Disclaimer: I own no part of Love Hina.
Perhaps this chapter will appease some of you dark fic fans a bit.
Chapter 3
For Naru, saying that the rest of that day was frustrating would have been a grave understatement. The whole time, Keitaro seemed to pay more attention to the other girls than herself, and when he did turn his sights on her, it was never in a friendly, kind-hearted manner like he used to do concerning her. It it's place was a kind of expression that seemed to say "Yeah, you're there, so what?"
This blantant disregard for her only worked to make her angrier than she already was, and she wanted nothing more than to send him sky high like she always would, but suddenly found that task harder than usual, as the other girls were quick to come to his defense. Sure, from Shinobu it was to be expected, but this support came from everyone--Kitsune, Suu, and even Motoko. She went to bed that night wondering what the heck was going on, how and why Keitaro's personality changed like it did and why the others appeared so unfazed by it, as though nothing had changed.
Naru wasn't the only one who was negatively affected by this, as Keitaro himself felt like he was committing the worst kind betrayal known to man, and his heart ached knowing that he was treating his beloved as badly as he was. However, he knew that if he stopped moving along his current path, the string of constant abuse would resume, and perhaps even intensify because of what he had done. He knew he had to stick with it to the end, when, hopefully, everything will work out for the best.
Despite his inner torment, he had to admit that this did have its upsides. While it was obvious that his actions were having a negative effect on Naru, it was having a positive effet on the other girls. They appeared to prefer this new confidence over the old cowardice. This convinced him to broaden his horizons a bit. Granted, the main objective of this project is still to find out Naru's true feelings concerning him, but now, he decided to do the same with everyone else; to figure out things that his natural cluelessness prevented him from seeing sooner.
---
Naru ran down the sidewalk, a look of terror etched on her face. She did not know what exactly she was running from, nor for how long; all she knew was that if she stopped for any reason, the end result would be nothing short of disastrous. She looked back to see what was chasing her, but could only see the thick fog that had settled around her in a matter of moments, preventing her from seeing any farther than a few feet.
Naru was so preocupied with might be behind her, she was completely unaware of what was in front of her. This caused her to run headlong into something, knocking her down in the process. "I'm sorry, I--" Her breath caught in her throat when saw who it was that she had rammed into.
"Hello, Naru," Keitaro said, now towering over the younger girl.
"Oh, Keitaro, it's you," Naru said, the unfamiliar feeling of helplessness washing over her. "I'm sorry I ran into you, but there's something trying to get me." She slowly got to her feet, looking back the whole time.
"Is there now?" Keitaro asked, amused by Naru's plight. "And what do you expect me to do?"
Naru was shocked by Keitaro's tone of voice. In the past, he would bend over backwards to help her, but now, it seemed as though he couldn't care less. "Keitaro..." she said, slowly approaching him. "Is something wrong?"
Keitaro's grin turned into a sneer as he shoved Naru back down onto the ground as soon as she was within arm's reach. "You have no idea, do you?" he asked. "For as long as I've known you, you've done almost nothing except push me around, knock me down and beat me when I got there. You deserve no help from me."
Four shadowy figures appeared behind Keitaro. Naru couldn't put her finger on it, but they looked familiar somehow. From them came the most sinister laughter Naru had ever heard. She looked on as one of them handed something to Keitaro, and she gave a look of absolute horror when she saw what it was.
"You know," Keitaro said, examining the gun he now held in his hand. "I once held a place in my heart, just for you. Now, all that's left of it is a gaping hole. I think it's only fair that I return the favor, don't you?"
"Y-Y-You can't be serious, can you?!" Naru asked frantically.
"Good bye, Naru," Keitaro said, leveling the firearm at her chest. "You will not be missed." He then pulled the trigger.
---
Naru woke up in a cold sweat, the sound of a gunshot echoing in her mind. She sat up on her futon, spending the next few moments trying to get her heart rate and her breathing back to normal levels, her dream replaying itself in her head the whole time. To say that she was creeped out by it would not have done her justice. "Where did that one come from?" she asked herself. Granted, she has had violent dreams before, but this was the first she was taking it instead of dishing it out. "It's all that stupid baka's fault. Where does he get off, blowing me off like he did yesterday? And why were the others defending him like they were? None of this makes any sense at all."
She looked toward the window; daybreak has just gotten underway. "He's going to pay for invading my dreams," she thought, turning her gaze at the plywood cover that separated her target's quarters from her own. She quickly removed said cover and jumped down into the landlord's room. "Keitaro, you--" She stopped when she saw that Keitaro wasn't there. "Where is that idiot? What could he be up to this early in the morning?"
Had he known what could have happened to him, he should have considered himself lucky, which would have been a change of pace to say the least, but he was too preoccupied by the thoughts milling through his brain at the time to even consider it. For him, the previous day was spent taking notes concerning the personalities of all the girls, save Naru. Today, he would get to know them even better, and he knew exactly where to start.
Just ten minutes before Naru's intrusion, Keitaro stepped out of his room, making sure to be as quiet as possible, so as not to wake anyone up. Of course, he was sure there was somebody was already awake besides himself, which was why he made the effort to get up this early in the first place. When he got to the roof, he was a bit surprised to find his target not there. "Where is she?" he asked himself.
"Where's who?"
Keitaro turned around to find Motoko walking towards him. "Dang, I actually beat her here," he thought. "I didn't see that coming." Despite the surprise, Keitaro kept his cool. "Oh, there you are. I was just coming up here to see if I could meditate with you for a while. Is that alright with you?"
Now it was Motoko's turn to be surprised. Never before has Keitaro participated in any aspect of Motoko's training--at least not willingly. Then again, after seeing what appeared to be a period of change in Keitaro's life, one should expect the unexpected. "Is there any particular reason why?" she asked.
"I just thought you would like some company," Keitaro said, to a point, thinking on his feet. "You must feel pretty lonely being up here alone every morning."
"Not really, but I don't mind you joining me this one time. However, I usually do not begin meditation until after my sword training."
"I understand." Keitaro started walking towards the far corner of the platform. "I will keep out of your way, then. I wouldn't want you to strike me--accidental or otherwise."
In complete silence, Motoko watched Keitaro take a seat. "I'm still struggling to believe it," she thought. "Urashima has always been a spineless pervert, but now..." She actively avoided looking at Keitaro as she walked out onto the roof to begin her regimen. "Now, I don't know what to think. He appears more confident now than ever before, yet he has lost none of his kindness--except when it comes to Naru, that is. What could have happened to him to make his personality shift so much in such a short amount of time?"
As hard as she tried, she found her gaze drawn to Keitaro like he was a magnet. "Though I must admit, his change was difinitely for the better." After a few minutes of this, Motoko felt her heart rate slowly increase, and it was obvious a good portion of the blood was going to her face, and she was grateful that Keitaro had his eyes closed in meditation the whole time. "What is coming over me? It's not possible that I could be... attracted to him, could I?" She quickly shook her head. "No, that can't be it. He is a vile, perverted man, and I shall have nothing to do with him." The way she thought that last part made it appear she was trying to convince herself that.
Motoko wasn't the only one sorting things out in their mind, as Keitaro was doing the exact same thing. However, while Motoko was debating over her feelings for the landlord (or lack thereof), he was planning out the events of the rest of the day. With these plans came contingency plans, most of which involving Naru in some way or another. He knew that if he was to go on with what he wanted to accomplish, he had to cover as many bases as possible, since being caught off guard might screw up the whole thing.
He didn't know exactly how long he had been "meditating", but when he finally opened his eyes, he found Motoko staring at him. As soon as she realized this, she quickly turned away in an effort to hide her blushing face. "Motoko?" Keitaro asked.
"Y-Yes?"
"Is there something wrong?"
"No, nothing at all," Motoko said, laughing nervously. "Why would there be anything wrong?"
"Alright, then," Keitaro said, getting up. "But if you ever need anyone to talk to, I'd be happy to help in any way I can."
Motoko spared a glance back at Keitaro, and she could swear her heart just skipped a beat. "That smile..." She thought. Never before had Keitaro made a look like that towards her, and it only served to add fuel to the fire. All these unfamiliar emotiond were beginning to overwhelm her, and she did what any rational girl would do in her situation.
Keitaro looked on as Motoko unsheathed her sword; he knew what was about to happen, even though he had no earthly idea as to why. However, he did know that if he put up a resistance, it might only provoke her further, so he did the only thing he could think of. "Go ahead," he said, spreading his arms out wide. "I don't know what I may have done to deserve it this time, but if you feel it has to be done, then hit me."
Motoko's grip on her sword started to loosen. She just realized she was about to strike someone for no reason than to release pent up emotion. Ashamed, she put her sword away. "I apologize, Urashima. You have done nothing wrong. I was just... um, well..."
"Don't worry about it," Keitaro said. "I'm sure everything will work out fine in the end. I'm going to go get some extra sleep in before breakfast. See you then." As he went down the stairs, the wheels were turning in his head. "She was blushing just now," he thought. "I may be making progress faster than I thought I would."
"Why?" Motoko thought after Keitaro was out of sight. "Why was I about to strike a defenseless innocent? He had done absolutely nothing wrong, yet I was about to attack him as though he had just murdered my kin." Before her mind could get any more muddled, she heard voices coming from the hallway.
"There you are." Motoko instantly recognized Naru's voice. "And just where have you been?"
"Out on the roof with Motoko," Keitaro said, adopting his offhand persona yet again. "What's it to you?"
Motoko knew what was about to happen. "What did you just say?" Naru asked, her tone sounding angrier than before.
"You heard me," Keitaro said.
Not another word was said between the two, but the sound of Naru's fist hitting Keitaro's face was unmistakable. Moments later, Motoko saw Keitaro reappear onto the roof, this time rolling up the stairs from the force of the blow. "Urashima, are you alright?" she asked, rushing to his side.
"Yeah," Keitaro said, staggering a bit to his feet. "I'll be fine." He flashed Motoko another smile before going back downstairs, leaving Motoko in a state of bewilderment.
"What could have brought about this change in you, Urashima?" Motoko thought. The next thing that came to her mind would come as a great surprise to her, and understandably so. "And why didn't it happen sooner?"
End of Chapter 3
And the seeds have begun to be sown. What will happen next? Find out next time. Please R&R!
Perhaps this chapter will appease some of you dark fic fans a bit.
Chapter 3
For Naru, saying that the rest of that day was frustrating would have been a grave understatement. The whole time, Keitaro seemed to pay more attention to the other girls than herself, and when he did turn his sights on her, it was never in a friendly, kind-hearted manner like he used to do concerning her. It it's place was a kind of expression that seemed to say "Yeah, you're there, so what?"
This blantant disregard for her only worked to make her angrier than she already was, and she wanted nothing more than to send him sky high like she always would, but suddenly found that task harder than usual, as the other girls were quick to come to his defense. Sure, from Shinobu it was to be expected, but this support came from everyone--Kitsune, Suu, and even Motoko. She went to bed that night wondering what the heck was going on, how and why Keitaro's personality changed like it did and why the others appeared so unfazed by it, as though nothing had changed.
Naru wasn't the only one who was negatively affected by this, as Keitaro himself felt like he was committing the worst kind betrayal known to man, and his heart ached knowing that he was treating his beloved as badly as he was. However, he knew that if he stopped moving along his current path, the string of constant abuse would resume, and perhaps even intensify because of what he had done. He knew he had to stick with it to the end, when, hopefully, everything will work out for the best.
Despite his inner torment, he had to admit that this did have its upsides. While it was obvious that his actions were having a negative effect on Naru, it was having a positive effet on the other girls. They appeared to prefer this new confidence over the old cowardice. This convinced him to broaden his horizons a bit. Granted, the main objective of this project is still to find out Naru's true feelings concerning him, but now, he decided to do the same with everyone else; to figure out things that his natural cluelessness prevented him from seeing sooner.
---
Naru ran down the sidewalk, a look of terror etched on her face. She did not know what exactly she was running from, nor for how long; all she knew was that if she stopped for any reason, the end result would be nothing short of disastrous. She looked back to see what was chasing her, but could only see the thick fog that had settled around her in a matter of moments, preventing her from seeing any farther than a few feet.
Naru was so preocupied with might be behind her, she was completely unaware of what was in front of her. This caused her to run headlong into something, knocking her down in the process. "I'm sorry, I--" Her breath caught in her throat when saw who it was that she had rammed into.
"Hello, Naru," Keitaro said, now towering over the younger girl.
"Oh, Keitaro, it's you," Naru said, the unfamiliar feeling of helplessness washing over her. "I'm sorry I ran into you, but there's something trying to get me." She slowly got to her feet, looking back the whole time.
"Is there now?" Keitaro asked, amused by Naru's plight. "And what do you expect me to do?"
Naru was shocked by Keitaro's tone of voice. In the past, he would bend over backwards to help her, but now, it seemed as though he couldn't care less. "Keitaro..." she said, slowly approaching him. "Is something wrong?"
Keitaro's grin turned into a sneer as he shoved Naru back down onto the ground as soon as she was within arm's reach. "You have no idea, do you?" he asked. "For as long as I've known you, you've done almost nothing except push me around, knock me down and beat me when I got there. You deserve no help from me."
Four shadowy figures appeared behind Keitaro. Naru couldn't put her finger on it, but they looked familiar somehow. From them came the most sinister laughter Naru had ever heard. She looked on as one of them handed something to Keitaro, and she gave a look of absolute horror when she saw what it was.
"You know," Keitaro said, examining the gun he now held in his hand. "I once held a place in my heart, just for you. Now, all that's left of it is a gaping hole. I think it's only fair that I return the favor, don't you?"
"Y-Y-You can't be serious, can you?!" Naru asked frantically.
"Good bye, Naru," Keitaro said, leveling the firearm at her chest. "You will not be missed." He then pulled the trigger.
---
Naru woke up in a cold sweat, the sound of a gunshot echoing in her mind. She sat up on her futon, spending the next few moments trying to get her heart rate and her breathing back to normal levels, her dream replaying itself in her head the whole time. To say that she was creeped out by it would not have done her justice. "Where did that one come from?" she asked herself. Granted, she has had violent dreams before, but this was the first she was taking it instead of dishing it out. "It's all that stupid baka's fault. Where does he get off, blowing me off like he did yesterday? And why were the others defending him like they were? None of this makes any sense at all."
She looked toward the window; daybreak has just gotten underway. "He's going to pay for invading my dreams," she thought, turning her gaze at the plywood cover that separated her target's quarters from her own. She quickly removed said cover and jumped down into the landlord's room. "Keitaro, you--" She stopped when she saw that Keitaro wasn't there. "Where is that idiot? What could he be up to this early in the morning?"
Had he known what could have happened to him, he should have considered himself lucky, which would have been a change of pace to say the least, but he was too preoccupied by the thoughts milling through his brain at the time to even consider it. For him, the previous day was spent taking notes concerning the personalities of all the girls, save Naru. Today, he would get to know them even better, and he knew exactly where to start.
Just ten minutes before Naru's intrusion, Keitaro stepped out of his room, making sure to be as quiet as possible, so as not to wake anyone up. Of course, he was sure there was somebody was already awake besides himself, which was why he made the effort to get up this early in the first place. When he got to the roof, he was a bit surprised to find his target not there. "Where is she?" he asked himself.
"Where's who?"
Keitaro turned around to find Motoko walking towards him. "Dang, I actually beat her here," he thought. "I didn't see that coming." Despite the surprise, Keitaro kept his cool. "Oh, there you are. I was just coming up here to see if I could meditate with you for a while. Is that alright with you?"
Now it was Motoko's turn to be surprised. Never before has Keitaro participated in any aspect of Motoko's training--at least not willingly. Then again, after seeing what appeared to be a period of change in Keitaro's life, one should expect the unexpected. "Is there any particular reason why?" she asked.
"I just thought you would like some company," Keitaro said, to a point, thinking on his feet. "You must feel pretty lonely being up here alone every morning."
"Not really, but I don't mind you joining me this one time. However, I usually do not begin meditation until after my sword training."
"I understand." Keitaro started walking towards the far corner of the platform. "I will keep out of your way, then. I wouldn't want you to strike me--accidental or otherwise."
In complete silence, Motoko watched Keitaro take a seat. "I'm still struggling to believe it," she thought. "Urashima has always been a spineless pervert, but now..." She actively avoided looking at Keitaro as she walked out onto the roof to begin her regimen. "Now, I don't know what to think. He appears more confident now than ever before, yet he has lost none of his kindness--except when it comes to Naru, that is. What could have happened to him to make his personality shift so much in such a short amount of time?"
As hard as she tried, she found her gaze drawn to Keitaro like he was a magnet. "Though I must admit, his change was difinitely for the better." After a few minutes of this, Motoko felt her heart rate slowly increase, and it was obvious a good portion of the blood was going to her face, and she was grateful that Keitaro had his eyes closed in meditation the whole time. "What is coming over me? It's not possible that I could be... attracted to him, could I?" She quickly shook her head. "No, that can't be it. He is a vile, perverted man, and I shall have nothing to do with him." The way she thought that last part made it appear she was trying to convince herself that.
Motoko wasn't the only one sorting things out in their mind, as Keitaro was doing the exact same thing. However, while Motoko was debating over her feelings for the landlord (or lack thereof), he was planning out the events of the rest of the day. With these plans came contingency plans, most of which involving Naru in some way or another. He knew that if he was to go on with what he wanted to accomplish, he had to cover as many bases as possible, since being caught off guard might screw up the whole thing.
He didn't know exactly how long he had been "meditating", but when he finally opened his eyes, he found Motoko staring at him. As soon as she realized this, she quickly turned away in an effort to hide her blushing face. "Motoko?" Keitaro asked.
"Y-Yes?"
"Is there something wrong?"
"No, nothing at all," Motoko said, laughing nervously. "Why would there be anything wrong?"
"Alright, then," Keitaro said, getting up. "But if you ever need anyone to talk to, I'd be happy to help in any way I can."
Motoko spared a glance back at Keitaro, and she could swear her heart just skipped a beat. "That smile..." She thought. Never before had Keitaro made a look like that towards her, and it only served to add fuel to the fire. All these unfamiliar emotiond were beginning to overwhelm her, and she did what any rational girl would do in her situation.
Keitaro looked on as Motoko unsheathed her sword; he knew what was about to happen, even though he had no earthly idea as to why. However, he did know that if he put up a resistance, it might only provoke her further, so he did the only thing he could think of. "Go ahead," he said, spreading his arms out wide. "I don't know what I may have done to deserve it this time, but if you feel it has to be done, then hit me."
Motoko's grip on her sword started to loosen. She just realized she was about to strike someone for no reason than to release pent up emotion. Ashamed, she put her sword away. "I apologize, Urashima. You have done nothing wrong. I was just... um, well..."
"Don't worry about it," Keitaro said. "I'm sure everything will work out fine in the end. I'm going to go get some extra sleep in before breakfast. See you then." As he went down the stairs, the wheels were turning in his head. "She was blushing just now," he thought. "I may be making progress faster than I thought I would."
"Why?" Motoko thought after Keitaro was out of sight. "Why was I about to strike a defenseless innocent? He had done absolutely nothing wrong, yet I was about to attack him as though he had just murdered my kin." Before her mind could get any more muddled, she heard voices coming from the hallway.
"There you are." Motoko instantly recognized Naru's voice. "And just where have you been?"
"Out on the roof with Motoko," Keitaro said, adopting his offhand persona yet again. "What's it to you?"
Motoko knew what was about to happen. "What did you just say?" Naru asked, her tone sounding angrier than before.
"You heard me," Keitaro said.
Not another word was said between the two, but the sound of Naru's fist hitting Keitaro's face was unmistakable. Moments later, Motoko saw Keitaro reappear onto the roof, this time rolling up the stairs from the force of the blow. "Urashima, are you alright?" she asked, rushing to his side.
"Yeah," Keitaro said, staggering a bit to his feet. "I'll be fine." He flashed Motoko another smile before going back downstairs, leaving Motoko in a state of bewilderment.
"What could have brought about this change in you, Urashima?" Motoko thought. The next thing that came to her mind would come as a great surprise to her, and understandably so. "And why didn't it happen sooner?"
End of Chapter 3
And the seeds have begun to be sown. What will happen next? Find out next time. Please R&R!