I'm back, again it's been awhile since I've updated, I know. I've been on a slight writer's block, I couldn't think of anything to continue with. Well, wait no more, on with the story!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Love Hina in any way; all rights belong to Akamatsu-san. I do, however, own Xueluan Khan and Katsuhiro Kenta, their copyrighted to me.

SACRIFICES FOR LOVE

By: KiMitsukai

Chapter 9: A Reckoning with Love

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"It looked like they were getting along real well together. I mean REAL well."

"I noticed."

"That doesn't anger you?"

"Not in the least."

"Why's that? I thought you loved her."

"Naru, I see it's really you that is blind."

"Huh?"

"I've always loved you. From the very first time I walked across the entrance to Hinata House my heart has belonged to you."

She gaped at him and remained speechless. 'Oh Keitaro, I had no idea.'

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Her eyes had widened when she heard him share his feelings like that with her. She really had been blind all this time, blind and so lost in the dark. It was like he had just shined a light on her mind and feelings. Naru looked into Keitaro's glazed eyes, knowing that he couldn't see her, but she saw so much love in his eyes. So much love that she had never noticed before. 'Is this how he has always looked at me?' She wondered mentally to herself.

She looked over his body; she noticed the slight bulges of his muscles under his shirt and blushed. 'When did he start to look so good?' She wondered. His hair was as messy as always, but for some reason it suddenly appeared sexy to her. She started to wonder what he looked like underneath his clothes. She blushed at the thought. She then realized, like an epiphany, that she was now viewing him through a lover's eyes.

Keitaro stared at her, but unable to see her form. He could tell though that she was looking intently at him and he was curious to know what was on her mind. "Naru.... Aren't you going to say anything?" His voice was soft, and to Naru, so sensual.

She blushed and swallowed hard, embarrassed by her thoughts. She nodded. "Yes, I was just thinking...." She fell silent.

He leaned against the tabletop, his chin resting on his folded hands, a smile on his face. Like he knew what was coming and was anticipating the moment. "Thinking of what?"

She looked at him; he looked so handsome and sexy. She couldn't believe that she had never noticed his good looks before now. "Of you...." His smiled broadened. "And how right you are...." He looked at her seriously now, her voice telling him that she was being serious. "I have been blind. Oh, so blind."

He raised his chin off his hands and stared at her open-mouthed. It was like his fantasy was becoming a reality right before him. He hung onto her words, as if they were life itself.

She continued, her voice soft and full of the wonder that usually comes from someone's voice when they speak of what they have just come to realize. "I never listened to my heart, or let my eyes show me what was really before me. Instead, I was content and hell-bent on convincing myself that I didn't feel anything for you." His mouth fell open a bit wider; almost unable to believe what he was hearing. She looked at him and leaned in close, so close that their lips were only inches apart. When she next spoke, her voice was like a soft whisper. "Keitaro... I love you."

His eyes opened wide, had he heard correctly? He stared at her, her lips so close within reach. 'Did she just profess her love for me?' He wondered. The words he had always dreamed of her saying, she had finally said, and he was in disbelief. In total shock.

She pulled her head back and stared at him. "Keitaro.... Didn't you hear me? I love you. I always have, I'm just so sorry it took me so long to realize it."

He looked up, and though he couldn't see her, he could imagine the look of pure love that was on her face. He could sense her, how close she still was. And in answer to her question, he quickly leaned in and kissed her on the lips. His lips soft and his kiss short, but so passionate. A kiss long in waiting. He pulled back and looked at her, a sweet smile on his lips. He nodded; his bangs fell into his eyes. "Yes, I heard you." She smiled and brushed his bangs away from his eyes. "I love you, Naru." He said; his words genuine.

She smiled and nodded, her eyes shimmering like diamonds. "I know you do." Their hands came onto the table and they found each other. Their fingers intertwined in the middle of the table. The lights overhead were dim, creating a romantic atmosphere. Naru and Keitaro stared at each other the way lovers do. All that mattered in the world was the person opposite them. They were in their own world, nothing of the world of reality affected them; at least at the moment.

"I'm so very sorry for the way I have treated you over the years Keitaro." She looked down at the tabletop, avoiding his eyes, ashamed. "I've inflicted so much pain and cruelty on you. How did you ever survive it?" She paused; her voice was full of sorrow and regret. "How can you ever forgive me?"

He disengaged his right hand from hers and Naru sighed, feeling more self-loathing. He then reached out and placed his hand on her chin, gently. He raised her head so that he could look into her eyes. He couldn't see her, but his hands seem to know where to go. And he hoped that the emotions he was feeling were showing in his eyes so that she could see how he truly felt. For the eyes are like the passageway to the soul and he wanted to share his soul with her.

When he spoke, his voice was soft, husky, masculine, and immediately caught Naru's attention. "I know you're sorry. I know. I can hear it in your voice. How did I survive, you ask? Love pulled me through and after all the beatings and numerous punches to my body, I built up a high tolerance to pain." He paused to laugh, to try to cheer her up. "See, it wasn't all that negative." She had to smile, the look on his face was so sincere. "I can forgive you, Naru, because I love you and love is unconditional...... and forgiving." He smiled at her, a soft sweet smile. He then leaned in and gave her a small kiss.

She looked at him and saw the goodness she had failed to see for so many years. "You're such a kind man, Keitaro." She smiled at him. "Thank you, I don't think I could have forgiven myself. But, now that you've forgiven me, I can forgive myself as well." She kissed him on the cheek. "I love you too."

They then fully disengaged their hands and commenced to drink their now luke warm coffees. The silence that floated on the air around them was amiable and they sat contentedly in the other's presence. Keitaro's hearing was acute now that he couldn't see, as most blind person's senses become. And he listened to her soft breathing. The way she sipped her coffee and he swore he could hear a lock of her hair fall over her shoulder as she bent her head down towards her cup. He smiled as he imagined it all in his mind. She had always been lovely, always had a beauty to her that he just didn't know how to describe in words. He concluded it must be the way she carried herself or most probably her diverse personality or even a complimenting combination of the two.

Naru looked up from her cup and stared at Keitaro as she gently placed the ceramic dish on the oak wood table. She noticed how his bangs always seemed to hang slightly in his eyes and the way his shirt clung enough to his body to make him appear attractive and casually comfortable at the same time. Her lips parted, and shockingly, Keitaro could hear that and knew she was about to speak. He lifted his eyes off his drink and onto her. "Keitaro, ... would you consider coming back to Hinata with me?" Her voice was soft, almost hesitant; afraid of hearing what she didn't want to hear. She clung to the silence and waited for his answer as if on nails of anticipation.

A smile spread across his lips and he nodded. "Yes, I will. I always had intentions of returning." Naru was amazed how he seemed to know what she really meant. How he could just come right to the point, without being questioned further. "Did you ever doubt that I would come back?"

She nodded, ashamed of her true deep gutted feelings. "When I saw you with Xueluan and when you said you were living with her... I thought you might never return. That you were happier with her and that.....that I had lost you forever."

To Keitaro, it was like he was seeing a completely different side of Naru. A softer side, a side more deeply rooted in compassion and feeling. He shook his head. "No ... you'll never lose me. Never. I'm only living with her for the moment, until I, myself, feel I can return to you."

She looked into his eyes, her mind hanging onto his words. 'He always planned on returning ....that's a relief.' "When do you think you'll feel able to return to us?" More specifically, she meant, when will you return to me.

He smiled at her, his smile making his whole face seem aglow. "Now." He sounded sensual. "I could return with you right now at this very moment."

It was like a dream to her; exactly like she had always imagined this conversation to be. She let out a sigh of contentment and relief and a small smile came to her lips. "Oh, Keitaro. Can you really? What of your illness?" In all her excitement, she forgot that he was sick. That the reason he had left Hinata in the first place was because he was ill. "What is wrong with you anyway Keitaro?"

He nodded. "I can, I think I've got things under control now. At least some what." He then paused as he heard her inquisitive question. Her tone full of curiosity. He wasn't going to lie to her, he saw no need to. And there was no reason to be ashamed of his ailment and hide it from her. "I've been diagnosed with type two diabetes."

She looked at him, surprised and not sure what it all meant. "Type two?" He nodded and she continued to question. "What does that mean?"

He scratched the back of his head as he thought. "I'm not so sure what the type two thing means myself, but from what I got out of it, it's the type more common in adults. And it's not as serious."

She sighed. "Well, at least it's not that serious, ne?" He nodded in agreement with her. "So, does it hurt? Are you alright?"

He was overwhelmed with her concern. He laughed. "Whoa, slow down, I can only answer one question at a time." He smiled. "No, it doesn't hurt. And, I am better now, but it's not one of those diseases that comes and goes. I'll have this for a long time, possibly the rest of my life. It just means that I have to monitor the level of sugar that's in my blood. Also, I can't eat much sweets and I can't have that much sugar in my foods."

She nodded, trying to understand it all as he spoke. She wasn't very familiar with this disease and she wanted to understand it. "How do you know if your blood sugar is okay?" She asked.

"Well, I take samples of my own blood. With a lancet I draw some blood from my fingertip." He saw her cringe and he smiled. "No worries, it's a small needle-like a pin prick. It doesn't hurt at all. And I put the sample into a small machine and it reads it. See? It's not so bad." He smiled at her.

She nodded. "It looks like you're doing okay then. I'm glad to see that, Keitaro. I was so worried that you were dying. That you had a heart attack or a stroke, or worse had AIDS or something."

He laughed. "You really think of the most obscure things when you're worried, don't you?"

Don't laugh!" She hit him lightly on the arm. "It's not funny! I was really worried about you. You left and I didn't know why or where you went. So, you can't imagine what I thought had happened to you." There was real worry and sadness in her voice and her eyes had started to water just thinking about what she had felt.

He turned serious immediately and he reached out and brought her hands into his. "I'm so sorry. I hadn't meant to make you worry like that. I'm so sorry." He gently squeezed her hands, a silent indication of love and tenderness. "I'll never make you worry like that again. I promise you that."

'When did he become so romantic and thoughtful?' She wondered. 'And, when did he lose his clumsiness? He seems more together all the sudden, so much more mature. I like it' She thought to herself. She smiled as he squeezed her hands. "I love you, and that will cause worry in itself." She smiled. "No matter what, I will always worry about you."

He nodded, as if he knew she was going to say that. Like he had expected it. "I know. I just don't want you to kill yourself with worry. That will be my job." He laughed. "I will always be worrying about you too. I guess that just comes with love." He smiled and she nodded, agreeing with him. "So, how about we get going?"

Naru nodded and he took out some money to pay for the bill. He then took her by the hand and walked her out of the café. Even without his vision, it seemed like he knew where he was going; he always secretly had Naru guiding him. Though, he seemed to be doing a pretty fair job on his own.

They walked out onto the sidewalk, the full moon shining down its milky luminescent light. The streetlights created soft yellow pools of light on the ground and moths gathered around the bulbs. A light breeze lifted up some snowflakes and they swirled around the couple. Naru rested her head against his chest, his jacket still covering her. Keitaro had his right arm around her waist, keeping her body close to his.

They turned a corner and continued to walk under the moonlight. A car drove by slowly, save the ice on the pavement. It was only the beginning of November, but it felt like the middle of January. They were in for a long, hard winter this year.

Naru closed her eyes and breathed in his cologne; a smile coming to her lips upon smelling the sweet fragrance. She looked up at him as he looked down at her, as if they could sense the other's movements and could respond accordingly without words having to be spoken.

She smiled at him and he returned it with one of his own. "Keitaro?" She paused to see him nod for her to go on. "So, you'll back to Hinata with me?" She just needed to hear him say it more time.

He nodded. "Yes, I'll come home with you." She smiled, delighted to hear it again. It warded off any lingering fears she had about losing him. "I'll come whenever you want me to."

She hugged him and nuzzled her head against his chest. "How about we leave tomorrow?" She was eager to get him back to Hinata. To ease the other's worries and to have things return, at least some what, to the way they were. She just wanted to get home and to have him with her.

He nodded. "As you wish." He smiled at her and returned her hug. "Anything you want, my love." Despite the cold, and his being in a t-shirt, he wasn't cold. He had all the warmth he needed just being next to the one he loved and holding her in his arms.

"Oh, and how about we see about getting you some contact lenses too?" She added, quite randomly. 'He looks so sexy without his glasses.' She thought to herself.

End Chappie

That's it for now. I'll try to update soon, as the story is winding down to its conclusion. I hope you all are enjoying it and please remember to leave a review. Arigatou! Matane!