Naru crouched down to her knees and moved a strand of hair from the sleeping man's face.
"Keitaro?" She shook him slightly, he moaned slightly in his sleep, but he didn't wake.
"Keitaro!" Naru backhanded the top of his head making him snap awake. He rubbed the rather inflamed bump on his head and looked up at Naru. She remained silent and looked down at him. Naru saw him gulp nervously under her gentle stare.
"Why you lowlife, what do you think your doing running away like that!" Naru yelled, shattering the silence of the cold abandoned streets. Keitaro curled himself up preparing for Naru's oncoming harsh blows. When they didn't come he looked up uncertainly. Naru was just sitting there on her knees. What's she doing? Why isn't she hitting me? She looks kind of sad, perhaps I should say something? Keitaro thought to himself.
"What?" the words sounded kind of scratchy as Keitaro said them. That wasn't what he had meant to say. That probably would've been his only chance to think of some touching speech, and he missed it.
"Oh nothing, come on let's just go home." Naru got up off of the ground. To say the least she was disappointed at Keitaro's choice of words for the moment. Keitaro continued to lay propped up on the wall.
"I'm not going to go back. You guys can take care of the place." Keitaro lifted himself off of the ground and turned towards the snow cover courtyard of Tokyo U.
"We need a manager!" Naru said in a panic as she impulsively around.
"No you don't, you're all capable of taking care of it." Keitaro walked towards the courtyard, wincing as the cold air hit his face. He, however, refused to give up his cool composure.
"Keitaro, we want you back. Everyone was out looking for you. Even me." Naru neglected mentioning Motoko, but that wouldn't help prove her point.
"Even Motoko?" Keitaro said slightly shocked.
"Yeah, even Motoko." Naru said quietly averting her eyes from staring at him. The two remained silent. Naru placed her hands behind her back and gracefully walked in front of him further into the courtyard and looked up at the looming clock tower.
"You know they say if two people meet at Tokyo University, that they will be together forever. Have you ever heard that, Keitaro?" Keitaro's eyes opened wide, How did she know that, and why did she bring it up now? Was she the person he was looking for?
"Yeah, where'd you hear that?" Keitaro asked anxiously. Naru turned around and smiled at him before turning back to the school.
"Nowhere, Kei-Kei." Naru turned around with her eyes brightened with excitement.
"Come on, we can still make the Christmas party." Naru pulled the Santa cap off of her head and jammed it on his. She grabbed his hand and pulled him back toward the Hinata house.
"Wait, what party? Since when did you call me Kei-Kei?" Keitaro yelled after the younger girl that was dragging him along, but all he received was laughter.
Naru shoved him through the door of the Hinata house and he was greeted by the bright light and warm air. Everyone was dressed in some kind of Christmas-y outfit. Cheers of his name and empty liquor bottles being thrown at him greeted his arrival.
"Hey, Where's Naru?" Haruka, his short red haired aunt asked him in her usual monotone voice. Keitaro looked behind him and found no one there. Naru rushed down the stairs fully dressed in her previous Christmas outfit.
"Hey pervert, I see you finally came back." Naru winked at Keitaro and he just stood there in awe of how fast she did that. Mitsune and Su pulled Keitaro forward and pushed him backwards onto the couch. Mitsune poured sake down his throat, against his will of course, and Shinobu shoved a plate of food in his hands. While he was shoveling food down his throat hungrily, the girls got into a wrapping paper fight. Mainly it was Su and Mitsune on the offensive and Naru and Shinobu fighting back. Haruka sat on the couch next to her nephew with was cigarette clenched tightly in her mouth, and Motoko was busy cutting through any stray paper balls that came her way with her sword. The fight slowly lulled and Su got up, clutching something behind her back.
"We got you something Kei-Kei-taruuuu!" Su pulled out a small box from behind her back. "Me and Kitsune made it…" Keitaro eyeballed the people in the room and nervously opened the lid of the box. Nothing happened so he ripped it open. Inside a Joker's head popped out and exploded in front of Keitaro's face. His face and glasses were blackened with soot and his hair stood on end. The room burst out in laughter, even Keitaro laughed lightly, since this present didn't do him too much physical damage. The party continued on further. When Keitaro left, only Mitsune and Haruka were left, both drunk and still drinking on the couch.
He entered his room and began to change out of his clothes. He had his shirt off and was hunting around for one that he could sleep in that didn't reek of smoke. Naru fell down from the hole that connected their rooms and landed on him. Keitaro ended up on the floor with Naru on top of him. His eyes bulged out as she shifted onto a very painful spot on his body.
"Please…move…. crushing…" Naru quickly rolled off of him.
"Sorry…" She said biting the tip of her nail. Naru stood and placed her hands innocently behind her back. Keitaro groaned and got off of the wooden floor.
"You wanted something?" He asked rubbing the scrapes on his back that the floor had given him.
"Yeah, I wanted to give you your real present, from everyone in the house of course." Naru said nervously making up the last part. She pulled out a small black cardboard box with red ribbon tied around it.
"It's not going to explode, right?" Keitaro asked cautiously taking the box, tensing as their hands met for a moment. Naru shook her head and he opened the box. Inside, surrounded by little white fluff was a bronze ring with a thick green jewel in the center.
On the outside of the band it said: Tokyo U. Student.
On the inside was engrave a light message of: See you there, Kei-Kei.
Keitaro was speechless he slipped the ring on and examined it.
"You've made me the happiest man in the world!" Keitaro squeaked, Naru laughed at his sarcastic remark.
"I'm not a student yet?" He said with his humor turning into shame. He looked away from Naru. She shrugged and walked over to Keitaro and put her hands on his smooth hot shoulders.
"We all know you can." She said cheerfully. She then started blushing as she realized he was glaring at her hands that were on his bare chest.
"Pervert!" She hit him on the top of the head and removed her hands. Naru began to open the door and slip out of his room. Keitaro laid down on his futon and fell asleep without his shirt on, and his ring still on his finger.
The next morning he sat at the kitchen table with Motoko and a very hung over Mitsune.
"Thanks for the ring you guys." Keitaro said suddenly looking up from his breakfast.
"What?" Motoko said coldly wrinkling her face at him.
"Hun, we didn't get you a ring," Kitsune moaned rubbing her temples.
"Then…" Keitaro looked into the kitchen and saw Naru chatting with Shinobu. She waved to him and he just smiled knowingly back.
So ends the "Love Hina Christmas Special" tune in next holiday to see what kind of trouble our favorite youngsters get into next time.
