, only the echo of their footsteps in the hall.
After a full five minutes they stopped at a room. She looked at him and he nodded.
"He is stabilized, but what you see my be a little disturbing. Please do not touch anything. He is prepped for surgery in an hour, would you like us to prepare a room for you tonight?" he asked with concern. She nodded and he smiled.
"I'll be back in an hour." He said as he turned to leave.
"Thank you." She answered before she reached for the doorknob. She steeled herself for what was behind the door and put back on her mask of indifference before she turned the handle.
The door opened in slow motion. The light blinding her before her eyes adjusted.
the next morning>>>>>>>
Seta awoke to an empty bed, his arm resting on a cold pillow. He groaned as he sat up and wiped his face. The sun shone brightly through the half lidded window and it took him a while to adjust his eyes.
"Haruka?" he asked as he looked around for his wife and found only a note in her place.
He reached over and picked it up, the rushed handwriting hard to make out.
Rushed? Haruka never rushes. He told himself as he readied himself for whatever was in the note.
Seta,
The hospital just called and told me that Keitaro is in the ICU. I'm going there to find out what happened. It's 12:05 right now. Please don't tell the girls, I don't want a panic.
Your one and only.
He read and reread the note then slapped himself in the face and read it again. Keitaro and ICU didn't seem to be able to be in the same sentence. Nonetheless there it was.
He sighed and rose from his bead, a frown on his lips.
Giving me another impossible job, sometimes you really irritate me Haruka. He growled as he stood up to his full height and stretched. With a sigh he put on a believable mask of normal Setaness and headed to take a shower.
Breakfast was a quiet affair; two of the normal personnel were missing. However the only people who really noticed were Motoko and Shinobu. Shinobu kept starring at her sempai's place at the table with a concerned look. Motoko just sat there and observed the actions of the others.
Halfway through breakfast seta walked in. Motoko nodded her acknowledgement and the others greeted him with hello's and smiles.
"Where's Haruka?" Kitsune asked, speaking her first words of the day. Seta stopped in his tracks and gave her an obviously forced smile. Something that Motoko didn't fail to notice.
"She's out." He said vaguely. Now Motoko knew he was hiding something.
"Out where?" Kitsune pressed, catching on to something herself.
"Uh… well you know… out." He answered as he took a step away from the table of girls, all but Suu starring at him.
"No I don't know, why don't you tell me." Motoko said calmly as she reached for her sword, making sure he saw.
"Well… haha… it's a secret." He tried to cover.
"Where's Keitaro?" Shinobu voiced as she starred at seta with confused eyes.
"Well you see I-" he started
"You wouldn't lie to Shinobu, would you?" Motoko asked as she unsheathed her sword, the sound of the blade escaping it's sheath echoing in the empty halls of the dorm.
Seta was sweating bullets now.
"You can tell us can't you?" Motoko asked as she took a step forward.
earlier thatn night>>>>>>>
"He'll be out for a while." The doctor exclaimed as Keitaro's body was wheeled back into the room. Haruka awoke with a start as the doctor patted her on the shoulder.
"Wha?" she asked as she rubbed her eyes.
"You should really go to your own room now, its morning," he told her as she stretched the kinks out of her back. Falling asleep in a chair was not good for the back.
"But Keitaro." She protested.
"Don't worry, I just said he won't be up for-" he was interrupted by a groan from behind him.
Impossible! He told himself as he turned around and watched Keitaro sit up and shake his head. In an instant Haruka was at his side.
"Keitaro, are you ok?" she asked as she gave up her usual calm for a more motherly attitude. The doctor took this as a sign to leave.
"Haruka, is that you?" He asked as he reached out in front of himself and grabbed air.
"Yeah, it's me." She assured as she reached out and grasped his hand in hers. He turned his head towards her and she noticed for the first time the gauze over his eyes. It was wrapped securely around his head like a white blindfold. He brought a shaky hand up to it and touched it, his hand drawing back suddenly afterwards.
"Haruka, why is there gauze over my eyes." He asked as he started to panic, his hand tightening in hers. Haruka choked on a sob and forced herself to stay calm as she watched Keitaro look around wildly, his body turning this way and that.
Finally Haruka had enough and grabbed his face and turned it towards her, her hands resting on his cheeks. She leaned forwards and placed her forehead against his, some of her hair falling forward against his face. Her concerned eyes locked onto his gauze covered ones.
"Don't worry, the gauze is only temporary." She explained and watched as he slowly relaxed.
"Ok… thank you Haruka." He said with a sigh, his warm breath tickling her nose. She let go of him and watched as he slowly laid back into the bed.
"At least I'm not blind." He said with a chuckle, Haruka didn't answer.
"You know, ever since high school I guess someone up above has something out for me." He said offhandedly as his face starred at the ceiling. Haruka turned her attention to him; wondering if he was talking about the past, he never talked about his past.
"I don't feel guilty about lying to the Naru anymore." He said as his mood darkened.
"You lied?" Haruka asked shocked.
"Yes, I lied. Not anything serious. I showed her my photo album, the one with only me in it." He said calmly as he brought a hand up and reached for the ceiling.
"So, what does that have to do with anything?" Haruka asked confused.
"It never used to be this way." He said cryptically.
"What do you mean?" she said as she studied him carefully.
"I used to have so much fun, hanging out with my friends, feeling alive, doing fun things. It never got boring. I didn't even wear glasses back then-
A sixteen-year-old Keitaro leaned against the wall outside of his house next to his front door. Over his shoulders was a black leather air force jacket, under it was a white buttoned up shirt, the last three buttons open showing his undershirt. He wore baggy jeans, his hands deep in their pockets.
His brown hair was slightly longer, coming down to just above his eyes, the normal glasses gone showing off his rich chocolate eyes. He looked a lot more serious with out his glasses, especially with his eyes closed as they were. A bag hung from his shoulders, he was still in high school.
"-I had a small group of friends. Mostly girls but one or two guys. I remember Megumi, she lived right next to me and we used to walk to school together. She was beautiful, deep sea green eyes, great personality, and great looking too-"
"Keitar-o" a light feminine voice called putting emphases on the "o". Keitaro looked to the side to see Megumi waving at him.
She was indeed beautiful. She stood at a short 4'11", something Keitaro would tease her about. She had marvelous sea green eyes that seemed to stare straight into your soul. Her silky light brown hair was cut short, barely reaching her shoulders, and her eyebrows where thin and slightly hidden under her bangs. Two strands of hair traveled down the sides of her face stopping at her thin lips. Her pink lips were lightly painted with clear lip-gloss making them stand out. Her nose was tiny just like her hands. A cheerful smile adorned her lips.
She was dressed in the high school uniform bearing the high school colors. Her black skirt came down to her knees, the fabric flowing in the mid autumn wind. She wore a white button up shirt with a black jacket over it, the jacket a little large for someone her size.
She had a nice figure. Her full b breast size trailed down to her smooth thin waist. Her hips gently curved outwards proportional to her breasts and then curved back in to her shapely muscled legs.
He smiled and stopped leaning against the wall. With a yawn he stretched and headed down the stone pathway from his house. Megumi smiled some more when he reached her, a small giggle coming from her.
"What?" he asked with a raised eyebrow as he starred down at her beautiful face. She shook her head and reached over to his crotch. He jumped when she zipped up his zipper.
"Wouldn't want you going to school like that." She said with a chuckle before starting her way down the street. Keitaro stood there blushing before he raced to catch up with her.
"You don't have to ware the school uniform you know. Students on the Tokyo U honor role are given that privilege." He stated with a smirk.
"-I was smart, still am, but so was she. She was a year younger than me, a sophomore, and she was in the Tokyo U honor role. In fact all seven of us were. We actually took most of our collage courses in high school; we were going to go there just to finish up. Those days were quite amazing really-
"So what? I actually like the uniform." She said as she walked a little faster.
"Calm down short stuff, I wasn't saying you look bad in it, quite the opposite." Keitaro exclaimed as he patted her on the head. She turned to him with a genuine smile.
"Thanks Kei-kun." She said before they reached the main road from their subdivision. She turned to him with a sly smirk and poked him in the side. He jumped and yelped, his feet coming a few inches off the ground.
He turned to her, her petite hand over her mouth as she tried to stifle a laugh.
"Oh you are so dead." He exclaimed with a growl. Megumi's eyes widened playfully as she took off down the road laughing. He followed right behind her, laughing all the way.
"-She was my best friend, someone I could really put trust in and I relied on her a whole lot. However I could never forget Asano, a fiery half American red head. She was loud, brash, and sometimes crude, but she was the most caring friend in the world. She was my second best friend-
Megumi and Keitaro came to a stop in front of the famous Nekomi high. It was a large building, spanning over seven acres and five stories high. Keitaro panted as he tried to catch his breath, Megumi was just too fast.
"You should really join track Kei-kun, you're almost as fast as me." She said with a smile even though she was only slightly winded.
"Yeah… sure…" he panted sarcastically and he straightened himself up. At that instant the door flew open.
"Where have you been!?" a loud female voice called as a red headed vixen came through the door. Keitaro turned to Asano, his brown eyes locking on her sky blue ones before he bowed.
"Sorry." He stated and straightened himself up.
"Sorry's not going to get your lazy ass to class on time. Hurry up, let's go!" she yelled as she turned around and disappeared back into the door. Keitaro looked at his watch and gasped. 7:28, two minutes till class started.
He grabbed Megumi's hand and pulled her through the door as he rushed to class. Soon however it was Megumi pulling him.
They caught up with Asano in no time; she had slowed to wait for them. Keitaro watched as Asano's fiery red hair waved in the wind as they ran, students and teachers parting the way for them as they ran at full speed.
Her hair reached down to her mid back and was wavy. She had well trimmed bangs that covered her almost blond eyebrows. Her face was smooth and well-rounded, a medium sized nose adorning it. Her lips were deep candy apple red courtesy of her lipstick. She had sky-blue eyes that were bright, a small glint of mischief ever-present in them.
She was also extremely graced with beauty. She had c cup breast that were accentuated by her slim firm waist. She had a perfect coke bottle figure, something that she was extremely proud of.
She also wore her school uniform; something that Keitaro still couldn't conceive the reason to, but without the jacket. Keitaro pushed himself to be a gentleman as he ran beside these two gorgeous women, but that was natural, they were his best friends.
"Those days were great. Since we were finished with all of our high school courses it was up to us weather we stayed after lunch or not. This is where I met my other friend Justin. He was an American transfer student but it was more like he ran away to Japan. His parents had literally shoved him out of their house to come here and he far from refused. He got money from them every now and then but lived with his uncle who had married a Japanese woman and moved here. He lived next to Sakura, a shy girl who was also in our group. Her parents had named her Sakura after the color of her hair, which was pink. Of course like every American man, Justin was addicted to girls. It didn't take long for those two to hook up-"
Asano was the first into the classroom, her hair slightly whipping Keitaro in the face. Megumi slowed to a stop and Keitaro slid across the room. The bell rang a second afterwards.
"Good morning." A soft voice called out. The three tuned to see Sakura standing in the middle of class with her hand interlinked with Justin's. Sakura had the longest hair out of the seven, reaching down to her ankles. She had never cut her hair in her entire life, and her hair was everything to her. Today her pink locks where tied into a large bow so that the hair stopped at her mid-back.
She had bright night-sky blue eyes that where unblocked by her bangs that only reached to above her eyebrows. Her eyebrows were also a light pink but were thin. She had put only clear lip-gloss on her whole life and today was no different. Her nose was normal sized and she stood at an exact five feet.
Her face was well rounded and her cheeks were rosy. She like the others wore her school uniform without the jacket. She smiled serenely and turned to Justin.
Justin was normal sized for an American. He stood 5'11" his black hair spiked upwards. He had brown almost red eyes and a smile was always on his face. His face was slightly angular but his nose was normal. His eyebrows where slightly bushy but he had a scar through the middle of his left one cutting it into two parts.
Justin wore a dark blue jacket with a black button up shirt under it. He also wore baggy jeans but he stood with a more laid back appearance. He had broad shoulders and muscular arms. He was far from fat but wasn't skinny either.
He smiled and kissed Sakura on the forehead. She blushed and took a step back still not used to PDA.
"-They were the best friends in the world, those four. We would hang out together and do all kinds of things. Of course I had two others who were good friends to me but they could never replace those four." Keitaro finished with a far away tone to his voice. He defiantly missed those days. But something bothered Haruka, wasn't there seven? So far he had only mentioned six.
"Wasn't there another one?" she voiced her confusion as she sat down on a chair beside his bed. Immediately his mood darkened again.
"Yeah… there was…" Haruka gulped as he said that, his voice was so cold and emotionless. He sat up, his shoulder's slouched and sighed.
"You don't have to tell me." Haruka assured as she desperately looked for a way to get things happy again.
"No Haruka, I do. If I don't then I'll never get over it and I'll never have the courage to see my friends again. I have to… to stop being so pathetic and go back to who I really am." He said with resolution. He took a deep breath and started.
"Her name was Tsuamaka, Reika. She was my promise girl.-
"Kei-kun?" a sad voice called. Keitaro turned around to see a girl standing there. She had long flowing golden-brown hair that reached her mid back. She had bangs that reached her thin eyebrows and two stands of hair stuck up and looked like antennae. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of amber and her nose was slightly small. Her lips were thin but had a slight gloss to them. She wore the school uniform also; he gave up about it at that point.
But there was one thing that he didn't know back then. The fact that this girl looked like she could be Naru's twin sister.
Everything about her was exactly like Naru, from her figure to her smile. Everything except her attitude of course. The girl stood there for a few seconds, her hand clutched tightly to her chest, before she rushed across the room and tackled Keitaro with a hug.
Megumi, Asano, Sakura, and Justin all watched as the two fell to the floor, Keitaro taking the force of the fall for the girl.
"C'mon Reika, I know you missed me but I saw you just yesterday. What are you-" he stopped short when he felt her shudder between his arms and felt moisture on his shoulder. He put two and two together and realized that she was crying.
"What's wrong?" he asked suddenly concerned. She gripped on tighter to him.
"He did it again Keitaro… he did it again." she whispered as she held him tighter. Keitaro's eyes shot open and he pried the girl form him.
"Where did he hit you!" he screamed outraged. He starred at Reika's face, tears flowing from her eyes and calmed himself.
"Where did he hit you Reika?" he asked calmly as he starred her in the eyes. She looked away at the ground.
"He didn't hit me." She said softly as she moved her head to the side and pulled back her hair. Around her neck were purple bruises all shaped in the shapes of fingers.
"Holy shit!" Asano yelled as she bent down to examine them.
"I'll kill that bastard of a father you have." Justin promised as he slammed his fist into his open palm.
"No don't, he's my father." Reika exclaimed as she sat up and wiped her tears on her shirtsleeves.
"It doesn't matter. Anyone who hurts a girl like you deserves to die." Keitaro said from his position under her.
"But-" Reika was interrupted as the teacher walked in. he took one look at the way Keitaro was on the ground with Reika straddling him and shook his head.
"Please refrain from having sex in class. I'm sure you can do that somewhere more discrete." The teacher known simply as Gendo said with a sigh.
Reika blushed and got off of Keitaro, helping him up afterwards.
"Gendo, you are a Hentai you know that?" Megumi said with a smirk.
"Aren't we all?" Justin said happily before getting a reprimanding look from Sakura.
"Reika's father drank a lot… a whole lot. I'm not sure when but after ken, her brother, left he started to take his aggressions out on her, verbally when sober and physically when drunk. Reika didn't want us to kill him because he was her father and her mother had died when she was young." He turned his head in the direction of Haruka.
"You know that was that same day that I lost who I was… and became the pathetic weakling that you used to know-
Class came and went. The five of them loved Gendo, he was one of the coolest teachers they had ever had. He was in his early forties and was slightly fat, and he always wore sunglasses, even in the dark. He was a laid back man but a genius in his own design. They would do just about anything in his class, from building robots to playing video games. With Gendo nothing was out of the ordinary. He even oce told them about his plan to get his dead wife back by using giant bio-robotic things called Evangelions and destroying the world. They laughed at that, Gendo telling them that it would make a nice anime none the less.
They had him for the whole morning where he finished up the rest of their high school credits in an easy and fun way. Usually they would have a lot of free time after they finished the lesson for the day.
It was during lunch that Reika left to get something at home. They tried to sway her from going but she insisted telling them that her father wasn't home during most of the day.
If Keitaro knew what would happen next he would have gone with her…
Keitaro stood in front of a stoplight watching as the cars flew past. He had decided to check up on Reika after she failed to turn up after the period after lunch. He sighed as a car rushed past and the light turned green for him to walk.
Reika's house was a little ways from the school but he had memorized the path after his third time "rescuing" Reika from her father. He shoved his hands into his pockets and headed down the road that led to her subdivision.
He was alone as he walked, the sun beating down on him. He walked the way, taking the right turns, as if he wasn't really there. He starred at the cement as he walked, his mind on other matters.
He was shaken from his musings when his body automatically stopped in front of a large white house. He was here. He walked up the pathway to the door and knocked.
His stomach tightened when the door slowly opened by the force of his knocking. Something was up. He took his hands from his pocket and walked into the building.
He shuddered when he entered; every time he entered this house something always bothered him. He walked through the main hall finding nothing out of the ordinary, only a couple pictures and a random desk. As he made his way into the kitchen he heard something that caught his attention. It sounded like…
"Wheezing!" he thought aloud as he rushed in the kitchen. His body tuned numb at the site.
Reika sat there on the floor against the wall gasping for breath, her head down with her chin against her chest. Under her was a puddle of blood that came from the bloodstain on her shirt to the left of her belly button.
"Reika!" Keitaro cried as he rushed up to her and knelt down. He lifted her chin up so he could stare her in the eyes. Her eyes were closed, a pained expression on her face.
"Reika?" He pleaded as he looked at her face. She opened an eye and smiled, her lips slightly curving upwards.
"Keitaro… kun…" she gasped out. She brought a hand up and placed it on his cheek.
"I… I tried to… to patch it up… but I…" she fainted from blood loss at that moment.
"Reika? Reika!?" he cried as he gently slid her body down so that she was laying on the ground.
Shit! He cursed in his head as he starred at the bloodstain. Without a second thought he unbuttoned her shirt. He paid no attention to her extremities as her life came first.
There was a piece of blood soaked gauze taped over the wound. He gently removed it and took off his jacket and shirt. He placed the jacket under her head and wiped the blood away with his shirt.
The wound was five inches long and who knows how deep.
Shit shit shit shit shit shit SHIT! He yelled mentally as blood continued to pour from the wound. He looked around and found the fist aid kit on the table opened. With a quick lunge he grabbed it and brought it beside him. He grabbed some more gauze and taped it over the wound.
"It'll have to do for now." he exclaimed as he buttoned up her shirt and slid his arms under her.
He hefted her up so that he was carrying her bridal style and rushed out of the kitchen and out of the house.
He ran at full speed as he raced towards the hospital. His legs pumped as he gave it his all. His heart raced and his lungs screamed but he pressed on.
He was halfway to the hospital when a blue car slid to a stop in front of him.
"Get in!" the diver yelled and opened the door. He did as he was told and wasted no time getting into the passenger's seat. Before he had even closed the door the car was moving.
He checked up on Reika and was relieved to see that she was breathing at least normally now. He turned his attention to the driver and smiled.
"Thanks." He said as he tried to catch his breath. The purple haired diver turned to him and smiled, never taking off her sunglasses.
"No prob. I saw you running down the street towards the hospital all bloody and decided to help. She said calmly as she swerved around a semi truck. He gulped but didn't say anything since they were getting there fast.
"So… what's your name?" he asked with a smile.
"Misato… just Misato." She answered as they entered into the hospital grounds.
"Thanks Misato." He said with a smile and the car came to a stop at the front door. He hopped out without another word and rushed into the building.
"I need help!" he screamed.
Well there you go. Chapter one. What'd you think? Please tell me. Any reviews are welcome; it at least lets me know that someone cares enough to tell me something.
Sorry if any characters were ooc, I'm not the best at that.
And one last thing…
Keitaro's past stays his past. Hope that helps with the thoughts of more characters in the hina house.
This story is purely about Keitaro… and surprisingly Naru… no she doesn't disappear completely… at least for long.
But that's for another day…
If it wouldn't be too much to ask, I need a pre-reader and editor. Maybe I might get by with help this time… you never know. :)
thanks, bye.