ZodiacDarkjester: thank you for the review. I'm glad that you aren't flaming my work just because of an unliked match-up. That often ruins the story for both the reader and the author. But really, thank you for the review. I feel good you like my stories
Kiyana Va Sala: thank you so much for the review! It's nice to know people think I have good writing skills. Makes me happy. Anyway, you're right, it seems as though a lot of N/K have been discontinued. Either M/K or K/K or even harem (every single girl in case no one knew) fics have been blasting out. Not that there's anything wrong with them. I actually find them quite well written and highly enjoyable. Thank you for the remark
Lahmikhara: thank you very much. I like it that you don't hate the personality changes I made in the characters. They're actually rather plausible, in the right circumstances, of course. And don't worry about update time now, it's summer! And that means more time for writing! Yahoooo!
Shade: I'm sorry that you didn't find my story exciting. However, I like the fact that you at least added some constructive criticism instead of just flat-out flaming. I will try harder to be more concise and not make my stories so long-winded. I hope you will like any further chapters I come out with. Thank you
UNKNOWN3: thank you so much! Knowing that my readers like my plot changes and character designs really makes me happy! And yeah, Naru shows her gentle side a lot more in this fic than she does in most. Hope you like it!
daswitxxheryahoo.com: don't worry about now having a life. I don't have one either! (laughs) But anyway, thank you for being so devoted to my story; gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling to know that they're appreciated so much
G.A.S.A.M: thank you for the review. Don't worry, I won't even stop this story. It might take me forever to write because I have to be one of the laziest people on the planet, but I will get it done. Thank you also for the kind compliment on my end of the story interviews. I do try quite hard on them. Thank you very much again
zornoid13: thank you. I will as soon as possible. And thank you for going through the trouble of reviewing my previous chapters. Nice to know you took the time to do it
Jorge: thank you so much! It seems like I've gotten a variety of reviews. Some good, some bad, but none so far that were just hateful flaming. (sighs) Thank you. Oh, and to Jorge: thank you so much for saying that you said that my writing was fluid and compelling. I try my best, and am glad that you enjoy it! Thank you!
Doctor Emmit Brown: thanks for the reviews and the tips. Keitaro was too wimpy for my taste in the manga, so I decided to make him a bit braver and more sure with his actions but still keep the kind, caring self that we all know and love. And on a side-note, your advice is the exact same my mom has been badgering me with...And I've finally decided to take it! (laughs)
Master Marik84: thank you for the review! Just to be clear, Naru has always had this side to her; it's just that she's always been too afraid to love or care someone because she was afraid they'd just leave her in the end. But here, she trusts Keitaro with all her heart so she's a lot more open with her emotions now. This will especially come into play around the end of this chapter. But, anyway, I will get the next chapter out as soon as possible. Thank you
sexybish666: sucks that your internet went catatonic for a while. Happens to me all the time. (I hate dial-up! Gaahhhhh!!!) But thank you for the fact that you think my coupling is cute. And yes, I have watched the LH anime. In fact, I have the first four volumes. The graphics are very good, but when it comes to plot and character design...either the people making it were rushing to get it done or just not interested at all. Oh well, still rather enjoyable if you like corny humor. Almost made me bust a blood vessel watching it the first time
tolkienfan: thank you so much! Yet another reader who really likes the personality changes I have made in Naru! I finally ripped away the usual anxiety Naru holds towards relationships, making her a lot more true to her heart and thus wanting to be around Keitaro as much as possible
Android K: hello, my pre-reader! How you doin'?! Sorry, I haven't been able to contact you for a while, but like I said before, dad banned me. And don't worry, things are gonna get even stranger (and even a little life-threatening) in the chapter after this one. And to your second question...the beginning of all things is usually at the end...
Gothmog: thank you for the great review! (along with complimenting the earlier chapters) Unfortunately, your request for a more mature relationship will not occur for a long time. For those who own the 9th volume of LH...you'll know what I'm talking about. Not the same scenario, but along the same lines with similar reasons. Heh, sorry...But don't worry, I will update as soon as possible. Thank you once again
im an idiot: thank you!
Boombubble: thank you so much! I like the fact that you say that even though I give Naru a new "lovey-dovey" attitude, I still keep her old one with it. And you should know...I didn't even plan writing a lime for this chapter until I read your review! Then it got stuck in my head and...oh well. In any case, thank you. Oh, and on a second note...great job on your own story; coming along quite nicely, it is
Shigure-Souma: thank you for the review. you will see many more thanks to the summer and the fact that I will not have much to do over it. Heh, heh...just kidding...thank you
Niak: thank you for the review. It's nice that you like my detailed writing style. It's a far cry from what I used to write with merely dialogue and almost nothing else. And also, I've read some of your favorite fic. Lots of angst, but still real good. Then again, I always have been rather partial to angst... (chuckles bitterly)
jennyjennai: thank you so much for the wonderful and detailed review! I know that I'm still on the low-side grammar and spelling-wise, but I'm honestly trying my best! Really I am! In any case, thank you for all the kind words and that you like the way I make all of the characters interact with each other and all of the scenes that have some rather...intimate...situations. Thank you again
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 9: Livin' And Lovin' In Pararakelse, Part 1
"..." – talking
"(...)" - English
When I was born, I think God and all of his other celestial buddies were having some gigantic party in which everyone got severely wasted from some kind of holy liquor; much like the parties that we have at Hinata House every so often. Anyway, in all his natural, drunken glory, God decided to produce a living embodiment of one of the theoretical laws that we humans have made, sorta like when I compared Su to a bottomless pit. In my case...he chose one of the laws of bad luck. More specifically, Gunderson's Law. It states, and I quote, "If something bad could happen, it will...and at the worst possible moment."
As you have probably already guessed, this would explain for most of the bad things that happen in my life. My normal daily exercises would usually pose no problem, except for the fact that I live in a girls dormitory. There are numerous consequences there already, the most obvious being my so-called "perverted tendencies." Nearly everything I do in that both most holy and unholy of places is always screwed up by the fact that no matter what room I enter, at any time of the day, there is always, to some degree, a half-naked female inside. Most men would think that I'm lucky to have that happen except they don't consider that these females can therefore believe they the privilege, no, the right, to proceed to kick the crap out of me, in which they speedily do.
I can just imagine God laughing along with all of his good buddies at my somewhat painful antics. They look down upon me and joke about all of the different embarrassing, humiliating, awkward situations that I manage to wind myself into every waking moment of my life. Heh, at least He had the good enough conscious to give me immortality so as I wouldn't die...which I might add is what would have happened my very first day in Hinata House had I not held possession of this awesome power. But damn it, I'm fucking cursed to go with it...
Oh! Ahem, sorry. The reason I went into this little monologue was because of what was happening to me back on Pararakelse. After all of us were flung out of Seta's van, we fell down a fairly jagged cliff only to land in a dog-pile with of course me on the bottom. Grrr...I could just hear God belly-laughing as he slapped Gunderson on the back for a job well done. Damn you, God! Whoops...did it again. Sorry...
Anyway, three hours later we were still trekking across the aptly name "Desert of Death" that covered about half of the Pararakelse Archipelago. The place's average temperature during the day was about 110°F and about 20°F during the night, so you could pretty much guess it was not a very nice place to get lost in.
The sun beat relentlessly down upon us, the heat rose from the almost blinding reflection of the sun on the sand, the stench of sweat hung heavy in the air. Ahhhh...good times. Oh, never mind, just hallucinating a bit there. Actually...it was Hell!
"Paah...Heeh..."
"Se...Seta, come back!"
"Heeeehh...Wa...Water..."
Our whining mingled with the arid air, quickly dissolving in the smoldering heat just like the sweat did off of our tired and sore bodies. I looked back and forth across the desert's surface. Nothing but sand as far as the eye could see. I wiped the sandy crud from my eyes, trying to rid them of the irritating intruder. My clothing stuck to my body, molding itself to my form as lay limp, drenched with my sweat. I stole a glance at the others to see if they were faring any better than I was. Not likely.
It was true. Naru's clothing had become even more ragged than before, her shirt barely covering the bottom of her ample breasts. I was too wiped out from the heat and exercise to appreciate the view, however. She stumbled through the sand, hardly able to stand up. Her eyes were half-closed and also half-dead. She was panting heavily, but from the heat or exertion I could not tell. Most likely it was both, just like me.
Gidget and Tama-chan weren't any better off than the two of us. They were used to tropical climates and a good amount of heat, but nothing as severe as this. Gidget was used to being near water living near the ocean, and Tama-chan took baths daily in the hot springs; so it wasn't surprising that they looked like they were dying of thirst. Gidget was wandering aimlessly after us, his head hung low, nearly falling in the ground below. Even Tama-chan, who was usually so full of energy, was drifting shakily through the air, every once in a while dropping a couple of feet before slowly floating back up to her original altitude.
But Nyamo...Nyamo didn't seem to be affected at all by the heat. Instead, she was hardly even sweating. The only look of emotion that she carried was a worried, yet almost amused expression etched onto her tanned face as she watched us struggle to keep moving. It annoyed the crap out of me!
I sighed and took another look around. Nope, still no Seta. "Oh man," I groaned. "I think we got totally separated from him. Ugh..."
Naru missed a step and fell down onto her hands and knees. "Why does this place have to have a stupid desert anyway?" she moaned unhappily.
"Who knows?" I muttered. I offered her a hand, and she took it gratefully before standing up and leaning on my shoulder. "Maybe someone enjoys watching us suffer." Yeah, like God maybe? Stupid... "Oh, you know what?" I said while raising a finger. Naru looked at me without much enthusiasm. "Local legends whisper anyone foolish enough to get lost in the 'Desert of Death' is doomed to never be heard from again." Wow, that was a rather...pointless tidbit of information...Why did I say that again?
Naru apparently thought it was not only pointless but depressing also because she pushed herself off of me before muttering, "I so did not want to hear that." Yeah...I thought as much.
"Don't panic," I said, dropping to my knees. I grabbed a shovel from Gidget's pack and began to dig. "What we need to do is sit tight, dig a hole, conserve our energy, and wait for nightfall to come before doing anything else." Great, then we would freeze to death instead of being cook alive but hey, it was better than doing nothing, right?
Naru followed my example and started to dig too. "I see," she said sarcastically. "Then we put you in the hole and cover you up, right?" Ha ha, very funny. My gut's splitting from the laughter.
Nyamo just put a finger to her mouth and watched us curiously. We dug for a while, but the only thing waiting for us were several Pararakelse cobras and spotted leeches. Only one thought ran through my mind at that moment: "You have got to be shitting me." Meanwhile, in my mind, my two main processes were battling it out to see who and how the situation would be taken care of.
[WARNING! WARNING! DANGEROUS ANIMALS DETECTED! REPEAT! DANGEROUS ANIMALS DETECTED!]
'You know...' my sub-conscious sighed, leaning on its sledgehammer. 'Your consistent blarings of death and destruction are really starting to get annoying.'
[SO?!] my panic system responded. [IT IS MY JOB TO! HENCE THE DESIGNATION LABEL OF MY SYSTEM!]
'Still, it is pointless,' my sub-conscious said. 'Spazzing out won't exactly help our master, now will it?' It smirked at its logic of the argument.
My panic system blinked a few lights before retorting. [OH, REALLY?!] it sneered. [AND WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST?! HAVE HIM CONVERSE WITH LETHAL THINGS SO THAT THEY DO NOT TERMINATE HIS TERM OF EXISTENCE?!]
My subconscious picked up its sledgehammer and bared it at my panic system. 'Oh, so you want a piece of me, do you?!'
My panic system splayed out it variety of electronic weapons. [ACTUALLY, THAT WOULD APPEASE ME QUITE GREATLY!]
'Well then, come and get it!'
[I SHALL THEN, INTOLERABLE VARIABLE OF KEITARO SYSTEM!]
Warning! The following scenes in the story have been edited due to extreme graphic violence, language, and nudity (don't ask). We apologize for any inconvenience directed toward the audience and politely ask that you will please bare with us...We now return to your regularly scheduled program. Thank you.
Okaayy...that was a little weird. Didn't really expect something as bizarre as that to happen...Anyway, sorry for the stupid dialogue. Just trying to add a little levity to the situation. You know...have a good laugh and ease the tension in the air before we all DIE?!
"Aahhh! Snakes and leeches!" Naru screamed. "Get them off me!"
"Nooo, they stole my idea!" I cried. The two of us swiftly dumped the sand back on top of them, effectively burying the creatures before collapsing on the ground. I looked over at Nyamo, who had caught one of the cobras by the neck and was now feeding it to a ravenous Gidget. I whimpered at how easy she made it seem. "Damn it," I muttered. "Looks like we wasted more energy than we actually saved."
"Gah..." Naru replied. "You are useless!" Jeez, rub it in, why don't cha?!
"Myaah!"
My thoughts were broken as I saw Gidget pick up his head happily and began lumbering off on to some unknown location. I slowly rose to my knees, lifted a hand, and tried to call out to him. "Hey, wait up, Gidget. It's dangerous to go off on your own like that." But either he didn't hear me or didn't care because he kept on moving along. I was able to grab a hold of the rope binding on him, however, and found myself being dragged through the sands after him. I vaguely noticed something clamping onto my ankle. Oh well, didn't matter...
The sand rubbed painfully against my skin, irritating it to no end and making it raw, red, and shiny. I groaned unhappily. This just plain sucked! "I'm getting sand burn back her, Gidget. So could you please stop?" But he just ignored me and kept ambling on to that still unknown plane of existence. Now I was getting angry.
"Damn it, Gidget, I said stop!" No response.
"Don't move!" Nothing.
"Whoa?!" Nada.
"Please?" Nope.
I gave up all hope right about there and began to cry silently. Oh man...I was going to die in a stupid desert being dragged by a stupid turtle to some stupid place. I hated my life!
Then Gidget stopped suddenly. I raised my head to see why and froze. No...it couldn't be. It just couldn't be that place. Great, now I was hallucinating on top of everything else. Could my life get any worse? But...it seemed so real, so solid, so...there. But I...I...
"How did I end up here?" I muttered to no one in particular. It wasn't possible for this place to be here, not a thousand miles away from where it was built from the ground up. "I thought I gave up on you," I said to the mysterious entity. "Ah, To...Tokyo U..."
And then it changed.
"...huh?"
It blurred, the outlines running together and then back again, solidifying into another object. This one, though, I was actually quite happy to see...So this was where Gidget was heading towards...I slowly picked myself up in awe.
A vast rock formation, you could even call it a mountain. A dense forest of palm trees. A...I gulped, my throat muscles dry and ragged. A pool of cool, crisp, refreshing...water.
"It's...It's an..."
"It's an..."
"Myaahh!"
"It's an OASIS!"
Within a minute, the five of us ran and dove beneath the surface of the oasis's lake. It felt so cold, but, because of our trek through that wasteland, it felt so good also. As I burst from the surface, I was happy to see the others rejuvenated from the dip, now playfully splashing each other. All of us fooled around in the water for a little bit, just messing around and throwing water onto each other.
It was then that we noticed the waterfall that was providing the water that filled the oasis we were in. Probably even quicker than when we crashed into the lake, we were under the full force of the relief-giving waterfall.
I worked my fingers through my hair, the rushing liquid allowing me to free the knots tangled in it, sighing in contentment all the while. "After hours of torture, this feels like heaven," I said, my mouth in a giant grin.
"I'll say," Naru laughed in agreement. Heh, from what I could tell without looking at her, she was really enjoying this. "Who would've thought this'd have way out here?"
I turned around to face her. "Yeah, you're rig-Waaahhh!" It was at that opportune moment that I decided to open my eyes, only to see that her shirt had risen up so far up that her breasts were now totally exposed. Now even though I had seen them many times before, mostly by accident and rarely on purpose, there was just something about viewing her naked form and produced extreme and embarrassment within me. Sometimes I really hate how my mind works...
Unfortunately for me, Naru reflected my embarrassment, flinging an arm across her chest and using the other one to throw me forcefully out of the pond and onto the sandy beach far away. Her face was beet red, a scowl appeared on it, and a vein was throbbing dangerously on her temple, as if threatening to blow at any moment. She hastily shouted out orders for me to do.
"Hey, this isn't a peep show! Go build us a fire!"
"Yes, master!"
I quickly set into a run, trying to place as much distance between me and her, but it wasn't long before I realized just how stupid I was acting. I slowed down and stopped completely before turning around to look at what Naru and the other were doing. I saw Naru giggle helplessly, pat Nyamo on the shoulder, and then lead her off to God-knows-where with Gidget and Tama-chan trailing after them. Watching them leave, I sighed in hopeless exasperation. What the hell was I doing? was I still so afraid of my own girlfriend that I would anything so as not to incur her wrath. My mind swiftly and readily came up with its answer.
Absolutely, totally, definitely, surely, and undoubtedly...
...Yes.
I groaned. God, was I pathetic or what? Sighing again, a little more heavily this time, I continued on my way to find some things to make a fire with, and also some supplies to eat. Luckily for me, there was an abundant source of food and wood in the oasis. Words couldn't describe how happy I was that we had found this place. It was a pure stroke of celestial luck.
After finishing making the fire and preparing the most of the food, I set down a pot of soup to cool, wiping a hand across my brow after I did. I chuckled at how seemingly "outdoorsy" I was being. "All done," I sighed in relief.
"Yo, Keitaro."
I turned around to see what Naru wanted and got one of the biggest, not to mention quite pleasant, surprises of my life. My jaw literally dropped and hit the ground, my eyes widened to about the size of saucers, and I could feel blood begin to leak out of my nostrils. Naru giggled at my astonished expression. "Ta-da! What do you think? The leaf bikinis were my idea of course."
Oh sweet, merciful, giving God, it was true. Naru and Nyamo were wearing twin leaf-bikini outfits, Nyamo trying to a little bit behind Naru, as expected. My face decided to flash through several different modes before choosing one that my girl-frenzied mind particularly enjoyed: geyser mode. A fountain of blood gushed through my sinuses as I shouted in both pleasure and fright. "Leaf bikinis?! You've got to warn me next time!" I was able to grab a tissue to plug up my nose before continuing. "But you know what? You two really make the primal look work."
Naru blushed as she clamped her hands in front of her and turned away slightly. "What?" she asked, looking both highly irritated and self-conscious. Don't ask me why, that's just how she looked to me. "I saw the same thing in a magazine once." Her blush grew as she spoke. "You act like you've never see a naked woman before."
At that, the giant grin I had plastered on my face disappeared in an instant. I gained a blush, too, and Naru realized the implication she had just put forth. She shut up quickly, and there was an awkward moment of silence between us as Nyamo watched on in confusion. I broke the void of sound as I pounded a fist into my palm and laughed.
"In any case..." I waved behind me to point at the food. "I went and found us some provisions."
Naru's blush subsided as a smile flashed across her face. "Sweet! I knew you were good for something!" Hey! I was good for a lot of things! She really seemed to love most of the things that I... And I just gave you people a little too much information than necessary, didn't I? Now before I dig myself into an even deeper hole, we should return back to what was going on from before.
"Alright, stand aside." She rolled up her sleeves (don't know how she actually performed that trick considering she was wearing a bloody bikini) and grinned madly. "I'm going to whip up a feast that you'll never forget!"
We didn't forget it alright. I never knew it was possible for food to be so sweet, it would rot your teeth with one bite; so spicy it would light your mouth aflame with one drop; so bitter that your tongue would shrink into a crumpled, huddled mass not to be near it; and so sour that you couldn't pass the utensil back through your lips because they were sealed shut...all at the exact same time.
All of us, the ones that had eaten Naru's radioactive excuse for food that is, immediately had our mouths replaced by a faucet to expunge the satanic meal. Urgh, I never really realized just how bad her cooking could be at times. On one hand, her food could be thought of as a 5-star meal; while on the other, not even a starving rat would eat it. Her face broke out into a look of surprise and shame as she witnessed us push the food back out of our bodies.
"Urm, I'll take that expression as a bad thing."
I wiped my mouth and laughed nervously. I wasn't about to tell her how right she was, as I wanted to keep my body intact for a while. Instead, I moved over to her side and gave her shoulder a squeeze before shifting to the supplies. "Naru, no offense, but...let me do the cooking." She pouted and looked away from me at the ground. I sighed. Oh well, I was sure she'd forgive me soon after I finished our meal. Then I began to work on our actual "edible" meal.
It wasn't long before I finished. With so many different kinds of food I discovered, it was all that hard to create no less that a smorgasbord of cuisine. When I was done, the others crowded around me to see what I had cooked. All of them squealed in delight at the sight of it. Needles to say, I was very flattered by their compliments from just looking at the food. It only got better when they tasted it, their faces turning into what could only be expressed as heavenly thrilled. I busted out into a wide grin as they flattered me over the meal.
Naru turned to me and smiled, a makeshift cup I had produced to hold the soup gripped between her delicate fingers. "Wow, Keitaro, how did you make something this awesome? You don't even have any real tools or spices...Where'd you learn how to do this, Boy Scouts?"
"Not really," I laughed. "It's just something I picked up from being shipwrecked one too many times." Naru laughed at this, though I don't believe she realized that I was absolutely not joking about the whole shipwreck thing.
She took a sip from the cup and swallowed before licking her lips. She looked up at me. "Say, what's in this stuff, anyway?"
What I said to this question was probably not the smartest thing to do, but I just couldn't resist after seeing that curious expression of hers. Keeping the best straight and serious face that I could, I replied, "Oh, that's charbroiled snake, in homemade soy sauce, with a hint of deep-fried spotted leech." Before I could even finish, Naru had spat the entire mouthful of soup into my face. I sat there, dripping and smelling of salt and spice, as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand in disgust before fixing a deadly stare on me. Then she lunged, grabbing a good clump of my shirt and forcing me upward. Realizing I had gone too far, I tried to show my terrified remorse. "Arggh! I'm kidding, I swear, it was a joke!"
Naru growled in pure, unadulterated rage. "I give you a compliment, and you play with me?!" I desperately tried to crawl away from my rampaging girlfriend, but she pinned me to the ground and put me into a fairly painful headlock. "You said all that stuff with a straight face!"
"But you like it!" I cried. "Stop choking me!" She didn't. It wasn't long before my struggles became sluggish, and I simply passed out from lack of oxygen to my brain.
--------------
Later that night, (I had regained consciousness after a couple of hours) all of us were crowded around a fire I had built to help keep us warm against the cold nighttime air. Gidget and Tama-chan had already fallen asleep, Tama-chan curled up on Gidget's back, while Naru, Nyamo, and I conversed with each other. Nyamo seemed to have overcome her strange little fear of Naru and was now talking quite animatedly with her. I smiled as I went back to reading a small book of archaeology I had brought along, absently listening to them.
"(I'm beat!)" Naru said. Don't know why, I did most of the work. Course I didn't say this as I knew the result wouldn't be pleasant. "(It's not like we should be relaxing at a time like this, but still...it's sooo nice here.)"
"(It is nice,)" Nyamo responded. I looked back up to see her smiling at Naru. "(Grandpa said that...)" Her smile instantly degenerated into a melancholy frown, and her sentence trailed off to nothing. I sighed internally as I knew as to why just mentioning her grandfather brought such sadness to her.
Naru noticed this, too. Her face took on a concerned look, and her voice turned tender as she moved over a wrapped an arm around Nyamo's shoulder. "(What's wrong, Nyamo?)"
She shook her head. "(Nothing,)" she replied sadly.
"(Nyamo...)" She looked up at me, and I smiled and nodded. "(it's okay, you can tell her. Naru's really good when it comes to things like this. Better than anything I could ever do.)" She gazed at me, her eyes silently asking if I was sure. I kept the same smile, my eyes softening all the while. "(Go ahead.)"
Nyamo hesitated for a second before nodding her head back at me. She then turned to Naru and retold the same story as she did to me. As the story progressed, Naru's eyes became more and more watery, and her face became softer and kinder. By the time Nyamo finished, Naru was in absolute tears. When the tale ended, she cried silently for a minute before wrapping her other arm around Nyamo and pulling her into a bear hug.
"(Aww, what a beautiful and bittersweet tale!)" she said emotionally. Nyamo flailed helplessly in her arms as she continued to squeeze tighter. I could see the desired effect had occurred, even if it were from the wrong action, as Nyamo's sad expression had converted to an embarrassed one instead. Naru didn't notice this as she gushed. "(You poor, poor, girl! You've gone through so much!)" Jeez, Naru could be a real drama queen sometimes. I stopped thinking along those trails of thoughts, however, as Naru turned towards me. Sometimes I really wonder if that woman knows what I'm thinking...If she did, she didn't show it because instead of berating me, she blubbered out, "Dang it, Kei! You've got to help her with her dream! You'll do the excavation with her, right?!"
I sweatdropped at her puppy-dog eyes, and also at the fact that Nyamo seemed to be going limp in her embrace. I tried to act quickly. "I already am, Naru, but you need to let go of her first!" She looked to see Nyamo's face turning into a lovely shade of purple. In an instant, she yelped and dropped Nyamo to the ground, who swiftly began to take in large gulps of air. Naru smiled sheepishly. I sighed.
"You've gotta understand, Naru. Not all people have my kind of resilience, so you can't react to them like you do to me." The young tanned girl who was sprawled onto the ground and gasping was proof enough.
"Sorry," she murmured. She bent down and placed a hand on Nyamo's head. "(You okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?)"
Nyamo coughed a little in response before shaking her head. "(No, you...didn't hurt me. Just...couldn't breath!)" She let out a short laugh. "(You are a real tight hugger, Naru.)"
"(Yep,)" I agreed, grinning. "(She sure is.)"
Naru glared at me, and my face cracked when I realized my mistake. Oh no, she was going to kill me.
I wasn't too far off either.
Naru calmly stood up, still keeping the same furious mask on, walked over to me, bent down, and smacked me as hard as she could in the back of my head. My face shot forward into the ground, and I ended up getting a mouthful of sand. "You idiot," she growled. "You don't say things like that to a little girl."
I spat out what sand I had left in my mouth and gazed hurtfully at her. "Fine, but you didn't have to hit me. That was unnecessary. Besides, what I said wasn't all that wrong. Lots of couples hug each other. What do want her to think, that she can't have any physical contact with the one she loves?"
Okay, now I was just overreacting. But I couldn't help it. Every time Naru insulted me, every time she denied having feelings for me, every time she seemed ashamed of being with me, it felt like a little part of my heart broke. I know, I know...I look like the drama queen (or rather king) now, but that was just the way I was. I was an emotional softie...and actually still am.
After that rather...sappy speech, I really didn't know what to do. Sure, it was subtle as hell, but Naru was a smart girl; I was sure she would figure it out. Apparently I was right, as her face softened and her eyes gained loving warmth. She smiled very softly before giving a capricious grin and bumping me playfully on the shoulder. I looked at her in befuddled confusion.
She winked. "Aww, does that mean you want to give Nyamo a hug, Keitaro? Are you falling in love with her now?" My mouth dropped in an incredibly exasperated gape. Naru giggled and moved over to Nyamo, motioning to her much like those showgirls do on a game program. "She's right here, Keitaro, ready for you to confess your love for her and act on it."
A giant sweatdrop appeared on my temple. Was she crazy? Did her brains go off to la-la land? Or was she just really trying to screw with my mind? Whatever the reason was, my reaction was not all that hard to guess.
"Naru, what the hell are you implying?! Did you hit your head or something?!"
To my great surprise, she burst out laughing. Don't know why I was surprised. After all the time I lived in Hinata House, I should have been used to crap like that happening. Jeez, the shit I went through every day of my life...In any case, Naru was laughing her lungs out as she, once again, bumped me with her elbow.
"We'll have to chain you up!"
Trying to distract her attention, I turned to Nyamo, who was looking at us in amusement, her head tilted at the slightest angle. Changing to English, I suggested, "(Um, it's late, so...let's turn in, shall we, Nyamo?)" However, this only managed to fuel her personality that was more suited to Kitsune than it was to Naru.
She grabbed Nyamo by the shoulders and spun the young girl behind her. Nyamo blindly did as Naru silently ordered her to, that same innocent, confused expression on her small tanned face. Naru then stared at me teasingly. "You have a thing for little girls, don't you?" I didn't know how to answer this question and just stood up slowly, staying silent and stupefied at the same time. Naru stuck her tongue out at me playfully before retracting it and rushing forward, pushing me backwards. "Get over there, you perv!"
She then leaned over and kissed my cheek. "And I'll see you later."
She abruptly turned around, leaving me shocked at her actions. Boy, talk about your mood swings. First she was happy then sad to the corniest degree then angry like she used to be around me before we got together (and sometimes still is) then impossibly and unimaginably ecstatic again, and then finally loving yet also seductive. I watched in dumb stillness as Naru led Nyamo over to where the supplies were and then headed away from the two. I decided it was better to wait a little while to make sure that everything had calmed down before going back.
When I did, I saw Naru sitting next to a curled up Nyamo. Naru giggled as she placed a blanket atop her. I smiled at the touching scene. In my opinion, Naru would make one of the finest mothers out there. Even though I usually saw the angry side of her, there was also a side of hers that was so kind, gentle, caring, and loving, she could become a mother very easily and do exceedingly well at it to boot. At that moment, I wondered if the two of us would ever have children. I smiled again. I think I'd like that. I think I'd like that very much.
Walking up to her, I whispered, "Is she asleep yet?" It was a bit redundant, as Nyamo's still body and peaceful breathings was all the evidence I needed. Still, I wanted to say something so that I wouldn't create an unbreakable awkward silence between Naru and I.
She turned her face to me and smiled. "Yep, sound asleep. She conked right out." I offered my hand my hand to help her up, which she gladly took. I pulled her up to stand, but she tripped slightly and ended up falling against my chest. My hands went up to grip her shoulders as hers went against me. Our eyes met for a moment that seemed like an eternity. Swiftly after, Naru broke it as she leaned forward, tucking her head underneath my chin, and sighed. I wrapped my arms around her, tilting my head so that my cheek could rest on her hair, sighing back, too.
We both spoke nothing until Naru mumbled something into my chest. I leaned back slightly. She responded by leaning back also, a disappointed look on her face. I raised an eyebrow to signal that I had not heard her previous statement. Naru looked at me confused until recognition dawned on her face. "I'm sorry." She grinned sheepishly. "Guess I overreacted, huh?"
"Yeah, guess you did."
A scowl flashed across her face before it settled into a very evil grin. I began to become quite nervous at her devious expression, anticipating what was one of her most likely dealings with me. It came soon enough. Increasing her hold on my back, she squeezed me tightly to almost an almost lethal degree. I could literally feel my spine and ribs begin to crack under the tremendous pressure of her grip.
I let out a small whimper escape from my lips, showing that I had had enough. Naru loosened her grasp one me just enough so that I could regain my breath. The first gasps of air that I released were words of apology. "I'm...sorry..." I barely managed to squeak out.
She lost the sadistic grin, instead replacing it with a happy smile. "Good boy." She released me from her embrace, allowing me to try and regain some of the feelings I had lost in my body. She giggled as she watched me rub my arms against each other. I didn't know what was so funny. Pins and needles are not a pleasant experience...I communicated as much through my small frown and slanted eyes. Naru shrugged. "What? If I didn't keep you in place, who else would?"
I sighed and rolled my eyes. Let's see...who else would kick the crap out of me for a single mistake? That would be...Motoko, Kitsune, Su, Sarah, not to mention Haruka. Oh yeah, that's right; nearly every single female at Hinata House, excluding Shinobu and Mutsumi. Hell! I bet after a while the other girls would rub off on Shinobu and she would start beating the shit out of me!
...Eh, I'm just being paranoid again. Got to stop doing that. In any case, I waved my hand absently at her. "Yeah, yeah. I'm just sooo dangerous, aren't I?" Naru giggled again. I sighed before taking her hand. "C'mon," I said, motioning toward the lake. "Let's go talk."
She agreed all too easily, and the two of us made our way over to the edge of the lake before settling down. Naru lied on her back, using her forearms as a pillow for her head. I opted to sit up, planting my hands behind me to keep balanced.
I looked up at the inky black sky. It looked so much different than back in Japan. Back home, you rarely ever saw the stars out at night because of all the lights of the city. But here, with no civilization and where only nature ruled, you could see each and every pinpoint of light that were scattered across the dark blanket that night had spread across the world. Stars weren't the only celestial objects that I could see. The moon, in its crescent from, rose slowly into the sky. It seemed so...so much bigger here, like God had chosen this one spot to be closer to its wondrous light.
Silence permeated the air all around us, only to be broken every once in a while by the call of a nighttime animal, the rushing of a breeze through the tropical trees' leaves, or a soft sigh of contentment from either Naru or I. It was amazing there could even be silence like this; quiet yet...not overbearing with the feeling of nothingness. It wasn't a void that robbed your senses of all stimulus. It was comforting, tender, full of...a devotion to tranquility and peacefulness.
The smells were just as intriguing. The citrusy hint of fruit that I had collected and also the ones still on the trees wafted their scent across the tropical air. Cool, crisp water, absolutely contrasting the dry, arid characteristics of the desert also came to my sense. But the last one was the most interesting. The light musky smell of sweat, mixed alongside a spicy type of perfume, drifted into my nostrils. Where was it coming from...?
Turning my head, I realized that the only source the scent could have stemmed from was the person lying next to me. Indeed, it was Naru that I had smelled, but not in a bad way, no, not in a bad way at all. Most people would find the smell of sweat to be a turnoff, but combined with Naru's perfume, it was a perfect mix. Her natural scent was enhanced to a dizzying degree, making her seem all the most attractive for it.
But beyond the way she smelled, her physical appearance was also quite spellbinding. Her eyes were closed at the moment, her pale cheeks containing the very beginning of a blush, and her mouth's corners were turned up the tiniest bit in a relaxed smile. The moonlight illuminated her in its bathing shine. Looking at her, you would gain an idea of pure innocence. Heh, if only you knew the truth...But honestly, she looked so beautiful; so very beautiful indeed.
My gaze moved down to the hand she had released from its position as her pillow, now lazily lying by her side. I slowly moved a hand, trying to compensate for the sudden change of balance, and laid it gently on top of hers. She opened an eye and glanced up at me, her smile growing bigger as she did. She then turned her hand upside-down so that she could grip at my fingers. Her smile grew wider as she gave my hand a slight tug, but as I wasn't properly holding myself up as it was, the added force caused me to fall onto my side right next to her.
Naru took the opportunity to quickly snuggle up to me. Her arms circled around my neck to pull me closer as she trapped one of my legs between the two of hers. I felt her press her body up against mine and blushed at the fact that a few pieces of tropical flora were the only things stopping her from being totally naked. This and only this revelry was the one thing stopping me from springing up and run away, screaming in complete terror for my life.
But it seemed like I wasn't going to lose a limb or any of my bodily functions when Naru leaned up and gave me a lingering kiss on my lips before nuzzling her face into my chest. She sighed happily and turned her cheek to rest on me as the two of us looked out at the lake together. "So soft..." she murmured. "Much better than arms, wouldn't you say so?"
"I wouldn't know," I replied. A thought came to mind. Well, she seemed a lot more comfortable with such things around me lately, so maybe her reaction wouldn't be too bad. An impish grin rose to my face and I leaned forward to touch noses with her. "I've never really used a woman's breasts as pillows before." I rubbed her nose with my own. She giggled at my affectionate actions and followed en suite. I barely whispered my next question. "Would you be so kind as to be my first?"
She broke off from and looked up at me, her eyes full of surprised amusement. I gazed back, my eyes silently pleading. Naru let out a small smile before going back to nuzzle with me. "Maybe..." she cooed. "If you're good."
"I'm being good now..."
She giggled as I lowered my face, nuzzling the soft skin of her throat. Her smell of strawberries invaded my senses, making my brain want to switch from my sense of smell to my sense of taste to further explore the perfection of my girlfriend's form. My lips parted slightly, and I moved them to brush just barely against her pulse. She gave a miniscule gasp, and I felt the muscles of her throat contract, causing her flesh to press a little bit more on my lips. Taking this as a subtle hint of approval, my lips, almost of their own volition, added their own pressure to her skin. For just a small moment, they opened a little more, allowing my tongue to dart out and fondly touch her skin, savoring her exquisite taste.
Just as quickly as it had happened, it stopped, and I leaned back up to gaze upon the love of my life's face. The beginning blush had spread across her face and also her upper chest considerably, giving her skin a healthy, rosy color. Her breathing had quickened, ever so slightly, and her eyes were overflowing with passion and warmth. Well, it seemed she had enjoyed that. Good; I liked it when my Naru was happy.
Noticing that a patch of her flowing hair had fallen across her face during our brief lovers' exchange, I raised my hand and tucked it behind her ear. But I didn't remove my hand from her face. Instead, I brought the back of my fingers to slowly, not mention what would be considered quite sensually, caress her face with them. Naru shuddered and closed her eyes, surrendering herself to my tender touch.
My fingers traced their way from her ear down along her jawbone. As I did, I decided to memorize ever detail, every nuance of her face, so that, somehow, I could understand her and her very soul better. By the time I made my way to her chin, I saw that her jaw was very strong. I figured as much because whenever she pouted, her jaw almost managed to jut itself out, thereby enforcing the fact that she was not pleased.
Once I reached her chin, I changed direction and headed upward. I made sure to avoid her lips as I knew that if I touched them something would happen, and I still wanted to explore her face before it did. Making contact with her cheek, I found out that it was very warm from her blush. I smiled before giving it a slow, luxurious stroke. Naru responded by giving a long, lengthy sigh. My smile grew as my fingers brushed their way to her forehead. Her cheekbones were high and firm, the flesh on and below them so very soft.
I finally came to her forehead. I noticed the hint of a furrowed brow, probably from all of the scowls and frowns she ever made towards me or anyone else. I hoped that this trend didn't continue. It was a surefire plan for premature wrinkles. I moved aside some bangs of hair that collected there, and Naru giggled at the ticklish feeling I must have produced from doing it.
I decided then and there to end my exploration of Naru's face. Starting at the very middle of her forehead, I trailed them down the short distance of dainty nose's bridge. Hesitating at the tip for a moment, I took the plunge and traced the contours of her lips. They were so amazingly soft and gentle. Now even though I'd felt them against mine so many times before, I had never quite realized just how perfect they were.
Sensing that I had finished my search, Naru opened her eyes and looked at me innocently. I smiled as I tenderly began to flick her bottom lip. She trembled from my actions before raising her hands to hold mine. To my surprise, she grabbed my thumb and slipped it in between her lips. Then she slowly suckled on it, looking at me coyly the entire time.
My heart melted at this show of flirtation. I chose to go one step farther. Not too much, but just enough to prove my affections. I popped my finger out of Naru's mouth, and she appeared a little disappointed, but it quickly disappeared when I cradled both sides of her face in my hands and rolled us over so that I was hovering above her. Her blush grew in leaps and bounds, and I doubted if my face wasn't as red as a cherry by then either.
As I lowered my face, Naru closed her eyes and tipped her face towards me, her lips slightly pursed. But instead of kissing here where she expected, I kissed her forehead. Hardly touching her skin, I made a trail of light, feathery pecks all over her face. Naru switched from giggling as I made my way around her face to soft mewling as I wouldn't stop in one place long enough to give her a more permanent type of pleasure.
She whimpered as I once again managed to avoid pressing my lips to hers. "Keitarooo..." Her tone was plaintive and even the tiniest bit...begging? "Don't tease me...I told you...I hate being teased..."
But I wanted to tease her, wanted to show and prove to her the simple joys and pleasures of playful, sexual flirtation. But after I heard Naru whimper again, I realized that I was only torturing her, and that was something I never wanted to do to her. I leaned up from her and smiled apologetically. She stuck her bottom lip out and pouted. I chuckled mirthfully and her pout changed to a shy smile. She batted her eyelashes, and my mirth only grew at this silent exchange. I suddenly moved and our lips connected in a sweet embrace.
Naru allowed a low, happy moan to escape from her lips, and I felt the hot, sweet rush of air enter my mouth. I enjoyed her taste so much; she was like a delectable to me. The kisses were nowhere near passionate; only sweet short, chaste. But each one was like the first one we (purposely) shared together. They all showed the love we held for each other, and that was better than the deepest and most passionate of kisses that we would ever share.
Her arms went around my neck to pull me closer to her, effectively pushing herself up against me. The sounds she made only coaxed me to kiss her more lovingly. She mewled when I caught her lower lip and nibbled on it, the soft flesh yielding between my teeth. I could literally feel her melt in my arms.
I loved this side of Naru. Shy and submissive, she let me do whatever I wanted to her. I never did, of course; to me, she was always a person, never an object. But still, the idea that she trusted me so much touched me to the core of my soul. However, this side of her was swiftly banished only to be replaced by yet another side of her that I loved.
Another noise erupted from Naru's throat, but instead of it being a meek, obedient one, a feral growl emanated from her. Before I even realized what had happened, I found myself on my back with a frisky Naru lying on top of me. She returned my earlier favor of nibbling her lip when she managed to take them out of mine and began to suckle on my upper lip instead. She grabbed my hands that were lying useless to the side and stretched them along the length of both our bodies, taking away any leverage that could of occurred.
Since that happened, the full weight of her was completely on me. The warm, soft force of her breasts rubbed contentedly against me. By now, (well, more like a while ago) a certain member of mine had risen to attention and when Naru took away any space between us, it eagerly pressed itself next to her inner thigh. Naru let out a tiny squeal of surprise and shot up, detaching her lips from mine. I wondered why her reaction had been so dramatic, but considering she was only wearing a leaf, she would feel my appendage a lot easier.
That stopped, in its tracks, the other side of Naru that I loved. Aggressive and assertive, she knew what she wanted and did not hesitate in taking it. I loved it when she took the initiative like this. I've never quite understood why the male had to be dominate; having Naru on top of me pleased me to no end. I was just happy that she hadn't changed too much after we got together. After all, her hotheadedness was what made her unique, and I adored her for that.
Now, both of us were blushing furiously from the emergence of my "little friend." Naru had shifted up my body so that she was sitting on my stomach, as far away from my...you get the point, as possible without making me uncomfortable. She had gotten so much more considerate recently. Her hands were planted on my chest as mine gripped her hips.
We both remained silent until I managed to speak. "Well...!" I breathed out. "That was...unexpected..."
Naru gulped and nodded her head. "Urm...yeah. Guess so..."
"So you're not..."
"Angry at the fact that I get you excited?" She leaned down and grinned slyly. "I'd be more disappointed if you didn't. Besides..." She took my hand and put her to her...I gasped at her forwardness, and also at the fact that her part was...erect...also. "I feel the same way, too."
"So I'm not in trouble?"
"Not in the tiniest bit."
I sighed in relief, and Naru laughed gaily before she twisted around so that her back was facing me and fell backwards onto my chest. She rested her head on my shoulder and took my arms before wrapping them around her like a blanket, murmuring something about keeping her warm and me being a silly boy. I think that that was going to be one of my new pet names other than the traditional one of "Kei." She sighed happily as she snuggled further into me.
I smiled at the sound. It was so peaceful, so content. My thoughts switched from the girl lying on me to the starry canopy above us. It was totally dark now, the only light emanating from the moon that was already high in the sky. Looking back, that was probably one of the most perfect moments of my life. Nothing else really mattered to me. All the problems, the pain, the obstacles they were all blown away like dust in the wind. Tokyo U and the idea of never getting didn't bother me. So what if I didn't? It's not like it was the end of the world. I was doing a job I enjoyed, making fun, interesting new friends, and was currently with the person that I loved with all my heart.
That's when it hit me. For a spilt-second, the rays of enlightenment shined upon my mind. Material items like a college degree or money or even a great job didn't truly count in this life. All I really needed to be happy was myself, something I enjoyed doing...and Naru. That's all that was needed. That's all I would ever need, and for that I was happy.
And then it was gone, but a lingering sense of self-esteem stayed in its wake. The corners of my mouth twitched up and my eyes closed as I tightened my hold on Naru. I heard her whisper my name quietly and my smile grew as I whispered her name back at her. She giggled and cooed softly into my ear. I laughed at the babyish, loving words she spoke and murmured back. She giggled again and kissed my ear, settling back into me afterwards. I'm not going to bother explaining what we talked about as it's too irrelevant and personal to say. But let's just say that we both enjoyed the cute conversation...very much.
"It's so pretty."
"Ain't it though? It's weird to think that only a few weeks ago, our lives revolved studying for our exams. And now we're here..." My thumb ran little circles around her navel. She laughed and forced my hand away, intertwining her fingers with mine. As she nuzzled her nose against my cheek, I continued. "Together..."
Naru stopped nuzzling my cheek and slunk down to rest her chin in the crook of my neck. I felt her frown and could sense the sadness coming from her. What was wrong...? Naru sighed before cuddling closer, searching for body warmth as though she were cold. "Yeah," she muttered sadly. "Ironic how fate brought us all here...But, I still need to find a way to get back to Japan."
I was confused by her sudden change in demeanor. First she was all happy and cuddly, and now she seemed so depressed. What could I do? Naru gasped as I sat up suddenly, her almost falling off from my unanticipated movement if it weren't for my arms around her. Her gasp changed into a small sigh when I put my hand to her cheek and pecked her on the lips. Soon after, I planted my forehead on hers and stared her right in the eyes.
"Don't worry. Every thing'll work out. I'll figure something out. I promise."
"I hope so..."
"Hey." I tilted her head up from its downtrodden position and planted my lips on her temple. "I promise." Naru smiled and mouthed the words "thank you," as if someone were listening in on us. I don't know why and I'm not even going to bother trying. I gave her one last squeeze before whispering, "C'mon, let's get back to camp. It's gonna get cold soon."
She nodded and I stood the both of us up before we made our way back to the camp, holding each other's hand. When we got to the supplies, I let go of her and bent down to search through one of the bags to find the extra blankets. Finding them, I stopped, my eyes widening in surprise. There was only...one left? No...that couldn't be true. I scrambled through the remaining items in the sack but could find no other blankets. But I thought...
I groaned before smacking myself lightly on the forehead. That was right, Seta had most of the supplies back in the van with him while Gidget held the reserve ones. Oh well, looked like it was going to be a chilly night for me...
I stood up with the blanket in my hands and turned to Naru. "Here you go," I smiled as I handed it to her.
Naru smiled back at me in gratitude and took the blanket before flinging it over shoulders like a cloak. When she saw me just standing there with no covering of my own, her eyes quirked and a small frown appeared. "Aren't you going to get one for yourself?"
I shrugged. "There aren't anyones left." I leaned forward and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Good night, Naru." Then I turned around to allow her to get more comfortable and go to sleep. Sometimes I really was too nice for my own good. Or maybe it was the fact that I didn't feel like bathing in a pool of my own blood for the night...Most likely both.
"Kei?" I stopped at the concerned tone in her voice and looked over my shoulder at her. She fidgeted with the ends of the blanket that were in her hands. "You said it was going to get cold. Are...are you gonna be okay?"
I chuckled at her question, and she looked at me strangely until I trailed off. I scratched my nose sheepishly and grinned. "No, it's okay. I'm used to the cold." I didn't want to tell her that I lived on a deserted island for four days with only the clothes on my back to sustain my existence. She might have worried herself to death!
...Nah, that wasn't Naru's style. She wasn't one much for all that getting the fritters over someone. Eh, what are ya gonna do?
I smiled again and walked off, waving behind me to Naru, signaling that I was going to be alright. I didn't hear her come after me, so I glanced to see if she had gone to sleep yet. She was over by Nyamo, curled up, but I could tell she wasn't asleep because she kept on moving around. Then again, Naru was a really restless sleeper. I remember back on our trip in Kyoto when we had to share a room. She was moving all around, kicking her futon apart and nearly shrugging out of her yukata...Not a bad view, but totally wrong on the moral scale.
I found a nice spot with enough distance to give the girls their privacy, but close enough so that I could be there in a moment if something happened. I grunted as I sat on the ground, my joints still a little bit sore from out trek across the desert. Though they did feel a lot better than when we went through that hellhole. I sighed, wrapping my arms around me and rubbing my arms to keep warm.
It was cold. I couldn't deny it; it was very, very cold.
The wind had picked up and was making the cool night even chillier. I was going to be unhappy that I didn't keep the blanket for myself, but knowing that Naru was happy was good enough for me. Besides, I've been in worse weather. Once I ran away from home in the middle of a snowstorm when I was in middle school (can't remember the reason.) I only got about a block before hiding in an alleyway. My parents found me the next morning, cold and shivering but okay.
I laughed softly at the memory of one of my first hints at immortality. Most people would get a horrible fever or some other symptom of a disease if they stayed out in the freezing cold in a place where germs and vermin reigned supreme. But me? All I got was a slight head cold with runny nose and nothing else for less than a day. Disease was not a big thing for me; I rarely ever got sick. Maybe once or twice a year but that was nearly the absolute maximum.
I sighed again as I leaned forward, my head drooping and my arms wrapped tightly around my bunched up legs to conserve body heat. Even though it was cold and not quite pleasing for sleeping, I quickly found myself nodding off.
However, my eyes instantly snapped open when a warm body draped itself on my back, wrapping a blanket around the two of us. The same person buried their face into the crook of my neck, their hair spreading around and falling in front of me.
I fingered the silken, auburn strands. "I thought you were asleep."
"Couldn't," she murmured back. I sighed before falling back, my head resting on two billowy objects that were definitely not real pillows. My beautiful redhead giggled as she stroked the bangs out of my eyes, shifting so that she could accommodate my placement. She sat on her knees and pulled me up, my head perfectly nestled in her bosom. She giggled again when I took one of her hands caressing my face and put her wrists to my lips.
"Looks like you got your wish."
I glanced up ate her inquisitively for a moment before relaxing back into her touch. "You get to use my breasts as a pillow."
I grinned and turned my head slightly to rub my cheek against the side of one of her breasts. She blushed, gave a small "eep!", and whacked me lightly upside the head. I chuckled at her reaction and miffed expression slowly melted into a loving smile. I grinned again before sitting up suddenly. She looked disappointed until I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her onto me, the two of us falling backwards.
Naru gave a gasp when she landed on top of me and sat up quickly. "What was that for?!" she asked tersely.
I gave her a tiny smirk as I laid my hands on her sides. Running them up her, I ended right under her armpits and pulled her down. She made no resistance and was soon lying full on top of me like she had been only a half-hour earlier. Her head rested on my chest as I kept one arm curled loosely around her waist while I used the other one to idly run my fingers through her hair.
"You," I said suddenly. Naru looked up at me questioningly.
"I did it because even though using you chest as a pillow was nice, and I mean very nice..." I emphasized my point by kissing her gently on the nose and tightening my hold on her. "I'd rather have you be comfortable by using me as a head rest."
Naru lifted her head. She gazed at me incredulously, her eyes full of awe and warmth. Had I said something to...? I immediately got an answer to my unsaid question as she lunged forward and engaged me in a powerful liplock. I was surprised at first from her actions, but quickly gave in to her. When we finally broke off, I found my face being covered in minute kisses as Naru hurriedly spoke through each one. "You're too good for me..."
I remained silent, digesting what had occurred within the past few minutes. First, Naru had appeared out of nowhere, gathering me into a tender embrace and allowing me to use her usual out-of-bound areas as pillows. Now she was saying I was too good for her and being absolutely sappy. My mind dinged, telling me it understood. It hit me then. She thought I was too good for her? That wasn't true at all, she was too good for me. Her beauty, her brains, her heart...all of her for this waste of space that was me. How could she ever think she wasn't good enough for me?
I stopped Naru's fond rampage on my face by catching her face between my hands. She whimpered as I kissed her softly before making her tuck her head into my throat. I sighed, rubbing her lower back low enough so that she was getting pleasure out of it but not so low as that my touches would seem lecherous in nature. Naru began to melt in my grasp, a soft, feline quality in her voice as she breathed slowly and steadily.
After we got into the most relaxed position possible, I went on with our conversation. "Isn't that my line, Naru? Saying that I'm not worthy of you?"
She shook her head leisurely, and her hair tickled my skin when it moved across my throat. I found it very hard not to laugh as it would ruin the peaceful moment we were in.
"No..." she whispered quietly, so quietly that I could hardly hear her. "It's true. You're so good to me, Keitaro. You're sweet, giving, completely unselfish. You help all of us out at Hinata House, never really complaining, never denying any of the requests we send your way, no matter how ludicrous they sound. Even when we hit you or yell at you or do something else that you don't deserve, you never retaliate. You just take it and come back with an apology and a smile."
My mouth began to open, but my mind caught my tongue and flung it back into the recesses of its cage before it could force me to speak. I wanted to say something, anything, to show that I did find her or any of the others at fault, but a part of my mind told me to just shut up and listen to her. Naru needed to talk, and there was no way I would interrupt her for my own selfish desires. This all happened in the timeframe of less than a second, and Naru went on, oblivious to the small battle that had been waged inside of me.
"You're so kind, so gentle, so loving. Whenever you're with me, you're both shy and brave. A paradox for most but it suits you, to tell the truth. When we kiss, you're warm and inviting, tender and soft. You're never overbearing but I love it when you take control of our times together and kiss me with such passion that I can't help but never want to stop.
"I know I've been a total bitch..." I squeezed her tighter, making my massage on her lower back a little firmer, daring to go past the boundaries and moving to her upper legs. She reacted just like I wanted, moaning lightly and increasing the grip she had on my shirt. However, it didn't last long when she grabbed my hands and forced them away. "Please don't. I need to tell you this, and what you're doing is only making it harder." I blinked at her tone and nodded. She smiled ruefully and placed her head back on my chest.
"I've been so horrible to you. I've hit you, yelled at you, belittled you for the stupidest reasons, mocked your dreams for Tokyo U..." Her voice became ragged, like she had been running for an entire day and was utterly parched. "I'm possessive, emotionally weak, too hotheaded, conclude things with no proof whatsoever..." Her body trembled like a leaf and I felt moisture collect on my flesh; so cold, so sad. She was crying. Naru, the strongest person that I knew, was crying like a little child.
"I'm selfish," she sobbed. "Oh, god, I'm selfish. I can only think of myself, and how things are going to affect me. I can only wallow in my own self-pity, ignoring others who are off far worse than I could ever be." Her trembling became shaking, her small tears rivulets of water. "I'm sorry...I'm so, so sorry. You're so nice to me and I've been nothing but mean to you for so long. God, I'm so-mmph!"
I couldn't take it anymore; the loathing, the self-deprecation...This was not my vibrant, adoring Naru. This was me, the me I had always been, the me who blamed himself for everything and was constantly treating himself as though he was a fucking martyr! I hated it when I acted like that, so imagine the pain I felt when someone I loved more than anything in this world acted like I had.
I swept her up and captured her lips in a powerful lock. I plunged my tongue into her mouth, coaxing her own to come out and play. She moaned, losing herself in my embrace. I crushed her body to mine, ignoring the touch of her smooth skin and focusing all of my attention on her lips and tongue. Her tongue was pebbly and soft, rubbing playfully against mine as she tried to force me back into my own mouth. But I wouldn't let her; I wanted my Naru back, the Naru who would get angry over the stupidest causes and would blush prettily if I said something that she enjoyed.
We stayed like that for a long time until I was satisfied that my Naru was back. I broke off from her, the passion of our kiss represented by a thin string of saliva that connected our lips. I wiped the remains of it off of her mouth with my thumb before caressing her face.
"Don't you ever think that, you hear me?" I chided her sternly. "You might've been all those things, but I never gave you the chance to act or believe otherwise. I'm not the easiest person to be with, I know. But I'm so damn grateful that you're still willing to stay with me...no matter how much of an idiot I can be."
A few tears ran down her cheeks. Naru's lips trembled before she nodded slowly and fell back onto me, her mouth right next to my ear.
"Thank you...Thank you so much..."
Those words spoke pages for me, and I smiled before replying. "You gonna be able to go back to sleep now?
"Uh-huh. But only if I'm here...with you."
"That's good."
And then her words registered in my mind. She wanted...she wanted to sleep with me?! Sleep...with me?! Sure, it wasn't as far as sex, not even close, but these sorts of things often led to it. Not that I minded but...No! Must think pure thoughts! Must think pure thoughts! I shot up, Naru tumbling off of me as I did.
"You want to what?!"
"Shut up, you idiot!" Right after she said it, a horribly guilty look overtook her face. She stared down at her lap, a depressed woman as her image. I immediately regretted my outburst and leaned forward to hold her. She flinched away at my touch, but I didn't give up, wrapping my arms around her shoulders, her head resting on my shoulder when I did.
"You want to sleep with me?" She hesitated for a second before nodding her head slowly. "But why? I mean, not to be rude, but the last time we slept together was by accident alone. This'll be the first we actually mean to, and I thought you didn't like to show off affection like this."
"I'm afraid."
My eyes widened at the sincerity in her words. She...she was afraid? But why? For as long as I had known her, I had never seen Naru truly afraid of anything in particular. Sure, she was afraid of things like the demons and ghosts our "friends" portrayed from our trip to the beach but heck, so was nearly every other person on the planet.
...Still can't believe those guys pulled a trick on us like that. All I got was a rather large hole in my head from Naru when I accidentally groped her while we were grasping at each other in fright. Nice cause, wrong result. But now that I think about, it was actually a little sign to what she and I felt for each other. After all, you don't grab a person you don't like in a bear hug to protect you from something.
"Keitaro?"
I realized that I had zoned out for a moment and Naru was looking t me in concern. My eyes went back to normal and I smiled before nodding. "I'm okay." She sighed in relief but her face instantly reverted back to its melancholy state. "Come here." She looked up to see my welcoming arms and faltered slightly before crawling into my lap and turning around so that her back was to my chest. I hooked my chin onto her shoulder and wrapped my arms around her protectively. "Now, tell me why you're afraid."
Naru began to tremble again, and I felt her jaw move to open but then close just as quickly. This happened a few times until I gave her jaw an encouraging peck. Her trembling shrank a little and she was finally able to talk, even if it was shakily at best.
"I...I don't want to be alone."
She didn't want to be alone? But she wasn't alone; she had me and everyone else back at Hinata House to keep company with. Unfortunately, her next statement proved that her fear wasn't as empty as I first thought.
"My...my mother died...when I was very...very young." I was surprised to hear this. Having both of my parents, I never quite thought about how lost I would be if one of them were suddenly gone. But yeah, I guess that would make you feel like you were all alone.
"And then my father re-married when I was in middle school. His new wife was nice to me, but...she could never replace the role of my mom, no matter how hard she tried. Maybe I never really gave her a chance, I honestly don't know. But after a while, she gave up trying to be my friend and focused back on my father and trying to have kids of her own."
The words came tumbling out of her mouth, faster and faster, as if there was no end to the jumble of words falling from her lips. "Eventually my father became closer to my step-mother, and farther and farther away from me. That's why I moved to Hinata House, because my home was no longer a home for me. It was now nothing more than a place where I was unwanted or just ignored. So I had to leave, my family...were only strangers to me now.
"And then Seta left and I was so sad. He was the first person that I thought I ever loved."
At this, my arms involuntarily tightened possessively around her. I couldn't help it. Hearing that Naru might have loved her former tutor tore a hole in me. I didn't want her to love anyone else, only me! But this small, selfish part of my mind was swiftly squished by the major part saying that it wasn't right to try and control Naru like that. She could love whoever she wanted, and I should feel honored that she'd pick me.
"But it turned out that I wasn't in love with him; only a silly, high-school girl's crush."
I shook my head. "No, that's not true. Look at me, I waited fifteen years for some stupid, childhood promise while the love of my life was right next to me all along."
"It's not stupid. After all, we found each other, right?"
"Yeah...but I failed to keep my promise of getting into Tokyo U with you, though..."
"Hey, aren't you supposed to be cheering me up?"
I smiled. "Yeah, you're right." I nuzzled her throat, receiving a giggle for my efforts. It appeared that things were getting back to normal. I lifted a hand from around her to tilt her head to face me. "But you're not alone, Naru. You've got me. Not to mention Kitsune, Mutsumi, Shinobu, Su, Motoko, Haruka, and even Sarah. They all care for you, and want you to be happy and with them."
But for how long?" she sniffled as she wiped a finger to rid her eyes of their threatening-to-fall tears. "How long until they leave me, too? They can't all stay around forever." Her head sunk, her long, flowing hair hiding her face from view. "And what about you? You ran away from us, from me, at the first signs of trouble! Do you know how torn up I felt when you left?!"
"I'm sorry..." I leaned back then forward again, resting my head on the small of Naru's back. I kissed the back of her neck fondly as a kind of apology. "I was scared that you wouldn't love me anymore when you found out I had failed you."
"Idiot." I wasn't hurt, as her voice held none of the usual spite and anger for the word. Rather, it was more of an affectionate and playful gesture. Naru shifted around in my lap and ended up facing me. She hooked her wrists behind my neck and brought her face up to within an inch of mine. "I loved you then, I love you now, and I hope I'll love you until the day I die."
I bowed my head. "Thank you." I pulled her closer, burying my face into her hair, and breathed in her sweet scent. "But know that I'm here for you now."
"Promise you won't ever leave me again?"
"I promise."
"Stay with me?"
"Didn't I just say would?"
"Not that, idiot. Stay with me, here...tonight."
I gulped. I had no idea what to do. A woman, an amazingly gorgeous woman, was asking me to sleep with her. Not only that, but the only things you consider as clothing that were on her doubled as toilet paper for some of the natives! I had to make a response, and quickly, because Naru was slowly loosening her grip on me, sensing that I was reluctant.
"Are you sure?" I planted my forehead on hers and gripped her shoulders. "Usually if I suggested something like this, I'd immediately find myself flung into the lower atmosphere. You don't mind if someone sees-"
"I don't care!" Naru whispered fiercely. She calmed down and put her head on my chest. "For once I don't care if someone sees us. I don't care if someone sees how much I care for you. I just want you to be with me, want you to hold me. I want to fall asleep in your embrace and wake up the very next day in the same position. I want you face to be the last thing I see at night and the first thing I see when morning comes. To put it simply, I...want...you."
I blinked. "Wow." I didn't know what to say. It was... "That was really poetic. Sappy and corny but also very poetic."
She laughed. "See? Even rough, old me can be romantic at times...Even though you've never said so."
I smiled; couldn't do anything else. "Fine. If you're so eager to sleep with me then I guess I have no choice but to comply with you wishes."
Naru smirked. "Knew you couldn't resist me for long." Well, it definitely looked like she was back to her old, energetic self. I was glad. I don't think I could have gotten used to a sad, mopey Naru. I would have tried, of course, but I didn't think it would ever be the same. "Just make sure you try anything perverted...or else." She cracked her knuckles threateningly.
Yep, she was back to normal, alright.
"First you beg to sleep with me and then you warn me not to try anything." I sighed in exasperation. "You are so damn unpredictable!"
She giggled as she snuggled her face farther into me. "Maybe, but you love me anyway, right?"
I sighed again. "Yes, ma'am." A muffled giggle vibrated my chest and forced me to chuckle also. I reached over, Naru still attached to me as though she were Su, and grabbed the blanket that was only a couple feet away. I threw it over the both of us and so moved backwards so as to lie down. I looked at Naru's hidden face and laughed softly. "You want to stop that? Unless you want to suffocate in your sleep, that is..."
She glanced up. "Then what would you suggest?"
I grinned. "Follow me."
I lay fully on my back, hooking an arm under Naru's side to loosely hold her to be. She placed her cheek on my chest, putting one arm around my neck to steady herself while the other one took a solid clutch on my shirt. My free hand moved to lay lightly on her head. I slowly began to stroke her, from the top of her head down her side to her waist. I gave the gentle swell of her hip an warm squeeze before lifting my hand up and putting it back on her head to repeat the process.
Naru was quickly lulled into a state of rest from my actions, her usual restless characteristics quelled. Right before she gave into slumber, she gently kissed my cheek, leaving a warm, moist reminder of her affection.
"Good night, Keitaro."
I gazed at her petite form, her chest rising up and down as the land of dreams brought her to meet its inhabitants. I kissed her forehead and put my arm underneath my head as a pillow. Staring at the stars, I also gave in to the vast being known as sleep.
"Good night, Naru. See you in the morning."
A/N: Wow! I'm finally done! You're probably wondering why I said this chapter was part one. Well, after I started writing, I had this tremendous overflow of creative juices, so I ended up writing nearly a 40-page chapter. And this is with my brand new writing, which has letters the size of a pinhead! Anyway, expect a chapter that's almost as long but still a little bit shorter. Oh, and if you still want to know what my accident was, I'll tell you after the interview. But until then, on the characters!
Me: Well, since the couple's still stuck in the oasis... (looks off to the side at a pile of crumbled bodies) And since I seemed to go a weeee overboard with erasing the other girls' minds, I guess I'll interview one of my good friends and soon to be character of the story. But that's not to be for a while. I give you... (whispers) drum roll please?
Drums tap in the usual fashion of introducing someone, trumpets blare across the scene, and a mysterious figure appears at the corner of the room, peeking in nervously.
Me: I give you...Chaos!
Chaos: (walks over to me, waving anxiously at the audience as he does) Hey, Yamiga.
Me: Yo! How you doing?
Chaos: (shrugs) Fine, fine. First time in author world like this so a little nervous.
Me: Ehhh, you're doing fine. First time I visited, I was scared shitless. This place is so damn empty until you breathe some life into it. Anyway... (motions toward my friend) Chaos here has been a good friend of mine ever since he's first reviewed my story. We've swapped e-mails and instant messages for a while, and now I've decided to make him the new character that comes in around volume 11.
Chaos: Yeah, can't wait to be part of this story. And you even said you'd hook me up with one of the girls, so I'm pretty happy.
Me: Yeah, did say that, but remember...Keitaro's real protective of them so be careful of what you do and say.
Chaos: (sweatdrops) And why would I have to be careful? You didn't turn me into some rampaging pervert... (stare accusingly) did you?
Me: (laughs nervously) Eh heh heh, well...Your personality is a little bit of the perverted side, but the ladies love you...really.
Chaos: (still not convinced) What kind of personality did you give me...?
Me: (frowns thoughtfully) Urm, well you know how Benitora, or Red Tiger, from the manga "Samurai Deeper Kyo" is? (Chaos shakes his head) Well, if you don't, let's just say you mirror Miroku a whole lot.
Chaos: (gapes) You turned me into that perverted monk from "Inuyasha"?!
Me: Nooooo...Just made him your role model.
Chaos: (steps threateningly towards me, outstretched hands reaching for my throat) Yaaamiiigaaaaa....
Me: (waves hand frantically) Don't worry! You might get a lot of handprints on your face, but you'll also get the same amount of lipstick stains as well. And you also get really cool powers along with an awesome magical sword.
Chaos: (stops; thinks for a second) Well...I guess I can live with that. But you better not try anything funny with me!
Me: (salutes) Yes, sir! In any case, would you help me with the end?
Chaos: (bows) My pleasure.
Me and Chaos: (gives the victory signs) Please Review!
A/N: Well, that's finally over and done with. And yes, it is a bit of a...well, not self-insert, more like friend-insert. Anyway, I'm sure you'll like the added personality my new character will bring just as much as you enjoy the new personalities I gave to both Keitaro and Naru. In other news, the accident I had was in woodshop and incapacitated my right hand from most use for a week or so. I was making a stepstool when I held a nail gun the wrong way and shot it through my thumb. Went straight through, pierced and lodged itself into my bone. Severed some never endings, too, so I lost almost all feeling for several days until they grew back. Had to go to the hospital to have it removed; still have the nail. I know how utterly stupid that sounds, but I am extremely accident-prone. Also, I'm just an idiot. (sighs) In any case, I'm all better now and will continue to write until another accident such as this stops me. Heh heh...such an idiot am I... Anyway, Please review and remember, no flames!
Preview!
Next Chapter: Livin' and Lovin in Pararakelse, Part 2
I slapped my hands over my ears, trying to blot out the assault on my dignity and self. But my invisible assassins were not part of my surroundings; they were a part of me, of my mind. And there was no one to protect me from those demons contained in the realms of my conscious. They were unseen, unheard, unknown, but not any less deadly. As if to punish my insolence, the voices intensified, reaching a state of being where it almost became a living organism. It slowly began to devour me, devour my essence, leaving only a gaping void in its wake...