Filipino_Sniper: please! Feel grief for me! Naru is scary when she's pissed! Ahhhhh! Don't hurt me! Anyway, I hope you enjoy my rendition of this volume and I will do my best to please you. Thank you very much for the review
Anubuss: thanks for the great review. I've never really been commented on my humor like that before, so thank you very much! I'm still sorry for the update time, but I am doing my best so please bear with me! Thank you
Boombubble: thanks for the review. Yeah, writing when you don't really feel like is bad for the story. But I have been re-reading the entire Love Hina series, which has helped me get new ideas for the story. And also, it gave me an idea for a new Love Hina story! Woo-hoo! Thank you
you know who: thank you for the review. Demons cutting up my soul? Ehhh, that happens to me all the time. Might account for my total lost in sanity (sighs) Oh well, whatcha' gonna do? Heh, thanks for the part about Inuyasha. I just had to put a joke like that in the story. And there'll be a lot more of that kind of humor in the sequel to this story! But that won't be for a while... heh
Lamikhara: thank you for the review. I know I looked like I fooled around with Keitaro too much, but I needed to add a little more humor to the story and take a break from the romance. You understand, right? I hope so...
Vivi239: heh, thank you for the heartfelt review. It made me feel all warm and nice inside. I took a look at my stats. 13 people put me on their favorite author's list. That's not too shabby if I say so myself. Anyway, thank you very much
Android K: hello, pre-reader. How are you? Now that the formalities are done with... hank for still helping me out with my fic. I appreciate it so much! Thanks for the review, and you better get your next chapter out quick or else... in most cases I'll just keep bugging ya till ya do
Shadowed-Moon2525: dude, I'm not half-assing it! My grammar and spelling just has a lot to be desired, that's all! I depend mostly on my pre-readers, and my best one, the one who goes into great detail I might add, thank you for that by the way, hasn't been able to send me his copy. Oh well... Anyway, I'm not losing interest... just having trouble focusing on this because of school and other projects, that's all. I'm back! I'm back and I'm bad, baby! (laughs manically)
Sexybish666: heh, cool name. Anyway, thank you so much for the review. I really appreciate it. And don't worry, I like suck-ups! Never hurts to help boost my very small ego. I have a very bad self-esteem problem. Got whatcha' can call an inferiority complex. (sighs) Oh well...
Sabrina Komodo Sakazuki: thank you for the review. And what are friends for? Well, they don't kick each other's online digital booty, I can tell ya that much. Heh, just kidding. thanks, nice ta know people like my fic. Makes me feel good
Niak: thank you for the review. And I read some of your fic. It's good. A little sad, but good nonetheless. And a Keitaro/Shinobu pairing, huh? Yeah, I have to admit, they do make a pretty cute couple. But the age difference is just too weird for my taste. But hey, it's your opinion, and I have no right to diss it. But you're right, Shinobu never really gets her chance, does she? Maybe... if you have volume 13, read chapter 113. It's a really sweet moment between Keitaro and Shinobu. I think you'll like it
lilbsbllstar10: thank you so much for the review! It was my favorite one by far. It's nice to know that my citrus scenes aren't too risqué. And the end of your review...? I laughed for about five minutes straight, and then had the giggles for the rest of the day. It was just too great! Hahahahahahaha! Heeeeeehhhh... 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 7: Hello, Nyamo!
"..." – talking
"(...)"– English
So here I was, helping Seta excavate the mysterious island of Pararakelse. The legend this place held was actually pretty cool. Oh, geographically it's located almost smack-dab in the middle of the three great islands: Japan, Hawaii and Australia. Anyway, the legend it holds is a supposed turtle civilization. Yeah, I know, a turtle civilization. But it's actually not all that unbelievable. You wouldn't believe how many ancient cultures worshipped various objects and/or creatures. I think I read in the paper about some cult that prophesized and worshipped the coming of the toaster oven. And that was way off track...
In any case, Seta said that there once was a fanatical religious cult that worshipped a turtle god by the name of Namusan Sapou. Why did that name seem so familiar? Didn't I hear Tama-chan and Gidget saying that name during their conversations on the beach? Oh well... An interesting note was that the god used to feast on young virgins as snacks. Heh, if Motoko ever heard that, I think she'd faint. Speaking of Motoko, I think that if she even heard (or even worse, saw) how many turtles were on this island, she'd lose her sanity.
Coincidently, Pararakelse Island is supposedly located in the middle of the turtle civilization. Seta thought that this island was the key to uncovering the truth of the enigmatic and ancient turtle culture. In his words, he said that if he could discover such a key, it would mark a poetic end to his life's work. But I know Seta. Even if this part of his work was finished, he would immediately jump into another mystery, one that was probably even more dangerous and mind-boggling than the first one.
I stopped shoveling a second to wipe my brow. Looking up at the blazing sun, I was amazed at how hot it could be. After Seta had brought me to the town where the excavation was being held, he immediately gave me a job in menial work, digging for artifacts. Not that I was complaining, I could use the workout. Studying behind a desk for three years straight tended to have a negative impact on your health. I had almost no stamina for hard work and had nearly fainted three or four times if I didn't have Tama-chan or Gidget helping to keep me cool.
Unfortunately for me, the two turtles were off having one of their "lover rendezvous," and had left me all alone. The sun beat down on me brutally as I went back to work. Sweat poured down my face as I dug the shovel into the earth, pulling out dirt and clay, and then digging in again. God, it was so fucking hot! It felt like I was in Hell! Another hole in the ground, another pile of minerals. I pushed the shovel into the ground again and felt my knees go weak. Oh crap, not this time... Not when there was no one here. But it did. My world darkened, spun around and then blacked out all together. I hit the ground... hard.
*****
"Keitaro... Keitaro..."
I woke up to the sound of someone calling my name. Opening my eyes, all I saw was a foggy mist shrouding my entire surroundings in an opaque form. Huh? Where was I? "Keitaro..." And who was calling me? It sounded light in tone and slight high-pitched, like a woman's voice. But where it was coming from, I could not tell. It was eclectic, from all around me.
"Hello?!" I called out. "Is anybody there?!"
"Keitaro... Where are you, Keitaro?"
"Hello?! Who are you?! Please, tell me how you know me!"
"Oh, I know you very well, Keitaro..." The voice sighed. "I know you very well indeed."
"Then who are you?!" I yelled. Suddenly, as if reacting to my question, the fog in front of me dispersed a little to uncover a tall, over-towering building. The place seemed so familiar to me, what was it? I took a step forward and the fog disappeared completely, only to be replaced by a flurry of cherry blossoms and snow. Wait, cherry blossoms and snow together? That didn't make any sense. But it was happening, and dear God, it was beautiful.
Then I heard giggling from behind me. I turned around to see three small children playing together, two girls and a boy. As I tried to get closer, they stopped playing and looked at me curiously. I raised out a hand and reached out for them, but a strong gust forced me to cover my face. When I looked out from underneath my arm, the children were gone. I slowly walked to where they were and bent down. In their place was a stuffed toy. I picked it up and the found someone tugging at my shirt. Turning around, I saw the three children standing in front of me.
"Hey, mister," the little boy said. "Do you think we could have our Liddo-kun back?"
"Liddo-kun?" I looked down at the animal. "Oh, you mean this?" I gave the stuffed toy a small shake to illustrate. The boy nodded while his companions acted differently. The older of the two girls moved up to his side while the younger one moved behind, clutching at his arm and peeking at me around his side. I tilted my head at their odd behavior. The way the two acted made it obvious that they both liked the boy. I could see it in their eyes. But the smaller one seemed more timid in her affections while the older one was bolder. However, something was holding back the older girl, something that told me that she wasn't totally trying to obtain the boy's attention, but I did not know what it was.
I squatted down and looked at them. They all seemed so familiar to me, like I had known all of them for a long, long time. They were like a distant part of my memories, a small area of my mind that could not be unlocked. Who were they? Shaking my head, I smiled and extended their "Liddo-kun" towards them. The small boy took it from my hands then handed it to the younger girl. She took, gratitude shining from her eyes, and clutched it to her body. The older girl giggled and gazed at me.
"Thank you, oniichan."
I smiled again. She was calling me big brother? All I did was give them their doll back. But I couldn't help but feel a little joy though at her words. "You're welcome, little-ahh!" Another gust of wind, and the snow and cherry blossoms were thrown between us. I fell backwards and looked in surprise as the children giggled and then swiftly melted into the flurry of colors, their outlines blurring before they disappeared all together.
"Keitaro!"
I twisted my neck to see the outline of a woman standing in the hurricane of shades of light. She began to walk forward and started to notice more and more things about her. She was wearing a pink dress over a short-sleeved shirt, the hem of her dress billowing in the wind. Her slim figure walked with a grace unlike nothing I had ever seen before, she almost seemed to glide along the ground on her feet. Her auburn hair swirled around her head, covering the top half of her face. Al I could see was the bottom half, her full, ruby lips, her delicate cheekbones, her cute (I didn't know how else to describe it) nose. I just wish I could have seen her eyes.
She walked until she stood in front of me and bent over. Her petite hand reached out to touch my face and I felt her gently caress a side of it. She was being so soft, so tender. Who was she? I slowly, hesitantly put a hand on one of her cheeks. She took her hand off of my face to hold my hand to hers as she gently nuzzled it. A warmth spread throughout my body and I smiled. But... why did all seem so familiar to me. Everything here seemed so familiar to me. That building, those children and now... this woman. It was like I had done all of this before. I looked, confused, at her. "Who are you?" I asked. "I know you... don't I?"
"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.
"Naru!" I cried out. "Come back! Naru!"
I woke up with a start. "Huah!" my body was covered in sweat. I sat up quickly and put my hand to my head. It hurt so much and felt so hot. What had happened? Then I remembered. Oh yeah, I had fainted outside. Probably of heatstroke or something else. But... I looked at my surroundings. I was in a darkened tent, the flaps closed. I was last outside, wasn't I? So how'd I get here. I then felt something cold in my lap. Looking down, I saw that it was a cold compress. Oh, someone must have found me and brought me here. I took the compress and put it to my head. I sighed. It felt so good.
I heard a noise at the opening of the tent and turned my head in that direction. Standing there was... Shinobu? Wait, no, that couldn't be right. I found my glasses and put them on. I looked again. No, it wasn't Shinobu, but damn, it sure looked like her. This girl looked almost exactly like Shinobu except she had longer hair tied in a big ribbon and a tan. She looked at me nervously. I raised a hand in greeting, and the girl bowed quickly and bolted from the tent. Geez, even her personality was like Shinobu's.
I sighed and lied back down. What a weird dream. I guess I missed Hinata house, and Naru, a lot more than I thought. Why else would I have such vivid dreams about them? I sighed again and put the compress back to my head. It felt so refreshing against my flaming forehead. Was it that girl that had gotten it for me? If it was, I would have to thank her. It really helped me relax and I was very thankful.
"Hey, Keitaro!" I turned to see Seta standing at the opening of the tent. He was grinning like his normal self and had a hand raised with a cigarette clutched between his fingers. "Glad to see you're awake! How you doing? Feeling better now?"
"Uh, yeah, sure, Seta," I responded, holding a hand behind my head. I then saw the same girl from before hiding behind Seta, peeking at me from around his side. Well, she certainly seemed interested in something in me. She was staring at me like a moth does to a flame, knowing full well it could be dangerous, but attracted to it nonetheless. "Umm, Seta, who's the girl?"
"Oh, you mean Nyamo here? Come out, sweetheart." He motioned Nyamo to move and she did into full view. She held her hands together and looked sideways at me, fidgeting slightly. I was right. She did act a lot like Shinobu, quiet and shy. "She's one of the people working part-time for me here on the excavation. I know that she's a bit young, but she was very insistent on working for me." He paused and then added, "That, and I'm an acquaintance of her grandfather's. she's the one that took care of you when you fainted."
"Oh," I smiled. "Well, thank you very much, Nyamo."
She stayed silent. It was like she didn't even understood what I had said. Which of course was exactly the problem. "Sorry," Seta laughed. "She doesn't speak Japanese."
I looked at her. She didn't speak Japanese? Maybe she spoke English? I sure was glad that English was my second language. I guess it really did come in handy. "(Thank you, Nyamo,)" I said in the best English as I could. "(I owe my life to your quick attention.)"
Nyamo's response wasn't verbal, but physical. A blush rose against her lightly tanned cheeks as she stared at me. Then she bowed once again and abruptly ran out of the tent. Umm, okay. That was a little unexpected. Why was she acting so fidgety and nervous? Had I done something to offend her? Seta quickly broke apart my conclusion.
"Way to go, Keitaro. Looks like she's taken a liking to you," he said, slapping me on the back, grinning widely. "Strange..." He stroked his chin reflectively. "I think that girl's been watching you a lot lately."
"What?! It's not... I was..." What? She had been watching me? Was that why I had been found so quickly? Wait... she had bee watching me, but this was the first time that I had seen her. Didn't that qualify her as a stalker? I had a stalker? I had a stalker?! Someone thought I was worthy to stalk! No, wait... why was I happy. Shouldn't I have been nervous? Wait... no... yes... what? Whilst in this battle of emotions, I only uttered one eligible word.
"Really?!" "Yeah," he laughed. "Looks like you've got another girl gunning for you. Makes me sort of jealous." Jealous? How could he be jealous? He used to have Naru trying to be with him, not to mention Kitsune and Haruka are probably still trying. And since when did I ever have girls vying for my affections... Well, except for Mutsumi that one time...
"Yeah, well..." I laughed nervously. I was glad Naru wasn't here when he said that. I knew she would take his comment the wrong way and do something horrible to me. Well, I really didn't know actually. Naru was extremely possessive. She looked like she was going to beat Mutsumi off of me with a stick when she first came. But still, after the "Naked Mutsumi" incident, she had gotten a bit more trusting of me. But I think I'd rather get out of that subject. It wouldn't end well if I thought about it too much. Changing trains of thought, I asked Seta something I was wondering. "Seta, how do you know Nyamo's grandfather?"
"How do I know Nyamo's grandfather?" Seta repeated. "He used to be my favorite professor when I went to Tokyo U."
I noticed a key word in his statement. "Used to? Why used to? Did something happen to him?"
Suddenly Seta's face lost its grin and pulled into a neutral look. He started to fidget and looked at the ground blankly. I was startled by his actions. Seta was never nervous. He was one of the most confident that I knew. He was as dumb and oblivious as a brick sometimes, but still, at least he was a confident brick. "Umm, that's a rather touchy subject right now. I don't really want to say why. If you really want to know, the only person who should be telling you is Nyamo."
"Oh, okay." Geez, that wasn't good. The atmosphere dove from carefree to grim in a matter of seconds. Trying to shake the heaviness of the situation, I stood up and said, "Well! I guess I'd better get back to work, huh? If I don't, I won't ever get used to it." I laughed as hard as I could and sweatdropped at how idiotic I sounded. But at least it had the result I had hoped for. Seta let out a little smirk and stuck his cigarette back into his mouth
"Yep, you're right there, part-timer." He took a long drag of his cigarette and grinned, winking one of his eyes. "Here's hoping you don't faint again." He then turned around and waved a hand over his shoulder. "See you later, Keitaro. I've got to go talk to some officials."
"See ya, Seta." He walked out of the tent and I was left alone once again. I sighed and scratched the back of my head. This certainly was an interesting vacation for me. I wondered what I'd be like after it was all over. In fact, I wondered how long I was going to stay here. I had been gone for a week and a half already so the girls must have realized that I was serious about going away. well, I guess I'd stay here until the excavation was all over and send little reports to the girls every once in a while to say how I was doing. I probably should send them a fax within the next couple of days.
In any case, it was time to get back to work. Walking out of the tent, I found Tama-chan and Gidget waiting for me. I guess they might of felt a little guilty for being off somewhere else when I fainted. Tama-chan eagerly jumped off of Gidget and flew towards me to land on my shoulder. "Myuh," she murmured as she nuzzled into my neck.
"Hey, Tama-chan." I rubbed her on the head fondly. Gidget ambled over to me and looked down bashfully.
"Myah..."
"It's okay, Gidget," I said as I patted his head. "You guys don't have to apologize. You deserve to have some alone time after watching me for so long. Besides, fainting is good. It showed that I really have to get back into shape. When I was training with Grandma, the only time I ever fainted was when she knocked me unconscious." For some strange reason, I found this extremely funny and burst out laughing. Eh, I've always had a weird sense of humor. The two turtles sweatdropped at me and I calmed down until I was only giggling nervously as their bemused expressions. "Well, in any case, I've got to get back to work so you two can go back to whatever it was you were doing before."
Walking only a few steps, I felt something bumping me in the back. I turned around to see Gidget head-butting me. Seeing that he had gotten my attention, he bent down on his front legs and went, "Myah." I smiled at his offer. It was nice of him to offer to carry me, but it really wasn't necessary. After all, I could walk on my own.
I shook my head and waved a hand. "No, it's okay, Gidget. You don't need to do that. I'm just fine. But..." I put my hands behind my head and turned my back to the two turtles, smiling slightly. "I wouldn't mind you both walking with me the rest of the way." To tell the truth, I had become rather attached to the tiny and large reptile within the past couple of days. Their smiles and ways had really grown on me. I was going to miss Gidget when I left because I didn't think that customs would allow him to leave the country.
Gidget beamed and, when I began walking again, he followed right beside me. We were quite the picture, the three of us making our way down the tropical avenue of the village of Pararakelse. Finally, we arrived back at the excavation site, and I climbed down back down to start working again. Instead of leaving like I told them to, Tama-chan and Gidget instead opted to watch me from the side of the passage. They chatted with each other, peeking at me every once in a while as I took a shovel back into my hands and began digging again.
I wasn't sure whether the work was fun or mind numbing. Sure it felt great to dig in the dirt, get myself good and sweaty. You know, natural endorphins are released when you work out real hard. But still, doing the same thing over and over again got real boring after a while. But hey, I was enjoying this. Seta said that even though you might never find anything, it's just the feeling that you just might that makes it all worthwhile. I sighed and went back to shoveling.
After a while, I felt Tama-chan land on my shoulder and whisper into my ear, "Myuh."
"Huh?" I leaned my head towards her. "What is it, Tama-chan?"
"Myuh." She jabbed her flipper behind me and I turned to see what she was pointing at. I was surprised when I saw none other then Nyamo walking towards me. When she saw that I had noticed her, she stopped and nervously wrung her hands in front of her. It looked like she was trying to say something, but every time she tried, she just stopped and blushed. It looked like I had to take the initiative.
"(Hello, Nyamo.)"
H-hello, Keitaro.)" Nyamo said back. She looked embarrassedly at me and put her hands behind her back. Looking down, she stuttered, "(I-I'm sorry for b-bothering you, b-but I wanted t-to see if you w-were alright.)"
I smiled at her concern. "(Thank you, Nyamo. I'm just fine. You took very good care of me.)" I turned my back to her and to shovel again. I talked throughout my shoveling, grunting a little from the effort. "(Seta told me that you were watching me from before.)" I stopped and turned back to her, crossing my arms across the top of the shovel and leaning on it. Smiling slightly and raising an eyebrow, I asked, "(Well, were you? Watching me that is?)"
Nyamo's head snapped up and she blushed furiously. Whoa, I was right, she was watching me. That was... unexpected. Meanwhile, Nyamo was trying to say something, but she wasn't doing a very good job at it. "(Uh... that is... well I... I... I'm sorry! Please forgive me!)" She then turned around to take off, my God, she was like a carbon copy of Shinobu! She even ran away when things embarrassed her in some way!
"(Wait, Nyamo!)" I cried out. She stopped and nervously looked over her shoulder. "(It's okay, really!)" She turned around and blushed again. I smiled softly and put the shovel down. Sitting down, my back against the wall, I pillowed my head on my hands and looked up at the sky for a second before looking back at Nyamo. "(Really, Nyamo, it's okay. To tell the truth...)" At this I looked back at the sky. "(I'm actually kind of flattered and very grateful that you were. If you hadn't I probably would have still been here passed out with heatstroke. So thank you.)"
"(Oh! Y-you're welcome.)"
"(So, do you want to talk?)"
"(What?! Talk?!)"
"(Well, I'm guessing you didn't just come here to see if I was alright. If you're worried about bothering me, don't be. I could use the break and my English could do with some practice too.)" Nyamo looked surprised at my remark and I have to admit I was too. I didn't think I'd ever talk to some random person I'd just met, not to mention a girl, so easily. Usually, I would be the one stuttering. I guess being around all the crazy characters of Hinata House had really helped me to interact with normal people better. Sigh... Hinata House... I really missed that place. But I would be back, after I finished here.
"(Keitaro? Keitaro? Are you all right?)" I snapped out of daze to find Nyamo standing in front of me, slightly bent over, her hands on her knees and looking at me worriedly, her brows furrowed.
"(Huh? Oh, sorry. Zoned out there for a second.)" I laughed nervously. She looked at me strangely until I waved a hand. "(Don't worry, just thinking about my home.)" I patted the ground beside me. "(Here, sit down.)"
Nyamo did so, leaning her head back to rest on the wall. I was startled when I saw Gidget lumber over and settle down right in front of us. He folded his legs underneath him and rested his head on Nyamo's legs. She had a gentle look on her face as she reached out and rubbed his head. Gidget closed his eyes and sighed with a, "myah." Nyamo giggled a little as he yawned and then fell into a doze. I smiled.
"(Hey look,)" I chuckled. "(You finally look happy. That's good. You should smile more, Nyamo. You're always looking either nervous or sad. Be happy, Nyamo!)"
She blushed slightly and smiled a little more before looking down at Gidget. Meanwhile, Tama-chan had landed on my head and was darkly muttering. I tilted my head and looked at her with an eyebrow raised. Tama-chan jealous. That was a new one. I guess she really did like Gidget. I chuckled inwardly as I realized she was acting a bit like Naru. Well, at least I thought she was acting like Naru. In any case, I scratched Tama-chan's throat and murmured, "Hey, Tama-chan, you jealous?"
She glared at me and muttered back, "Myu."
"Tama-chan, don't worry. Gidget's just trying to be friendly. Besides, I don't think they'd work out. They are of different species." I took her off my head and looked at her stern. "Now, go over there and be nice too."
Tama-chan grumbled a bit, but listened to what I said and flew to land on Nyamo's shoulder. She settled down reluctantly and myuhed. Nyamo smiled and gently scratched her head. Tama-chan calmed down a little and seemed to get a little friendlier when she arched her neck into Nyamo's hand and let out a soft purr. Nyamo's smile turned into a happy grin and I looked contently at the scene. Finally, I spoke.
"(So, Nyamo, tell me about yourself.)"
Nyamo looked at me quizzically. "(Like what?)" She asked.
"(Like...)" I looked up at the blue sky and scratched my head. I then snapped my fingers and said, "(Like your family, your hobbies, your friends. Things like that.)"
"(Oh, well, ummm...)" Nyamo closed her eyes and tilted her head back in deep thought. "(Let's see... my mother was a native on this island and my father was an archaeologist visiting here from Japan to meet my grandfather. My grandfather introduced my father to my mother, they fell in love, got married and had me. I'm an only child so I get lonely sometimes, but there are a lot of nice people around here so I don't get too lonely. I'm kind of shy around new people so I don't make friends very easily.)"
"(Except for me,)" I grinned. "(Oh, and Gidget and Tama-chan.)"
Nyamo blushed. "(I guess,)" she murmured. "(But I really like animals so I get along with them really easily.)"
"(That's nice," I smiled. "(I can tell they really like you.)" I wasn't about to say that I could understand what they said. I didn't want her to think I was a freak or something. I wanted to make friends with at least one other person on this island other than Seta. Nyamo smiled lightly and I smiled back. "But, Nyamo, I was wondering. Can you tell me why you're working for Seta on this dig?)"
Nyamo's smile fell and she gained a melancholy look instead. Her hands went to a locket around her neck and removed it. She flicked the lock open and looked at it sadly. Hmm? What was in that locket that made her look so depressed? I scootched over to her and tried to take a peek. Nyamo noticed I was trying to see and moved it into my view. In it was a picture of an old, kind looking old man. Glasses and a white-haired mustache framed his tanned face. He was smiling jovially at the camera while a grinning Seta was seen behind him. Was this... Was this Nyamo's grandfather?
"(Nyamo, is this...?)"
"(My grandfather? Yes.)" Nyamo sighed sadly. "(I loved my grandfather very much. He was very kind to me, to everyone. He was also a very energetic soul, even for his age. He was always going on adventures. But now, he can't anymore...)" She trailed off and I heard her sniffling softly.
My heart broke a little. She seemed so sad. Here I was trying to be friendly with her, and instead I had made her cry. Gahh! Everyone I came in contact with I made sad! What was wrong with me?! I couldn't do anything right... Placing a hand on her shoulder, I said gently, "(I'm sorry. Did he... pass away?)"
She looked up at me and I saw tears gathering in her eyes. But the strange thing was, she was smiling... "(I really don't know,)" she laughed.
"(Huh? What do you mean?)" I looked at her quizzically.
"(I mean... I mean I really don't know if he's dead or not. He could be or he couldn't. he just disappeared on one of his excavations and never came back. There was really no record of his death, so he's just... missing.)" She looked down at her feet.
"(Oh...)"
"(So I guess I'm working with Mr. Seta because I want to continue my grandfather's legacy, but I just don't know...)"
"(Nyamo...)" I gave her shoulder a soft squeeze. She looked up at me sadly and I smiled as warmly as I possibly could. She shouldn't have been sad, nobody should have to be sad. I didn't like anyone around me sad. Maybe I was just naïve, wishing there could be a lot more happiness in the world. Maybe that's just me. But... I like the way I am, and I like to help others, so maybe... just maybe... I could help Nyamo. "(I don't know much about archaeology yet... Actually, I don't know anything, but I know that I can definitely help you dig a nice hole. So if there's anything... anything at all I can do to help, don't hesitate to ask.)"
Nyamo blushed slightly and looked down again, the corners of her mouth tugging into a small smile. "(Thank you, Keitaro,)" she murmured,
"(You're welcome,)" I grinned. I was happy that she wasn't sad anymore. Nyamo seemed like a really sweet girl, so she didn't deserve to be sad.
"(So, umm... could you... tell me about yourself?)"
"(Myself?)" I closed my eyes and thought. Well, what could I say? I suppose I could talk about my family. But what would I say about Hinata House? I severely doubted that she'd believe me if I told her I was the landlord of a girl's dorm. But Nyamo seemed like the trusting type once she got to know you, so I decide to just tell her about myself and my life.
"(Well, I'm from Japan, obviously.)" Nyamo giggled cheekily at my blatant comment. "(I was born and raised in Tokyo. My parents own a pretty good sweet shop and so I know how to make things like bean-jam pastries and stuff. I have a younger sister, Kanako. We're not actually siblings though because she was adopted.)" Kanako... such a somber girl. She was always so serious, so formal. She almost never smiled, only around me. I remembered how nervous she always used to get around me. I smiled inwardly at those memories. I guess you could say that she had a big-brother complex. But Grandma had taken her off on a training trip like she had with me and I hadn't seen her ever since. I missed Kanako. She was, and always would be, my little sister.
"(But now, now...)" I stopped, wondering if I should admit my current lifestyle. Mentally sighing, I continued. "(Now I live in a town called Hinata Hot Springs working as the landlord and manager of a girl's dormitory.)"
Nyamo's head snapped up and her eyes widened. A shocked look was plastered on her face as she gasped at me. "(A girl's dormitory?! But isn't that kind of... perverted?)"
I sighed and dug my face into my hands. I knew it. "(I knew I shouldn't have told you.)"
"(But why are you...?)"
"(It's a long story,)" I said tiredly. "(One that has many things you could never possibly imagine beyond your wildest dreams. But basically my grandma, the previous owner, gave it to me for some reason on the sole condition of me becoming the landlord.)"
Nyamo nodded. "(So are you friends with the tenants, or do they hate you for being... well, not a girl?)"
"(Well...)" I laughed out loud. "(Funny story actually. Yes, at first they hated me for being male and... other things...)" I wasn't about to go into detail about how I met them all. Nyamo would probably call me a pervert if I did and I did not feel like having another female calling me that blasted name. "(But now, we're all pretty friendly with each other.)"
"(Umm...)" Nyamo fidgeted slightly. Why was she so nervous all of a sudden? Had I done something? "(Is... is one of the girls' names Naru?)"
I froze slightly. How... how did she...? "(H-how did you know that? I don't remember saying that name at all to you.)"
She looked down embarrassedly and wringed her hands. "(You were... I heard you murmuring her name when I was taking care of you after you had passed out.)" She looked up apologetically as if she had done something wrong and then said, "(Is she your girlfriend or something?)"
Scratching the back of my head, I looked up at the sky and smile lopsidedly. "(Yeah, guess you could say that. We do love each other and all, but I let her down. So now I'm not too sure anymore.)"
"(Umm... unless you don't want to, could you tell me what happened?)"
I looked at her. She genuinely wanted to know. I could see it in her eyes. I nodded my head. "(Okay.)" And so I told her everything. About my childhood, my time at Hinata House, my relationship with Naru, how I failed, everything. I don't know why I opened up like this to an almost complete stranger to me, but Nyamo... she seemed so innocent, so caring. Just like Shinobu, she really did want to try and cheer people up. During my story, she listened quite attentively, interrupting only a few times to ask for a little clarification on some things. When I finished, Nyamo was looking at me with awe.
"(Wow,)" she said, her mouth a little agape. "(You went through a lot, Keitaro.)"
"(Yeah,)" I grinned slightly, my eyes closed. "(I guess so.)"
"(I'm sorry about your exam.)"
"(Ehh, it's okay.)" I put my hands behind my head, pillowing it on the hard-packed earth behind me. "(Besides, if I hadn't failed, I wouldn't be here right now doing something I'm really enjoying. So I guess it all balances out maybe.)"
Nyamo looked at me critically. "(You're lying,)" she simply stated.
I sweatdropped. For someone who seemed so innocent, she was rather acute. "(Yeah, you're right. I much rather of passed and kept my promise, but anyway I'm here now and there's nothing I can do about it. But I'm still enjoying myself and I'm glad I made a friend like you, Nyamo.)"
She smiled and blushed. "(You are a good friend too, Keitaro.)"
I smiled again, and then picked myself up off of the ground. Brushing the dirt from the bottom of my pants, I took my shovel and put it over one of my shoulders. I hadn't realized it until now, but it was getting kind of dark out. I guess that Nyamo and I had talked longer than what I thought. Reaching a hand down, I silently offered to help Nyamo up. She took up on it and claimed a grasp on my hand. I was surprised. For one so small, she had a startling good grip on my hand. I guess excavating for most of her life had been really good for her.
We started walking until I heard a yelp from behind me. I turned around to see Nyamo sitting dazedly on Gidget's back with Tama-chan sitting on her head. It looked like Gidget had forced his way under Nyamo to let her ride him and Tama-chan just wanted to be part of the action. I couldn't help but laugh at them. "(Wah ha ha! You guys look like a totem pole!)"
Nyamo pouted. "(They really surprised me!)" I just grinned even more. It was good that she was reacting like that. It showed that she was getting more comfortable around me. I was glad. After all, I was probably going to be working with her for a while and it would have been bad if she was jittery every time she was near me.
I jerked my head slightly. Gidget took my point and ambled on past me. Nyamo didn't keep pouting for long before she began giggling and enjoying the ride. I smiled and walked after them. All of us made our way out of the ditch I was working in and back to the village. The sun was totally over the horizon now, so it was nighttime, and the stars were over our heads twinkling. Everything was silent until Tama-chan spoke. "Myuh myu."
"(Yes,)" Nyamo replied. "(The stars are pretty.)"
I stared at her. Wait... did she...? "(Do you actually understand what they're saying?)" I asked hesitantly.
Nyamo looked at me and laughed. "(Of course! It's kind of hard not to when you're surrounded by them.)" I guess she was right. I saw a lot of turtles just loafing around the village. Maybe they were pets of the people or were used to carry things. I know that I sometimes had Gidget carry surplus supplies for the excavation. Though I wondered how they got all those gigantic turtles. Did they capture them from the wild or breed them or something? Ehhh...
Nyamo's face then drooped and she looked at me nervously. Oh crap, don't tell me she was getting embarrassed again! "(Why?)" She asked dejectedly. "(Do you find that weird? Me being able to talk to turtles?)"
I shook my head. "(No! no, that's not it. It's just that, umm...)" I scratched the back of my head and looked embarrassedly at the night sky. "(I just thought that it was funny that I'm not the only one here who can.)"
She blinked. "(You can speak to them too?)"
"(Yeah,)" I grinned. "(Living around so long with a turtle like Tama-chan tends to have that effect on you.)"
"(Really?)"
"(Really.)"
"(Oh.)"
After that, we kept in comfortable silence until Nyamo got off of Gidget to go to her house. We waved goodbye and Gidget, Tama-chan and I moved off to where we were staying. Tama-chan and Gidget were chatting quietly as I thought to myself of the events of the day. Okay let's see... I had fainted off heatstroke, had a reminiscent dream of Naru and Hinata house and had made a new friend of Nyamo. Damn, my life wasn't very boring, was it?
Chuckling softly, I climbed into my tent. Tama-chan followed after while Gidget settled down at the opening like a guard. I changed out of my dirty clothes and removed my glasses before lying down. I didn't get into my sleeping back because it was too hot out to try and sleep in it. Pillowing my head on my hands, I looked up, just watching the top of the tent swaying gently in the breeze. Tama-chan had fallen asleep on my stomach and was snoring softly. Listening to her gentle snoozing, I slowly fell into the waiting arms of sleep.
*****
The next few days went along the same way. I got up, worked on the excavations, talked with Seta, played with Nyamo, Gidget and Tama-chan on my free time, ate my meals and went back to sleep. I was having a whole lot of fun, and it was good for my body too. My muscles were getting slightly toned from all of the hard work, and the relentless beating down of the sun had toned my skin to about the intensity of Nyamo's.
Speaking of Nyamo, the two of us had become really good friends. The quiet, shy girl had become more playful and extroverted. She talked a lot more animatedly now with hardly any stuttering like before. She helped me out with the excavations, making sure I didn't just blindly shovel so I didn't break any fragile artifacts we might find. She was actually very good when it came to archaeology. I suppose her grandfather had taught her a thing or two.
Nyamo had also been helping me with my English. Even though I was apparently very good at it, I still slipped up on even the most basic of sentences. Like when I asked one of the locals where the bathroom was... eh, I'm not even going to venture into that. Let's just say I ended up very filthy and very unhappy. You must be fairly disturbed now.
In any case, I had sent a fax to the girls the day before so they should have known that I was doing just fine. I even told them I was staying and doing. Now that I thought about it however, that might not have been such a good idea. They might try to hunt me down and bring me back... Nah, the girls didn't care about me that much. Still, there was an ominous feeling hanging in the air.
"Myah."
My thoughts were interrupted by Gidget's rumblings. Is topped shoveling and turned to him, leaning on my shovel. Raising an eyebrow, I stared at him critically. He responded by staring back and repeating what he had just said.
"Myaahhh..."
He was quickly followed by Tama-chan. "Myuh."
I sighed. "Alright, guys, I know you're hungry. I'll stop and we'll get lunch." They looked at each other happily and then back at me plaintively. I put a hand to my face and chuckled into it. All these guys wanted to do lately was eat. It was getting annoying. But I couldn't complain, I was getting hungry too. I then heard Seta's voice off to my left.
"Hey, part-timer, looks like you're getting pretty used to this work, huh?"
I turned to face him. "Hey, Seta. I guess so." Wiping my forehead, I commented, "It's nice. Since all I've been doing these past few years is sitting behind a desk studying, being able to help out like this is really giving me a workout." I walked over to him and we made our way out of the ditch and into the village. Gidget and Tama-chan followed after us.
"Yes, the physical activity has done you some good. And you got a tan, too!"
"I could say the same for you!"
The two of us laughed until we heard someone calling our names. I turned to see Nyamo running up and waving at us. She stopped right in front of us and bowed. "(Hello, Keitaro. Hello, Mr. Seta.)"
"(Hey, Nyamo.)"
"(Hello, Nyamo.)"
She bent over and looked at us innocently. "(Are you two done working?)"
Seta waved a hand. "(No, I still have to go to the embassy for a meeting. I'll see you two later.)"
"(Ok, see you, Seta.)"
"(Good-bye, Mr. Seta.)" He smiled, waved his hand at us again, and then ran off, his coat flapping out behind him. Seta always seemed to be nervous around authorities. I remembered when we first met how he freaked out when he found his box of artifacts totally smashed into tiny, little pieces. I could still see the look of shock and horror when he realized how badly the other professors were going to chew him out. Chuckling softly, I turned back to Nyamo.
"(So, are you done working, Keitaro?)"
"(Yeah, I was just about to take Gidget and Tama-chan to go eat lunch.)" Getting an idea, I said, "(Hey, why don't you join us?)" Nyamo positively beamed and nodded. I grinned and we made our way to the small restaurant. We gave our orders and then sat down to wait. Nyamo chatted with the two turtles as I looked out of the restaurant. Let's see now... The results back in Japan should have been in by now. Taking my glasses off, I made a silent prayer. Mutsumi, Naru... I hoped you both passed.
My thoughts were interrupted when we received our food. I sighed and shook my head. I was really beginning to miss everyone back home. I had been gone for what... two weeks now? I wonder if any of them missed me either. I sighed again and began to eat my food. I silently ate, off in my own little world until I felt Nyamo tapping me on my shoulder. I turned to her and she looked at me nervously. "(Umm, Keitaro? What does your girlfriend look like?)"
I looked at her strangely. Why would she be asking that? "(Well, let's see... auburn hair, very beautiful, except when she's mad, 'cause then she's just downright scary.)" I tilted my head to the side. "(Why do you ask?)"
Nyamo pointed behind me. Before I turned, I heard Tama-chan myuhing happily. Wait... did she say...? The Nyamo's question came back to my mind. My mouth went dry, my heart fell into the pit of my stomach and I turned around shakily.
[WARNING! WARNING! DESTRUCTION OF KEITARO SYSTEM IS IMMINENT!]
'Oh dear, fucking God, we are going to die...'
My panic system and sub-conscious just stood there, frozen in their battle within my mind as they awaited the oblivion that would occur after my death. I envied them, they couldn't feel pain as they were nothing but figments of my imagination. But me, I would feel pain beyond imagination in about... ohhhh... five minutes.
But back to the reason why I was going to die. She was there. The woman I loved and had left. The promise girl who I had failed. The woman who made me extremely ecstatic, yet horrifically sorrowful at the same time. The woman of both my dreams and my nightmares. She stood there like a vengeful angel, exceedingly beautiful, yet poised to strike down the infidel that had unpleased her. I gulped, and if I didn't have a tan, my skin would have been as pale as flour.
"Ah, Naru... what a... pleasant surprise..."
A/N: Eeeewwwww... that's a bit of a cliffhanger, ain't it? So Naru finally finds our hapless hero, it's not gonna be pretty folks. Well, maybe not... you just have to find out folks! Anyway, thank you for staying with me and I'm sorry for the update time. I really am! I'm writing a new story now, one that takes place at the beginning of the Love Hina saga! It's gonna be a doozy, but I'll tell you more about that after the interview. Oh, and one more thing. I have happy news! But I'll tell you that afterward too! And now, to the characters!
Keitaro and Naru are standing at opposite ends of the room, just staring at each other. Keitaro has a scared, anxious expression on his face while Naru has a furious, yet... depressed look on hers. Meanwhile, the rest of the Hinata Crew, me, and the turtles, (not to mention Nyamo!) are sitting off to the side as we watch the two.
Su: (leans over to me; whispers) How long are they going to stare at each other like that?
Me: (shrugs) No idea. I just do the generals in this world, not the details. What they do is their own choice and theirs alone. (reaches into pocket and pulls out a bag; lifts it into view) Popcorn?
Sarah: (sweatdrops) Where the hell do you keep that stuff?
Me: (munches on snacks) Don't know, ask Su. She'll tell you.
Nyamo: (taps me on the shoulder; I turn around) Is Keitaro going to be alright?
Me: (smiles) I pretty sure he will be.
Kitsune: You didn't happen to put any unmentionables in the next chapter, did ya?
Me: (blushes) Why would I do that?
Motoko: (sighs; put head into palm of hand) I don't believe it. He's just as perverted as Urashima. Su, what do you see in him?
Su: What? He's funny and cute. And he let's me strangle him whenever I want. (I rub my neck for effect; Su giggles) Hehe. See? Yamiga's nice!
Gidget: Myah.
Tama-chan: Myuh myu.
Motoko: (face pales) T-t-t-turtles! Haaaaa... (faints)
Shinobu: Ooohhhhh... Motoko fainted again. Why is she so afraid of turtles?
Taro: (looks at her unconscious form) Don't tell me she didn't even notice when they were right beside her.
Mutsumi: Oh my. For someone so acute as Motoko, she can be quite oblivious at times, can't she? (we all turn to her and sweatdrop; she looks at us innocently) Oh, what are you looking at me for?
Kitsune: (shakes head) Never mind, turtle girl.
Panic: SOMETIMES I WONDER WHY WE EVEN BOTHER!
Me: You guys are just too entertaining sometimes. I'm the author, and yet you surprise even me. (chuckles) And I'm the one who writes up this interview in the first place! Just way too weird for me.
Movement from the two lovers draw our attention. Naru raises a hand and moves it towards Keitaro. He moves back slightly, away from her reach. She opens her mouth to speak.
Naru: (murmurs) Kei... Kei... Keitaro?
Keitaro: (scratches back of head) Umm, hi... Naru.
Me: Well, sorry, that's all the time we have today, readers. Sorry to cut this short, but at least you'll see this next time in the next chapter! Anyway remember... Please Review! (waves goodbye)
A/N: Well, people, seventh chapter's done. Aren't you all happy that I finally updated? Heh... anyway, updates might be even longer because I'm typing other stories at the moment also. Sorry. Oh, speaking of other stories, I got to tell you about my new LH story, huh? Anyway, it spans from the first volume to the fourth. Also, Keitaro is totally OOC, a completely different character. I just had to do that, sorry. I'll tell you more about his personality when I post that story, so look out for it! Oh, and about the happy celebration? Today's my birthday! Woo-hoo! Seventeen! I'm finally seventeen! Ya-haaaaaaa!!!!!! I'm so frickin happy! Yay! Eh-hem, anyway, I just wanted to say that. In any case, please review and remember, no flames!
Preview!
Next chapter: Why Did You Follow Me?
Sputtering slightly, I quickly raised us both onto to our feet. Naru must have been just as embarrassed as me because she spun around to not look at me and poked her fingers together, blushing furiously. I thanked God that we were as intimate as that because otherwise I would have had to been scraped off of the floor... and the walls... and the ceiling... and the surrounding people... and the–you know what? I'm going to stop now. Let's just say it wouldn't be pretty...