Wow! I'm amazed at all the feedback this story has received! I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, and I'd like to say that, as long as the reviews keep coming, I'll keep writing. Enjoy!
Mirrors
Andrew Joshua Talon
DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Love Hina. Bummer.
"Stupid, freaking, god damned sons of-,"Naru Narusegawa snarled, sitting in the center of her room with a scowl. She sat here, unable to think of anything else to do, given the situation.
Six. SIX! And none of them seem to LIKE ME! What's up with this?! Does this mean that, that... That he didn't like me before? What's this about? I hate Suu! I HATE HER AND HER STUPID MACHINE!
Knock knock!
"GO AWAY!" Naru shrieked, her eyes burning a demonic red. The door, instead, opened, and one of the Keitaros stepped inside, looking concerned.
"Naru, you know I can't do that," said he, his gaze filled with compassion. Naru snarled at him, to which he sighed.
"I know this is difficult for you... It's difficult for all of us-"
"No it's not!" Naru scoffed, glaring back. Kind Keitaro tilted his head quizzically, as Naru let her anger and fears out.
"None of you like me anymore! All of you are just, just..."
"We're going off with the other girls?" Asked Kind Keitaro, sitting on the floor in front of Naru. Naru gritted her teeth, and looked away, as Kind Keitaro nodded.
"I thought it might be that..."
"Aren't you 'Kind Keitaro'? Aren't you supposed to comfort me?!" Kind Keitaro sighed deeply.
"I'm the Keitaro who wants the best for everyone... And I know that that can only happen when the true problem has been addressed. Kindly, compassionately-But without the truth or heart of the matter, how can anyone actually be truly comforted?" Naru blinked at this statement, before glaring at him.
"I thought you were kind."
"I am also caring. I love you, Naru. Maybe not as much as you wish or need, or feel you need, but I do. And I care for you, and I want you to be happy. And I'm willing to help you," Kind Keitaro said, smiling back at Naru. Naru, however, had stopped processing what Keitaro was saying at I love you, Naru. She looked up at Keitaro, furiously blushing.
"You're... You're not Keitaro! None of you are!" Kind Keitaro blinked, but stayed composed.
"Yes, we are."
"No, you're not!"
"We are, Naru. As much as you don't want to admit it, we are," Kind Keitaro responded calmly, as Naru ground her teeth audibly.
"You're not! The real Keitaro, he... He said... He... He really loves me! And only me!" Kind Keitaro sighed.
"Naru... I-We love all the girls. We love all of you, not just you."
"I mean... I mean-!"
"In love?" Keitaro asked, smiling sadly. "Now that, I'm not sure about."
Naru immediately had the sensation of the entire Universe collapsing around her. The sound of shattering glass resonated throughout the room. It led both Naru and Kind Keitaro to looked around themselves for the source of the noise, but to no avail.
"So... All those times... That time by the hot springs... In Kyoto...?" Naru asked, feeling her heart break piece by piece. All it would take would be four words, fours little words... To completely shatter her.
"I... I felt... Submissive, to you. To your will, because I felt I owed you. And feeling that I owed you... Well... And, I guess... Some part of me still believes in that promise thing," Kind Keitaro continued, drawing a little closer. He looked Naru straight in the eyes, and her own gaze faltered. He sighed, cupped her face in his hands, and made her meet her gaze.
"I love you, Naru... But I don't know if I'm in love with you," Kind Keitaro continued softly. "I know you are a good and decent person inside... With a lot of fear and grief and anger. And I know... You need me, just like I needed you. But... I'm not Seta. I can't be. So... I'm not going. But I'm not... You know..." Now it was Kind Keitaro's turn to look down. Naru's resolve crumbled, as she burst into tears and began to cry softly.
"No, no... It's all right... It's all right..." Kind Keitaro murmured, taking Naru into his arms and holding her, as the red head sobbed into his chest. He rubbed her back, telling her it would be okay...
"Well, I have been wrong before," noted a calm voice behind them. Naru looked down, furiously wiping her eyes, as Kind Keitaro looked up and turned his head enough to see the door.
Brainy Keitaro and Haruka stood there, calmly observing the scene. Kind Keitaro shrugged, sighing.
"She's... Very fragile, inside. Even more so, than, say... Motoko was."
"Ironic, isn't it? She's hit us and beat us, and yet, in the end, we are her greatest weakness," Brainy Keitaro said, cocking his head. Naru scowled.
"I'm right here, you know!"
"Sorry," murmured Kind Keitaro.
"My apologies," Brainy Keitaro added.
Haruka simply stood there, puffing her cigarette.
"Those will kill you, you know," Brainy Keitaro said to his Aunt, to which Haruka narrowed her eyes. Kind Keitaro looked up at Haruka as Naru just sat in his embrace.
"Yes, Haruka... I don't want to lose you. I love you very much," Kind Keitaro added. Haruka blew a cloud of smoke, rolling her eyes.
"That's my business."
"It makes you smell like burning garbage, and it'll make you look like a ninety year-old whore," snorted a damnably familiar voice from down the hall. Everyone looked down the hallway.
"Yeah, that's right, it's me," said the Evil Keitaro, scowling. "And you're gonna get it!"
"Brother, perhaps it would be better for you to retire outside," conjectured Brainy Keitaro. "I'm sure you and Sarah can find some innocent passerbyers to harass."
"You're actually conceiving of letting him outside?" Naru hissed. Brainy Keitaro shrugged.
"He is, in a very real sense, my brother."
"HOW?! You're, at best, just clones of the same man!" Naru blasted.
"You are technically correct," Brainy Keitaro allowed. "However, since we are all born of the same genetic code, but different aural patterns that allow for our psychological variations, we are most like twin brothers... Or, in this case, hexuplets."
"Yeah! We're like a whole big family!" Kind Keitaro added, smiling broadly. Evil Keitaro rolled his eyes.
"Feh... I'm ashamed that I share any part with you! It's bad enough that I'm related to that simpering wimp, but related to a nerd and a wanna-be shrink?"
"We are all who we choose to be, Brother," Kind Keitaro stated. "While I am compassionate and caring by nature, I also have a strong will and refuse to back down." Brainy Keitaro nodded.
"Indeed. While I am possessed of incredible mental faculties, and fantastic wisdom-"
"And modesty," noted Haruka dryly, which Brainy Keitaro ignored.
"I am also compassionate and can be emotional." Brainy Keitaro shrugged. "I would liken us all to tea kettles of various thickness and material. I can be heated up, same as any of you-I simply take more time to do so. You, Brother, do not require much heat at all to boil."
"You're right. I don't," Evil Keitaro growled. "Which means I'm going to enjoy seeing just how far it takes to evaporate you!" Evil Keitaro threw a fist at Brainy Keitaro, which the intellectual ronin duplicate was able to dodge easily. He countered with a judo move, which Evil Keitaro blocked. The two began a martial arts fight that would make Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon look like a kindergarten schoolyard fight in comparison.
"What the-BROTHERS! STOP THIS AT ONCE!" Cried Kind Keitaro, trying to get up from his position on the floor. But, Naru refused to let him go. He gaped at her, as she pulled him back.
"N-Naru! I have to-"
"They can resolve it themselves," Naru murmured, burying her face into Kind Keitaro'c chest with a sigh, as Brainy and Evil Keitaro's fight moved down the hallway, both cursing and punching and kicking eachother furiously. Kind Keitaro looked desperately at Haruka, still simply standing there, smoking.
"Haruka! Please! We need to stop them and-!"
"Relax. I'll keep an eye on them. And besides, you need to keep yourself focused," Haruka noted with a small smile, closing the door and following the two fighting Keitaros as the one in Naru's room wailed for help.
Short chapter, I know. Don't worry, the next one will be longer! I promise!
In the meantime, tell me what you would like to happen to each Keitaro. Be creative! I might put your ideas to work.