Note: I do not own Love Hina, or any other intellectual properties. They are all copyrights of their respectful owners. The rest, however, is MINE, BEE-YOTCHES!
Allow me to note in advance that I'm no expert in psychology, or anything of the sort. I just watch lots of Evangelion.
Hanenoname – I'm not sure, but I will have Shinobu master this new power of hers either in this chapter or the next.
VoidHawk – You're right about one thing, this Shinobu is awesome. I myself didn't realize how strong she would really be. I have taken your ideas into consideration, and I really like it; who knows, they may come in handy someday.
NefCanuck – Indeed it should. Well just see what happens from here.
Drgnmastr-Alex – Keep writing and I'll be glad to drop on by for a review.
Lord Cynic – It's all her newfound split personality, my friend.
de bombz, great redwyrm, and tomdj1701– Thanks for the comments. I appreciate them.
bluezone777 of the Dark Icon Writers – I believe I have you to thank for the Naru bashing. Love Hina: Evil Edition is what I like to call the Evangelion of Naru bashing.
Hotstreak RMD – Wuai! Thanks for that comment. (I just can't get over it.)
BigFics – My apologies about what happened to your account, dude. Anyways, thanks for your comments. About the barrier, it doesn't really have anything to do with the annex; the barrier was created by Shinobu to protect herself and Keitaro. Like I said to Havenoname, I'll have Shinobu master this power of hers, soon, which is where the Negima part of it will really start to kick in.
Well, here we go.
There seems to be some sort of magic barrier protecting Keitaro and Shinobu. The barrier just becomes visible, with a faint violet glow.
"What is this about?" Naru asks.
"I made a decision. I won't allow you girls to hurt him anymore! Understand? SEMPAI IS MINE!" Everyone stands there with their eyes the size of vinyl records over what she said, including Keitaro. A second later, Shinobu also displays a look of pure shock. She knew now that instead of trying to suppress this other self, this split personality, she did the exact opposite: she let it take complete control of her. She realizes now and there, that it she may not be able to conquer it alone.
GYRAX Presents…
Awe of She
Chapter 3: Paradise for the Mind, Body, and Soul
Shinobu lowers her arms, and the barrier begins to dissipate. Afterwards, she looks at the other girls, as she stands there motionless.
Naru stares at her, with her head racing. I can't believe she went as far as to say something like that in front of all of us. She actually confessed her love for him, completely out of the blue. Does this mean… no way. It can't be!
Motoko takes a couple steps towards Shinobu, pretty sure that it's safe, but still cautiously just to be on the safe side. "Shinobu? I sense a strange aura emitting out of you, as if you yourself are trying to suppress this demon possessing you. Are you?"
Shinobu quickly reacts by spreading her arms out and producing the barrier again. Motoko made a smart move to approach with caution, as she's glad that she didn't run into the barrier again. Shinobu stares down the girls as she remains at her spot in front of Keitaro. "You're not going to hurt Sempai, are you?"
I guess not. Motoko thinks, as she sees the barrier, and then looks back at the blue-haired girl in front of her.
Naru takes another step forward. "We're not going to hurt him. We're worried about you. You're not acting yourself, Shinobu. We're worried something might have happened to you."
Shinobu pauses for a moment, her face turning from anger to shock. Shinobu lowers her arms again, and the barrier begins to dissipate. Afterwards, she looks at the other girls, as she stands there motionless. She slowly walks out of the room, but before she goes past the door, she takes one more look at them. "If you ever hurt Sempai again, I'll see to it that…" She trails off and leaves the room.
The girls watch her, and then turn back to Keitaro. The poor ronin just sits there in a state of confusion. "What on earth was up with her?" Keitaro asks. "Did she just say she loved me?"
"I'm at a loss for words, right now." Kitsune says. "I'm going to my room, I need some alone time to pinch myself." She leaves.
"It's the demon possessing her." Motoko says. "I tried to stop it once, but I was attacked by what I thought was a turtle, but turned out to be a stuffed animal. This demon's clever; I'll give it that, but what I don't understand is what this thing's motive is. It seems like it's feeding off of Shinobu's affections for Urashima."
"You're saying," Naru replies. "That Shinobu's possessed." A sweat drop appears on her head.
"That's the best answer I came up with." Motoko responds.
"I'll get my 'Grade A Constantine Kit'!" Su exclaims as she, too, leaves the room.
"Should we try and talk to her?" Naru asks.
"No." Motoko replies without missing a beat. "I'll have to be more cautious when I face this demon again, that's all." She leaves, with Naru following her. Keitaro eventually gets up, regains his composure, and leaves his room.
(O)
Later, Naru enters the kitchen, only to see Keitaro chopping an onion. She couldn't help but ask. "You're cooking, now? Where's Shinobu?"
"Oh," Keitaro replies. "She's still in her room. After all that happened this morning, I figured Shinobu needs some time alone in peace, so I decided to cook for her. I'm making Jaeger Schnitzel."
"Is that the only one you know?" Naru asks.
"Well, it's the only one she taught me." He answers. "But that's ok. I like it."
"Ok." Naru says. "I'll be at the table."
"All right."
(O)
Later, the table is set up with everything in its place, including breakfast, which is settled nicely at the center. Keitaro turns to Naru, who puts the last fork on the table; it's a western dish, so such utensils are only appropriate.
"Naru," Keitaro speaks. "You get Su and Motoko. I'll get Kitsune and Shinobu, ok?"
"Sure." Naru nods her head, and they both head upstairs.
While Naru heads towards the third floor, Keitaro heads for Shinobu's room. He slides the door open and peeks inside. "Shinobu? Are you in here? Breakfast is ready." He looks around, but not a trace of life is present. Then, something catches the corner of his eye. He finds a note on Shinobu's futon. Naturally, he picks it up and reads it.
Dear Sempai,
Tell Naru and the others that I'm going to be out for a while. Sorry I can't join you for breakfast. I feel like I can't deal with this split personality of mine, at least not on my own. So, I'm going to see a psychiatrist and hopefully, he/she will tell me what to do. Again, my deepest apologies for leaving you guys like I did; I hope you forgive me. Well, I'll see you later.
Yours truly,
Shinobu Maehara
Keitaro puts down the letter. Then, he hears footsteps. He turns around to see Naru scolding him, with her arms crossed and her left foot tapping on the floor.
"It took you pretty long, so I had to get Kitsune myself." She says.
"Shinobu left us a note." Keitaro replies. "I found it on her futon."
"Let me see." Naru picks up the note and reads it over. She suddenly drops it and looks at Keitaro with a shocked expression on her face. "She went to the psychiatrist?"
"Umm," Keitaro says. "That's what the note says."
Su enters the room. "Hey guys. You know that Grade A Constantine Kit I said I was going to get?"
"Yeah?" Keitaro replies with a drop of sweat on his head.
"It turns out I don't have one."
(O)
"Are you here for an appointment?" Asks a receptionist, sitting at her desk.
"Not really." Shinobu answers from in front of the receptionist's desk. "I wish to set one up, though."
"We're currently busy, but we can set one up for the next week, if we can." The receptionist reaches into a desk drawer and pulls out a pen and a sheet of paper. "State your name, please."
"Wait a second." A voice comes seemingly out of nowhere. Then, a woman who looks to be in her early thirties walks behind the receptionist. The woman is wearing slim glasses over her green eyes, with her brown hair in a neat braided ponytail, extending down to her back. The woman looks straight at Shinobu and waves at her. "Hey, there! If it isn't my baby cousin, how are you doing?" She looks back at the receptionist. "Don't worry, we know each other."
"Excuse me?" Shinobu interrupts.
The woman looks back at her. "We just haven't seen each other since we were kids, she probably doesn't remember me. I remember her, though." She walks to the bluenette. "Come to my office. We have so much to catch on."
"But, Dr. Ikeda," The receptionist interjects. "You have an appointment in twenty minutes with Amagasaki-san. You don't have much time to talk."
"That's plenty of time." Dr. Ikeda replies casually. She takes Shinobu's arm and looks back at the receptionist. "Don't worry your pretty little head, Rianu. This won't take long. I'll be back shortly." She leaves.
The receptionist looks back at her desk and continues her work. "If she keeps getting sidetracked, the boss will catch on, quickly."
(O)
In the psychiatrist's office, Dr. Ikeda steps out of the way so Shinobu enters first. "You first, young lady."
"Sure." The bluenette enters the office. She walks around the room and turns to Dr. Ikeda. "Are you really my cousin?"
"I seriously doubt it," the woman answers with a smile on her face. "That was just to fool Rianu, our receptionist. I had you fooled, too?"
"Yeah." Shinobu answers. "But why did you do that for me? I don't get it."
"I'm being magnanimous, today." Dr. Ikeda answers. "A pretty woman like you shouldn't be troubled by psychological issues, so that's why I'm here."
"You're a psychiatrist?"
"Sure am, girlfriend." The psychiatrist says in a chipper tone. "Lie on that couch right there." She motions her hand to the Freudian style couch. Shinobu nods and lies down, and Dr. Ikeda sits on a chair next to the couch. "All right, dear. What's the problem?"
"Well," Shinobu responds. "I have this crush on a guy, and…"
"Oh my!" Dr. Ikeda exclaims. "Sorry about that. Continue."
"I have a crush on this guy, but it was just that, a crush. Lately, though, I have this part of me that makes me wants him all to myself. I tried to suppress this urge, but as I try to, I begin to act strange and I become more and more possessive."
"I think you just stated your problem." The woman replies. "You're a growing woman, and the more you try to suppress this side of you, the more aggressive it becomes. If you continue to fight it, you'll only live a life of stress and you may even begin to crack. I suggest you embrace this new side of yourself, and welcome it with open arms. That way, you won't stress out combating this split personality, and the two sides will coexist with one another. Let the two sides fuse together; don't try to suppress one or the other. Instead of being the coin that lands on heads or tails, be the coin that lands on its edge. Understand?"
"I can see where you're getting at," Shinobu answers. "But will that actually work?"
"Sure it will." The woman responds. "I'm very experienced with this case. I had many patients that had the same problem you did."
"Really?" Shinobu says. "Thanks for helping me out, then, Dr…"
"Ikeda," the woman says. "Dr. Ayumi Ikeda."
"Thanks, Dr. Ikeda. That was really quick. So, how much will that cost?"
"For you, my darling," the psychiatrist replies. "Absolutely nothing."
"Ok, you're pulling my leg, now. Seriously, how much is it?"
"Again, nothing." Dr. Ikeda smiles. "I decided to help you out for free. Like I said before, I'm being magnanimous today." She goes straight to Shinobu. "Don't tell anyone, though." She whispers to her ear. "Otherwise, I'll get canned, all right? This isn't even an appointment. I'm lucky they didn't install surveillance cameras here, yet."
"Umm…right." Shinobu walks towards the exit.
"Wait." The psychiatrist cries out. She reaches something in her pocket and pulls out an envelope. She throws it at Shinobu, who catches it.
"What is this?" Shinobu inquires.
"It's an envelope containing a little cash I saved up." The woman replies. "It's enough for you and a few of your friends to have a weekend vacation. You could use one."
"You must be pretty loaded." The bluenette says back.
"This IS a pretty kick-ass job." Dr. Ikeda smiles. "Have a good time, and don't forget to take your boyfriend with you."
Shinobu blushes for a few seconds. "Umm…yeah."
"Bye. Hope to see you soon." Dr. Ikeda waves as Shinobu leaves the office. The psychiatrist then covers her mouth with her right hand and smiles. "Besides," She says to herself. "You'll find out soon enough, Shinobu Maehara." She chuckles delightfully as she, too, exits the office.
(O)
Shinobu walks down the street, with her mind at ease after what the psychiatrist just told her. She stops for a minute, closes her eyes and smiles as her mind is cleared of all thoughts. Suddenly, a strong feeling runs through all of her nerves; her eyes are now wide open. She tries to figure out exactly what that was. "My God. That felt weird." After a couple seconds, she continues walking home.
(O)
Keitaro walks downstairs to the lobby after having to do the laundry by himself. Normally, that wouldn't be the problem, but when he was handling the underwear, Naru thought he was sniffing a bra, and she and Motoko sent him clear to the Mesosphere. He sits on the couch and rests. He can still feel some stinging from their unholy and outrageous beat-the-shit-out-of-the-pervert fest. He sees someone enter the door, and he recognizes the figure quickly. "You're back, Shinobu."
Shinobu observes the band-aid on his head and the bruises on the rest of his body. "I can't believe they attacked you behind my back. You all right?"
"Invulnerability kicks ass, that's for sure." Keitaro replies.
"Well, I'm back from the psychiatrist and got a few words of advice," Shinobu continues. "And needless to say, it feels good."
"Really, I'm glad for you."
Shinobu smiles and nods. "Mmm-hmm. The doctor said I just have to welcome the other part of me with open arms, and have both parts of me coexist with one another; I'm a growing woman."
"That's good to hear, Shinobu." Keitaro replies. "But how much did that cost."
"The therapy was free. And good thing, too, because I didn't bring any money with me."
"Yeah, you're lucky, I guess." Keitaro sweat drops.
As Keitaro gets up, Shinobu gets a bit closer to him. "Can you do me a favor?"
"Umm, sure."
"Can you get the others down her to the meeting room for me? I have an announcement to make. Thanks." She kisses him on the cheek and leaves.
Keitaro stands there motionless and feels the place on his cheek where the kiss was planted. "She kissed me. She really kissed me." His face turns red for a moment. "Shit! I forgot to get the others." And with that, he runs upstairs.
(O)
At the meeting room, everyone sits at their respective spot at the kotatsu, with Shinobu standing in front of them. The blue-haired girl sees that they're all ready and clears her throat.
"Ahem. You all are here because I have an announcement to make." Shinobu says. "I want you all to know that starting tomorrow, we'll be going on a three-day vacation." She hears the rest of the residents talk among each other. Then she clears her throat again to get their attention. "We'll be spending our weekend at Fujisawa City."
"Kick ass!" Kitsune exclaims. "That's what I'm talking about! The Miami Beach of the East!"
Su latches on to the bluenette. "You're the greatest, Shinomu! We get to go on vacation!"
"Where did this come from?" Naru asks.
"The psychiatrist gave me this envelope here." She pulls it out. "The woman's basically loaded, so she put in here enough money to go on a weekend vacation, even for train tickets."
"That's awfully nice of her." Keitaro replies. "Not only was the therapy free, but she set us up for a vacation."
"Isn't that a bit awkward, though?" Naru asks.
"Yeah." The ronin replies. "But how many times does this happen, really?"
"I say we take this opportunity." Shinobu adds. "Who knows, we might have a great time."
"We're going to Fujisawa!" Kitsune exclaims cheerfully as she and Su leave the room.
"Well," Naru says. "They're sure excited about it."
(O)
The next day, the residents stand in front of the train, holding a serious amount of luggage; actually, that's just Keitaro; the girls were just standing in front of the train. They already bought their train tickets.
After they enter the train, they all look for seats. Keitaro already finds an empty row; he sits in the seat next to the window. Naru and Shinobu both approach the seat next to him when they stop and look at one another. They both back off a foot.
"Yeah, right." Naru muses. "Forget it. I'm not sitting next to that dirty-minded, deviant, voyeuristic idiot."
"Okay." Shinobu replies, and she takes the seat next to him. Naru just looks at her funny and leaves the two of them alone. The trip didn't even begin yet, and Su's already pestering a poor balding chubby man in a business suit.
As the train heads to Fujisawa, Motoko attempts to meditate, but couldn't due to Su's pestering. Naru and Kitsune converse with one another, and Shinobu falls asleep, with her head resting on Keitaro's shoulders through the whole trip.
(O)
After the train stops at Fujisawa, the first one to go out is the balding chubby guy, who's pointing back at the train in anger. "THERE'S SOMETHING FRICKIN WRONG WITH THAT FOREIGN KID! GET THAT FREAK AS FAR AS YOU FRICKIN CAN AWAY FROM ME! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" He runs off screaming his head off. Naru and the others get out of the train next.
Naru scolds at Su. "What did I tell you about playing 'Chimpanzee' during the trip?"
"I have to say she really got into it, he-he. Funny as hell it was." Kitsune remarks.
Naru turns to her. "It was your fault for encouraging her!" She turns to Shinobu, who has her arm latched on to Keitaro's. "AND WILL YOU LET GO OF HIM?"
"Not a chance, Tanya Harding!" Shinobu spits back. She turns her attention back to Keitaro, who's looking at her with a bead of sweat on his face.
"What are you doing, exactly?" Keitaro whispers to the girl holding his arm.
"Don't mind me, Sempai." Shinobu whispers back. "Just play along."
"Play along?" Keitaro replies.
(O)
Shinobu chooses quite a hotel for her friends to stay in. The Grand Hotel Shonan has a lavish contemporary theme all around. Keitaro and Naru are naturally unsure about how they'll pay for it all, even with the money given to them from Dr. Ikeda, but Shinobu says that it's all under control and takes care of the rooms they'll stay in. Naru and Kitsune have one room. Su and Motoko have the room next to them, because Su likes to sleep with Motoko, of course, and Shinobu and Keitaro share a room across from them.
After Keitaro and Shinobu unpack, Keitaro heads for the door. "I'm going to take a look around this place. It kicks ass. You want to come?"
"Nah." Shinobu replies. "I'm going to get myself ready for bed."
"All right." Keitaro says, and then he leaves the room. I can't believe we're sharing a bed. I think Shinobu's taking this a little seriously.
Later, Naru enters the room. "Shinobu?"
"Yeah?" Shinobu replies, now wearing her nightdress.
"We need to talk about something."
"Is it about Sempai?" Shinobu asks.
Naru realizes that she's already caught on. She answers directly. "Yes."
"Sit down, Naru." With that, Naru sits next to Shinobu.
"Are you really in love with Keitaro?" Naru asks, already pretty sure of the answer.
"Of course." Shinobu replies instantly. "Even when before I changed, I always had affections towards Sempai, but ever since I became like this, I felt I could finally show it. (Without having him arrested for pedophilia.)"
"No offense, but you're being delusional." Naru says. "You're well aware that Keitaro's looking for that promise girl, right? You may look like you're nineteen, but you're still only thirteen years old. You weren't even born when that promise was made. Also keep in mind that you're just a teenager mentally, also. You haven't the faintest idea of how tough a relationship truly is."
"This is coming out of your mouth, of course." Shinobu stands up. "You've come up with this because you yourself are indecisive."
"What do you mean by that?" Naru asks.
"You're so wishy-washy, that you weren't able to tell him yourself; you didn't even want to. I, on the other hand, had the courage to tell him right there and then that I love him, and to show affection for him directly, no less. If you truly loved Sempai, you would've confessed to him, long ago, but as it stands, it is far too late. He's mine, now. Sorry if I made you feel like shit, right now, but part of me was begging to say that."
"Don't worry." Naru replies, as she slowly walks towards the door. "I'm smart enough to know exactly when a conflict is about to come." She leaves.
Shinobu sits back on the bed. "I didn't mean to."
To be continued.
Please review.
See you next chapter. I Love Sempai!
That does it for the first part of the Fujisawa Arc. Thanks to those who stuck around to read this chapter. I hope this one didn't disappoint.
Author's Notes:
The Grand Hotel Shonan is a real hotel that resides in Fujisawa City.
This fic is now on the favorites list of ten people, as well as on the alert list for seven. Thanks to you guys, this fic has gotten nineteen reviews, and the amount of hits has more than tripled, jumping from two hundred and seventy one, to eight hundred and nineteen. I like to thank everyone who bothered to visit this story, and I like to give special thanks to VoidHawk for sending me his ideas; they'll really come in handy soon.
Until next chapter, Ciao!
-GYRAX of The Dark Icon Writers