Rieko sat on the roof. A tiny amp was plugged in, and she was playing on her guitar.
The song was a sad one. But all good love songs were like that, weren't they?
Even if they sounded happy to begin with, they ended up being depressing, one way or another. She liked it that way; it seemed more real.
Softly humming the tune as she played, Rieko stared up at the moon, letting its brilliant cerulean light shine on her face. She smiled. But like the song, it was tinged with sadness.
Soon it would all come to an end, she knew.
Soon Rieko's job would be over.
But she would never be able to go back home. Not after today.
The point of no return was fast approaching, and here she was, sitting idly on the roof and playing music as if she hadn't a care in the world.
Yes, she was scared. Who wouldn't be?
But she had no better alternative.
With a final movement of her hand, she finished the song.
The rest was silence.
*******
Chapter 4: It's a Date! Rieko and Naru Big Showdown!
*******
It was half past midnight, and the Hinata Inn was asleep.
For once, there was no party, no insanity keeping everyone awake on some kind of adventure. Everyone in the house found themselves touched by the spirit of slumber, and they were all too happy to oblige. And now there was only the moonlight, the soft rustle of the wind through the trees, and the calm stillness that only the nighttime could bring.
But Keitaro was wide-awake. He was staring out the window, and there was quite a view out there tonight: the moon and the stars had all come out to play, and their silvery light played along every surface, infusing the room with a special luminous magic. But he didn't notice.
Why would he? Keitaro had too many things on his mind.
He loved Naru. That was without question.
Or was it?
Keitaro thought long and hard, and concluded with frustration that he didn't really know the answer. He thought he loved Naru. But if that was true, then what was this new feeling that stirred in his heart? The way the young ronin always pictured love was as some kind of sacred bond, a communion between two souls that was supreme. Love was the most meaningful force in the world, and a promise of love was just the kind of magic that fueled Keitaro's entire life.
The promise girl. There was only one.
He couldn't love two people like that.
He chuckled. Sometimes he felt so childish.
The Hinata house had a way of removing its inhabitants from the harshness of reality. The real world didn't revolve around promises and fate, it seemed. It could certainly care less about what two children promised each other in a sandbox, long ago.
But where did that leave Keitaro? Was he left with nothing? Were his convictions and passions wasted on an immature fantasy, a game he never stopped playing while everyone else moved on to greater things?
That was a depressing thought.
But Keitaro wondered. If it really was all some kind of illusion… could he bring himself back to the real world, and still find something resembling happiness?
Was he capable of redeeming himself, so far into everything?
"I don't know." He said to the sky.
"Don't know what?"
Keitaro nearly jumped out of his skin. "Seta-san!… Where did you come from??"
"Just got back from an expedition in the Philippines. I figured you guys would be up having another party, or something." The older man shrugged. "Are you the only one awake? I can come back at another time if this is inconvenient."
"No, it's fine." Keitaro sighed. "I could use some company anyway."
"Ah. Then let's spend the night alone together, as men."
"Uh… what?" Sometimes that man said things in the strangest way.
The professor produced a bottle of sake from his coat, and two glasses. "Care for a drink?"
Keitaro shrugged, taking a glass and watching as Seta filled it up. "Arigato, Seta-san."
"So how're you doing? Have I missed much?"
"Hmm… Well last week, all the cucumbers in Hinata were stolen by this big thing that we thought was a kappa. But it ended up just being another one of Su-chan's crazy machines."
"I see." Seta was already only half-paying attention, producing a fossil from his pocket and examining it closely.
"Haruka-san took care of that pretty well, though."
His interest came back. "Oh?"
"She wrestled it, and used a bullwhip of all things. I didn't realize Aunt Haruka was so… acrobatic."
Seta chuckled, his eyes lighting up warmly. "That's her, all right. Remind me to tell you one of these days how she handled a bunch of Illuminati agents in the ruins of an Atlantean temple. It was pretty incredible…"
Keitaro blinked. "What?"
"Oh, nothing. Just dwelling on the good old days."
"Mm…" Keitaro hesitated. "… Seta-san?"
"Yes?"
"Could I ask you for some advice?"
"Sure. Shoot." Seta sat down on the floor, taking another glass of sake.
"Well, you see… I have this friend. And he's been in love with this girl for a long time, or at least he thought he was. He's pretty sure that they promised themselves to each other when they were kids, too." He took a sip. "But lately he's been spending a lot of time with this other girl. And my friend's a little disturbed now, because the other girl is kind of…" he paused, wondering how to put it. "She's pretty young, in comparison."
Seta nodded. "Jailbait?"
"Yeah, basically. But my friend thinks that maybe…" Keitaro took a deep breath. "… Maybe he's in love with her. So I was wondering, what should my friend do about his feelings? He doesn't want to betray his promise to the first girl, and it seems a little wrong to pursue anything with this new person."
"What's wrong about it?" Seta shrugged. "It doesn't matter who came first. You love who you love." He gulped down another glass of sake. "I guess it is hard to deal with, falling in love with someone other than who you intended. I don't think I really expected to fall in love with Haruka. But I did, and now I just have to deal with it. That's the best advice I think I can give you." He laughed, more for himself than anything. "Don't worry, Keitaro-kun. Shinobu-chan's a nice girl, and you're not married to Naru-chan or anything."
Keitaro did a spit-take. "Wh-Wh-Who said I was talking about Shinobu-chan?" He laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head.
Seta stared at him blankly. "Hm. I thought you did. Oh well."
He snapped his fingers. "Here's an idea. How about you take her out on a date, see if you really like her that way?"
Keitaro groaned, forgetting completely that he was supposed to be talking in secret code. "I did that before. Took her to an amusement park… she ended up getting drunk and taking me to a love hotel."
"… Oh." Seta continued. "A regular night on the town sounds like a good idea, though. Go to a nice place, see a romantic movie... You know, that kind of thing. I think she's old enough to appreciate an old-fashioned date. None of this fancy kid business with amusement parks and love hotels."
Keitaro sweatdropped. Since when was a love hotel kid business?
Seta raised his glass. "So, let's have a toast! To…" He thought for a moment. "… Love. Yeah, that's good enough. To love… and Molmolian pottery fragments!"
Keitaro couldn't help but smile. Good old Seta. "To pottery fragments."
They tapped their cups together, and took a deep drink.
"Huh!" Seta said, his face split in a pleasant smile. "You know, Keitaro, you really can hold your liquor very—"
He passed out mid-sentence, his head making a dull 'thunk' as it hit the floor.
Keitaro blinked. "… Seta-san?"
He shook his mentor by the shoulder, with no response
That was rather sudden.
He was snoring, though, so at least he wasn't dead.
Getting out a blanket from the closet, Keitaro placed it over Seta's sleeping form.
"Good night, Seta-san. Thanks for the advice."
*******
Shinobu had her math book open, but she couldn't keep her thoughts straight. Sitting next to her was Keitaro, deep in some history book. They were in his room together, having a joint study session, as they tended to do almost every afternoon these days.
When did that start?
Right, she remembered. The day she bumped into Keitaro while shopping for groceries.
She could recall how depressed he seemed, a sharp contrast to his usual attitude. It wasn't that Keitaro was never sad. Shinobu had seen her fair share of Keitaro's absolutely miserable days, when he would cry out about how unfair life was.
"What's so funny, Shinobu-chan?"
She jumped, startled. "H-Hai!"
"You're giggling."
"Oh, oh no, it's nothing."
He shrugged, going back to his history book.
Those days were pretty funny, looking back on them. Even as he wallowed in his misery, Keitaro had a way of going about it that was really amusing and lighthearted. But that day at the supermarket, he just seemed so… different. There was no extreme, no passionate declarations. He just seemed tired of everything, tired of even opening his mouth to express his exhaustion.
He looked defeated.
But then Shinobu protested. She was embarrassed at the time, acting so seriously, as if the fate of the world depended on Keitaro's mood. For her, in many ways it did. But the way he reacted to her outburst was so unexpected. Shinobu could see a spark reigniting in his soul. When the light reentered his eyes, he was looking straight at her, letting his luminescence shine on her in a moment of brilliant happiness.
His light was like the sun.
Did she really do that? Was she capable of giving such life to Keitaro? And if so… could she do it again?
But there was Naru.
Of course. She was the girl Keitaro chased, the girl Keitaro constantly fawned over and doted on. It was always Narusegawa, Naru-chan. She was the onion Keitaro mentioned in the supermarket. She was the one who made him cry whenever he tried to open her up and see what was inside. And despite all this, it seemed that he still loved her.
But Naru snuffed out his light, and left him empty. Shinobu kindled it anew.
That had to mean something, didn't it?
Of course it meant something. Keitaro was her sempai.
And Shinobu loved him.
"Shinobu-chan?"
She jumped again. "H-Hai!"
Keitaro smiled gently. "Your eyes glazed over."
Shinobu blushed. "They did…?"
He nodded. "Afraid so. You don't look like you're in the mood to study."
"Not…" she averted her eyes. "Not really, no. I'm sorry."
"All right, then let's stop. We're a little ahead anyway, and I actually wanted to talk with you about something."
"You did?"
"Uh, yeah…" Keitaro looked away, scratching his head and smiling. She could recognize now whenever he was nervous about something. He always scratched his head and looked away, trying to look nonchalant. It was cute.
"Sempai?"
"Nani, Shinobu-chan?"
She edged next to him, a rare moment of boldness welling up in her soul. Her eyes were determined, a strange contrast to the deep red blush on her cheeks. She took a silent breath as she hesitantly, tenderly put her head on Keitaro's shoulder. Shinobu felt him intake a sharp breath, and wondered if she had scared him already.
Trembling ever so slightly, Shinobu said softly,
"It's okay…You can tell me anything, sempai."
They were silent. Shinobu wondered again if she had made a mistake in being so forward. What if he didn't like her any more, now that she had acted so unfeminine and direct? She had never done anything like this before, so she wasn't sure.
She felt Keitaro take her hand, and she looked up in surprise. He didn't seem angry, but he also didn't seem very happy, either. She couldn't tell what it was.
"Come on, Shinobu-chan," he said, standing up, with her hand still in his. "Let's go somewhere."
Shinobu's mind was going a thousand places at once.
But it all coalesced into a single response:
"Hai."
*******
Naru wasn't feeling very well.
It wasn't because she was sick, or anything. No, there was something else that was bothering her, but it was something she couldn't put her finger on. It drove her insane.
So, in true Naru fashion, she was beating the crap out of a standing target.
"You should relax," Motoko said. She was meditating, a bowl of incense burning steadily in front of her.
"Gomen, Motoko-chan," Naru replied, swipe after vicious swipe impacting on the wooden frame. "Am I distracting you?"
"No. I can ignore it if I must." The slightest hint of an amused smile appeared on her face. "But you're going to destroy my equipment if you keep trying to kill it like that. It isn't cheap, you know."
"… Hai." Naru lowered her bokken, wiping her brow. The frame creaked miserably to a stop.
"So."
"Hm?"
"Go ahead." Motoko took a sip from a cup of tea that seemingly appeared from nowhere.
"What do you mean?" Naru took a seat on the floor.
"You only come here and abuse my training equipment when something's bothering you. So go ahead and vent."
"Oh." Naru smiled. Motoko had more insight than she let on. "See, that's the problem. I can't figure it out."
"You can't, or you don't want to see it?"
"Since when were you a Zen master, Motoko-chan?"
Motoko shrugged. "It helps the plot along, okay?"
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
Naru sighed. "I guess it just feels weird right now, that's all. It's like my normal routine's been shaken up, and I can't see where it all started to get so confusing and foreign."
Motoko nodded. "Perhaps when Maehara-san arrived."
"Rieko-san?" Naru shook her head. "I don't think so. I don't really like having her around all the time, but I don't think she's the reason why I feel so out of place."
"Ah, so you don't like her very much either."
"Hm?"
Motoko paused, considering her words. "Something about Maehara-san is a little suspicious, that's all."
Naru's curiosity was piqued, but she decided not to press the issue. Motoko looked like she was deep in one of her cryptic moods. "So if it's not Rieko-san, then what could it be? I don't think anything else has changed…" She snapped her fingers. "Shinobu-chan."
"Shinobu-chan?" Motoko raised an eyebrow. "What about Shinobu-chan?"
Naru made a fist. "I don't know, but I just realized that it has to do with her somehow. It's like something's different about her…" She snapped her fingers again. "No, it's Keitaro!"
"Urashima?"
"Yeah, it has to be him! Nobody else could affect me like this…" She quickly backpedaled. "Not to say that I feel anything for that sick pervert, but this has to do with him somehow… him and Shinobu…"
"Maybe both of them together."
Motoko realized what she just said.
Naru and Motoko looked at one another.
They ran out of Motoko's room.
"That sick degenerate Urashima…" Motoko unsheathed her blade.
"Corrupting poor Shinobu-chan…" Naru tightened her grip on the bokken, giving it a few practice stabs.
"Oi, you guys," Kitsune poked her head out of her room. "What's going on?"
"We're going to kill a pervert!" Naru snarled.
"Oh." She followed them. "This should be interesting."
"Keitaro!" Naru bellowed, throwing the door to his room wide open.
Save for a couple of open textbooks, it was completely empty.
"Keitaro…?"
Kitsune inspected the closet, finding nothing. Then she knocked on the wall. "Sarah-chan?"
"Nani?" came the muffled reply.
"Is there anyone else there besides Su-chan?"
"Nope!"
"Ah. Arigato." She turned to Naru and Motoko. "They're not here."
Motoko rubbed her chin in thought. "I wonder where they could have gone…"
Just then, Haruka passed by. "Ah, girls. Konbanwa."
"Konbanwa, Haruka-san…" Motoko greeted her. "Did you decide to close the tea shop early tonight?"
"Don't worry, Kentaro-kun's watching the place for a while." She lit a cigarette. "Keitaro-kun and Shinobu-chan said they were going somewhere, and they asked if I could cook for tonight."
The air seemed to freeze in the room. Haruka raised an eyebrow, drawing in some nicotine in anticipation. "… Did I miss something?"
Naru ground her teeth, barely resisting the urge to punch a hole through the wall. "Keitaro…"
"How could you let Urashima leave with her?" Motoko asked Haruka incredulously.
"This isn't a prison, Motoko-chan. They can go where they want."
Naru was slowly losing the internal battle with her rage. Her nails clawed deeply into the doorway. "K… Keitaro…"
"Did they tell you where they were going?" Kitsune inquired.
"That one French-themed restaurant downtown. Belle De La Belle, or something like that."
"Ooh, I heard that's fancy!" she squealed. "I wonder what they could be doing there—"
"KEITARO!!!" Naru yelled, pounding through the Hinata Inn like a woman possessed, still holding her bokken as she grabbed her coat.
"Wait, Naru-chan!" Motoko protested. "I'm coming along. You're not yourself…"
"No." The chill in her voice was like a glacier, stopping the warrior girl dead in her tracks. "I'm going to find him, and I'm going to KILL HIM myself!"
She ran down the stairs and out the door, leaving a thoroughly worried Motoko.
Kitsune, sensing an opportunity, made her way for the back door.
"I'll be out… er, buying sake… if you need me."
Motoko nodded. "All right. Tell us what happens with those three."
"Damn, figured me out already..." She grinned a cat-like grin. "I'll be right back."
"This isn't going to end well." Haruka muttered.
*******
Kitsune ran.
People accused her of being a lazy, good-for-nothing bum who couldn't run to save her life. And most of the time, they'd be absolutely right. She just didn't see the point to exerting herself more than she had to.
But now, fueled with the rush of manic excitement, Kitsune was sprinting with hardly a troubled breath, bounding from block to block with the predatory grace and speed of her namesake.
Things were becoming quite interesting.
Who would have thought? Keitaro and Shinobu… Shinobu was always fawning over the ronin, which was obvious. But the fact that he reciprocated was eyebrow raising. In fact, it was downright fishy. Kitsune intended to get to the bottom of the issue, and find out if her love instincts were right on the money.
She suddenly noted with some suspicion that the ground below her was a little too… loose. Kitsune jumped away just as the floor gave way to a small mud pit. Had her reflexes been just a little too slow, she would have fallen in and have a hell of a time trying to pull herself out from the sludge.
What was this? In the middle of a sidewalk, no less!
Kitsune shrugged and continued on her way. It was probably construction.
No sooner had she taken five steps than a giant log suddenly swung from a light pole. Kitsune ducked just in time to avoid a concussion, rolling deftly out of the way. But in the middle of her emergency maneuver, she accidentally tripped a wire with her hand. A sandbag launched from across the street, barely missing her by a hair's length.
This wasn't just a fluke—someone was trying to off her.
Kitsune looked ahead, and saw all manner of booby traps waiting for her. Loaded BB guns, what looked like land mines, fly paper…there was no way to that restaurant without having to pass through the gauntlet.
"All right Keitaro," she said to herself. "I see what's going on. You're good… but not good enough!"
With a war cry, she charged.
*******
"Hi, I'd like to claim a reservation, please? For Urashima."
The maitre 'd looked down his nose at the reservations sheet, and smiled, taking two menus. "Ah, yes. Right this way, please."
Shinobu was surprised.
"Sempai, you planned this?"
"I…" Keitaro chuckled nervously. "Uh, yeah. I did. I was kind of hoping you would agree to come." He looked at her. "Is that bad?"
She smiled, a small blush creeping to her cheeks. "No. Not at all."
"Good, I'm glad."
Sempai had planned everything. This was all for her.
Shinobu bit back the urge to giggle in excitement, and put on her "game face" of feminine demureness. Now, more than ever, she knew she needed to act like a mature woman. There was no way she was going to screw up again; she had to show Keitaro that she was capable of being sophisticated and cultured, not just some little girl pretending that she was grown-up.
"Do you remember this place, Shinobu-chan?"
"Hm?" She looked around. "… Oh."
It was the exact place they had gone for their first "date," which was a total bust: Shinobu had accidentally gotten drunk and dragged Keitaro to a love hotel, where they ended up studying the whole night. She realized with a certain irrational dread that they were even sitting at the exact same table.
"Sorry if this place is boring. I just couldn't think of any other fancy places."
"No no, it's fine, really." This was a second chance. Here she was, faced with the same situation again, but this time she had experience on her side. With a little luck, things would go as they should have gone a long time ago. Shinobu smiled. "I like being here."
"What would you like to order?"
There. The dreaded question.
Shinobu remembered the last time she was asked this, and what Keitaro ordered for her: The kid's meal with a hamburger and chocolate pudding. It was so humiliating. But now was her chance to do things differently.
Sitting up straight, Shinobu took a look at the menu, and looked up at the waiter confidently. "I would like your salmon special, please."
The waiter nodded. "Ah, excellent choice Miss. And would you like a glass of wine with that?"
"Actually, could I have some apple juice?"
She immediately kicked herself. Why did she say that?
"And for you, sir?"
"I'd like the dynamite combination dish."
"Very good. Any wine for you tonight, sir?"
"… Actually, I'd like some apple juice too."
When the waiter left, Keitaro looked at Shinobu.
"Shinobu-chan? Is something the matter?"
She rested her chin on her hand and smiled with half-lidded eyes. A single lock of hair fell over her face.
"No, sempai. Everything's fine."
*******
"Um, Miss…"
"What? What do you want?" The blue-haired girl snapped. The waiter jumped back and guiltily looked at his feet.
"You've been here for a long time, and I was wondering if you'd like to order yet…"
"Here's 1000 yen. Keep quiet."
"Yes ma'am."
Rieko sighed. She was sitting in the corner of the restaurant, watching Keitaro and Shinobu on their first real date. It was technically their second, but she didn't sweat the details. She knew exactly what they were doing when they left the Hinata Inn earlier in the evening, and intended to follow them through the evening to make sure everything went without a hitch.
Shinobu was wearing a cream-white dress with a fancy green vest, with matching fancy green strap shoes. Keitaro was also dressed up in his version of formal, with a black shirt and tie ensemble, clean slacks, and oddly mismatched tennis shoes. They were sitting facing each other at a small table, but they were too busy stealing furtive, shy glimpses of one another to make any conversation.
Rieko smiled.
They were so cute together.
*******
Kitsune made a soaring leap over a set of piano wires that would've made an Olympic jumper weep with envy. She tumbled to a stop, finally at the end of the street. The road was suspiciously empty, especially for the evening. She only partly took notice when the place began filling with an ominous, warm fog.
"It's so sad," came the voice of one old man.
"Why?" came the voice of another.
"Because, she doesn't understand. She merely runs the obstacle course."
A nod. "We all do… except one."
Another nod. "Yes, but she cheats. With our help."
A third old man frowned. "Our help, or our negligence?"
With a resounding toll of bells, the fog and the voices disappeared.
Kitsune whistled. She hoped she could do creepy shit like that when she became an old lady. That just seemed too cool... But what did they mean?
She wasn't given a lot of time to think about it, as an unpleasantly loud screech suddenly diverted her attention. Kitsune looked up to see Seta's van flying in mid-air over her head, spinning in a corkscrew pattern that was just as jaw-droppingly amazing as it was terrifying. It landed with a deafening crash, leaving a moment of tense stillness in its wake.
"Seta-san…?" Kitsune walked cautiously to the van.
She was thrown back as it exploded in a fiery blaze.
"SETA-SAN!" Kitsune stood up and ran to the burning vehicle, looking for any signs of life. If Seta were injured, or worse…
She was greeted by a wooden mannequin wearing a lab coat and wig.
Kitsune ground her teeth.
"Using a fake Seta-san as a distraction. That's low." She raised a righteous fist to the sky, her face a set mask of determination. "Keitaro, when I find you and Shinobu-chan… I'm going to make you buy me all the sake I can drink!"
With that, she mentally steeled herself for more booby traps, and began to jog.
*******
Naru was taking an alternate route to the restaurant, gliding through alleyways and rooftops with the ease of a ghost. But Naru was a very angry ghost indeed.
She couldn't believe it. Keitaro had gone out to have a fancy dinner with Shinobu. Not only that, but he *snuck* out, only telling Haruka that he was even going anywhere.
Shinobu was probably wearing her best dress, the cream-white one. The younger girl had pulled it out of her closet during one of their little feminine heart-to-hearts, smiling bashfully and saying that she was saving it in case of a "special occasion." So this was what she was talking about… Maybe she was even wearing those green strap shoes she liked so much.
Keitaro was probably dressed up nicely too, with his hair all combed and smelling fresh. He usually couldn't dress well to save his life, but he was capable of cleaning himself up well if he had to. She'd seen him do it.
No doubt the two of them were chatting it up, downing glasses of wine, and having a grand time together, laughing about how cleverly they fooled everyone. And then later they would head downtown to share a strawberry milkshake—one cup with two straws, and two cherries linked at the stem, of course— and have an intimate conversation about life and love as they walked down the sidewalk. And then they would sit on a garden bench to admire the stars, and share a soft kiss under the moonlight. By the time they got back to the Hinata Inn, everyone would be asleep, and they'd steal another kiss on the porch before they went their separate ways, with nobody but them any the wiser.
It was all so secretive, so selfish… and so damn romantic.
Why hadn't Keitaro ever done anything like that for her? All she wanted was the perfect fulfillment of her deepest desires; was that too much to ask?
And how long had they been going out?
Was everything Keitaro did to fraternize with Naru just an elaborate ruse?
She froze in mid-step.
What if… what if they'd been together all this time? What if Shinobu's moving in and becoming "acquainted" with everyone was just good acting on her part? Were they so good at hiding in plain sight that no one at the inn suspected a thing?
No. That was impossible.
… But maybe everyone else knew, and it was *she* who was kept in the dark.
But why would they do that? To keep them from fulfilling their promise to each other so many years ago? Naru wasn't even sure if she was the "promise girl," but she was willing to bet that it was true. And if that was the case, then it could've been so important to the others to keep them apart that they were willing to keep Naru under constant surveillance, to make sure nothing ever really happened and Keitaro stayed with Shinobu. And only now was the truth making itself known… How awful!
Naru shook her head.
She was acting too paranoid.
Everyone at the Hinata Inn was her friend. They would never betray her so deeply.
But that didn't make them perfect. Shinobu was just too trusting for her own good, and she was paying the price by being suckered in by that lecher Keitaro. Who knew what would happen once they were truly alone? Naru didn't want to think about it. More so, she decided she wouldn't even let the possibility present itself.
She picked up her pace, swiping her bokken fiercely as she ran.
She wouldn't let him debauch poor Shinobu.
Keitaro was going to pay dearly for his degenerate ways.
Naru just hoped that she wasn't too late.
*******
"I don't want to do it right now."
"Why not?"
Shinobu bit her lower lip. "I'm not ready."
Keitaro nodded. "The first time is always a big step. But once you get it over with that first time, it'll feel really good. Just let me guide you and everything will be fine."
"Promise?" She looked hopeful.
"Absolutely." He smiled.
"But doesn't it cost money to take a practice Tokyo U test?"
"Not too much."
Dinner had come and gone, and now Keitaro and Shinobu were looking at the dessert menu. "What're you going to have, Shinobu-chan?"
"I'm not sure…" She touched her lip with her index finger. "The iced coffee seems like a good idea." She looked at him. "What're you going to have, sempai?"
"I was thinking the same thing, actually."
"Oh, well it says here that they have a 'lovebirds special,' an extra large cup for two."
They froze.
"But…" Shinobu blushed. "That would mean… we have to share it."
Keitaro blushed. "It… is a cup for two, after all."
She looked away. "Well, it's a pretty good deal, wouldn't you say, Urashima-sempai?"
He looked away. "Right, Shinobu-chan. Gotta save money."
They looked at each other and immediately burst into laughter.
"Why're you laughing, Shinobu-chan?" Keitaro chuckled.
"Because… because you're all red!" Shinobu replied in-between her giggling fits. "Why are you laughing, sempai?"
"Because you're all red too!"
"Oh."
"Oh."
They stopped laughing and looked back at the menu, turning even redder.
"I think we should get this."
"That's a good idea."
*******
Rieko idly slipped a bottle of beer as she sat at the table. She was still surreptitiously watching the couple from a distance, her face covered with an enormous pair of sunglasses. Her ever-present electric guitar was sitting by the chair.
So far, so good.
Keitaro and Shinobu were sipping a giant glass of iced coffee, being noticeably careful not to sip at the same time. They seemed to be getting more comfortable with being around each other though, smiling and talking animatedly.
Rieko smiled when Keitaro betrayed an expression of disappointment while looking at his wallet. That smile turned into a small laugh when Shinobu looked up, and Keitaro immediately transformed his face into a happy grin.
They leaned in to take a sip at the same time.
They immediately bolted up, their faces bright red.
Gomen, Shinobu seemed to say.
It's okay, Keitaro seemed to reply.
"Oh…" Rieko whispered. "You charmer, you."
They stood up to leave, and Rieko was about to follow them when she saw something from the corner of her eye that gave her pause. Her intuition was screaming a panic alarm, and she couldn't figure out why.
There. At the window.
A girl was standing across the street from the restaurant. She was wearing a yellow turtleneck sweater, a white cross necklace, and a red skirt with matching sneakers. More importantly, however, she was holding a bokken, and she looked quite pissed.
Naru.
Rieko wasn't expecting her so soon.
She slammed down a 500-yen note and hurried out of the restaurant. Keitaro and Shinobu could handle the date by themselves for now. Rieko needed to do some emergency damage control.
*******
Naru arrived at the restaurant, her hands quite ready for the proverbial pulverizing.
The neon sign flashed in her face, mocking her, daring her to enter and interrupt the sordid date. She was ready, and it would be simple: she would walk in, pick Shinobu up, give Keitaro a sound clubbing to the head, and return to the Hinata Inn with no problems.
It appeared, however, that fate decided on a different turn of events, as she saw Shinobu and Keitaro walk out of the restaurant together. Shinobu was indeed wearing the cream-white dress with the green shoes, and Keitaro was indeed dressed up for the occasion.
They looked quite happy together.
Naru swallowed the venom that threatened to pour from her spirit, letting it permeate through her body and transform her into a vessel of pure and righteous fury. She was going to *save* Shinobu from this dirty hentai. Taking a deep breath, Naru began to cross the street.
A black electric guitar stopped her in her tracks.
"What the…"
Rieko calmly held her instrument by the long end, blocking Naru's path. She bowed politely.
"Konbanwa, Naru-chan. Fancy meeting you here."
Naru made a quick, flustered bow. "Rieko-san, konbanwa… I'm sorry, but right now I have to go and stop Keitaro."
The punk girl took off her sunglasses with a dramatic flourish, tossing her blue hair as she did so. "Gomen, but I can't let you do that."
Naru frowned. "Why not? Are you in on this, too?"
"In on what? I just don't want to see you ruining the beginnings of perfectly good relationship."
"Relationship??" Naru exploded. "They're not in a relationship! Keitaro's just using her to fulfill his sick, twisted, perverted desires!"
"Says you." Rieko smirked. "They're on a nice, normal date. Don't interrupt them just when they're starting to have feelings for each other."
"Oh, you make me sick!" Naru said bitterly. "I can't believe you're just letting your cousin fall into that disgusting pervert's clutches! Think about all the dirty things he's going to do to her when they're all alone, and Shinobu has no one to protect her!"
"You're being irrational."
"I'm not! I just know Keitaro, and I know what he's going to do if this date continues!"
Rieko raised an eyebrow.
"What's the matter, Naru-chan?… Jealous?"
Naru was shocked into silence for approximately three seconds.
Then the sky darkened, and her eyes blazed red.
"Get. Out. Of. My. Way." She commanded.
"No." Rieko shot back.
"I said MOVE!" Naru readied her bokken, sliding her left leg back into a preparation stance.
"Over my dead body." Rieko shifted her guitar into a defensive position.
"Rieko-san, you really… piss me off!" Naru leaped and swung.
And the battle was on.
*******
Shinobu squealed. "Oh, it's so cute!"
Keitaro smiled. She was talking about the ice cream sundae that they were currently enjoying in the cool autumn air. It was shaped like an octopus, complete with fat, stubby cookie legs.
The blue-haired girl pouted. "It's so cute that I don't want to eat it."
"Well we can't just let it melt," he laughed.
"You're right." Shinobu took out a small spoonful, and smiled. "Sempai, ahh!"
Keitaro hesitated, a feeling of déjà vu washing over him.
"A… Ahh…"
"How is it?"
He gave a thumbs up. "It's good!" He took out a spoonful himself. "Okay, your turn. Shinobu-chan, ahh!"
"Ahh…" When she didn't feel anything, Shinobu opened her eyes. Keitaro was looking back down the sidewalk, the spoon in his hand all but forgotten. "What's wrong, sempai?"
"I don't know…" Keitaro seemed puzzled. "I just swore I heard the sound of fighting."
"Oh." Shinobu thought for a moment, then concluded, "Must be the wind chimes at the temple nearby."
"Yeah, probably. Do you want to go there? I hear it has a nice garden."
"I'd love to." Shinobu beamed.
*******
Right under Keitaro and Shinobu's noses, Naru and Rieko were having the most intense fight of their lives.
Naru had never faced an opponent who was so well versed in combat. Every move Naru made was countered, every flying leap was sent crashing down. Naru kept her ground, but it was getting more and more difficult with each second.
They crouched down on opposite sides of the street, behind a clothing store sign and a standing mailbox. Both girls panted heavily, dripping sweat and maintaining a death grip on their respective weapons. Ahead of them, Shinobu and Keitaro walked obliviously to the temple, talking about the show that was on TV last night.
Naru jumped at the window of opportunity, making a run for the couple.
"Oh no you don't…" Rieko muttered, sprinting up behind her opponent.
Naru managed to get out "Shin!" before the blue-haired girl clamped a hand over her mouth, pulling her into a nearby alleyway.
*******
"Shinobu-chan, what is it?" Keitaro asked.
"Ah… nothing. I just thought someone called my name." She shrugged. "Remember last week's episode, when the rice cake salesman was pretending to be a doctor?"
"Oh I know! I don't think I'd ever be brave enough to do that."
"Right, you just pretended to be a Tokyo U student…" Shinobu gasped. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say…" She became confused when Keitaro started to chuckle. "Sempai?"
"You have a good point, Shinobu-chan." He laughed. "You can be very witty sometimes, you know that?"
She blushed. "Arigato, sempai."
*******
"Wow, this place is so beautiful…" Shinobu looked around, admiring the hanging lantern-lights and the lily ponds under the bridge.
Keitaro nodded in agreement. He pointed at the sky. "Look, it's a full moon tonight."
They were silent for a while.
There was only the sound of wind chimes, and crickets in the distance.
"Thank you for taking me out tonight, Urashima-sempai."
"You're welcome. It's the least I could do for you, Shinobu-chan."
"But…" she stopped.
"What?"
"… But you've already done so much for me, sempai." Shinobu looked down at the water, a wistful shine in her eyes. "You help me cook every day. You help me study. You saved me from the kappa." She smiled at the memory. "You even promised me a birthday party tomorrow. You've done so much for me; I almost can't believe someone can be so kind. Every time I think about it, I wonder, 'how could he do all of this for me, and still think that he's not doing enough?'"
Shinobu suddenly looked up at Keitaro, trying to look normal but failing, as her eyes slowly filled with tears. "Tell me. Is this just another kindness, Urashima-sempai? Are you treating me well because you feel bad for me? I want to know the truth."
Keitaro was silent.
Shinobu wiped her eyes, chuckling sadly.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't ask you things like that. It just shows how ungrateful I am. And I am very grateful, sempai… More than you'll ever know." She stuck one foot out from the bridge, staring at the way the light reflected off of her shoe. "I just wish… I wish I could be pretty, like the other girls." She looked up at the moon, a dreamy smile on her face. "They're always beautiful, no matter what they're wearing, or how they act. I can't do that… I can't be as good as they are." She sighed. "But I cook, and I clean. I have to be useful somehow… And that's why I think you do too much for me, sempai. You've been doing everything out of the goodness of your heart, when I'm only doing things so I can make up for being who I am." She smiled warmly. "You're so kind, Urashima-sempai. I don't deserve y—"
Keitaro grabbed Shinobu by the shoulders and gave her a long, soulful kiss.
She opened her eyes wide in shock. A shooting star passed through the sky, blinking into nothingness almost before she could see it.
When their lips parted, they were both gasping for breath.
Shinobu looked at Keitaro expectantly. She wanted a word, a sound… anything! What was going on? But they stayed silent for a long time afterward, just looking into each other's eyes, each expecting the other to break the strange silence.
"Shinobu-chan…" Keitaro finally said, a sad look in his eyes. "You're beautiful. You've always been beautiful. Please… never think that you're ugly, or worthless. I don't think you're either."
Shinobu tried to hold it back.
She honestly tried, with all the strength her heart could muster.
But she couldn't.
"… Why are you so nice to me…?"
She broke down, covering her face with her hands and sobbing.
Keitaro stood there, looking at the person before him. He tried to see the girl he knew, the young girl who he had seen at the Hinata Inn for almost his entire adult life. But all he could see was someone truly amazing.
At that moment, something in him changed.
Stepping forward over the bridge, Keitaro took Shinobu into a warm embrace, holding her tightly. She wrapped her arms around him, crying onto his chest and clinging to him as if he would disappear at any moment. Keitaro hushed her gently, stroking her hair. There were no words from Shinobu; there was no need for any
But, as the night crickets sang and the lake reflected the world, he gently whispered.
"Thank you, Shinobu-chan… for being in my life."