A/N: Hey everyone! Thank you all for your…kind reviews and your help it is much appreciated. However, I would like point something out to some of you who gave me a couple of rather…disrespectful reviews. Not towards me, but towards a character in the anime. First of all, in case some of you didn't realize it by now but this is a Keitaro/Naru fanfic; and from a couple reviews people have shown their bitter dislike towards Naru. Now I respect the fact that you don't like her and understand your reasons for the same thing, but please do not continue sending me reviews of the nature you first sent me or I will either stop writing this story altogether or block the person from reviewing. If you will all kindly see my profile, you will notice that I do not appreciate character bashings or pairing bashings. If you do not like the character or the character pairing I'm doing, please keep it to yourself and those who share the same sentiments and not get me going on it.
As I said before, I'm still new to Love Hina but I already have made my decision on the pairing that I'm doing and supporting. I am reading the manga online since one of the reviewers gave me a site for that and I thank them for it, and already I am seeing the many things Keitaro and I have in common, which I will not go into at the moment. Now, someone also asked about the other girls, I do intend to have bigger lines for them in this story but I still need more reading time for the manga so I can do so. Some characters I already understand, but I still need to read more so I can get a better picture of the characters' personalities. So before you guys continue reading this, I would like to suggest that those who do not like Keitaro/Naru pairings or Naru in general to please discontinue reading unless they want to see the ending.
Speaking of which, I'm not the kind of guy who likes tragic endings and my story will have a happy ending. I know many of you are probably expecting a sad ending, but I'm not Shakespeare. Also, in case some of you were confused when I said I was new at this, I meant I was new at writing Love Hina fanfics in general; I've got 15 other stories on for Pete's sake! ahem Thank you.
Chapter 2
Indeed the following days at the Hinata house were not the same. After Keitaro was released from the hospital without the bandages, the girls all helped him get into the house with hardly any trouble at all. But since he was now blind, Keitaro faced even more difficulties ahead of him. Without his eyesight, he's bumping into more inanimate objects (and the girls) than ever before. Tama-chan, the little flying turtle, sort of helps Keitaro like a guide dog only she lets him set his hand on top of her shell while she guides him to the bathroom, downstairs, the hot spring, or anywhere else in the house.
The girls also lend their helping hands with Keitaro and don't bash him quite as much as they used to. Not only that, but with his sight impaired it was almost impossible for Keitaro to do any chores or cooking, so the girls were all forced to do the chores on their own, even though Keitaro does try to do them himself. Still, Keitaro has gotten better at getting around the house and keeping in tune with his other senses like his hearing and smelling. For Kitsune, she could barely sneak up on him without him hearing her footsteps and the smell of her booze (much to her dismay). They've also managed to buy Keitaro a few books written in Braille so he can get back to studying in Tokyo U with Mutsumi and Naru.
Speaking of Naru, ever since the accident, she's gone through a dramatic change herself much to the shock of all the tenants. Other than the fact that Keitaro can no longer see her or the others every time he walks in on them at the most inappropriate times, if you know what I mean, which makes it so she can't send him 'blasting off' like Team Rocket as much, but she's also toned down her temper towards him and that says a lot. Whenever Keitaro would walk on his own she would always, and I do mean always, offer to help him. Not to mention the girls every so often hear her crying at night, as does Keitaro. But what's even more strange…is the fact that she's also falling behind in her studies. That alone brings concern to everyone in the Hinata House, especially Keitaro.
"Don't you guys find it strange?" Kitsune said as the rest of the Hinata honeys all sat around the table.
"Find what strange Kitsune?" Shinobu asked looking at her foxy friend.
"That ever since the accident things have become more…shall I say…solemn around here?" Kitsune finished after sipping her cup of coffee.
"You know, come to think of it…you're right," Sarah said looking up at the ceiling in thought. "Ever since that dork lost his eyesight things have become a little more quieter around here."
Motoko sipped her tea before adding her impute. "Indeed, I have also begun to notice these changes." She sipped her tea yet again. "Urashima is more careful before he walks into the bathrooms and hot spring since he returned from the hospital a couple of weeks ago."
"Sure saved him from yours and Naru's wrath!" Su exclaimed popping her head behind the older woman, who in return nearly yelled at Su to shut up.
"Not to mention Naru-sempai has barely lost her temper ever since that event." Shinobu added with a hint of concern in her voice.
Mutsumi seemed to be the only quiet one of the bunch, other than her moments where she faints; she's not one to usually say something unless she needs to say it. Right now, she needs to say her secret. She looked at the others with a bewildered look and gulped.
"Umm…girls," She said quietly catching their attentions. "There's something I ought to tell you."
They all turned to her as she sighed and closed her eyes. They all leaned in to hear her out but for some reason she didn't speak. Su went over to her and poked her side, after she did Mutsumi slumped forward and her head fell on the table. She had another fainting spell! The girls all did a comical anime fall backwards shaking the whole room. Su then got up and started slapping Mutsumi silly.
"Wake up Frandall!" She shouted with a hyperactive voice.
Mutsumi opened her eyes slowly after the others had to pry Su away from her. "Ara? Did I have another fainting spell again?" The girls only gave a nod to her in response. "Oops…well you know me, I always seem to have that happen to me."
"What were you going to tell us Mutsumi?" Kitsune asked while opening her eyes in interest.
"Well…" Mutsumi looked downward at the table with a saddened look. "I noticed Naru has been doing something…other than crying at night."
"What do you mean something 'other'?" Motoko asked looking at the older girl with a questioning glance.
"Well, I noticed that after the first few days that Keitaro came out of the hospital she's been having a few cuts on her right arm." Mutsumi said while everyone's eyes widened slightly.
"Cuts on her arms? Where is she getting them?"
"After a couple more weeks, I went into her room to comfort her from crying again but then…" Mutsumi paused in mid-sentence remembering the sight she saw only a few days ago when she heard Naru crying again after punching Keitaro yet again when he accidentally bumped into her…ahem…chest area with his hand. "I saw her with a knife…giving herself those cuts."
"What?" Everyone cried in unison.
"She's been giving herself self-inflicted cuts!" Motoko nearly shouted.
"What's 'self-inflicted', is it yummy?" Su asked innocently only to have Motoko slap her upside the head.
"No, Su, it means she's been giving herself those cuts on purpose." Sarah said with a hint of anger and shock in her voice.
"But why would she give herself those cuts?" Shinobu asked tearfully.
"Maybe…" Motoko began that got everyone's attention. "She's doing this out of blaming herself."
"For what?" Su asked while scratching her head.
"She blames herself for what happened to Keitaro…" Kitsune said, getting what Motoko was getting at. "She did punch him far enough for him to be out there where the accident happened."
"Yes…but he also walked in on her while she was in the bathroom." Motoko said almost with a growl.
"True…but this could've happened to anyone but she feels that she's the cause for his disability." Kitsune said as everyone took in what they were saying.
"Do you think we should tell sempai?" Shinobu asked almost ready to shed tears.
"No…" Motoko said catching everyone's attention. "This is something they both have to do on their own."
"But if we don't tell him…there's no telling what Naru will do to herself." Su stated almost sadly.
"I'm sure he'll find out on his own…I hope." Kitsune replied while looking out the window towards the city.
Speaking of the couple in question, they had gone into town to get Keitaro a pair of sunglasses to help others notice his predicament. They had bought him a pair of black-framed sunglasses with orange tinted lenses that seem to reflect everything in front of him. They were in their casual clothes and walking down the sidewalk that led to the trolley to the Hinata house. Keitaro held Naru's left hand with his right as she guided him down the street to the station while he held his white cain in his left as he used it to be aware of the things on the sidewalk.
"Thanks for helping me pick out my sunglasses, Naru." Keitaro said breaking their little awkward silence.
"It's the least I could do." She replied with a small smile on her face.
"But really, you've done so much for me…I don't know how to make it up to you." Keitaro said with a smile of his own that seemed to shine his kindness.
"I know, but you really don't have to. Besides I'm sure some of the other girls would've done the same."
"But I know you would too Naru."
They both made it to the trolley and arrived at the Hinata house. Naru carefully helped Keitaro up the stairs that led them to the house and entered full of silence and ate dinner in silence as well. That night, Keitaro was willingly invited into the hot spring with the rest of the girls without them calling him a pervert or sending him to the moon. Since he was blind, he couldn't see the girls so he wasn't that much embarrassed. He was still afraid that if he touched them…incorrectly, that would happen.
Luckily for him, it didn't. Afterwards they all went to bed while Naru helped Keitaro into his bed before going up into the hole that led to her room upstairs. After she noticed he fell asleep, she covered the hole up with the plywood she used along with the little liddo-kun toy she got from Mutsumi when they were children. Afterwards she went into her drawer and pulled out a bloodstained knife and lifted her right arm sleeve.
Her arm was not a pretty sight; there were cuts that stretched from her wrist all the way down to her elbow. Some were cut in various directions and looked like nothing but scars now. Naru slowly took the knife in her left hand and brought it to the skin on her elbow, then with one small stroke she began to make another cut on her arm. Her own blood began to pour out of the arm and she hissed in pain trying to not disturb any of the other tenants or Keitaro from their slumber. After she made another cut on her arm, she covered it up with her pajamas and then put the knife away back into her drawer.
She then lied down on her futon and covered herself up with her blanket. She rolled around a little and looked at the liddo-kun plushy on the piece of plywood that led to Keitaro's room and began to cry. "Oh Keitaro…I'm so sorry." She whispered in anguish as she cried herself to a dreamless slumber.
A/N: Well I finally managed to finish a second chapter of a story without having much of writer's block. I hope I manage to continue this. Now…uses the godfather voice I'm gonna make you guys an offer you can't refuse. Goes back to his normal voice I want you to please review and for those who like my story but are not a big fan of Naru or Keitaro/Naru, you are welcome to keep reading if you don't send me any reviews that send negative comments towards Naru or Keitaro/Naru…capish? Good…now please review.