disclaimer: i don't own it... otherwise love hina would be a compleatly different story... sort of...
ok here we go. before you read, just one thing. this chapter sucks! it blows!
i don't know what happened but i couln't get it right... i spent all this time rewriting it and it still sucks... so flame if you want... i already know how bad it is. maybe when it's all said and done i'll revise this...
sorry, so very sorry for the wait...
here you go.
It's my party and I can die if I want to…
Part # 3
Noises. They were all around him, surrounding him in a cocoon of deafening sound. Each step he took added more noise to his already screaming senses. Each sound was like a siren in his ear, each touch like acid on his skin, each smell like a blast of mace up his nose.
He was getting used to it.
But then there was the rain. Raging down on the earth like a demon and soaking all that got in its way. Keitaro listened to the annoying tap of water on the umbrella that he and haruka stood under, the wetness filling the air and making each breath like drinking a glass of water. He could feel the cold shivers travel up and down his spine wherever the cold air blew against, the water blowing into his face not exactly what he would've wanted at the moment. But for some reason it seemed fitting… everything seemed fitting.
That was why he wasn't complaining about standing in the middle of darkness with the sound of cars surrounding him.
Keitaro and Haruka where in the middle of making their way to where he hoped her car was parked. For this city, rain or shine, there were no off days. People filled the sidewalks, their bodies massing together in a giant clump of moving flesh. Keitaro walked with his hands in his pockets, there was no need for worrying about safety. All he had to do was move with the flow of the people around him and he would be fine. Plus he had Haruka's voice to guild him.
"So Keitaro, what are you going to do now?" she asked absent mindedly as she led him around a turn.
"I… don't know. I guess I have to move on with my life. You know, i can't be sad forever." He answered with a sigh. He really didn't want to think about it.
Do you think you can just "get over" naru? "Get over" being blind? "Get over"- his mind mocked him.Enough! He mentally screamed at himself. I have to do something. And I have to get over her sometime…
But do you seriously think you can do it now? He left that questioned unanswered and continued his way down the sidewalk.Haruka walked next him, an unlit cigarette in her mouth, looking as if she didn't care about well… anything.
However she kept a vigilant eye on her nephew. She had a nagging feeling that things were only going to get worse…
She hoped she was wrong.
For a woman of Motoko's stature, calm was supposed to be an essential part of everything she did. Weather it was walking or fighting. Nervous was one thing that was never supposed to be felt.
However, as she stood there staring at the door she was anything but calm, and she was defiantly nervous. Someone had knocked on the door not a few seconds ago but it felt like an eternity. She stood there, her hand frozen in mid turn of opening the door. Something was wrong.
What are you doing? Open the door and quit acting like a fool. She chided herself as she continued to will her hand to move.
It didn't budge.
What's going on? She questioned as she slowly removed her hand from the handle. Almost out of instinct her hand was on the hilt of her sword and pulling it from the safety of it's sheath, the sound giving her confidence a boost.
She waited for a few more seconds, the nock on the door repeating. Her heart raced as she brought her hand up and to the door again, her grip tightening on her katana and she prepared herself for whatever was on the other side of that door.
Something about this is wrong… so utterly wrong. Her mind warned.
With that thought she opened the door…
The roar of haruka's car was like a lullaby to Keitaro's ears as he sank further into the seat. He had never stayed in a hospital for as long as he just had, the normal sound of people and cars a thing he greatly missed during his stay. There was something about careening down the road and 120 km per hour with other one-ton objects while not being able to see what was going on that gave Keitaro a feeling of…
Relaxation.
However it could've been that fact that he was riding with Haruka, and her ever-relaxed aura was rubbing off on him. He was so relaxed that he failed to notice that said person was talking to him.
"Right Keitaro?" she asked with the slightest hint of a smile in her voice. He felt his weight shift as they turned.
"What? Or sorry Haruka I… wasn't listenting." He answered with a yawn and shook the cobwebs out of his head. Her could almost visualize her irritation as she sighed.
"I said, won't you be glad to get home? The normal environment should do you good right?" she asked for a second time, this time taking another turn sharply and sending him into the door.
"Oww. What was that for?" he grumbled as he rubbed his shoulder.
"What was that?" she growled.
She must've been trying to talk to me for a while now... oops.
"N-nothing, just a little tiered." He lied and shifted so that he was staring out the front window.
"We're here." She exclaimed as he listened to the car's engine die. He sighed and listened to Haruka get out of the car and head off. He reached down for his door handle... and missed.
This may be a little hard.
"Uh… help?" he called put to the retreating for of Haruka as he fumbled aimlessly with the door. A small smile crossed his face as he listened to her footsteps growing near again.
A sigh and apology later and they were both on their way up the stairs and to total chaos.
Slowly the door opened and Motoko squinted as the sunlight blinded her, the radiance seemed 'coincidently' placed so she could not tell who her guest was. Slowly her vision returned and she found herself face to face with a woman.
Naru? She asked herself as she allowed her eyes to adjust to the still blinding luminescence. Slowly as the woman's silhouette filled in she noticed that it was indeed not naru.
And there were two if them.
"Hello?" she asked as the two gave her a confused look.
"Hi… is this the hinata sou?" the older one asked quietly as she looked around at the surrounding building curiously. It looked as if she was lost… or looking for something.
"Yes. Yes it is." Motoko answered with a raised eyebrow, suddenly it felt like her sword was unneeded.
Immediately the older woman's face glowed with barely withheld glee.
"Then this is the residence of Keitaro Urashinma right!?" she practically squealed as she brought her hands up to her chest in hope.
"yes…"
"YOU HAVE TO LET ME SEE HIM!" she cried as she grabbed Motoko by the shoulders and shook her.
Who is this woman! Her mind cried as she tried to get barring while the world continued to move back and forth.
"STOP!" she screamed at the older lady.
And she did.
Motoko shook her head of the dizzy feeling as she straightened out her clothes. With a sigh she turned and addressed the woman again, her eyes ready for any sudden movement.
"Keitaro Urashmia… is not here, he shall be back soon however. Do you wish to come in?" she asked as she opened the door wide to invite them.
"Sure, thank you." The lady answered with a smile.
"it is not a problem, what is you name?" Motoko asked casually as led them into the house.
"Megumi."
Motoko froze, Nah it couldn't be. just a coincidence...
Keiaro slowly made his way up the stairs; each step he took was always hesitant, not wanting to trip and fall. He counted every one, having taken this trip several times before hand, giving him a sense of calm within the storm that was his mind.
"I'll let you in but I cannot stay, I have a tea house to run ya know." haruka said with the same cool edge that she normally used as they reached the last step.
Keitaro smiled, her normal attitude was a breath of fresh air to the overly motherly like attitude she had taken up while at the hospital. It proved that she trusted him at least this much to let him find his own way around the place he lived.
"Thanks au- I mean haruka." He said with a smile. She smiled back at him but stopped when she realized that he was unable to see it yet again.
"Don't get lost." was her simple response before she turned around and disappeared into the darkness of his senses. He listened to the steady reseeding clack of her footsteps before taking a deep breath and reaching for the door handle. His hand fumbled around for a few seconds before getting a good grip on the blasted thing and he twisted the handle and let himself in.
"… So how do you know Keitaro?" Motoko asked as she sat on the couch opposite of her two guests. She studied both, first the younger blond girl.
She was timid in Motokos eyes, the girl seemed to want to shrink into the couch and dissapear or run away. Her gaze was everywhere frantically taking in her surroundings and trying to formulate the quickest escape rout.
She is not a threat. Motoko finalized before turning her attention to the other girl.
This one was different, lively and upbeat. She sat proudly in her seat and with a smile on her face. She was also very talkative, talking non-stop about Keitaro since she got here. For some reason Motoko's intuition screamed "threat" to her. Well not "threat" per say but it was definitely not something to ignore.
"Well back in high-" she had started before the yell of "I'm home" cut them off.
It wasn't just any "I'm home".
It was Keitaro.
Keitaro was bum rushed. The voices, noises, smells, and feeling of five girls crashed into him like the titanic and the iceberg. And he was sinking into them just as rapidly.
Immediately he searched for something to single out and focus on. The growing wetness on his shirt suited him just fine…
There could be no other that would do such a thing, not after… her.
He wrapped his arms around Shinobu and gave her a light-reassuring squeeze, listening to the sniffling slowly stop. She slowly pulled her head away for him and the crowd silenced to let her speak.
"Sempai, you're b-blind!" she cried out before burying herself in his shirt again.
"It's ok shinobu… I'll… I'll live." He reassured her before lightly prying himself from her.
Next he felt a soft hand take his. He was confused… no one acted like that to him. Who could it be?
However it was when that hand took his and placed it on something warm and soft and round did he realize.
Oh boy.
"Don't worry Keitaro, this ones free." Kitsune's sultry voice cut through his mind like a sword through a leaf, reeking countless measures of havoc in a span of only two seconds.
It was at that time that Keitaro was skyrocketed through the air by a tremendous burst of blood from his nasal capacity that almost sent him into unconsciousness from blood loss. He struggled to stand before receiving a helping hand from yet anther unknown.
"Thank you." He told the unknown woman as he dusted himself off.
"Your welcome." Motoko's serine voice answered.
Keitaro froze.
Motoko… helping me out. That's… new.
The rushing of air and the smack of flesh against flesh announced the arrival of yet another woman.
Suu.
Keitaro had to drag himself up yet again as he tried to regain his breath from suu's latest "playful kick".
"Glad to have ya back kei!" her expressive voice rang out before he heard her swift footsteps disappeared somewhere in the confines of the complex.
Finally he felt a hand grasp his shoulder and squeeze almost reassuringly. He turned his head in the general direction of the person and gave a confused glance.
"You ok… dork?" Sarah's voice asked in genuine concern.
"yeah, Suu's kicks have always been like that." He answered with a sigh.
"No, not that. You bein' blind and everything." She asked and squeezed his shoulder a little tighter. He was surprised by her uncharacteristic behavior... his answer dieing on his tounge for a second.
"Yeah, I guess so." He answered finally. He listened to a collective release of held breath from the entire crowd. Sarah's hand disappeared from his shoulder and he stored the feeling of it in his memory forever.
Next came the questions of why and how, each answer brining forth more questions. That was until shinobu let slip-
"why did Naru sempai leave you."
Immediately the group turned an eerie silent, no one making a move.
"Oh keitaro, you have guests." Motoko cut in before anything more could happen.
"Guests? Who?" he asked with mild confusion, thoughts of naru being pushed from his mind by this new information.
Who would visit me?"Two girls, one goes by the name Megumi." His whole body froze this time, heart and all.
No, no it couldn't be. It's too soon; I'm not ready for the past! His mind screamed.
"Hey Keitaro!" a very familiar voice called out.
Oh, oh shit.
The door to the apartment closed with a muffled thud. A sigh escaped her throat as she wheeled her bags into the main area, a quaint little room with a small bed, a TV, and a desk. A bathroom connected to her room much like any hotel. However it was the view that caught her attention.
She set her things down on the queen sized bed and made her way over to the large glass sliding doors that were made specifically for the task at hand. The blinds had been closed by the previous owners, blocking out the moonlight.
She grasped the door handles and pulled them apart, sliding the doors out of her way as if they were the doors to her freedom… and in a way they were.
She slowly walked out onto the patio, the cool night air brushing against her unprotected arms, nipping at them and sending goose bumps along them.
She shivered, her thin t-shirt not very successful at holding back the cold.
However all of this was lost from her mind. No, her mind was elsewhere. Even as she starred out at the marvelous and blinking city called Tokyo, with all it's dazzling colors, amazing sounds, and brilliant life, her mind was elsewhere.
Her mind failed to see how the moon glowed upon the land like a lamp that shown only the milkiest white light, it failed to see how the cool wind blew across her and enveloped her in it's feather light grasp, it missed the sounds of happiness from the streets, and it failed to feel the warm tears running down her cheek.
No all of its might was focused on one thing.
Keitaro urashima.
I'll… I'll stay here for a couple weeks, just to get my head straight. Yeah, that's it…
They won't even know I'm gone… and knowing that keitaro, hell beg for forgiveness when I come back. It's his fault I left anyway! Yeah! That jerk…
How dare he try and marry me. He knew I wasn't ready! Ugg, that perv probably only wanted to have sex with me. I can't believe him. Only thinking of my body. I knew he didn't really love me.
Man, if I didn't lov- LIKE him so much he would've been kicked out by now!!
"What a loser." Naru whispered to herself as she turned around and headed back inside to the safety and warmth of her room. However, that statement wasn't made to Keitaro…
It was made to herself…
He slowly made his way through his room, his strained mind hazed by the effects of sake. Man, why did Kitsune insist that I drink? He thought painfully to himself.
Whatever, I'll thank her latter... I mean later. Damn alcohol. Well it has dimmed down my hearing and touch a little. That's good.
He slowly but safely made his way through my room, glad he usually keep it so clean. God, this would be so hard if it was a mess. Was a quick thought that passed through his mind.
He shuffled over to his bed, shuffling a good idea as to not trip over whatever was in his way. It was at that time that his foot made contact with his desk, the hollow wooden thunk proof.
Damn! that hurt. He mentally cried as he continued to make his way through his room, though now limping.
He somehow found his bed, the soft cushiony feeling almost drawing him to sleep. Almost…
Knock knockAh, who is it now?
"Come in!" he called out, his voice sounding a little too rough for his tastes. Must've been that tube they shoved down my throat. He thought with a shudder.
The door slowly made it's way open, the low swish of the door gliding over the floor echoing in the now quiet room. He heard her light footsteps make there way through his room; the delicate footsteps hard to place the identity on.
Next he felt her soft weight settle next to him on his futon, puzzlement traveling through his mind. However he waited for her to speak.
"It's been a while Keitaro…"
That voice… No way. She can't be here…
She's dead!
"Reika… you… you're… how?" his mind scrambled out as he just sat there stunned.
"It doesn't matter how, I don't have time to explain. I'm just here to give you a message." She quietly told him as he tried to slow his speeding heart.
"Oh." He didn't know why but he felt empty… hollow inside. It was as if all his emotions had been drained and placed in a bucket in front of him.
"Don't patronize me Keitaro, I'm here for a reason." She wasn't the normal Reika he remembered. It was as if death had made her… angry.
"The power?" he guessed quietly with a sigh as he lay back, brining an arm behind my head as a pillow.
"No Keitaro, that's something entirely different." She hissed and he felt her shift her weight. She was restless about that subject for some reason.
"Keitaro… I'm here to help you." She said lowly, her voice changing into a more seducing tone
"What do you mean?" He asked simply confused.
"You don't think things like that just fall out of the sky for no reason? Gifts always come with a price, weather you pay it or someone else does." He shivered at her cold tone of voice. Something about it made him rethink about the idea of having the power… It felt... tainted to him. She noticed his change in mood.
There was a quick rustling sound then he felt her weight rest on him, her hair flowing over his arms and her warm breath on his neck.
With this simple gesture he found himself on the brink of ecstasy again.
"Be careful Keitaro… the pain has just begun…" she whispered, her voice reminding him of how it was years ago.
He loved just hearing the sweetness of her voice, almost so much that the warning didn't register. He slipped his arms around her and bathed in her warmth… knowing the moment only lasted for so long. He was content just like that… and he would've stayed like that forever…
but a nock interrupted their moment…
and she was gone.
see, i warned you. sorry, i was (an still am) in a funck when i wrote this... i'll try to have the next chapter out soon. and hopefully that will be better...
nothing much to say, besides that you to all of my reviewers! you guys kept me working to try to keep this chapter as good as i could.
sorry for the bad chapter.
until next time.
peace.
oh, what happened at the party is next chap... and then thats the end of act one. act two is a little... crazy.