lilbsbllstar10: whoa... cool name. Ahem, anyway thank you so much for the wonderful review. The best one, huh? That's amazing. And about the wedding? Maybe, but that's not for a long, long time.
Filipino_Sniper: thank you so much for the review. And I'm really sorry about the update time, but I did explain it in the author's note above. Okay? Cool. Thank you!
narugirl2003: thank you for the review, it was nice. And your story... it's good. I'm not too particular to stories written like a screen play though, but if the storyline's good enough, it makes up for that. Keep at it!
Niak: thank you so much for the wonderful review! Second best, huh? And I'm guessing the best is Mutsumi/Keitaro? Gahhh... why does everyone pair those two together? Sure Mutsumi is better in many different ways (for instance she'd rather kiss Keitaro than punch him) but still, read the first volume and you'll see that even early on, Naru and Keitaro were meant to be together
Ami-Chan39: thank you so much, that's so kind of you! Mature... heh, yeah right! I saw your bio you little liar! And the Spongebob was a dead giveaway... no, scratch that. I watch Spongebob from time to time... even though I do consider him to be satanic at times
flonne: thank you so much for the review! And I'm hoping that the excitement is a good thing... I hope!
shadownightkendogirl: whew! Long name! Thank you so much for the review! Romantic? Yeah, I'm just hopeless when it comes to crap like that. And yeah, I do like Motoko... any particular reason?
you know who: thank you for the review! And yes... I absolutely love the show FLCL! I have the entire series copied onto tape! Ahhh... robots exploding out of a young boy's head while his brother's girlfriend gropes him... such a classic story! Not to mention diarrhea causing curry
Boombubble: wow! Such a detailed review! You really looked into this didn't you? I'm sorry about the plot, don't worry... it's gonna change a lot in the next few chapters, including this one. And about the probing... maybe I am looking too far into this, but it annoyed the hell out of me for those two to take 12 out of 14 volume just to confess their love for each other and the last one was the only one to have good stuff in it. Ugh! Drove me crazy!
Lahmikhara: wow, I keep on impressing people. That's always a good thing I suppose. And ha! Keitaro can't beat me up!............ Well, at least at not your request... I hope. Wah! The reviewers being mean to me! (bursts into tears)
Android K: yay! My pre-reader liked my story! Thank you so much for the review! I better as hell see your story posted online quick... or I just might send you a virus... or maybe not. You decide!
Shadowed-Moon2525: so glad to see your stories posted. They're a very good start. Thank you for the review. And I see you're exploiting my invitation to advertise your stuff on my story... not that I mind. (holds up a disk with the word "Plague" on it) Should I send you your file now then? Or later?
Knight's Shadow: thank you for the review. I will as soon as possible... which is not very soon at all
Nutty Al: thank you for the review! I'm glad you like my lemon! Sorry though, you won't see another one like that for a while however. Things will be speeding up and then come a breaking halt before that happens again. Heh, sorry. And if you do send a virus... (head turns to a demon head like Soun Tendo's) I WILL DEVOUR YOUR SOUL AND FEED THE REMAINS OF YOUR LIFELESS BODY TO MY CAT... WHO WILL THEN DRAG YOU OUT AND LEAVE YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF THE KITCHEN FLOOR... AND THEN I WILL BE VERY SAD BECAUSE I LOST A REVIEWER (head reverts back to normal; sighs) Okay, I'm done
Thank you to all of my reviewers!
Disclaimer: I have never, do not, nor probably will ever own Love Hina. (sob) So please don't sue me. I'm poor, I could never afford an attorney, and I'll probably end up in the streets if you do.
And Life Goes On
By Yamiga'sLight
Chapter 6: Onward to Pararakelse
I found myself in front of the place of my near and distant memories. The place where so many good things and bad things had happened. The place where I had made a promise to a two-year old girl and met that same girl fifteen years later in the same place. The girl I had fallen in love with. The girl who had fallen in love with me. And not just one girl was there either. Many girls who lived there whom I loved each and every one of them in a special way. The place that was constantly swinging between heaven and hell. The place of both my dreams and my nightmares. The infamous girls' dormitory of Hinata Hot Springs: Hinata House.
I sighed unhappily. Should I really even be here? I mean... I did just fail. Oh yeah, that's right. I failed. I flunked my entrance exams, and then bolted from Tokyo U, leaving Naru and Mutsumi behind with no explanation to where I was. I just wandered around Tokyo for about half-a-day, doing absolutely nothing. I was in such a daze that I think most of the people that saw me probably thought I was intoxicated. I must have looked it, the way I was weaving around like a total jackass. Somehow, I made it to the docks and saw a cruise ship just sitting there, waiting to go on its terrific voyage.
That's when I realized what I had to do. I had to go for a recovery trip. One like the one I took when I failed last time. I needed some time to just forget about things, to just cleanse my soul. It would do me some good. And it wasn't like I was going away forever. I would come back. After all, Hinata House was now my home, and I couldn't just leave my home with no warning. I just needed a vacation.
At least sneaking in would be easy. It was around midnight and everyone had to be asleep by now. Well, I thought they were because none of the lights were on, and when I looked through the windows, I didn't see any silhouettes waiting to ambush me the second I walked through the door. But I wasn't going to take any chances. I was going to sneak in, grab some travel necessities and sneak back out. And I wasn't going to go back through the halls like I tried to do when I tried to run away my first Christmas at Hinata House. I nearly became a crispy husk of my current self because of it!
I made my way over to the side of Hinata House where my room was. Unfortunately, the hot spring was between me and the opening that would lead me to my room. Since Su had certain safety procedures (more specifically, her Mecha-tamas) which usually kept any normal person from trying to sneak in. But luckily for me, I was no normal person. Training with grandma did do some good. I could at least jump farther and higher than most people.
Backing away from the fence containing the hot springs, I readied myself for my running jump. I took off and... well... jumped. Landing on top of the fence, I pushed off and leaped for the boulder midway between the fence and the dormitory. If I didn't time this right, my momentum from the running start would be lost and I would fall. My hand landed perfectly on the boulder and I flipped off of it and for the second-story ledge that was my men's bath.
Oh man, this felt great. I soared straight through the air, feeling it rush by my face as I gained altitude. I had forgotten how much fun it was to do things like this. Why had I stopped after I finished training with grandma? My answer came soon enough when my head connected with the railing. Oh yeah. Because I'm a klutz and usually end up hurting myself. I bit back a yelp of pain and scrambled back up the side of the dormitory, pulling myself over the railing into the open room. Goddamn it! I hope the girls didn't hear that giant clunking sound!
I sighed and rubbed my head. Gaaahh... It hurt very much. Well, at least I knew my pain receptors were working properly. That's always a good thing, even if it might cause misery to most. I sighed again and quietly made my way to the door. I silently opened it and walked down the hallway. My foot cracked on a squeaky floorboard and I froze. Crap. Please do not have had anyone hear that. Please? No sounds were heard to respond to the floor's betrayal of me and I let out my bated breath. I moved to go again and came face-to-face with a rather reptilian one.
"Myuh."
"Gyaa-" I slapped my hands over my mouth to muffle my startled scream. "Tama-chan!" I whispered frantically. "What are you doing here?"
"Myu."
"What am I... ?" I shook my head. No, I wasn't about to argue with a turtle. Even if the turtle had a surprisingly high intelligence like Tama-chan. "Never mind! I've got to get to my room and get out of here!"
"Myuh?"
"Why? I don't know why. Wait..." I pointed a finger at her accusingly. "Since when did I start to understand what you say?"
Tama-chan sweatdropped and began to back away nervously. "My myuh myu..."
"Last Christmas? Oh yeah... that's right..." I trailed off and waved a hand in front of my face. No, that wasn't important right now. "Never mind," I whispered. "The reason is because I need to go away for a while." She stared with turtle eyes. Wait, can that even be a term? I don't know. She just looked at me really sadly, is that okay? "Don't worry," I whispered. "I'll be back. I just need to get away for a while. I just failed my exams."
Tama sweatdropped again and a smirk appeared on her face. If turtles could laugh, that's probably what she would have been doing right now. "Myuh?"
"Oh, shut up!" My voice rose. I shut my mouth quickly and looked around to see if anyone had woken up from my outburst. "Shut up," I whispered again. "I really don't need that right now."
"Myuh."
"It's okay." An idea occurred to me. Hey, it could be fun. "Hey, Tama-chan. How about you come with me?"
"Myuh?"
"You know, join me in my journey for soul searching and all that crap?"
"Myuh..."
"Think about it." I raised an eyebrow and lifted a finger. "No Motoko trying to slay you. No Su trying to make you her next meal."
It was obvious she was breaking down. "Myu myuh..."
"You might even meet a nice male turtle friend," I grinned.
That definitely helped her make her decision. "Myuh!" She nodded her head up and down viciously. I grinned again and waved my hand for her to follow. I tiptoed to my room and crept into it. Tama-chan silently flew in after me. I took out a suitcase and began to pack a few necessary items into it. Let's see... clothes, toiletries, porno magazines (hey, a guy's got needs so don't you dare judge me.) Some more personal things: my photo book, my... I sighed and looked at it. I chuckled as I traced my two photos with Naru. Amazing that I was running away from this. No, not running away, taking a vacation. I sighed again and shut the suitcase.
Well, that was done. Now to write a note so that the girls didn't think I was kidnapped or dead or something. My hand moved to find a piece of paper and I saw a piece floating in front of my face. I looked up to see Tama-chan floating in front of me with some paper and a pen in her mouth. I smiled and took them from her and began to write.
Dear girls,
I know I might look like a coward, and maybe I am, but I still need to do this. I'm going away for a little while and I don't know when I'm coming back. Please don't look for me as I need to be alone for some time. I can't tell you why I left just because I can't. Don't worry, I will be back. You know I could never leave you girls for too long. Anyway, I'll see you all again. Maybe real soon.
Keitaro
With that I found an envelope (once again provided by Tama-chan) and was about to seal it when I thought that I'd better give a personal letter to Naru. After all, she was my girlfriend and she deserved a better explanation or at least a more private letter. I got out another piece of paper and began to write again.
Dear Naru,
Umm, hi, Naru. I hope you won't totally hate me when you read this letter. I don't know exactly what to write considering I've never really written like this to anyone before. I just wanted you to know that I love you and I always will. I'm not running away because of that. Maybe I'll tell you when I get back what happened. I just want you to know I will come back and I'm sorry for any grief I might cause. I love you. Bye.
Kei
I folded that letter, sealed it with tape and printed 'Naru' on it in large letters. Then I slid it into the original envelope, and sealed that one. Now where would I put it? The most obvious place would be on my table, but in their soon frantic searchings (or at least I hoped they would frantic) they might not see it. That left another option that both pleased and scared me.
I got up onto my table and stood up, pushing my arms up to lift the plywood to Naru's room. I hauled myself into her room with the letter clenched between my teeth and moved over to where Naru was sleeping. There she was, sleeping on her futon peacefully. She looked so cute and innocent when she slept, like an angel. Funny she was almost never this at peace when she was awake.
I smiled at her resting form. She was so beautiful. It was too bad I wouldn't be able to see her beautiful face for what could be a long time. But if I didn't do this now, I wouldn't be able to do it at all. I sighed and put the letter right on her dresser where she'd have to find it unless she decided to go out in her pajamas. Okay, that was done, so... might as well give my last goodbyes. I bent over, moved the hair covering her forehead and brushed my lips against it. "Good-bye, Naru," I murmured to her. "I'll be back. Don't worry." I leaned back up to go and the next thing I knew, Naru captured my head between her hands and shoved it into her breasts.
"Keitaro..." She sighed in contentment. Meanwhile, I was frozen with shock and fear. Shock because of what she did and that she was actually dreaming of me. Fear because even though Naru loved me and wanted me to touch her. I don't think that the first thing she'd want to see when she woke up was my head wedged between her dirty pillows. When the situation actually started to catch up with me, my mind began to have a war within itself.
[WARNING!] My panic system blared. [NOSEBLEED IMMINENT! RELEASE SINUS... ]
'Shut up!' My sub-conscious yelled, smashing it with a sledgehammer. 'Don't do it!'
[WARNING!]
'Shut Up!'
WHAM!
[WARNING!]
'SHUT UP!'
SMASH!
[WARNING!]
'Shut up! Shut Up! SHUT UP!!!'
WHAM! BASH! CRASH!
[GRR... WARNING SYSTEM MUST DESTROY INTOLERABLE VARIABLE OF KEITARO SYSTEM] My warning system grew monstrous in proportion and gained various death-dealing tools of destruction and mayhem. My sub-conscious gulped as my warning system towered, threatening its very existence.
'Crap!' My sub-conscious threw away its sledgehammer. It then reached into its back pocket and pulled out a gigantic missile launcher. I think I've been hanging around Su for too long. 'Rest in pieces!' It then let out a barrage of jet-propelled bombs. An enormous explosion was all that was seen after that.
Meanwhile, back in the real world I was totally spazzing out, trying to not only get out of Naru's embrace, but also trying to stem the flow of blood that was threatening to erupt from my nose. My arms were turning pinwheels as if the wind produced by their movements alone would move me out of her arms. This might not have been such a smart strategy because I might have hit Naru in my flailings, but at the moment, the self-preservation part of my brain just wanted to get out of that death trap.
Luckily, Naru turned around in her sleep and released me from her grasp. I fell backwards onto my butt, gasping in large amounts of air which I had not taken because my breathing into one of Naru's most sensitive areas might have woken her up too. Oh ma, that was close. I looked at her sleeping form. My recent 'activity' had loosened her pajama top and had revealed part of her chest. I saw that she wore no bra when she went to bed. Oh man, to know that I could actually do that when she was awake and willing. To think that I could...
My thoughts were cut short as my mind registered my possible lecherous acts and a nosebleed blew through my sinuses. I slipped my hand in front of my nose to try and stem the flow. Gah, what I wouldn't do for a tissue... I saw one floating in front of me. There was Tama-chan, once again. I thanked her, took the tissue and wiped my nose.
Okay, it was time to get out of there before something else happened. I fell back into my room silently and replaced the plywood. I grabbed my suitcase and made my way for my door. I went out into the hall quietly and... No, wait. I did this before and I almost got put into a coma because of it. Scratch that idea. I went back into my room and sat down. Let's see now, how to get out... Tama-chan flew up next to me. "Myuh?"
"Huh?" My head turned to her. "Oh, just thinking about how I could get out of here without raising alarm." An idea came to my mind. It was a long shot, but it might work... "Hey, Tama-chan, how much weight could you carry?"
"Myuh?'
"Could you carry something as heavy as me?"
"Myuh..."
"I thought as much," I sighed. Well, what else could I do? The only other thing left for me was to out my window, but that would be suicide. Wait... suicide? I'm immortal, so I couldn't die. But it was going to be so painful... Well, I didn't have much choice, now did I? I sighed and got to my feet. Turning to Tama-chan, I whispered, "Tama-chan, you can at least carry my suitcase, right?"
"Myuh," she nodded in the affirmative. "Myuh?" I pointed to my window. She sweatdropped. "Myuh my myuh?" I shrugged. "Myuh..." I handed her my suitcase, which she took into her mouth, and moved to the window. Time to test my immortality... I'm so sorry, body. I ran off and leapt through the opening. I really hoped there was going to be a soft landing. I really didn't feel like peeling myself off of the concrete. Luckily for me, a tree was right in my flight's path and I grabbed onto its branches. I sighed with relief and climbed down it until I touched the ground. Tama-chan was waiting for me with my suitcase. I took it gratefully and walked to the front of Hinata House.
I just stood there and stared at it. So many memories in such a short amount of time. I think more happened in one year of my time there then in my entire life. I was really going to miss the place. But I was especially going to miss the inhabitants of the dorm. Those girls meant everything to me. They were my whole world. Sure they punished me most of the time with no good explanation, but I loved them all regardless. This was going to be hard for me, and maybe for them too, but it was something I had to do. I began to walk away, then stopped and looked over my shoulder. "Good-bye, Hinata House," I said. "I'll see you again... someday."
I walked down the stairs, Tama-chan following closely after. When I got to the teahouse, I was surprised to find its lights were on. I was even more surprised to see Haruka in the doorway, her shadow projected onto the stairway. She was of course smoking a cigarette and staring at me critically. "Eh heh," I chuckled nervously. "Hi, Aunt Haruka."
She walked over to me and smacked me on the head. "Just call me, Haruka. Now..." She took a drag of her cigarette. "Now what do you think you're doing?" Carp, I wasn't expecting this. My aunt was the only person who could usually stop my stubborn ideas. If I talked to her for too long, she might make me change my mind. I had to do something quick. But... I couldn't lie to my aunt... because if I did and she found out, I would be dead.
I sighed. "I'm going."
"Going where?"
I shrugged. "Away." Just because I wouldn't lie to her didn't mean I had to tell the whole truth. Just enough to show her that I meant it.
"Away where?"
"Just somewhere."
"Why?" Ooooh, the moneyshot. Well, might as well tell her what I told the girls in the letter.
"To forget about things."
She nodded as if she knew what I was talking about (which she probably did.) "Will you come back?"
"Yes." I held up a hand to stop her from asking what was next. "But I'm not sure when. I don't really know how long it's going to take." That much was the truth. I really didn't know how long I was going to be away.
"The girls are going to miss you, you know."
"I would hope so," I grinned. Haruka smiled softly and shook her head. I could hear her chuckle and I was glad. My aunt should really smile more. Keeping a stern look like that had to be a killer on your face. And the blank, emotionless one wasn't any better. I chuckled a little with her and then said, "I'm going to miss them a lot too. But you know I won't be able to stay away from them for long."
Haruka smiled sadly. "Naru's really going to be the one to miss you."
I put a hand behind my neck and looked at the starry sky. It was funny that such small dots of light could be giant, flaming balls of gas millions of light-years away. They just seemed so close, like I could reach up and grab them. Just like my dream of getting into Tokyo U. It seemed so close, but in reality, I would never reach it for as long as I lived. I sighed again, still looking at the sky. "Yeah, I guess. I do love her and all, but I still don't think she deserves a loser like me for a boyfriend." Oh, how true was that. The four-year ronin and the goddess Tokyo U student. That was the worst couple idea possible. "She deserves far more than me."
"That's true," Haruka breathed through a puff of smoke. I stared at her and she smirked. "Well it is. Just think about it this way, Keitaro: You're never good enough. You aren't right now and you never will be."
"Gee," I scoffed. "Thanks." Stupid...
"It is true, you know," she continued. "No one is ever worthy enough of anyone. Everyone has their strengths, and everyone has their faults. The only thing you can hope to do id use your strengths to overcome your faults and try to be happy with the person you love."
I was touched. That was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard. "Wow, thanks, Haruka. That was the nicest thing anyone ever said to me." She looked at me strangely as I held a fist up, tears streaming down my face. "You said I had strengths to make up for my numerous faults." I was so happy.
Haruka put a hand to her head and shook it. "I take it back," she muttered. "You're just an idiot." I was than devastated. That was just plain mean. She waved a hand while holding her head in the other. "You better get going before I tie you up and leave you to the girls' wrath." I gulped. It was true. Urashima women were crazy when it came to ropes.
"Okay, then," I said. "Bye, Aunt Haruka." Tama-chan waved good-bye with me before I began walking again. I moved slowly down the silent, dark streets wondering what I was going to do. It was then I realized that the silence was overwhelming. There were no sounds at all, not a one. There were no crickets chirping, no cats yowling for their catty reasons, no low rumblings like the ones cars made. The wind was even blowing through the trees, rustling the leaves. It was as if time had frozen in one instant as Tama-chan and I traveled through the inky blackness. It was creepy, almost like an omen. I shivered as if to warm myself from some unknown chill and turned to Tama-chan.
"So, Tama-chan, what should we do now?"
"Myuh."
"Well, I was thinking of taking a ship to places unknown." Yeah, that sounded good. Maybe I'd find peace if I could just go somewhere new. Maybe I could meet new people, do new things and come back a changed man. Maybe I could go on a worldwide trip like grandma did! That sounded both relaxing and exciting at the same time.
"Myuh."
"Thanks."
"Myuh myu my myuh."
"Problem? What problem?"
"Myu myuh."
"What do you mean the trolleys don't work after midnight?!"
*****
I woke up the next morning on a bench next to the canal. I was covered by a newspaper generously donated by Tama-chan once again. I really wonder where that turtle hides those things. Anyway, I sat up and yawned, the newspaper crinkling as it fell off of my body. I stretched and blinked blearily as I watched the sun rise over the horizon, its rays slowly creeping over the ground. I yawned again and brought my coast around me to cover myself from the chilly mountain air.
I couldn't believe I had to sleep outside on a park-bench in 30° weather. I didn't have much choice though because I didn't consider the fact that no normal person would be working public transportation after midnight. And since it takes about an hour just to get to Tokyo on a trolley, I'd rather not walk all the way in total darkness or else I'd probably get lost. Now that I had a little light to go by, I could probably walk some of the distance before catching a trolley the rest of the way.
I sighed and looked around for Tama-chan. She had been sleeping on my stomach, so when I sat up she fell upside-down onto my lap, still asleep. I poked her gently. "Hey, Tama-chan, wake up," I whispered. She responded by waving her flippers around but stayed asleep. I poked her again, harder this time. "Tama-chan, wake up." This time she flipped over. Ugh... stupid turtle. Oh well, time for drastic measures. "Hey, Su!" I called out. "That new cutlery you have?"
Tama-chan's snapped open. "Myuh?!" She crouched, the zoomed straight up into my chin. My head snapped backwards while Tama-chan fell back into my lap, half-conscious. "Oww..." I rubbed my chin. It was raw and tender from Tama-chan's attempted escape. I expected something like Tama-chan's reaction, but I didn't expect for both of us to receive bodily harm from it.
I poked Tama-chan yet again. "Hey, Tama-chan, you okay?"
She raised her head and shook it dazedly. "Myuh?"
"Are you okay?"
"Myuh..." Her eyes then gained a frantic look and she spun around, looking for something. "Myu myuh!" Huh? Su? Why would she be looking for... Wait, don't answer that. I mentally, and physically, bashed myself over the head. Idiot! You did use Su as a threat to get Tama-chan up, didn't you? Stupid, idiotic, lamebrain... Meanwhile, Tama-chan was looking at me with a bemused smile on her while I repeatedly hit myself. "Myuh?"
"Huh?" I stopped and looked down on her. She just looked back with that same smile plastered on her face. I wonder, could she be able to make any other expressions? Having a smile on all the time really freaked me out. It reminded me of a saying that I had heard from someone once, can't remember who. "Always watch out for the ones that smile too much. They're usually just trying to hide their pain and will be the scariest when they snapped." But somehow I thought that if Tama-chan ever freaked, it would be more funny than scary. Okay... back to something actually relevant. "Oh, sorry." I grinned nervously while scratching the back of my head.
"Myuh?"
"Nothing. Just... thinking."
"My?"
"Nothing... in particular. Oh, and about Su... She's not here, I just used her name to wake you up."
"Myuh..." She tensed up, staring up at me and growling.
"Sorry." I tentatively patted her on the head. Please don't let her bite me, I was sorry. Tama-chan settled back down and then flew up to float by my head. I sighed and stood up. I grabbed my suitcase off of the ground and turned to face Tama-chan. "So, are you ready to go?" I asked. She nodded and we both went on our way again. Tama-chan just floated around as I walked down the street near the canal. I looked up at the sky at the clouds. I remembered how I used to, and still do, love the different shapes they took.
Let's see... that one looked like a bird, its wings outstretched in victory over something. That one looked like a snake entwined all over itself. That one... that one looked like a cat, its paw over its head. And that one... that one looked just like Tama-chan! It even had the same goofy grin!
"Hey, Tama-chan!" I called. "Tama-chan! Huh, where'd she go?" I saw that she had flown up ahead of me and around the corner. "Stupid corner," I muttered as I ran after her. Before I turned the corner too, however, I heard someone calling after Tama-chan.
"Tama-chan!" Oh crap, that was Mutsumi's voice! Got to find a place to hide! I looked around frantically and spotted a trashcan. Oh well, better than nothing. I dove into it and slammed shut the lid on top of me. Mutsumi's voice got louder as she turned the corner. "Where have you been, you naughty turtle?"
"Myuh."
"Maybe she was looking for Keitaro." Ahhhhhh, noooo! And that voice was Naru's! I was dead! I silently shed tears as I awaited my imminent doom. "I wonder where my idiotic boyfriend could have gone to. He's such a jerk sometimes, leaving us like that. If I get my hands on him, oooooh..." Even in my terrorized state, I managed to sweatdrop at her statement.
"Now, now, Na-chan," Mutsumi said. "Calm down. I know the only reason you're acting like this is because you love Kei-kun and miss him."
"I do not love that dork! He's nothing but a heartless jackass! I... I..." I heard Naru's voice crack and the small sobs. I was shocked. Had my leaving really hurt her that much? I suddenly felt depressed. I didn't want to, never wanted to hurt Naru. And here I was...
"Shh, it's okay, Na-chan," Mutsumi murmured. "It's okay."
"M-Mutsumi..." Naru sobbed. "I-I miss h-him. H-he's been gone for l-less than a day, a-and I already m-miss him. I l-love him so m-much... I... I..." Her sentence dissolved into a series of heart-wracking sobs. I was horrified. Had I really done this? Did Naru really miss me that much? I risked a peek and lifted the trashcan lid slightly. I saw Naru crying onto Mutsumi's shoulder while Mutsumi held her, stroking her hair. What had I done? But... but I needed to do this. I needed to. If I didn't, I would never be at peace. I saw Tama-chan sitting on Mutsumi's other shoulder. She was staring at me critically.
My face cracked. Damn it, even Tama-chan was angry at me. I had to get out of there. Hoping against all hopes, I pointed my finger at Tama-chan, and then jabbed it in the opposite direction of the canal. Tama-chan stared at me, I began to sweat and then she nodded her head slowly. I sighed in relief and readied my self to make a run for it. Tama-chan pointed in the direction that I had and shouted, "Myuh!"
I nearly face-faulted inside of the trashcan. Look, it's a UFO?! That was the best she could come up with?! The girls would never fall for that! Never in a million years- "Really? Where?" This time I really did face-fault inside of the trashcan. A loud clanging sound was heard through the air as I slammed the can into the ground. "Huh? What was that?" The two turned to my direction. Argh! I gave up my chance!
Luckily, Tama-chan gave me another one. "Myuh!" She jabbed in the opposite direction of me once again. Okay, I don't even know what she said just then. What the hell is an "Inuyasha?" Okay, screw that, got to get out of here. I tried to leap out of the trashcan, but it hit the curb, so instead of getting out of trashcan and away, the trashcan came with me and I fell over the barrier to the canal and rolled down the side of it.
"WAAAAHHHH!!!"
WHAM! BASH! CLANG! SMASH! SPLASH!
The last noise was me falling into the water-filled canal. Argh! I was going to drown in a fucking trashcan! This was totally humiliating! More humiliating than when I first came to Hinata House. No, wait... Nothing could be more humiliating than when I first arrived. I saw naked, pissed off girls, was dressed in underwear and flashed a seventh-grader. Yep, nothing was more humiliating than that. Meanwhile, I was slowly suffocating in a water-filled can. "Blub!" A water bubble erupted from my lips. I pushed off from the can's bottom and blasted through the water's surface. "Huahhh!" I gasped as I gulped in fresh air. Well, that was... quite normal luck for me.
"What the hell was that?!" Damn it! I dove back under the surface and swam over to one of the overhangs overlooking the canal. Climbing onto the slanted wall, I pressed myself as hard as I could to it to try and hide myself. But since the overhang blocked me from sight, it also blocked the girls from my sight too so that I could only hear their voices.
"What was that?" I heard Naru's voice say again.
"Oh my, I believe it was a trashcan."
"A yelling trashcan?" Silence was her only answer. "Well, we better get going. We still have to find Keitaro."
"Sure, Na0chan. Oh my, Tama-chan, where are you going?"
"Myuh my."
"Oh, okay. See you, Tama-chan."
I heard their footsteps become fainter as they walked away. I sighed. That was a close call. They almost caught me, and I was only gone for less than twenty-four hours. I wasn't even out of the city yet. In fact, I think I was only about a quarter of a mile away from Hinata House. It'd be funny and yet sad if they found me so early after I had run away. in any case, I saw Tama-chan fly down into the canal to look for me. I was really thankful for having that little turtle with me. She was extremely helpful. I stood up and whistled to her. "Hey, Tama-chan! Over here!"
"Myuh?" I waved and she saw me. She flew over to me until she floated right in front of my face. "Myuh."
"Thanks, Tama-chan. I really appreciate what you did for me."
"Myuh."
I smiled. "Well, are you ready you get going?"
"Myuh? Myu myuh?"
"What? Yeah... I've got to, Tama-chan, even after what I heard. It's just something I have to do." She stared at me and I sighed. What did I expect? For her to understand? Hell, I barely understood it myself, but something deep inside of me knew that it was the right thing to do.
I sighed again and began to shiver. Falling into the canal probably wasn't one of the smartest things to do, but it wasn't like I did it on purpose. It was too late now however. I was soaking wet in freezing weather and I wouldn't be able to change until I got on the ship that would take me to places I did not know of. Speaking of changing, where was my suitcase? I looked around and saw it pushed up on the side of the canal that I was on a few meters away. good, at least I wouldn't get any more wet than I already was. I walked over to it, picked it up and flicked the locks. Luckily, the inside of it was dry. I guess it was a good idea to get a waterproof suitcase.
In any case, I closed the suitcase back up and began to walk again. I decided to walk along the canal so that I would be harder to be found by the girls. Besides, it was more peaceful down there, listening to the water flowing gently while Tama-chan lazily floated around my head. I actually dried off pretty quickly, although I was still damp around the edges and was shaking like a dog left out in the rain. But hey, I had just taken a dunk in the canal, so you couldn't expect much else.
After a while, I climbed out of the canal and made my way to a trolley stop. There I waited until one came by in which I got onto. The people around me gave a little distance to the person dripping water from his coat with a turtle perched on his shoulder. I flushed slightly as they gave me secret glances and whispered to each other. All in all, it was pretty embarrassing.
The trolley eventually did make its way to Tokyo where I got off and went off in the direction of the docks. I was hoping to be able to get on the cruise ship I had seen the day before. Maybe that would be a good place to start. Tama-chan tired of flying, so she opted to rest on my head where she quickly fell asleep. I felt her soft breathing and smiled at the innocence she held. Turtle, in my opinion, could d no wrong, especially a turtle like Tama-chan.
To my surprise, I had found that the ship had not left dock yet. I might have been able to catch it after all. Making my way to the ticket booth, I found a young woman reading a magazine on the other side of the Plexiglas window. I rapped gently on the window with my knuckles and she turned to face me. "Yeah, hon," she said, speaking through the intercom. "What can I do for you?"
"Um, yeah." I put my hand behind my neck and looked at her nervously. "Could you tell me when the ship leaves?"
"Which ship, hon?"
"Umm..." I looked over to see what the name of the ship I wanted was. "The 'Poulet?'"
She picked up her arm to look at her watch. "In about two hours. Would you like a ticket?"
"Do you know where it's headed to?"
She sighed and turned around to the computer console to look it up. It must exasperating to have people always asking dumb questions like I was. Especially people as nervous and pitiful looking as me at that moment. Typing in one last command, she turned in her chair back to me. "It goes to the Great Barrier Reef near Australia for about three weeks." Australia, huh? That sounded like a lot of fun. "You want a ticket?"
I nodded. "Yeah, how much?"
She leaned over and took a look at the screen. "120,000 yen."
I reached into my pocket. "You take checks?"
"Sure," she smiled. I wrote one out and handed it to her. She checked my identification, and then said, "Only one?" I nodded. I was about to ak why when she answered it before I could ask. "This cruise is usually meant for couples, families or old, retired people. And since you don't seem like any of the three, I was just wondering why you wanted to get on it."
I looked at her with a surprised look on my face. "I... I just need to take a vacation."
"Don't you have a special someone to go with you?"
I was even more surprised by this inquiry. "Why do you ask?"
She shrugged. "Just that you have the look of someone that loves another person that loves them back. Call it an aura they give off, a feeling. So do you?"
I smiled sadly. "I used to, but I let her down, so I'm not really sure anymore."
She nodded empathetically. "Well..." She took the ticket out of the machine and slid it to me. "Hope you have a good cruise, and I hope you work out your problems. Good luck, hon." I nodded and waved good-bye to her, and then walked over to where the ship was docked. Heading up the gangway, I gave in my ticket and was given the key to where my room was. I went to my room, opened up the door and threw myself onto the bed. Tama-chan toppled off of my head and landed next to me.
Flipping over, I stared at the ceiling while pillowing my head on my hands. So this was the beginning of my vacation. My chance to start anew before heading back to Hinata House had started. I sighed, rolled over onto my side and curled up. Somehow I wasn't excited as I thought I would be. My last thoughts before I fell asleep were images of an auburn beauty and a giant building towering over me.
*****
A week had gone by on the ship and I was standing by the railings overlooking the ocean. Tama-chan was perched on the railing next to me. I sighed. Already a week and nothing had really happened. I was kind of expecting more, you know?
"Myuh," Tama-chan said, finally breaking the silence.
"Yeah, I know it's boring, but what are you going to do, huh?" During the week, I gave up the notion of caring if people thought I was crazy or not by talking to a turtle. Frankly Tama-chan was actually the only being keeping me from losing my sanity on this mind-numbing, lonely journey. Plus she was an interesting person to talk with. It's amazing what turtles think about in their spare time. "So what do you feel like doing today? Shuffleboard?"
"Myuh."
"I thought as much," I sighed. Ironically enough Tama had actually beaten me five out of eight times of the times we had played. It's sad losing to a flying turtle, isn't it? "Oh well..." I reached into my pocket and pulled out two things. "My exam ticket and print club book." I fingered the two shots of me and Naru. I missed her so much. I couldn't wait for this to be over so I could be with her again. I sighed again and moved to put them back in my pocket.
Unfortunately, one of the other passengers bumped into me and nudged the two objects out of hand. They both got caught in an updraft and began to fly away. My mind froze. "Nooo!" I shouted. "Don't go! You can't go, damn it!" Without thinking, I planted a foot on the railing and launched myself off of it. I grabbed them and was triumphant until I realized I was in mid-air, off of the side of the ship. "Oh, crap... WAAHHH!"
I fell into the ocean with a giant splash. "Great... just great," I hacked. "I fell into the fucking ocean!" I looked at the ship speedily sailing away from me and futilely tried to hail them. "Help! Someone! Hey, wait for me!" The only response I got was a "myuh!", and a frantic Tama-chan flying to land on my shoulder. I looked at her grimly. "Nobody could understand what you said, huh?"
"Myuh..." She said dejectedly.
"Yeah, well, what are-Blargh!" A wave knocked me over and depleted me of any stamina I had left for treading water. My mouth opened up, letting a giant air bubble out. My eyes close and I slowly drifted into the waiting arms of the ocean, losing consciousness as I fell deeper and deeper.
*****
I woke up on some beach, the gentle lapping of the waves splashing upon my face reviving me from my unconscious state. That and the fact that Tama-chan was repeatedly slapping me with her flippers and yelling, "Myuh!" as loud as she could. "Myuh!" SLAP! "Myuh!" WHACK! "Myu myu myuh!" WHAM!
The last one was her pulling a hammer out of nowhere and hitting me on the head with it. "Gahhh! God damn it!" I bolted up and looked at Tama-chan fiercely while rubbing my head. "Damn it, Tama-chan. Where the fuck do you keep those things?"
She shrugged in response. "Myuh."
"Fine," I sighed. If she didn't want to tell, I wasn't going to push it. But it did freak me out how she kept multiple items in that tiny shell of hers though. Then I noticed I was some unknown beach. "Wait, where... where are we? What is this place? Did we survive?"
"Myuh."
"Crap." I got to my feet and started walking down the edge of the beach. Tama-chan decided to ride on my head rather than fly. I sighed as she settled down on my head. "You know, Tama-chan," I sighed. "Either I've got bad karma or someone up there doesn't like me." She perked up and moved her head to be up against my forehead. I looked up at her and smiled. "Year after year, it's the same thing. Fail my exams, almost drown, find some deserted beach. What a life..." I sighed again and tilted my head to look at the sky. Tama-chan scrambled to keep on top of my head from my sudden movement. "Does anyone even care about me?"
"Myu myu."
"Yeah," I laughed. "I guess you're right. Immortality does come in handy for these situations." I wondered if I'd find any signs of civilizations. There had to be someone here, right? I really didn't feel like living out a Robison Crusoe adventure. Cupping my hands to my mouth to form a funnel, I shouted, "Hello! Can anyone hear me?! Anyone at all?"
"Kahhh!"
I looked up to see I had disturbed some tropical birds. They took off from the top of the trees, looking disgruntled down on me. I bet they didn't have such noisy animals on their territory usually. "Uh, sorry," I said quietly to myself. I felt Tama-chan poking me in the head, so I took her off and looked at her. "What is it, Tama-chan?" I said tiredly. I really wasn't in the mood to play games.
"Myuh!" She pointed off is some direction and I followed where her flipper was pointing to. There, in front of me, was a gigantic turtle.
"Jesus Christ, that turtle must be as big as a Volkswagen. Are we in a place like 'Jurassic Park?'"
"Myuh," Tama-chan murmured dreamily.
"He's cute? Well..." I craned my neck to look at it at a different angle. Yeah, I guess 'he' could be cute... Wait, what was I saying?! I shouldn't be comparing turtles! I had to find help! I didn't want to be alone! I took off and just began to randomly call out for somebody, anybody. "Is there anyone on this island?! Someone answer me! HELLLLOOOOOO?!" But no one answered. I sighed. Look likes I was stranded.
I walked back to where I left Tama-chan. She was getting on quite amiably with the larger turtle. They were myuhing and myuhing with each other like crazy. I understood a little of what they were saying, but I'd rather not go into detail of turtle flirting. Trust me, it makes no sense to a human. I sighed and sat down on the moist sand, I did say I wanted an adventure, didn't I?
*****
Four days later I was sitting on a boulder cross-legged, trying to fish for some food. What was left of my jacket was covering my head, protecting me from the sun's harmful rays. I sighed. Four days had gone by and I hadn't seen one sign of human life. But I did make friends with most of the wildlife that came by the ocean every once in a while. I especially made friends with the giant turtle Tama-chan and I had met on our first day there. I named him Gidget and we all got along quite well. Tama-chan and him got along the best, and I think there might have been something going on between them.
My stomach groaned loudly and I held it in discomfort. God, I was so hungry... I hadn't eaten anything in the past few days. I almost though of eating Tama-chan, but one look from Gidget told me I would be the one eaten if I even tried. I put my hand in my pocket and pulled out some lint. Oh well... it looked edible. Sticking a few pieces into my mouth, I turned my head to Tama-chan. "You know, Tama-chan," I muttered. "It's strange to think I was once a normal kid living in a girls' dorm, studying for an exam and now I'm marooned on a desert island with a bad case of body order. It's time like this I wished I didn't have a baby face."
Suddenly, my line was tugged into the water. "What the... ?" It got tugged again, harder this time. "Ahhh! I got a bite!" My pole almost got pulled out of my hands. "Crap! And it's big too!" I began to pull back as hard as I could, but it still wasn't strong enough. After a few seconds of heavy fighting with whatever was on the other end of my line, I gave a terrific yank, and the creature burst out of the water.
"Myaaah!" Gidget came flying out of the water, my line stuck in his mouth. He almost landed on top of me, but I scuttled backwards like a crab and fell off of the edge with a scream.
"Damn it, Gidget!" I panted. "Don't... do that!" He responded by myuhing, and then began to hack. "Well no one told you to eat my zipper!" He kept continuing to hack. Crap, I didn't want him to choke. I walked over and took him by the throat. "Open your mouth." He did so and I took hold of the string traveling down his esophagus. "Just relax," I murmured. "This might hurt though." Stroking him along the length of his throat to relax him, I firmly grasped the line and, with a quick, strong yank, pulled it and the zipper I had used as bait of his throat.
"Myah..." Gidget sighed.
"You're welcome, Gidget," I smiled. "Listen, I'm going to go look for some kind of food so stay her with Tama-chan and try not to eat any more foreign objects." Gidget nodded and lumbered over to Tama-chan where they began to chat. I sighed and walked off to go find something. I was glad Gidget was okay, but still, he ate the bait I was trying to catch some fish with. Not like I'd catch any anyway. I sighed again.
Then I saw a glitter up the beach a few meters away from me. I took off. Was it food, or maybe a Coke?! Yeah, I know, why would a Coke be on a deserted island? But my hunger-driven mind was thinking coherently at the time, it just wanted to be fed. When I got to the sparkle, I stopped in shock. There, lying in a pile of seaweed, was my exam ticket and print club book. I began to giggle. "Ha ha... the seaweed must've pulled it all the way here. Well..." I put them both into my pocket. "It might not be food, but at least it's something." After that, I walked back to find Tama-chan and Gidget fast asleep. I smiled at the touching scene before building a fire to dry out the treasures I had found.
Later that day, I sat back on the ledge, overlooking the ocean that stretched on forever. It was funny that even though I was in a pretty dire life-or-death situation, I still found the nature around me to be so beautiful. Turning around, I saw that Tama-chan and Gidget were still curled up, sleeping. I smiled again before getting up to go check on the things I was drying. "Let's see," I murmured, reaching up to release them from the vines they were strung along. "Are they dry yet?" Taking them off, I felt a light weight land on my shoulder.
"Myuh..." Tama-chan cooed. I smiled and rubbed her on the head. She arched her neck like a cat to rub back against my hand. It certainly was an affectionate gesture to try and lift my spirits.
"Thanks, Tama-chan," I whispered. I lifted up my exam ticket and print club book to her view. "It would seem these are the only possessions I have now," I laughed. "It's funny. If I had know this would happen, I would have tried to get a few more photos with some of the other girls in them. But still..." I fingered the two photos again. "I'm glad they didn't get water damaged." I took a look at my exam ticket afterward and noticed writing on the back that I hadn't seen before. "Huh? What's this?"
Written on the back were various encouragements made by the girls at Hinata House.
Keitaro, Tokyo U is so for you! – Su
I hope you pass. – Haruka
I accomplished my goal so I know that you can accomplish yours. Now go out there and get me some results. – Aoyama
Sempai, it's because of you that I've learned to give everything my absolute best. I know that you can get into Tokyo U, so please do your best. – Shinobu
If you get Tokyo U, I might respect ya. – Sarah
Let's be Tokyo U students together! – Mutsumi
Just do your best! By the way, I'm the one who thought of doing this. Aren't you touched? Did ya cry? Well, did ya? – Kitsune
My breath caught in my throat. I was touched by their kind words. Yet, I felt a heavy weight fall onto my heart when I realized that all of their encouragements had gone to waste. I had still failed. I had let them all down. "Ahh..." I breathed heavily. "Everyone... Shinobu, Kitsune, Motoko, Haruka, Su and even Sarah. I'm sorry you guys, but I..." Then, I noticed on last piece of writing at the very bottom of the ticket.
Dear Kei, whether you pass or fail, everything will still be the same, so just take it easy, okay?
"Oh, Naru..." I sank to my knees. I had done it. I had let down the one person in the world I never wanted to seem small in their eyes. I let down the woman I loved in more ways than one. "Naru..." The exam ticket crinkled in my hands as I gripped it firmly. "Naru..." I fell onto my hands, my glasses falling off of my face to the sand below. Tama-chan worriedly flew around my head, but I didn't notice. I was too caught up in my misery to care. "Naru... Why can't I do anything right?" I felt tears gathering in my eyes to trickle slowly down my cheeks. "I fail, I run away, I'm nothing but a coward." I felt so depressed, so lonely. I let them all down, all of them. I was worthless. "I can't do anything right, nothing at all..."
That's when I heard a deep rumbling coming from the recesses of the jungle. "Huh? Gidget? That you?" But the creature that was approaching wasn't Gidget, or even a creature at all. A hulk of metal came crashing through the jungle towards me at an insane speed. Oh crap, I was going to be a bug on a windshield. The van (because that's what it was) hit a log and flipped through the air towards me. I was frozen in shock, stuck to the spot I was in as the van fell to crush me. Nothing could save me now.
"Myaaahhh!" Suddenly, Gidget came trampling out of nowhere, a look of pure determination in his eyes. He headbutted the van on its side, knocking it off its course and missing me completely. It rolled off to the side, began to spew smoke and then abruptly exploded. Meanwhile, Gidget stood between Tama-chan and me, and the van, so he took most of the shockwaves from the blast. Right after, Tama-chan was flying around his head spouting "my hero" and other fairy tale stuff. I was slightly dazed until someone stepped out of the van.
A man who seemed fairly familiar to me stepped out of the van with his head bleeding profusely. He was grinning and had an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips. He smacked himself in the back of the head, causing more blood to squirt from his wound as he talked to himself out loud. "Ehh, looks like my insurance is going to go up again. I don't think the company will believe that a giant turtle attacked my van. Still, I didn't know they were that aggressive." He let out a laugh until he saw me rise to my feet and stare at him. "Huh? Part-time?"
Tears gathered in my eyes again, but this time from happiness. "Seta..." I walked unsteadily a few feet, and then gained speed before tackling him in a fit of joy. "Seta, is it really you?!" I was so happy! I wasn't alone anymore!
"Whoa! If it isn't Keitaro?! What are you doing out here?" He seemed surprised as I hugged his stomach.
"I've been stranded here for four days!" I said as I let him go. I stared at him as I began to cry. "I haven't had any human contact since I came here! The only contact I've had was with Tama-chan and Gidget!" The tears were coming more freely now as I struggled to wipe them away with my already soaked and dirty hands. Not only was someone here to rescue me, but it was Seta, one of the people I knew extremely well!
"Tama-chan and Gidget?" I pointed at them. Gidget growled loudly while still protectively standing behind me, Tama-chan lying on his back. Seta scratched the back of his head nervously. "Ah yes, Tama-chan... And I'm guessing Gidget's the one that rammed my van?" I nodded. Gidget looked at him threateningly and took a step forward. Seta sweatdropped while backing away a little. I waved my hand for Gidget to come closer. He did so, I patted his head fondly and he settled down, but not before giving Seta on last dirty look. Seta turned to me. "Thanks."
"No problem," I said. My stomach rumbled painfully and I remembered how hungry I was. "Seta!" I said frantically. I grasped at his clothes again. He looked at the crazed look in my eyes nervously. "You wouldn't happen to have any food, would you? I was almost at the point of eating Tama-chan! I ate my own pocket lint, I was so hungry!" I shook him a little. "Well do you?"
"S-sure..." He shook me off and went over to his still slightly smoldering vehicle. Reaching inside, he pulled out some containers of food. I drooled in anticipation. We all settled down around the fire I had made and Seta tossed me the food. I pounced on it and began to hastily devour it. Tama-chan and Gidget looked at me plaintively, so I tossed them some morsels. They myuhed in thanks. After I tore through each of the various food-stuffs, I wiped my mouth and looked at Seta with an ecstatic look on my face. "Man, that's what I call good grub!" I cried.
"Eh, that's nice to know," Seta laughed nervously. "Now bring back Urashima. So anyway..." He put his hand behind his neck. "You say you've been stranded here for four days? That's a good story. Ever think about going on TV?" The both of us laughed as I continued to stuff my face. Tama-chan had landed and was resting on my head while Gidget sat next to me as if he was some sort of guardian for me.
Seta took a drag of his cigarette. "Say, isn't it exam season right about now?" He fixed his eyes on me seriously. "What happened with Tokyo University?" His eyes seemed to be trying to pierce my very soul. It felt like he was trying to strip away all of my layers and find my inner being, vulnerable and naked. I couldn't help but feel anxious as he stared at me with those boring eyes. I didn't know what to say.
"Urr... Well, I... You see, I... Well..." I tied to speak, but I simply couldn't, all I could do was look down and stare at the ground. The next thing I knew, I saw a shovel placed in front of my face.
"Here you go, Urashima."
I looked up to see Seta with his eyes closed and he was smiling. It looked like a genuine smile, like the one I saw on Haruka my first day of exams. He seemed like he was pleased about something.
"A shovel?" I was perplexed. What would I do with a shovel?
"You're not planning on heading back to Hinata house anytime soo, are you?" He smiled. "So how'd you like to be my assistant again? The pay is still lousy..." He shrugged his shoulders as if saying, 'what could you do?' "But I could use all the extra help I can get."
"Your assistant?" I was still surprised by the job offer. Here I was stranded on what I thought was a deserted island, and now I was being offered an assistant job by Seta. Not that I was being picky or anything, but being with seta tended to make you wary. Trouble usually revolved him in an Indiana Jones type of danger: scary, but fun. Not to mention his driving skills left something to be desired. I think that Seta might be immortal like me because of all the accidents he's been in. most other people would be a broken mess of bones in a hospital bed if they were in his position. Of course, Seta always did seem to have dumb luck.
"Yeah, I just can't seem to find any good help around here." He took a drag of his cigarette. "Plus, the whole mystery and adventure really gets my blood pumping. C'mon..." He waved the shovel in front of me. "I can be Indy and you can be Lara, okay?"
"Nah." I waved my hand. "Sarah was Lara..."
"You can pick who you want to be. So..." He took his cigarette out of his mouth and looked at me. "What do you say?"
"I..." Eh, what did I have to lose? I did say I wanted adventure, and excavating with Seta seemed a little tamer than being stranded on a beach. Besides, it could be a lot of fun. Doing some archaeology might just be the medicine I need to lift my spirits. Okay! I've decided! "I'll do it!"
"Splendid!" Seta grinned. "Now that that's out of the way, how about we drop the dorm a line?"
"Drop them a line?" I asked, taking the shovel off of Seta's hands. "Do we have to? I said I'd be back and besides, they might drag me back to fix a toilet or something." I wasn't kidding. The girls actually did really need me to try and keep Hinata House together. When I first came, it was near the point of collapsing. Knocking me through the structure's supports didn't exactly help either. "By the way, where exactly are we? Ogasawara? Okinawa?"
"What, don't you know?" Seta laughed. "The name of this place is... Pararakelse Island."
A/N: Oh thank God! I finally got this chapter done! Ugh... too lazy... can't find urge to write more of story... losing interest... Gaaahhh... (stops and falls to the floor) I don't feel so good... Please end this unholy torture now... I'm really sorry about the update time people. But don't worry, I will never discontinue this fic, even if it takes me my entire life... I hold that to you, my faithful readers... Ugh, I'll talk to you after the interview.
I'm hiding under an invisible barrier in a corner of the room with the rest of the Hinata Crew... minus Naru. Screams of fury and anguish are heard throughout the air as explosions accompany them. Meanwhile, I crouch in fear as I talk to myself, making a record of my possible last days on Earth.
Me: (whispering) Author's Log... Date... I don't know... anyone?
Taro: It's the day before Christmas Eve.
Me: (nods) Thank you. Date... 12/23/03. It's been a couple a couple of weeks since Keitaro left and I'm beginning to think that following the manga storyline was not such a good idea.
Sarah: (sarcastically) Oh really? What made you think that?
Me: Shut up! How was I supposed to know that she would react like this?
Kitsune: Well you did say the chapter before that she was extremely possessive.
Me: (sweatdrops) Oh yeah... whoops?
Motoko: (sighs) I swear, Yamiga, if we survive this... remind me to kill you.
Me: (chuckles nervously) Eh heh, can't promise to do that. (shakes head) In any case... Naru went ballistic after finding out that I had failed Keitaro and sent him far, far away. So now she's pretty much out for my blood. (glances at the rest) Oh yeah, the others are scared shitless of her too.
Su: Can't you just use your author powers on her like you did on us the first chapter?
Me: Problem with that strategy. It would seem that somehow Naru has a bit of what you would call... demon blood.
Mutsumi: Oh my, is that bad?
Me: (nods) Basically, it would atone for her abnormal strength and scary ass looks when she's pissed off. (points) Motoko gets the same condition when she uses her ki attacks.
Shinobu: Is that why her face seems to morph?
Me: (shrugs) Maybe... To tell the truth, I'm just guessing from what I see in yours and other mangas. For all I know, she could just be very, very angry. (shudders) In any case, there's no way in Hell that I'm confronting her.
Panic: THERE MAY BE NO NEED FOR THAT!
Me: Huh? (everyone points behind me; there is Naru, grinning evilly) Oh, shit...
Naru: Yamiga... (punches through the shield and lifts me up by my neck cuff)
Me: Gack!
Naru: (pulls me closer to her face) What did you do with my Kei, Ya-mi-ga?
Me: Umm... sent him... away?
Naru: You know what's going to happen now, don't you?
Me: (sweatdrops) Let me go and not kill me?
Naru: (smirks) I don't think so.
Me: Crap... (crosses fingers, closes eyes; whispering) Please dear God, let this work. And don't let the girls slay me afterward. (reaches forward and... gropes a breast)
Naru: (gasps) Pervert! (drops me to the ground)
Me: (chuckles nervously) Eh heh... And that's my cue to leave. Bye-bye! (runs off)
Naru: Get back here, you little creep! And give me back my Kei! (runs off after me)
Me: (off in distance) Nooooo!!! Leave me alone!
Su: Think he'll be alright?
Motoko: (crosses arms) Most likely case... not at all.
Taro: Ehh, he'll be just fine. Though I think Naru's not going to like him for another couple of chapters.
Shinobu: How come?
Taro: Naru finds Keitaro. (everyone shudders)
Sarah: Ewww... gonna be a blood bath.
Kitsune: Maybe not... (everyone stares at her) What?
Motoko: Kitsune, you might be even more perverted than Urashima is... if that's even possible.
Panic: MORE THAN LIKELY IT IS! BUT WE HAVE TO FINISH THIS, RIGHT?!
Everyone: (sighs) Right... (takes a deep breath) Please Review!
A/N: Gaahhhh... Naru didn't catch me, thank God! That would have been fairly painful. Anyway... Keitaro arrives in Pararakelse, and you know what that means, right? Nyamo appears! I love Nyamo! She's just so damn cute! Oh, and another surprise! She speaks! No more "..." bubbles! Yay! (sighs) Well, thank you for staying with me. I really, really appreciate it. Please review and remember, no flames! Oh, and MERRY CHRISTMAS! (sing-song voice) And a Happy New Year!
Preview!
Next Chapter: Hello, Nyamo!
"Oh, Keitaro," she sighed. "Don't you remember? It's me..." A breeze flitted through the air and finally revealed the rest of the woman's face to me. My breath caught in my throat. Not, it couldn't be... How could she be here? I raised my other hand to capture her face, but she lost her essence, and I just went through her. My hand went straight through her as I tried to grab some part of her to hold on to. I didn't want her to go away, I wanted to be able to touch her, to know she was with me. But she just wasn't there anymore, she just wasn't there. And I finally knew who she was, I knew where I was and I knew what had happened.