Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Love Hina.
Pre-Read by: HinaGuy749 & DeathofHell
Keitaro...I'm Pregnant: Telling Them Everything
After leaving the bus, Keitaro helps me up the stairs. I feel a little bad that he's carrying all the groceries, but it's only three bags and they're all light. I like these mini dates we go on, but they're usually going to the grocery store or seeing my doctor. At least we're alone and no one bothers us.
"Say. Did we get the pocky for Raymond?" I ask, just now remembering it.
"Yeah. It was the first thing they scanned." We climb a few dozen more stairs before we see someone coming down.
"Hey you two," Recognizing Haruka's voice, waving at us.
"Hi Haruka," Keitaro and I say together. I found it a little funny that he finally doesn't call her 'aunt' anymore. Guess all the smacks to the head finally made him realize not to call her that.
"So, where are you going Aunt Haruka?" I spoke too soon. Looking angrily, she stomps down the stairs and smacks him upside the head. I better teach him not to call her aunt since she's going to be my aunt too.
"It's Haruka. And for your information, I need a pack of smokes," she replies. "But that can wait. You need some help up, Shinobu?" Before I can answer, she goes behind me, putting her hands on my back. I always feel funny when anyone helps me up or down the stairs. I wish they stop this, but I understand their concern after we watched a movie that had a pregnant girl trip on the stairs, leading into a miscarriage. All of them, especially Keitaro, had been looking over me when I'm using the stairs since then.
When we reach the top, we hear yelling coming from inside. I can't make out what is being said until we're just about to reach the door, hearing Motoko yell out "Time to meet your maker!" I look over to Keitaro, who looks confused; then over to Haruka, who also looks confused.
Ignoring the cry, Haruka opens the door for us. She's about to leave when we hear something breaking. At first, I thought it was a vase or something. That was until we hear Motoko cry out "He broke it! Raymond actually broke my blade!"
I got worried when we heard that. Raymond usually angers the girls using just his mouth, not actually fighting them. We quickly run into the living room and see a horrifying sight. I nearly lose my breakfast seeing Raymond laying in what used to be the table, bleeding all over. Off to the side, all the girls except for Mutsumi and Sarah, are gathered around Motoko, looking at her broken katana.
"I'll call for an ambulance," I hear Haruka says, running towards the phone. I try to look at Keitaro's expression, but I'm behind him. Whatever his expression, I know he's feeling the same way I am: sorrow. It hurts a lot to see Raymond like this. He only came here to study in another country; not pretending to be the father of my baby. Because Keitaro and I let him into this mess, he's paying a very ultimate price.
Without warning, he slightly turns his head, staring at us. I begin to cry, feeling responsible for all of this while Keitaro runs to him. He smiles and shakes his head, like he's telling me it's OK. It disappears when Keitaro reaches him, kneeling over near his head.
"Raymond!" He yells outs. "What happen? Speak to me!" I slowly make my way towards them, watching Raymond whisper something in his ear. His head drops, but doesn't fall down, seeing he's clinging onto his shirt.
"What did he say?" He ignores me, turning towards the girls with tears beginning to run down his eyes.
"What the hell did you do to him?!" The anger in his voice scared me like he's going to fight them all. They looks at him calmly, but a bit ticked.
"He got what he deserved," Motoko says.
"What do you mean...deserved?!"
"We overheard him talking to someone over the phone," Naru answers. "He said he'd be going back to America in two weeks with no mention of bringing Shinobu. Since he was going to leave her behind, we thought we'd teach him a lesson." Keitaro begins to whimper, crying more. I slowly walk to him, wanting to put my hand on his shoulder to calm him when he shoots his head up, seeing the furious fire in his eyes.
"He didn't deserve the beating your gave him."
"Why? He was going to leave Shinobu and their baby behind! He deserved it!"
"He didn't deserve this because I'm the father of Shinobu's baby!" I feel my whole body freezes. They know our secret. It's finally out after all these months. I've been meaning to tell them before Raymond leaves, but not under these like this; not under these circumstances.
Before any of us could react, we hear a loud thump. I turn towards the boys, seeing Raymond laying back in the rubble. Keitaro looks worriedly and sickly seeing him like this.
"Raymond?" He quickly puts two fingers on his bloodily neck. After a few seconds, his expression on his face changes. "No..." In a rush, he removes his coat, putting it under Raymond's head. He then removes his shirt. He looks frantic at him before pressing the shirt on his stomach. "Shinobu! Please put pressure. I need to give him CPR." I'm still in shock about the whole situation. Looking at the concern eyes of Keitaro, I forget the state that I'm in and help him, pressing the shirt on Raymond's stomach.
I turn away from the guys, unable to see a friend like this. I look at the girls, who are giving a nasty glare, not accepting we're trying to help him live. I shoot one of my own, surprising them all. I can hear Keitaro talking to Raymond, saying things like "You'll be alright", "Hang in there" or "Please wake up!". I continue to hold my evil look, not wanting to cry in front of everyone.
Time seems to be standing still with no progress of Raymond getting better. I feel like taking a look to see how he's doing when I feel some grab my shoulder. All the girls are in front of me and I can hear Keitaro talking to Raymond. I turn my head back to see a strange man with a red cross on left side of his heavy blue jacket.
"Thank you for your help ma'am. We'll take it from here," he says. Before I could say anything, Keitaro helped me up, walking away from him.
I look into his face, seeing tears run down. I turn back at Raymond to see three people trying to save him. Seeing him like this makes me quiver, feeling that this might be his last day alive. Unable to take the sight of this, I brush Keitaro off of me and run my hardest towards the front door, crying all the way. I get a few feet into the snow before I drop to my knees, feeling too overwhelmed. The tears that I cry now feel like ice as they leave my eyes. It's a little painful, but it doesn't compare to the pain of seeing a friend like that.
This is like a dream. This isn't really happening. None of this is true. When I pick myself up, I realize that my hands are buried in the freezing snow. When I take them out, I'm horrified to see the color of blood in the whiteness of the ground. The sight of this lets me know this is real. I check my hands to see only a few spots of blood on it. Blood that belongs to someone that was only here to help us. Through all this trauma, I hear footsteps behind me. I turn around to see Keitaro with a newly fresh shirt sticking out a bit under his coat with one of the paramedics running behind him. He tries to look strong as if everything's alright, but I know he's in as much pain as I am. I jump off the snow and into his arms, digging my face into his chest with tears.
"There now Shinobu," he says, stroking my hair. "It's OK. Raymond will be alright. The paramedics are going to take him to the hospital." I know he's trying to sound positive for my sake, but I can hear him tearing, making me doubt he'll be fine. I look up at him, trying to be strong.
"You're sure?"
"Yeah. I'm sure." He hugs me tightly before letting go, turning away. "You better go with him. The girls told me that they want to talk to me about us."
A cold shiver goes down my spine. After all the years living with these people, I know that they just don't want to talk. They're irrational and knowing their state of mind, they're the type that would fight first, ask questions later. Before he could walk away, I grab him by the arm.
"No!" I yell. "You are not going to talk to them alone! I won't let you!"
"But Shinobu..."
"NO!" More tears began to fall from my eyes. He looks worried about me, putting both of his hands on my cheeks.
"Don't worry Shinobu. If I explain to them about us, they'll understand how much we really love each other." I shake my head violently, no longer feeling the warmth of his hands.
"They won't. The second you see them, they'll hurt you worse then they did Raymond." He looks down at the fallen snow, seeming to understand my thought process. "We already have a friend going to the hospital for the brutal way they hurt him. I don't want you lying side by side with him. It will be too unbearable for me. For us!"
"I know," he snaps at me. I know he didn't mean it. I think he's dealing with this in another way. I see the paramedic rushing back into the apartment with a stretcher. "But they want to talk to me."
"I'll talk to them," I cry without hesitation. "You go keep Raymond company until I get there."
"You sure?" He scarily says.
"Don't worry about me. I'll tell them about our love for each other and that this was consensual. And if they don't understand, I'LL MAKE THEM. " The last few words made Keitaro quiver in fear. We both know I'm not violent, but the girls crossed the line when they attacked Raymond. We watch as the paramedics exit the apartment, carrying our fallen friend on the stretcher.
"You take care of yourself." He kisses me on the cheek before going with the paramedics, shredding tears along the way.
I watch them disappear down the stairs, hoping Raymond will be fine and well when I get there. I stay out in the cold snow, collecting my composure together and hearing the sirens slowly fading away. Once I feel ready to give them a piece of my mind, I storm back into the apartment, seeing the girls explaining to Mutsumi and Sarah what happened. I stomp my way into the living room, getting their attention. Most of them look surprised to see me and my furious appearance.
"Hey Shinobu," Su says to her, looking around the living room. "Where's Keitaro?"
"He went with the ambulance and is on his way to the hospital."
"WHAT?!" Most of them surprisingly yell out. "He's suppose to talk to us about seducing you!" I tighten my fist, wanting to punch one of them; ANY OF THEM! My arm begins to shake, letting me know that I need to calm myself.
"Well...I'm here. Why not talk to me?"
"Because he took advantage of you, seduced you and got you pregnant," Naru let out with a little hint of rage in her tone.
"We would like to know why he hurt you before we start hurting him," Kitsune adds, knowing all along that they were going to attack him.
"He didn't hurt me."
"We know he did," Motoko says. "He admittedly impregnated you. He's guilty of that. So why are you still defending a creep who did this to you?"
"He's not a creep!" I think feel myself crying again, but I try my best to hold it back. If I break down now, they may never know my side of our love. "He didn't do anything wrong."
"Shinobu, he forced himself on you and got you pregnant," Kitsune argues. Everyone else, with the exception of Mutsumi who looks confused, looks like they have an agreement with her. This is it. Either I tell them now or they'll never know.
"He never forced himself onto me! I let him do it! It was consensual!" Now everyone, even Mutsumi, is stunned by this. Some have their mouths dropped while others seem to look like mannequins. All of their eyes were focus on me, not understanding the words I spoke.
"You are telling us that you let him do this to you?" Mutsumi ask, proudly nodding my head.
"I don't understand this," Naru cries. "Why did you agree to do that with him?" I am a bit nervous about this question. With all that had happened to us since coming back from San Francisco, I forgot why I wanted to do it with him. I think back to our last night together in bed, trying to remember everything in the moment. Then all of a sudden, I remember.
"Because I love Keitaro." Saying those words put a smile on my face, letting me forget the violence's that happened previously. I purposely said 'Keitaro', letting them know that the relationship between us changed. I see everyone with puzzled and blank expression on their faces, not know if they caught on or not.
"You...what?" Su ask after what seemed like an eternal silences.
"I love Keitaro." Now the doubt on their faces changes. I feel that they get it now. They know the real truth.
"You mean you...and Keitaro...you two..." Naru confusingly asks, still unable to accept this. I proudly nod my head, seeing her drop hers in disappointment.
"WOW! So your baby is also Keitaro's baby," Mutsumi exclaims in joy. "Congratulation!"
"Huh...Thanks!" I say, not expecting this while I blush. The others don't seem enthusiastic as Mutsumi, but she's one of a kind and maybe understands the situation between Keitaro and I.
"Wait a minute," Kitsune interrupts. "If Keitaro is the father of your baby, why did Raymond take the fall for him?" For a second, I forgot about why he did. I try to remember his first day here when what is said hits me.
"Because he wants every child to know their dad."
"HUH? I don't understand. What does that mean?"
"He never really got to know his dad. He died just before his eighth birthday." Everyone seems to take this personally. I'm still unclear about Naru's real dad, but looks really heartbroken and we all know the relationship between Sarah and Seta. The rest really don't talk about their dads, but must be alive or have a special bond with them from their expressions. "That's why he covered for Keitaro. He acted horrible around you so you don't hurt him."
"Hang on," Naru cries out. "You mean to tell us that the Raymond we know was all an act?"
"Yes. He's minors in theater, so he knows how to act. He just wanted to make sure that our baby got to know Keitaro." Everyone lets this sink in for a few minutes in silences.
"He did all this to protect Keitaro," Sarah says.
"And he's the one that got hurt," Motoko adds, looking ashamed of herself.
"Why did you hurt him?" I ask, never really understanding.
"Like we said, we overheard him talking to someone over the phone, telling them he'd be back to America in two weeks with no mention of bringing you," Naru explains.
"But do you know who he was talking too?" Most of them think about this for a bit before Naru speaks.
"I think it was someone named Fong Ling."
"I think you're right," Motoko agrees. "I heard him say that name a few times."
"Fong...Ling..." I manage to shuddery says. Most nod their heads as my heart sinks to my feet.
"Shinobu, what's wrong?" Kitsune ask.
"Fong Ling is his girlfriend." The girls look surprised while I drop to my knees.
I feel like crying, but I don't know why. Maybe it's because it might have been Keitaro all beaten and battered, going to the hospital instead of Raymond. Or that Fong Ling doesn't know that her boyfriend is hurt severely after their phone call. Whatever it is, I put my hands to my face and begin to cry, echoing in the living room. My face begins to hurt when I feel several hands touching my shoulder. I look up to see the girls, letting out a few tears of their own.
"I can't speak for everyone, but I'm sorry for my stubbornness for hurting Raymond and not accepting your loving relationship towards Keitaro," Naru says. The rest nod in agreement, smiling a little. This causes me to smile also, feeling good about their sincere apologize. They help me up to my feet as I wipe away the tears.
"Now you guys understand how much Keitaro and I love each other?"
"Yeah. We understand," Motoko says with everyone nodding in agreement.
"I'm glad." I look up at the clock, seeing that it's 12 o'clock. "How long have we been talking?"
"I think 45 minutes," Mutsumi says.
"I should get to the hospital and see how Raymond is doing."
"We'll come with you Shinobu," Sarah says, running to get her coat.
"Are you sure?"
"We feel bad for what we did to him," Su says. "The least we could do is be there for him when he wakes up and apology to him for what we all did."
"And apology to Keitaro for the thinking he forced this onto you," Naru adds.
"Thanks guys. I don't know what to say."
"How about 'let's go'?" Kitsune sarcastically ask, causing all of us to laugh. I gave a half-hearted one since I don't know the condition of Raymond.
"Alright. Let's go!" I yell out. We grab our coats and head out the door when we realize that Mutsumi is only wearing a towel. While waiting for her to get dressed, I go into Raymond's room and grab some clothes for him to wear when he leaves before we all head towards the hospital.
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