Chapter twelve (Ending one)
(hinata-sou, one hour earlier)
Motoko watched him leave. She stood there on the roof, and watched him walk down the street. Since the view from the roof of the Hinata-sou was actually quite expansive, she was able to watch him for a good fifteen minutes before he finally winked out of sight. As soon as he had done so, Motoko felt a dreadful feeling spring on her from nowhere. She wanted — no, needed, him to stay. She reached out the subtle, grasping fingers of her ki sense, and after a moment's searching, caught ahold of Keitaro's presence.
He felt strange. His ki, anyway. Warmer, softer somehow. It gave her a shiver to take in his essence. (Could this be perhaps because we've deepened our emotional bond? There is great energy coming from him to me, and indeed from me to him. Is this... our love at work?) Motoko's thoughts wandered from her concentration; as Keitaro's distance grew greater, his feeling, the sense of him, soon faded from Motoko's inner sight. She sat down. He was really gone, now.
She kept telling herself that it was only for two days, just so he could collect his thoughts. Keitaro wouldn't leave her alone. He had promised to come back, as he had promised to share all responsibility with her, and his promises were one thing about a treacherous world that always seemed like they were on your side.
(Ah,) a voice inside her spoke up now, (But what about Naru? Surely, he broke a few promises to her when he spent that night with you in the first place, ne?) Motoko gasped. Wherever that thought had come from, it had a point. Doubt began to grow in her mind, like a newly planted and horribly malignant seed. She tried to regain control of herself, but when seeds are planted, they are wont to grow. You and I both know this very well, dear listener, and so did Motoko. Not that that knowledge was any consolation to her now, though.
She rose. She needed to talk to someone, more accurately, four someones, if they were all around. She walked down the stairs and into the belly of the building below her to seek out those four and unload a little emotional baggage into their waiting (and willing) arms. She smiled even in her distress. She was glad for her friends.
(hinata city, one hour later)
"Of course, Urashima-kun. I'll help you with anything I'm able to." She winked. Keitaro knew what she was getting at, and blushed a bit. Mutsumi had always been lovey-dovey with him, and he didn't particularly mind. Not, that is, if Narusegawa wasn't around. If she was, Mutsumi's flirting usually ended up with him getting punched. He inwardly cringed, knowing that the subject he was about to broach wasn't nearly as joke-friendly as he'd like it to be.
"Well... I guess I should start from the beginning, ne?" Keitaro put an arm behind his head and grinned, thinking he probably looked (and sounded) like a complete fool. Mutsumi just nodded.
"That's usually the best place. Except sometimes it can be fun to start something in the middle. Like watermelons, for example. I love starting those in the middle! The middle's the best part!" Keitaro face-vaulted. "Ara, I'm sorry. You were saying?" He cleared his throat, and began his story.
"Well, I told you that N... Narusegawa and I aren't together anymore, but I never really told you why. Motoko and I, we—" Mutsumi's eyes opened wide and she interrupted him.
"You didn't! Ara, Urashima-kun's grown very naughty since I saw him last!" Mutsumi giggled. Keitaro was more than a little surprised. He thought even Mutsumi, who was incredibly hard to depress, would have been just a little upset with him over something like that. Nevertheless, he pressed on.
"Actually, we did. Narusegawa found out the next morning... Shinobu saw us asleep together on the roof, you know, and she took off that day. That was three months ago now, give or take a couple of days, and I still don't know where she is, only that it's not in this country." Mutsumi looked puzzled at that, so Keitaro decided to clarify. "Yeah, I was surprised too, but apparently she applied to a student exchange program through Toudai and got the opportunity to do a whole half-year in another country." Keitaro paused. His throat was becoming dry, and not from talking so much. He was talking about her, and even after all that had happened, it still hurt. "That's not the worst of my worries, though, nor is it what I wanted help with."
"Well, what do you need help with, Urashima-kun?" Mutsumi looked at him. Her eyes were open fully, a rarity in her case, and she was looking at him expectantly. He took a deep breath, then said very quickly:
"MotokogotpregnantandshewantstokeepthebabyandI'mgoingtobeafatherinsixmonthsandIdon'tknowwhatI'mgoingtodo!!" Mutsumi cocked her head to one side, and looked at him thoughtfully for a full minute. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and put on what he thought was a very wise-looking face for someone who acted so airheaded. She spoke.
"What?" Keitaro face-vaulted, and then repeated himself, enunciating each word very slowly and deliberately so that she would get the full effect of what he was saying. She nodded at every word, her eyes widening at "Pregnant". By the end, though, she looked her old self again.
"Ara, Keitaro, congratulations! This must truly be a happy time for you both!" Keitaro was shocked.
"Mutsumi-san, this isn't a happy time at all! Motoko's life is ruined, now! She can't inherit the Shinmeiryuu school of martial arts, she won't be able to finish her studies at Tokyo University, and she's going to have a kid, for crying out loud! Think of me, too! I don't mean to sound selfish, but I'm not ready to be a father! Look at me!" He fell silent, and abruptly sat down on a nearby bench. Mutsumi sat down next to him, getting rather close to him as she settled in. She took his hand in hers, and squeezed it. Keitaro returned the pressure; welcoming it in his time of distress. Mutsumi was calming with her mere presence.
"Keitaro, is it really such an unhappy thing?" She asked, looking at him quizzically. "I mean, I'm not an experienced person in stuff like that, so I don't know, but it seems like raising a baby with someone you love would be... Well, something to remember, ne?" She smiled. "Perhaps your lives aren't ruined, only changed. You should see how things turn out first, before you condemn them." Keitaro looked straight ahead at the harbour that was looming out of the blinding rays of the setting sun. He had barely any chance to let her words sink in when she pulled him away by the sleeve of his jacket. "Now come on," she said, "The place where I hire my boats is just over here!" She laughed, and pulled him towards what looked to be a small shack to the side of a dock, with a number of unsafe-looking motorboats tied to a truck beside it.
Mutsumi paid the man inside the shack (who looked to be a MOST unpleasant character) and then went over to the boats. With Keitaro's help, they launched it, and were soon out into open water. Keitaro had been worrying since they stepped inside it, and his worries now grew a voice.
"Mutsumi-san, do you know how to get to Okinawa from here?"
"Ara? Oh, that's right! We're going back home! Silly me, always taking the wrong turns." Keitaro could have screamed at her eternal optimism.
"MUTSUMI, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHERE WE ARE?!"
"Ara, no, not really. It's okay, we'll find our way soon enough!"
"AIIIIIIIII!!!"
(hinata-sou, the same time)
"...So, that's all there is to it." Motoko finished her story, which was essentially the same as Keitaro's, minus the Naru-centred angst, for the most part. Su, Shinobu, Haruka and Kitsune were sitting on the common area's couch, staring at her open-mouthed. A bottle of sake lay at Kitsune's feet on its side, slowly spilling the last of the contents that the bottle's shape would allow onto the floor. Nobody noticed.
A slew of questions, or perhaps they were simply shouts of surprise, or perhaps they were accusations, death threats directed towards Keitaro, or maybe even a conglomerate of all four, came at Motoko like a barrage of blows. She couldn't make out anything that anyone was saying; they were all talking as fast as they could at once. She closed her eyes and waited for a moment. Silence slowly fell, and when the last mouth had been closed, Motoko opened her eyes. She didn't really know what she expected to see before her.
What she saw was four concerned faces. Concerned, but not angry. Haruka was looking at her down the length of her nose, a thoughtful look in her eyes. Su's normally permanent grin was replaced with a serious, though caring, expression. Shinobu's eyes were leaking tears down her face, and she looked as if she wanted to curl up and whimper for a little while, but her mouth was set in a determined line. Kitsune just looked worried. These were her friends, Motoko realized. They didn't want to hurt her. She looked at each of them again, eyes drifting back and forth; not saying a word. She waited. Haruka was the first to speak.
"So, if you're... pregnant, then where's my nephew? Shouldn't he be here with you, sharing the responsibilities and all that?" There was a stern note in her voice, but Motoko didn't think it was because she was angry. There was always a stern note in Haruka's voice. Motoko smiled at the thought before responding.
"Keitaro... well, the news came as somewhat of a shock to him. I don't think he was really prepared for it." At that, Kitsune snorted, Haruka made a "hmph!" sort of noise, and Su giggled. Shinobu's expression didn't change. She still looked like she was trying not to cry. Motoko ignored them all and continued. "Anyway, he said he needed to take a couple of days to himself, to think things over. He promised me two things before he left, though." Another look at the expectant faces in front of her made her keep this pause brief. "He said that he would be the child's father; he would raise it with me as he should. He also said that he was not running away. He promised me that he would return in two days time, and you all know that promises have always meant something extraordinary to Keitaro."
"That's all well and good," Kitsune interjected, "Keitaro will be back if he says he'll be. What I'm concerned about right now, though, Motoko, is you. Are you all right? Is there anything we can do for you?" Kitsune outstretched her right hand and covered Motoko's left one with it. The foxgirl smiled. A friendly, compassionate smile; one that spoke whole encyclopaedias about just how far her friends would go for her. Motoko smiled herself.
"I'm holding up. All I'd ask from you four is to keep on treating me as you always have; with love and respect. I'll try not to be too much of a burden on you all." Shinobu spoke up now, apparently having won her battle with her tears.
"Motoko-sempai, you won't be a burden! We love you and we always will! If you're going to have a baby, then we'll all help you get through everything involved with that. Keitaro's not the only one who believes responsibilities should be shared equally."
"Thank you, Shinobu... I know that must have been hard for you to say, and I appreciate it so much." Motoko got up, gently letting go of Kitsune's hand, and embraced the girl. After hesitating for a moment, Shinobu wrapped her own arms around Motoko. The others silently joined them, and they stood there for a time.
(Otohime residence, five hours later)
It was dark. It had been dark for about an hour now, and it was much colder than it had been at the train station. Warmer though, thankfully, than it had been on the rickety, sketchy-looking motorboat. Keitaro and Mutsumi stood on the back deck of the Otohime residence, watching the stars. Mutsumi had a cup of hot sake in one hand, and Keitaro's in the other. Keitaro had similar fare. The two said nothing, and did nothing except occasionally sip from their glasses to keep the chill of not-quite-winter, not-quite-fall at bay. After a time like this, Mutsumi spoke.
"Urashima-kun, forgive me if I sound like I'm prying, but are you and Motoko-chan going to get married?" Keitaro looked at her. He had been woolgathering, but he had heard what she'd said. It was funny, too, because he'd honestly never considered that. He had promised to be the child's father, and raise it with her, yes... but did this include taking her as his wife? He didn't know.
"I, uh... I really don't know, Mutsumi-san. I've honestly not considered it yet." Mutsumi looked at him thoughtfully for a long time before she spoke again.
"Ara, Urashima-kun. It seems as if I'm forever losing you to other women, ne?" She said it with a trace of a laugh, as she said everything, but this time it sounded different. She sounded... wistful.
"I'm sorry, Mutsumi-san." It was all he could think to say.
"Whatever makes you happy, Urashima-kun, will make me happy. Perhaps a little disappointed, but many worse things could happen to me. Not to mention, I really wouldn't want at all to complicate your situation any further." She tightened her hand around his. He nodded.
"Thank you, Mutsumi-san. I'm really glad I could spend this time here with you. To be by myself, thinking all this stuff over... I wouldn't have been surprised if I went stark raving mad!" She laughed.
"Aren't you halfway there already?"
"Hey! I never said that!"
"Yes you did! After the third hour of not knowing where we were in the boat, you said you felt half out of your mind!"
"Mutsumi-san, that's simply an expression!"
"Oh, of course it is. Bring out some more excuses, why don't you?"
"Mutsumi! You're not playing fair, now!" The two continued on as such for another hour at least, quietly teasing one another. It did a splendid job in taking Keitaro's mind off of the heavy events of the past little while. He relaxed. Soon, they finished their sake and went inside. Mutsumi went upstairs to her room, and her mother, Natsumi, met Keitaro on the downstairs trip.
"Ah, turning in for the night, Keitaro-kun?" She grinned at him. "The room is down the hallway to the left, right at the end. There's fresh sheets and pillowcases in the closet if the ones on the bed aren't fresh. It's been a while since anyone's used the guest room."
"Thank you, Otohime-san, but I'm sure they'll do just fine. I'm too tired to worry much about the freshness of my sheets!" He joked. She laughed.
"All right then, sleep well!" She walked up the rest of the stairs and disappeared from sight, humming to herself quietly. Keitaro made his way to his room, lay down, and sleep found him quickly. In the morning, he would be thankful that there had been no dreams.
End chapter twelve (Ending one)
((Aaah, does it ever feel good to pick that up again! I hadn't written anything in a few days, and this fic was almost starting to get that horrible "stale" feeling. I was worried for a moment there guys, but don't worry, the spark that drew me into this fic in the beginning isn't gone!! :D
This chapter's largely transitional, but it marks an important stage with Keitaro, who was the main focus. He's starting to grow more comfortable with the idea of having a kid, and not to mention, the idea of marrying Motoko has now entered his mind. [FORESHADOWING, ANYONE?!] hehe. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed, gomenasai for taking so long, and as always, PLEASE REVIEW!! :P
-Min))
(hinata-sou, one hour earlier)
Motoko watched him leave. She stood there on the roof, and watched him walk down the street. Since the view from the roof of the Hinata-sou was actually quite expansive, she was able to watch him for a good fifteen minutes before he finally winked out of sight. As soon as he had done so, Motoko felt a dreadful feeling spring on her from nowhere. She wanted — no, needed, him to stay. She reached out the subtle, grasping fingers of her ki sense, and after a moment's searching, caught ahold of Keitaro's presence.
He felt strange. His ki, anyway. Warmer, softer somehow. It gave her a shiver to take in his essence. (Could this be perhaps because we've deepened our emotional bond? There is great energy coming from him to me, and indeed from me to him. Is this... our love at work?) Motoko's thoughts wandered from her concentration; as Keitaro's distance grew greater, his feeling, the sense of him, soon faded from Motoko's inner sight. She sat down. He was really gone, now.
She kept telling herself that it was only for two days, just so he could collect his thoughts. Keitaro wouldn't leave her alone. He had promised to come back, as he had promised to share all responsibility with her, and his promises were one thing about a treacherous world that always seemed like they were on your side.
(Ah,) a voice inside her spoke up now, (But what about Naru? Surely, he broke a few promises to her when he spent that night with you in the first place, ne?) Motoko gasped. Wherever that thought had come from, it had a point. Doubt began to grow in her mind, like a newly planted and horribly malignant seed. She tried to regain control of herself, but when seeds are planted, they are wont to grow. You and I both know this very well, dear listener, and so did Motoko. Not that that knowledge was any consolation to her now, though.
She rose. She needed to talk to someone, more accurately, four someones, if they were all around. She walked down the stairs and into the belly of the building below her to seek out those four and unload a little emotional baggage into their waiting (and willing) arms. She smiled even in her distress. She was glad for her friends.
(hinata city, one hour later)
"Of course, Urashima-kun. I'll help you with anything I'm able to." She winked. Keitaro knew what she was getting at, and blushed a bit. Mutsumi had always been lovey-dovey with him, and he didn't particularly mind. Not, that is, if Narusegawa wasn't around. If she was, Mutsumi's flirting usually ended up with him getting punched. He inwardly cringed, knowing that the subject he was about to broach wasn't nearly as joke-friendly as he'd like it to be.
"Well... I guess I should start from the beginning, ne?" Keitaro put an arm behind his head and grinned, thinking he probably looked (and sounded) like a complete fool. Mutsumi just nodded.
"That's usually the best place. Except sometimes it can be fun to start something in the middle. Like watermelons, for example. I love starting those in the middle! The middle's the best part!" Keitaro face-vaulted. "Ara, I'm sorry. You were saying?" He cleared his throat, and began his story.
"Well, I told you that N... Narusegawa and I aren't together anymore, but I never really told you why. Motoko and I, we—" Mutsumi's eyes opened wide and she interrupted him.
"You didn't! Ara, Urashima-kun's grown very naughty since I saw him last!" Mutsumi giggled. Keitaro was more than a little surprised. He thought even Mutsumi, who was incredibly hard to depress, would have been just a little upset with him over something like that. Nevertheless, he pressed on.
"Actually, we did. Narusegawa found out the next morning... Shinobu saw us asleep together on the roof, you know, and she took off that day. That was three months ago now, give or take a couple of days, and I still don't know where she is, only that it's not in this country." Mutsumi looked puzzled at that, so Keitaro decided to clarify. "Yeah, I was surprised too, but apparently she applied to a student exchange program through Toudai and got the opportunity to do a whole half-year in another country." Keitaro paused. His throat was becoming dry, and not from talking so much. He was talking about her, and even after all that had happened, it still hurt. "That's not the worst of my worries, though, nor is it what I wanted help with."
"Well, what do you need help with, Urashima-kun?" Mutsumi looked at him. Her eyes were open fully, a rarity in her case, and she was looking at him expectantly. He took a deep breath, then said very quickly:
"MotokogotpregnantandshewantstokeepthebabyandI'mgoingtobeafatherinsixmonthsandIdon'tknowwhatI'mgoingtodo!!" Mutsumi cocked her head to one side, and looked at him thoughtfully for a full minute. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and put on what he thought was a very wise-looking face for someone who acted so airheaded. She spoke.
"What?" Keitaro face-vaulted, and then repeated himself, enunciating each word very slowly and deliberately so that she would get the full effect of what he was saying. She nodded at every word, her eyes widening at "Pregnant". By the end, though, she looked her old self again.
"Ara, Keitaro, congratulations! This must truly be a happy time for you both!" Keitaro was shocked.
"Mutsumi-san, this isn't a happy time at all! Motoko's life is ruined, now! She can't inherit the Shinmeiryuu school of martial arts, she won't be able to finish her studies at Tokyo University, and she's going to have a kid, for crying out loud! Think of me, too! I don't mean to sound selfish, but I'm not ready to be a father! Look at me!" He fell silent, and abruptly sat down on a nearby bench. Mutsumi sat down next to him, getting rather close to him as she settled in. She took his hand in hers, and squeezed it. Keitaro returned the pressure; welcoming it in his time of distress. Mutsumi was calming with her mere presence.
"Keitaro, is it really such an unhappy thing?" She asked, looking at him quizzically. "I mean, I'm not an experienced person in stuff like that, so I don't know, but it seems like raising a baby with someone you love would be... Well, something to remember, ne?" She smiled. "Perhaps your lives aren't ruined, only changed. You should see how things turn out first, before you condemn them." Keitaro looked straight ahead at the harbour that was looming out of the blinding rays of the setting sun. He had barely any chance to let her words sink in when she pulled him away by the sleeve of his jacket. "Now come on," she said, "The place where I hire my boats is just over here!" She laughed, and pulled him towards what looked to be a small shack to the side of a dock, with a number of unsafe-looking motorboats tied to a truck beside it.
Mutsumi paid the man inside the shack (who looked to be a MOST unpleasant character) and then went over to the boats. With Keitaro's help, they launched it, and were soon out into open water. Keitaro had been worrying since they stepped inside it, and his worries now grew a voice.
"Mutsumi-san, do you know how to get to Okinawa from here?"
"Ara? Oh, that's right! We're going back home! Silly me, always taking the wrong turns." Keitaro could have screamed at her eternal optimism.
"MUTSUMI, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHERE WE ARE?!"
"Ara, no, not really. It's okay, we'll find our way soon enough!"
"AIIIIIIIII!!!"
(hinata-sou, the same time)
"...So, that's all there is to it." Motoko finished her story, which was essentially the same as Keitaro's, minus the Naru-centred angst, for the most part. Su, Shinobu, Haruka and Kitsune were sitting on the common area's couch, staring at her open-mouthed. A bottle of sake lay at Kitsune's feet on its side, slowly spilling the last of the contents that the bottle's shape would allow onto the floor. Nobody noticed.
A slew of questions, or perhaps they were simply shouts of surprise, or perhaps they were accusations, death threats directed towards Keitaro, or maybe even a conglomerate of all four, came at Motoko like a barrage of blows. She couldn't make out anything that anyone was saying; they were all talking as fast as they could at once. She closed her eyes and waited for a moment. Silence slowly fell, and when the last mouth had been closed, Motoko opened her eyes. She didn't really know what she expected to see before her.
What she saw was four concerned faces. Concerned, but not angry. Haruka was looking at her down the length of her nose, a thoughtful look in her eyes. Su's normally permanent grin was replaced with a serious, though caring, expression. Shinobu's eyes were leaking tears down her face, and she looked as if she wanted to curl up and whimper for a little while, but her mouth was set in a determined line. Kitsune just looked worried. These were her friends, Motoko realized. They didn't want to hurt her. She looked at each of them again, eyes drifting back and forth; not saying a word. She waited. Haruka was the first to speak.
"So, if you're... pregnant, then where's my nephew? Shouldn't he be here with you, sharing the responsibilities and all that?" There was a stern note in her voice, but Motoko didn't think it was because she was angry. There was always a stern note in Haruka's voice. Motoko smiled at the thought before responding.
"Keitaro... well, the news came as somewhat of a shock to him. I don't think he was really prepared for it." At that, Kitsune snorted, Haruka made a "hmph!" sort of noise, and Su giggled. Shinobu's expression didn't change. She still looked like she was trying not to cry. Motoko ignored them all and continued. "Anyway, he said he needed to take a couple of days to himself, to think things over. He promised me two things before he left, though." Another look at the expectant faces in front of her made her keep this pause brief. "He said that he would be the child's father; he would raise it with me as he should. He also said that he was not running away. He promised me that he would return in two days time, and you all know that promises have always meant something extraordinary to Keitaro."
"That's all well and good," Kitsune interjected, "Keitaro will be back if he says he'll be. What I'm concerned about right now, though, Motoko, is you. Are you all right? Is there anything we can do for you?" Kitsune outstretched her right hand and covered Motoko's left one with it. The foxgirl smiled. A friendly, compassionate smile; one that spoke whole encyclopaedias about just how far her friends would go for her. Motoko smiled herself.
"I'm holding up. All I'd ask from you four is to keep on treating me as you always have; with love and respect. I'll try not to be too much of a burden on you all." Shinobu spoke up now, apparently having won her battle with her tears.
"Motoko-sempai, you won't be a burden! We love you and we always will! If you're going to have a baby, then we'll all help you get through everything involved with that. Keitaro's not the only one who believes responsibilities should be shared equally."
"Thank you, Shinobu... I know that must have been hard for you to say, and I appreciate it so much." Motoko got up, gently letting go of Kitsune's hand, and embraced the girl. After hesitating for a moment, Shinobu wrapped her own arms around Motoko. The others silently joined them, and they stood there for a time.
(Otohime residence, five hours later)
It was dark. It had been dark for about an hour now, and it was much colder than it had been at the train station. Warmer though, thankfully, than it had been on the rickety, sketchy-looking motorboat. Keitaro and Mutsumi stood on the back deck of the Otohime residence, watching the stars. Mutsumi had a cup of hot sake in one hand, and Keitaro's in the other. Keitaro had similar fare. The two said nothing, and did nothing except occasionally sip from their glasses to keep the chill of not-quite-winter, not-quite-fall at bay. After a time like this, Mutsumi spoke.
"Urashima-kun, forgive me if I sound like I'm prying, but are you and Motoko-chan going to get married?" Keitaro looked at her. He had been woolgathering, but he had heard what she'd said. It was funny, too, because he'd honestly never considered that. He had promised to be the child's father, and raise it with her, yes... but did this include taking her as his wife? He didn't know.
"I, uh... I really don't know, Mutsumi-san. I've honestly not considered it yet." Mutsumi looked at him thoughtfully for a long time before she spoke again.
"Ara, Urashima-kun. It seems as if I'm forever losing you to other women, ne?" She said it with a trace of a laugh, as she said everything, but this time it sounded different. She sounded... wistful.
"I'm sorry, Mutsumi-san." It was all he could think to say.
"Whatever makes you happy, Urashima-kun, will make me happy. Perhaps a little disappointed, but many worse things could happen to me. Not to mention, I really wouldn't want at all to complicate your situation any further." She tightened her hand around his. He nodded.
"Thank you, Mutsumi-san. I'm really glad I could spend this time here with you. To be by myself, thinking all this stuff over... I wouldn't have been surprised if I went stark raving mad!" She laughed.
"Aren't you halfway there already?"
"Hey! I never said that!"
"Yes you did! After the third hour of not knowing where we were in the boat, you said you felt half out of your mind!"
"Mutsumi-san, that's simply an expression!"
"Oh, of course it is. Bring out some more excuses, why don't you?"
"Mutsumi! You're not playing fair, now!" The two continued on as such for another hour at least, quietly teasing one another. It did a splendid job in taking Keitaro's mind off of the heavy events of the past little while. He relaxed. Soon, they finished their sake and went inside. Mutsumi went upstairs to her room, and her mother, Natsumi, met Keitaro on the downstairs trip.
"Ah, turning in for the night, Keitaro-kun?" She grinned at him. "The room is down the hallway to the left, right at the end. There's fresh sheets and pillowcases in the closet if the ones on the bed aren't fresh. It's been a while since anyone's used the guest room."
"Thank you, Otohime-san, but I'm sure they'll do just fine. I'm too tired to worry much about the freshness of my sheets!" He joked. She laughed.
"All right then, sleep well!" She walked up the rest of the stairs and disappeared from sight, humming to herself quietly. Keitaro made his way to his room, lay down, and sleep found him quickly. In the morning, he would be thankful that there had been no dreams.
End chapter twelve (Ending one)
((Aaah, does it ever feel good to pick that up again! I hadn't written anything in a few days, and this fic was almost starting to get that horrible "stale" feeling. I was worried for a moment there guys, but don't worry, the spark that drew me into this fic in the beginning isn't gone!! :D
This chapter's largely transitional, but it marks an important stage with Keitaro, who was the main focus. He's starting to grow more comfortable with the idea of having a kid, and not to mention, the idea of marrying Motoko has now entered his mind. [FORESHADOWING, ANYONE?!] hehe. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed, gomenasai for taking so long, and as always, PLEASE REVIEW!! :P
-Min))