Disclaimer: I own no part of LH.
It's great that so many of you like what I have thought up. I hope to continue making such quality work.
Chapter 4
Shinobu woke up about an hour and a half after Keitaro's time on the roof, completely unaware of what has happened. She got up and looked out the window. "What a beautiful morning," she said. Her thoughts quickly turned to what had happened the previous day, and in an instant, her face started turning red. "Sempai... What could have happened to make you turn your back on Naru like that?" Of course, she was well aware of what everyone thought was the answer: That Naru had finally hit him one too many times, and that opened a couple doors for the young girl. "Now's my chance to tell him how I really feel about him." A depressed expression suddenly appeared on her face. "What am I saying? He'd never be interested in me. Even if he has gotten over Naru, he'd probably choose someone more mature than me. I had better stop kidding myself."
Wiping tears from her eyes, she got dressed and made her way to the kitchen to make breakfast, but when she got there, she found a surprise waiting for her. "Hello, Shinobu. I was starting to wonder when you were going to show."
The blush on Shinobu's face returned with a vengeance. "S-Sempai?! What are you doing here?"
"Making breakfast," Keitaro said, as though it was silly to think otherwise.
"You... You didn't have to. I could have done it myself."
"I know, but you do so much around here, I just wanted to lighten the load a bit."
"But I don't mind doing chores here, I really don't."
Keitaro flashed that smile at her. "I thought not. I'd be honored if you were to join me."
Shinobu's face glowed brighter. "Y-You would?!"
"Of course! Why wouldn't I be? It's not often that I get a chance to work with such a talented and--dare I say--beautiful cook?"
Shinobu's heart skipped a beat. "Did he just say what I thought he said?!?" she thought. She then started to feel light-headed and the next thing she knew, she was in Keitaro's arms.
"Are you alright?" Keitaro asked. "Maybe you need to lie down or something."
Shinobu shook her head. "No, I'm fine," she said as she stood back upright. "He thinks I'm beautiful," she thought. "He actually thinks I'm beautiful!" She looked to Keitaro, who had returned to his cooking. "Maybe I stand a better chance than I first thought."
"Dang," Keitaro thought. "First Motoko, now Shinobu. Looks like my plan is working pretty well so far, what with the girls starting to open up to me. Actually, come to think of it, Shinobu always seems to be blushing around me. Why haven't I noticed that before? Goodness, just how clueless have I been?! Well, maybe it's time to try and get her more at ease around me. All I need is the right opportunity."
The meal-making process went by in relative silence, with the minds of both Shinobu and Keitaro going a mile a minute, though their respective trains of thought were headed in different directions. Unbeknownst to them however, they were not alone in the kitchen, as a certain someone was looking in on them.
"I don't believe this," Naru thought. "First he up on the roof doing who-knows-what to Motoko, and now he's in here with Shinobu. What could that pervert be planning? I oughta give him a piece of my mind... Wait, I have a better idea. I'm going to bring it up at breakfast; make a public spectacle out of it. He's going to regret ever being disrespectful to me."
"Whatcha doin' Naru?" a voice whispered into her ear.
Naru quickly turned around to find Kitsune's grinning face right in front of her. "Kitsune, what are doing, sneaking up on me like that?" she asked in a hushed tone to make sure she wasn't heard.
"You're one to talk," Kitsune said, poking her head around the corner for a moment to see what Naru was so interested in. "Spying on Keitaro, huh?"
"It's not what you think," Naru said. "I was just making sure he wasn't doing something he shouldn't."
"Uh huh. I'm sure that was all you were doing. Looks like I'm starting to rub off on ya." Naru just stopped listening to the fox lady and continued her observations, but Kitsune wasn't about to be ignored so easily. "You know," she said. "You can't hide it from us."
That got Naru's attention. "Hide what?"
"Why, your feelings for Keitaro, what else?"
Naru's eyes grew wide. "Are you nuts?!"
Kitsune just grinned, knowing she had just struck a nerve. "I'm not hearing a no."
"Why would I want to associate myself with a sleazy pervert like him?" Naru asked, anger starting to make itself known in her voice.
"You tell me."
Before Naru could respond to that, they heard voices coming from the kitchen. "Wow, Shinobu, this is great!" Keitaro said.
"You really think so?" Shinobu asked, as timid as ever.
"Of course," Keitaro said. "Your cooking is always wonderful. I'm glad I could be a part of it this time."
"You're always welcome to help me make the meals, Sempai. Is it alright with you if I go get the other girls?"
"Sure, go on ahead. I can finish things up here."
"Time to make ourselves scarce?" Kitsune asked.
"You read my mind," Naru said. The two sneaks rushed out of the room just before Shinobu came by, completely unaware of their prior eavesdropping.
A few minutes went by and all the girls were gathered in the dining room. The only person missing was Keitaro, but that was quickly rectified. "Good morning, ladies," he said pleasantly as he brought in a couple plates of food. "...and Naru." He knew this might turn ugly, but how would that be different from any other day?
"Why that insolent little..." Naru thought, fists clenched and eye twitching. "I ought to beat him to within an inch of his life... but then I wouldn't be able to humiliate him in front of the others. Of course, I could always kill him afterwards." As Keitaro contined to bring in food, Naru was trying to think of the most inhumane forms of torture and murder she could come up with. When Keitaro finally settled down to eat, she put those thoughts aside and proceeded with Operation: Humiliation. "Keitaro," she said. "What are you trying to pull here?"
"Here we go," Keitaro thought. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Naru," he said, stressing that last word just a bit.
"Don't give me that! You've been acting weird ever since yesterday, and I want to know why!"
Keitaro tapped his chin a couple times. "Hmm, let's see... nope, still haven't a clue."
"Really?" Naru asked. "Well, let me give you one, then. Why were you being all friendly with Shinobu earlier?"
"What? Is it suddenly illegal for me to make breakfast?"
"You're dodging the question! Don't make me beat en explanation out of you."
"Go ahead. You've hit me for less." Seeing the fire in Naru's eyes told him he'd better go along with her, lest his plan come to an abrupt halt. "Alright," he said with a sigh. "Out of everyone here, Shinobu has been the nicest to me since I first set foot here. What, you expect me not to be friendly to her?"
"I just don't want a pervert like you making moves on her, that's all. After finding out your were out on the roof doing who-knows-what to Motoko this morning, I can't take any chances."
"Oh, please. What I was doing on the roof couldn't be thought of as perverted by anyone's standards."
"Is this true, Motoko?"
"Yes," Motoko said. "He just meditated in the corner of the platform the whole time."
"Besides," Keitaro said. "Even if I did try anything, she wouldn't hesitate in delivering her usual punishment..." He turned to Motoko. "Am I right?"
"Uh, right." Motoko still felt a bit guilty about what she had almost done earlier, though she tried her best to hide it.
"I suppose if you even have Motoko vouching for your innocence, I can believe it," Naru said. "But that doesn't mean I trust you."
That was what Keitaro was waiting for. "Why?" Fire one. "Are you jealous?"
"WHAT?!! Why would I be jealous?!"
The grin that appeared on Keitaro's face was like none the girls have ever seen on him. "Think about it. You're not the only one here that could win a beauty pageant." He then glanced around the table. Suu was the only one who paid no attention to it, as she had her full attention on the food in front of her.
Kitsune chuckled a bit. "Well, he's certainly got you on that one."
"Shut up!" Naru yelled. "Why would I be envious of him? He's just a no-good perverted loser who's never had a girlfriend in his life. Plus, he failed the Toudai exam three times now!"
"You're one to talk," Kitsune said. "You're saying that as though you actually passed that exam yourself."
"Or that you've ever had a boyfriend," Keitaro added. "Big surprise, considering how violent you are. Most guys would be terrified to come within ten feet of you, much less want to get to know you." The calmness with which he said that--for that matter, how he has spoken during this entire ordeal--was unnerving.
"Dang," Kitsune thought, actually opening her eyes. "I wasn't going to go that far. I may kid around, but even I have my limits."
"You..." Naru couldn't contain her rage any longer, but her methods were somewhat altered. "You IDIOT!!" She cried as she leapt over the table and pounced on Keitaro, pinning his shoulders to the floor. "You have no right to mock me!"
"Really?" Keitaro asked, that grin still on his face. "Was that what I was doing?"
Naru's train of thought had turned to expressions that wouldn't be allowed on basic cable, but kept it inside for the sake of the minors in the room. However, her actions told a different story as her hands wrapped around Keitaro's throat and began choking the life out of him.
"Naru, what are you doing?!" Shinobu shrieked. However, Naru didn't listen, as she was intent on killing the man who dared poke fun at her expense.
"Naru, stop it!" Kitsune said as she and Motoko grabbed each arm and pulled Naru away from Keitaro.
"NO!" Naru yelled as she struggled to get free. "Why are you stopping me?!"
"You need to calm down, Naru," Motoko said.
"No, he needs to die!" Naru would continue to rant as she was dragged up to her room.
"Sempai, are you alright?" Shinobu asked, fearing the worst.
"I'll be fine," Keitaro said, sitting up and catching his breath. "That was a close one," he thought. "Good thing Kitsune and Motoko saved me. For my own safety, maybe I should tone it down just a bit."
A couple minutes later, Kitsune and Motoko returned. "Wow," Kitsune said. "I have never seen Naru that angry before in all my life; not even at you." She sat back down next to him. "Keitaro, I gotta tell you; about what you did just know..." She wrapped an arm around Keitaro's shoulder. "I am so proud of you! You stared death right in the face and didn't even blink!"
"Eh, she had it coming," Keitaro said.
"There you go again," Kitsune said. "Trying not to make a big deal out of it. Let me tell you, this is a big deal. Any doubts I had about you are gone; you are a changed man, and I like what I see."
"As long as they don't figure out my deception," Keitaro thought. "That's all that matters."
"Is Naru going to be alright?" Shinobu asked. Keitaro was secretly wondering this as well.
"She has calmed down somewhat," Motoko said. "But it may not take much for her to explode again. Urashima, I think you should try to avoid her as much as possible in the near future."
"I was just thinking the same thing," Keitaro said. "I'm not exactly in the mood to be talking to her anyway." "At least not until I have something else planned for her," he thought. "Man, I hope I don't go too far with this. I may not survive to see the end."
End of Chapter 4
And round one comes to a close. What will happen in round two? Find out next time. See you then! Please R&R!
It's great that so many of you like what I have thought up. I hope to continue making such quality work.
Chapter 4
Shinobu woke up about an hour and a half after Keitaro's time on the roof, completely unaware of what has happened. She got up and looked out the window. "What a beautiful morning," she said. Her thoughts quickly turned to what had happened the previous day, and in an instant, her face started turning red. "Sempai... What could have happened to make you turn your back on Naru like that?" Of course, she was well aware of what everyone thought was the answer: That Naru had finally hit him one too many times, and that opened a couple doors for the young girl. "Now's my chance to tell him how I really feel about him." A depressed expression suddenly appeared on her face. "What am I saying? He'd never be interested in me. Even if he has gotten over Naru, he'd probably choose someone more mature than me. I had better stop kidding myself."
Wiping tears from her eyes, she got dressed and made her way to the kitchen to make breakfast, but when she got there, she found a surprise waiting for her. "Hello, Shinobu. I was starting to wonder when you were going to show."
The blush on Shinobu's face returned with a vengeance. "S-Sempai?! What are you doing here?"
"Making breakfast," Keitaro said, as though it was silly to think otherwise.
"You... You didn't have to. I could have done it myself."
"I know, but you do so much around here, I just wanted to lighten the load a bit."
"But I don't mind doing chores here, I really don't."
Keitaro flashed that smile at her. "I thought not. I'd be honored if you were to join me."
Shinobu's face glowed brighter. "Y-You would?!"
"Of course! Why wouldn't I be? It's not often that I get a chance to work with such a talented and--dare I say--beautiful cook?"
Shinobu's heart skipped a beat. "Did he just say what I thought he said?!?" she thought. She then started to feel light-headed and the next thing she knew, she was in Keitaro's arms.
"Are you alright?" Keitaro asked. "Maybe you need to lie down or something."
Shinobu shook her head. "No, I'm fine," she said as she stood back upright. "He thinks I'm beautiful," she thought. "He actually thinks I'm beautiful!" She looked to Keitaro, who had returned to his cooking. "Maybe I stand a better chance than I first thought."
"Dang," Keitaro thought. "First Motoko, now Shinobu. Looks like my plan is working pretty well so far, what with the girls starting to open up to me. Actually, come to think of it, Shinobu always seems to be blushing around me. Why haven't I noticed that before? Goodness, just how clueless have I been?! Well, maybe it's time to try and get her more at ease around me. All I need is the right opportunity."
The meal-making process went by in relative silence, with the minds of both Shinobu and Keitaro going a mile a minute, though their respective trains of thought were headed in different directions. Unbeknownst to them however, they were not alone in the kitchen, as a certain someone was looking in on them.
"I don't believe this," Naru thought. "First he up on the roof doing who-knows-what to Motoko, and now he's in here with Shinobu. What could that pervert be planning? I oughta give him a piece of my mind... Wait, I have a better idea. I'm going to bring it up at breakfast; make a public spectacle out of it. He's going to regret ever being disrespectful to me."
"Whatcha doin' Naru?" a voice whispered into her ear.
Naru quickly turned around to find Kitsune's grinning face right in front of her. "Kitsune, what are doing, sneaking up on me like that?" she asked in a hushed tone to make sure she wasn't heard.
"You're one to talk," Kitsune said, poking her head around the corner for a moment to see what Naru was so interested in. "Spying on Keitaro, huh?"
"It's not what you think," Naru said. "I was just making sure he wasn't doing something he shouldn't."
"Uh huh. I'm sure that was all you were doing. Looks like I'm starting to rub off on ya." Naru just stopped listening to the fox lady and continued her observations, but Kitsune wasn't about to be ignored so easily. "You know," she said. "You can't hide it from us."
That got Naru's attention. "Hide what?"
"Why, your feelings for Keitaro, what else?"
Naru's eyes grew wide. "Are you nuts?!"
Kitsune just grinned, knowing she had just struck a nerve. "I'm not hearing a no."
"Why would I want to associate myself with a sleazy pervert like him?" Naru asked, anger starting to make itself known in her voice.
"You tell me."
Before Naru could respond to that, they heard voices coming from the kitchen. "Wow, Shinobu, this is great!" Keitaro said.
"You really think so?" Shinobu asked, as timid as ever.
"Of course," Keitaro said. "Your cooking is always wonderful. I'm glad I could be a part of it this time."
"You're always welcome to help me make the meals, Sempai. Is it alright with you if I go get the other girls?"
"Sure, go on ahead. I can finish things up here."
"Time to make ourselves scarce?" Kitsune asked.
"You read my mind," Naru said. The two sneaks rushed out of the room just before Shinobu came by, completely unaware of their prior eavesdropping.
A few minutes went by and all the girls were gathered in the dining room. The only person missing was Keitaro, but that was quickly rectified. "Good morning, ladies," he said pleasantly as he brought in a couple plates of food. "...and Naru." He knew this might turn ugly, but how would that be different from any other day?
"Why that insolent little..." Naru thought, fists clenched and eye twitching. "I ought to beat him to within an inch of his life... but then I wouldn't be able to humiliate him in front of the others. Of course, I could always kill him afterwards." As Keitaro contined to bring in food, Naru was trying to think of the most inhumane forms of torture and murder she could come up with. When Keitaro finally settled down to eat, she put those thoughts aside and proceeded with Operation: Humiliation. "Keitaro," she said. "What are you trying to pull here?"
"Here we go," Keitaro thought. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Naru," he said, stressing that last word just a bit.
"Don't give me that! You've been acting weird ever since yesterday, and I want to know why!"
Keitaro tapped his chin a couple times. "Hmm, let's see... nope, still haven't a clue."
"Really?" Naru asked. "Well, let me give you one, then. Why were you being all friendly with Shinobu earlier?"
"What? Is it suddenly illegal for me to make breakfast?"
"You're dodging the question! Don't make me beat en explanation out of you."
"Go ahead. You've hit me for less." Seeing the fire in Naru's eyes told him he'd better go along with her, lest his plan come to an abrupt halt. "Alright," he said with a sigh. "Out of everyone here, Shinobu has been the nicest to me since I first set foot here. What, you expect me not to be friendly to her?"
"I just don't want a pervert like you making moves on her, that's all. After finding out your were out on the roof doing who-knows-what to Motoko this morning, I can't take any chances."
"Oh, please. What I was doing on the roof couldn't be thought of as perverted by anyone's standards."
"Is this true, Motoko?"
"Yes," Motoko said. "He just meditated in the corner of the platform the whole time."
"Besides," Keitaro said. "Even if I did try anything, she wouldn't hesitate in delivering her usual punishment..." He turned to Motoko. "Am I right?"
"Uh, right." Motoko still felt a bit guilty about what she had almost done earlier, though she tried her best to hide it.
"I suppose if you even have Motoko vouching for your innocence, I can believe it," Naru said. "But that doesn't mean I trust you."
That was what Keitaro was waiting for. "Why?" Fire one. "Are you jealous?"
"WHAT?!! Why would I be jealous?!"
The grin that appeared on Keitaro's face was like none the girls have ever seen on him. "Think about it. You're not the only one here that could win a beauty pageant." He then glanced around the table. Suu was the only one who paid no attention to it, as she had her full attention on the food in front of her.
Kitsune chuckled a bit. "Well, he's certainly got you on that one."
"Shut up!" Naru yelled. "Why would I be envious of him? He's just a no-good perverted loser who's never had a girlfriend in his life. Plus, he failed the Toudai exam three times now!"
"You're one to talk," Kitsune said. "You're saying that as though you actually passed that exam yourself."
"Or that you've ever had a boyfriend," Keitaro added. "Big surprise, considering how violent you are. Most guys would be terrified to come within ten feet of you, much less want to get to know you." The calmness with which he said that--for that matter, how he has spoken during this entire ordeal--was unnerving.
"Dang," Kitsune thought, actually opening her eyes. "I wasn't going to go that far. I may kid around, but even I have my limits."
"You..." Naru couldn't contain her rage any longer, but her methods were somewhat altered. "You IDIOT!!" She cried as she leapt over the table and pounced on Keitaro, pinning his shoulders to the floor. "You have no right to mock me!"
"Really?" Keitaro asked, that grin still on his face. "Was that what I was doing?"
Naru's train of thought had turned to expressions that wouldn't be allowed on basic cable, but kept it inside for the sake of the minors in the room. However, her actions told a different story as her hands wrapped around Keitaro's throat and began choking the life out of him.
"Naru, what are you doing?!" Shinobu shrieked. However, Naru didn't listen, as she was intent on killing the man who dared poke fun at her expense.
"Naru, stop it!" Kitsune said as she and Motoko grabbed each arm and pulled Naru away from Keitaro.
"NO!" Naru yelled as she struggled to get free. "Why are you stopping me?!"
"You need to calm down, Naru," Motoko said.
"No, he needs to die!" Naru would continue to rant as she was dragged up to her room.
"Sempai, are you alright?" Shinobu asked, fearing the worst.
"I'll be fine," Keitaro said, sitting up and catching his breath. "That was a close one," he thought. "Good thing Kitsune and Motoko saved me. For my own safety, maybe I should tone it down just a bit."
A couple minutes later, Kitsune and Motoko returned. "Wow," Kitsune said. "I have never seen Naru that angry before in all my life; not even at you." She sat back down next to him. "Keitaro, I gotta tell you; about what you did just know..." She wrapped an arm around Keitaro's shoulder. "I am so proud of you! You stared death right in the face and didn't even blink!"
"Eh, she had it coming," Keitaro said.
"There you go again," Kitsune said. "Trying not to make a big deal out of it. Let me tell you, this is a big deal. Any doubts I had about you are gone; you are a changed man, and I like what I see."
"As long as they don't figure out my deception," Keitaro thought. "That's all that matters."
"Is Naru going to be alright?" Shinobu asked. Keitaro was secretly wondering this as well.
"She has calmed down somewhat," Motoko said. "But it may not take much for her to explode again. Urashima, I think you should try to avoid her as much as possible in the near future."
"I was just thinking the same thing," Keitaro said. "I'm not exactly in the mood to be talking to her anyway." "At least not until I have something else planned for her," he thought. "Man, I hope I don't go too far with this. I may not survive to see the end."
End of Chapter 4
And round one comes to a close. What will happen in round two? Find out next time. See you then! Please R&R!