Kitsune knocked on Naru's door.
Immediately, she heard the crying stop. At least, she heard Naru try to stop, and heard her fail twice before finally getting enough of a grip on herself to answer.
"Y… yes?"
Kitsune may have been drunk, but she wasn't blind.
The sight of Naru running to her room in tears was sobering enough. Seeing what she did before that point was even more eye-opening.
And the worst part was when she realized that it was all her fault.
She engineered all the pain, thinking it would all pass over the next day. But it didn't look like things were going to work out that way, this time. Kitsune couldn't stand thinking about it. More than anything else at that moment, she wanted to make amends, and make everything better again. The old life was boring, true… but at least in the old life, her best friend of years wasn't bawling her eyes out alone in her room.
She couldn't leave Naru like that.
"Naru-chan… Do you want to talk?"
*******
Chapter 6: I Love You! Fate Finds a Future!
*******
Shinobu was silent.
"Shinobu-chan?" The voice of her father asked. "Are you there?"
"… Hai."
"Well, what do you think? Aren't you happy, dear?"
"Yes," she replied hollowly. "I'm very happy."
"Good! There's a flight booked for tomorrow afternoon, and the ticket's already reserved at the airport. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you sooner, but things have been busy over here, you know…"
"I understand."
Her father finally caught on. "Shinobu-chan, if you don't want to… You could stay at the Hinata Inn. I'd be just as happy if you're where you want to be." He said this, but it was obvious that he preferred for his daughter to be with him. What real father didn't think that way?
"It's not that. It's just a surprise, that's all. Give me a little time to think about it, Oto-sama."
"That's fine, Shinobu-chan. Take all the time you need—my number hasn't changed."
"Okay."
"Oh, and Shinobu-chan!" She could hear the grin. "Happy birthday."
"… Arigato, Oto-sama." She hung up.
"What was that about?" Keitaro asked. He and Sarah had been listening with rapt fascination, trying to piece together clues about the conversation.
Shinobu was expressionless. "My father… and my mother… they're back together now."
"Oh!" Keitaro smiled. "Well that sounds like good news to me!"
"They want me to move to Okinawa with them."
He stopped smiling.
"… Are you leaving?" Sarah asked.
Shinobu shook her head quickly. "No, of course not! I like it here too much to just leave…" She smiled in an attempt to look encouraging. Sarah didn't take the bait. "I'm staying, don't worry."
"If you say so."
Keitaro looked relieved. "I'm glad. You scared me for a second!"
"Gomen, sempai. I just need to get used to my parents getting back together, that's all."
"I understand. That probably is a little weird, considering how they were the last time I saw them…"
"I don't think they've changed." Shinobu said quietly.
"Nani?"
Sarah loudly stretched to change the subject. "Well, it's pretty late now, isn't it? It's almost midnight." She raised an eyebrow at Keitaro. "Are you going to move everything out of the way, or do I have to go through the ceiling again?"
Keitaro stared dumbly at the massive blockade.
"Oh. Right." He sighed, rubbing his hands together. "I guess things have finally calmed down out there. We can deal with everybody in the morning, ne?" He looked at Shinobu-chan, a concerned expression crossing his face. "Do you think you'll be all right, Shinobu-chan?"
There was a beat of silence.
Then she smiled.
"Of course! I'll be fine, sempai, don't worry."
*******
"… What do you want, Kitsune?"
The deadness in her voice caught Kitsune off-guard, but only for a moment. She opened the door to the room.
Naru was facing the opposite wall, her futon blanket completely wrapped around her so that only the top of her head was visible. Liddo-kun was in her arms, being held as if it were the only friend Naru had in the entire world. She didn't say anything when Kitsune entered, but her muffled sniffling betrayed her misery.
"I just…" The older girl tried a big smile, to see if Naru would turn around. She didn't. "… I just wanted to see if you maybe wanted to talk!"
"Oh." Naru was silent.
Kitsune tried again. "How're you feeling!"
Naru hugged Liddo-kun tighter, and pulled the blanket closer around herself. She spoke softly, almost in a whisper, but her lifeless tone resonated through the room. "… I'm fine."
"Ah… Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"But—"
"I SAID I'M FINE!" She threw Liddo-kun at Kitsune, but missed her completely, hitting the wall instead.
They were silent.
Then, unexpectedly, Naru let out a whimper. It was a childish sound, more fitting for someone five years old than for someone her age. But she did it, and she stood up quickly, running over to Liddo-kun and picking him up protectively. She held him tightly for a moment, her eyes shut, oblivious to Kitsune's presence. Then she went back to the wall and the blanket. She rocked back and forth slowly, holding the stuffed squirrel to her breast.
Kitsune was alarmed.
Was Naru going through a mental breakdown? Did tonight's events finally drive her over the edge? Kitsune couldn't believe that just this morning, she thought this was going to be something fun and exciting.
"Naru-chan…"
She said nothing.
"Naru-chan!" Kitsune fought to keep herself calm, but she was losing. "Say something to me!"
"Maybe you remember." Naru whispered. Before Kitsune could say anything, she continued. "I told you that I had promised someone something, and that that promise was important to me."
Kitsune nodded silently.
"I think…" Her bitter smile filled the room. "…I think Keitaro was that promise. When we were kids, you know." Naru went silent for a moment. Then she began to sniffle. "But… I guess promises don't mean much to him, do they? I don't mean anything to him." She rocked back and forth, reciting a list of indictments that seemed to burn her like a brand. "I can't cook. I can't clean. I'm violent. I'm ungrateful. I treated Keitaro like he was my right, instead of my privilege. I mistreated him… You can't do that to people and expect them to love you. You can't tell them, 'but I care about you!' and expect them to think you're being sincere."
"… Naru-chan…"
"I did it to myself. It's not like the world is being unfair. But sometimes…" she looked up at the ceiling. "Sometimes, on days like this, I sit here and think, 'who's ever going to love me?' I think about it, and all of a sudden…" She withdrew back into her blanket and her Liddo-kun. "… Everything begins to look so ugly."
There were no tears, but those words broke Kitsune's heart most of all.
"Naru-chan." There was no response. Kitsune took a deep breath. "Naru-chan… Don't you think I care about you?"
Naru turned to look at Kitsune. Before she could protest, she continued.
"I know what everyone thinks of me. I'm just lazy Kitsune, only good for a party or a fun time. But we've been friends for years, Naru-chan. Sometimes I think you know me even better than I do." She smiled. "I've always admired you, Naru-chan. You're smart, you're beautiful, and more than that, you know exactly what you want out of life." She looked at Naru; her eyes open in an expression of genuineness. "So what if Keitaro doesn't like you? That's his loss. It's Seta-san's loss, too, letting someone like you pass him by. But even if there are a million Keitaros, a million Seta-sans… and god-knows-how-many Kentaros… I know that I would still be here, rooting for you each and every time. Because you're my best friend, and as long as I can help it, I'll always be here for you."
She smiled.
"Do you believe me, Naru-chan?"
Naru looked at Kitsune for what seemed like an eternity.
Her eyes began filling with tears. "Kitsune…"
Standing up, she embraced her friend in a tight hug. Her tears flowed freely, and Naru cried and cried, letting out years of frustration and misery in a single moment. As much as Kitsune tried to fight it, soon she was crying as well.
"Kitsune…"
"Naru-chan…"
"I loved him!"
"I know… I know."
"Why did he…?"
"Shh… shh, it's okay, Naru-chan. You tried your best … but everything's going to be okay. I promise."
They stayed like that for a long time.
*******
Shinobu slowly backed away from Naru's door. She had heard everything.
Perhaps it wasn't a good time to try and talk with her… she decided that she would try again later that night. But she knew she needed to talk with Naru personally. Anything else just wouldn't be right.
*******
Keitaro was lying in bed.
He could hear Naru when they were blockaded in Shinobu's room; how she broke down and ran away in tears. Then, less than an hour ago, he heard her heart-to-heart with Kitsune through the ceiling.
He didn't know what to do. He didn't mean to hurt anyone like this.
Did Naru really care about him that much? Perhaps it was wrong of him, but he never realized it at the time. But now that everything was out in the open, Keitaro had some options: either he would ignore it and try to deal with it in the morning, or he would go to Naru's room right now and maybe try to get her to see his side of things. Of course, there was always the option of leaving the Hinata Inn, which split into whether or not he would have Shinobu by his side. Why he even entertained those kinds of thoughts, he didn't know.
It was all so crazy.
He didn't even know how he felt about Shinobu, not really. She was young, and they would need to keep the relationship secret from the world at large until she was old enough to marry without her parents' consent. Maybe they wouldn't even be able to last that long—two years was a lot of time for something to go wrong, especially at the Hinata Inn.
And he knew how fragile a girl's heart could be.
Just look at Naru.
He sighed, getting out of bed. Well it wasn't like he was going to get any sleep…
He got out a stool, and knocked on the ceiling where a wooden board covered the hole.
"Naru-chan? Are you awake?" There was no response. "… I guess not."
But as he began to step down, the board slid away and Naru emerged. Her eyes were still puffy with tears, but she seemed fine otherwise. She looked at him with surprise.
"Keitaro?"
"… Konbanwa." He scratched his head.
"Konbanwa."
"May I come in?"
She looked hesitant for a moment. But then she smiled, a good-natured expression that took Keitaro completely by surprise. "Sure."
He pulled himself up and sat gently on the floor. Naru was sitting on a futon, already dressed in her pajamas. Liddo-kun was sitting next to her as she unbraided her hair.
"I…" Naru and Keitaro said at once.
Keitaro chuckled. "I'm sorry, go ahead."
Naru smiled again. "No please, I insist."
Again, he was shocked. Usually she would speak first. "All right… I'm sorry," Keitaro said gently. "I mean, tonight's been crazy, and I know you've been through a lot, so I just wanted to say… gomen, Narusegawa." He bowed hesitantly.
"I forgive you."
Yet again, he was taken aback. This was strange. "… You're not going to hit me?"
She giggled. "Why would I do that? You already showed me you could block it."
He blushed despite himself. "Aw, well… that was lucky, I think."
"Keitaro?"
"Hm?"
"Kiss me."
Keitaro spluttered. "W-W-What?"
Naru looked away shyly, something he had never really seen her do before. When she spoke next, it was very softly, and with a note of supplication. "Just once. Please."
"I…" A million thoughts were running through his head. But he looked at the girl in front of him, and it all became clear. "… Okay."
She leaned forward. He leaned forward.
She came closer. He came closer.
She closed her eyes. He closed his eyes.
And then slowly, very slowly, their lips met.
When they pulled away from each other, it was as if a veil had suddenly been lifted. Keitaro began to chuckle, and Naru followed suit, giggling like the young girl she was. Soon they were laughing happily, all of their worries forgotten completely in the pleasantness of the moment.
"Well… that was nice."
"Yes, it was."
*******
Shinobu backed away from the door.
She ran away as fast as she could. By the time she got back to her room, she was hyperventilating, and a cold sweat dripped from every pore.
She didn't know what to think.
This shouldn't have surprised her. Sempai and Naru always seemed to be destined for each other. How could she be so naive, to assume that she could take that away from them? There was the chance that this was an honest mistake, but how mistaken could you get with two people kissing each other? Looking back, she couldn't even believe she entertained the thought of anything happening between her and Keitaro. It was a childish dream, and it was inevitable that they would eventually wake up.
She couldn't even cry.
There didn't seem to be any choice left now.
Making the final decision in her mind, Shinobu slowly picked up the phone.
*******
Keitaro woke up cheerfully, smashing his alarm clock with his fist.
Sunlight shined through the blinds, filling his room with warmth. "Ahh, what a beautiful day!" he remarked to no one in particular. Stretching, he stood up and got ready for the day, whistling a happy tune.
Everything was settling back to normal, it seemed. And now he could have a nice, normal morning, stress-free. He would go to the kitchen, eat Shinobu's delicious breakfast, and handle the day with gusto.
Yes sir, Keitaro thought. It was going to be a great day.
But as he strolled toward the kitchen, he realized that there was something wrong.
There was no smell of food, for one. And something just didn't feel very right.
He entered the kitchen, finding to his dismay that it was empty.
Hm. This was odd.
But maybe Shinobu was sleeping in today.
That was fine; he would make breakfast for everyone instead. Shinobu tended to overwork herself anyway. Keitaro quickly made a breakfast of rice, eggs and fish, setting up the table with a flourish.
Then he decided to go to Shinobu's room to wake her up. She was in for a pleasant surprise this morning. He opened up the door cheerfully.
"Rise and shine, Shinobu-chan! Today's a new…"
It was empty.
"… day. Shinobu-chan?"
The only thing in the otherwise-barren room was a white envelope. On it was written the words 'To Everyone,' in hiragana. He stared at it for a long time, as if it were an alien life form of some kind.
No matter what he did, he couldn't shake off the bad feeling that suddenly descended over him, as he bent down and picked up the envelope. Keitaro opened it, and calmly began scanning the contents.
**By the time you read this, I'll be at the airport, waiting for a plane to Okinawa. I've decided to move there with my parents, and I will stay with them indefinitely. I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused. I won't trouble anyone any more.
Sayonara.
-Shinobu**
After he was done, he gently placed the envelope and letter on the floor.
Then he ran through every room of the house, shouting at the top of his lungs like a madman.
"HEY! Everybody WAKE UP! Shinobu-chan's GONE!!"
"What?" Motoko exclaimed, her brush stuck in her hair.
"Ara ara, you mean she left?" Mutsumi came out with Tama-chan on her head.
"Where?" Kaolla Su emerged from her room, banana in hand.
"She's going on a flight to Okinawa to move back in with her parents! I don't understand why, though… everything seemed fine. She's probably already gone now."
"What do you mean?" Naru was fully dressed and groomed.
"I don't know when she left this letter, and I don't know when the flight is…" he sighed, slumping against the wall. "I don't think we can do anything now, except maybe try to call her when she arrives."
Naru gave Keitaro a solid punch on the shoulder.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"Are you just going to give up now? Without even trying?" She frowned, crossing her arms. "Baka Keitaro! Be a man and go to her!"
He was speechless. "Naru-chan…"
She smiled supportively, giving him a wink.
"Go to her, baka-kun. She's waiting for you."
Keitaro stayed silent for a moment, lost in thought. Then he straightened up.
"Su-chan, can you give me a search for all the flights going to Okinawa in a three-hour range?"
Behind him, Naru beamed.
"Hai!" Kaolla disappeared back into her room, and came out five seconds later with a sheet of paper. "There's one in thirty minutes!"
"Thirty? I can't make it in time!"
There was a sudden gust of wind, as Seta walked through the doors of the Hinata Inn. It was a moment of serendipity, as everyone stopped and turned toward him in surprise.
He bowed. "Oh, ohayo minna-san! I was wondering if Haruka was in?"
"Papa!" Sarah jumped up to greet her father. "Can you give us a ride to the airport, pretty please?"
He smiled, taking out his keys. "Sure sweetheart! How fast do you want me to drive?"
"Really really really fast!"
"Okay!" He laughed good-naturedly. "Over two hundred it is!"
"Come on, Keitaro!" Sarah waved him over. "Let's go!"
Keitaro gulped, then nodded. "Hai."
Naru threw on a jacket, taking the paper from Su-chan and slipping on her shoes. "I'm coming with you!"
"Oh good, I won't die alone."
"What?"
"Nothing."
With a quick goodbye, they were off.
*******
Keitaro had to fight to keep his stomach from spilling out of his mouth. Seta was obviously having a good time, laughing and making bad jokes with Sarah as he broke traffic law after traffic law, going the wrong way down one-way streets and making sharp turns over ramps at breakneck speed.
"Hey Sarah-chan, did you hear the one about the magic businessman?"
"What?"
"He walked down the street and turned into a building! Hahahaha!"
"… Just drive, Papa."
They made it there in ten minutes flat.
Sarah looked around. She pointed a finger, calling out.
"Look! There she is!"
Seta's van came to a dramatic, screeching stop in front of the Okinawa air terminal. Sure enough, Shinobu was there, trying to load an enormous suitcase onto a tiny cart. She seemed very small at that moment, struggling with her luggage all by herself.
Keitaro remembered this scene from a long time ago. He saw the little girl who went up the steps to the Hinata Inn with that exact same suitcase. And now as a young woman, she was leaving with it. He wanted very much to just leap out of the car and help her. But that would've meant her being gone for good. Keitaro didn't want that.
He reached for the knob to roll down the window, but hesitated. What if this wasn't the right thing to do? Shinobu may have been shy and soft-spoken while at the Hinata Inn, but when it came down to it, she made her own decisions. She had already made her choice, and to try and stop her now would just make the parting more painful for all of them.
And who was he to try and stop this? He had promised a girl almost two decades ago that he would find her, and that they would be happy together at Tokyo U. Was he willing to just abandon that memory, forsake that old, sacred promise? And for what? He asked himself. Shinobu was very young, and her feelings were bound to change in the space of a heartbeat… What if they already had, and Keitaro was just blind?
Shinobu stumbled, dropping the suitcase.
Keitaro was about to roll down the window, but Seta honked the horn.
"Oi, Shinobu-chan! Fancy meeting you here!"
She jumped in surprise, and guiltily turned around to face the source of that voice.
"Seta-san…?" Her eyes widened when she saw Keitaro. "Sempai!"
Then Naru stuck her head out. "Shinobu-chan!"
Shinobu froze.
This was bad.
Abandoning her luggage, Shinobu made a run for it.
"Wow," Seta remarked. "She never struck me as the kind of person who could just up and go like that. What's going on, anyway?"
"I'll tell you later!" Keitaro opened the door and jumped out of the car, running through the double doors.
"Okay!" Seta smiled. "Good luck, kid." He turned to Sarah and Naru. "So, who wants breakfast?"
"Ooh, me!"
"…"
*******
Immediately upon entering, Keitaro faced a problem.
"… Which direction did she go?" He cursed himself for not paying attention at the most crucial moment. Desperately running through his odds, he began to run left.
"Wrong way!"
He turned around to see Rieko outside. She was sitting on her blue Vespa, which hummed patiently on the sidewalk.
"Rieko-san, what're you doing here?"
"That doesn't matter right now!" With that, the doors opened, and she drove into the terminal. People immediately began running away in fright.
Keitaro's jaw dropped.
"What're you waiting for?" She glared, putting on her sunglasses. "Hop on!"
He obeyed. She revved her engine, and hit the gas.
*******
"I have a question!" Keitaro yelled.
"What?" Rieko asked.
"Why are you doing this?"
The scooter sped through the airport, causing all manner of havoc in its wake. People literally dived out of the way of its path, and security was in an uproar, trying to figure out what to do with such a bizarre situation.
"Because it's the fastest way to get to the gate!"
"No, not that! I mean why are you doing… this? Why are you helping me?"
"Because…" Rieko skidded to a stop, facing the escalator. The people on said escalator looked at her with utter fright. She smirked, turning toward the stairs instead.
"… I want to see you two happy! Now *hang on*!"
Without any further warning, she slammed the gas, pulling up at the same time.
Keitaro almost lost his grip as the scooter impossibly went up the stairs at thirty miles per hour, terrorizing the pedestrians who ran to the handle rails to avoid the rampaging vehicle of doom.
This, he mused as they zoomed up the stairs, was so surreal.
The Vespa flew near the end of the stairs, landing at the top with a dramatic crash.
Keitaro began breathing again. He looked around; they were at the security check just before the gateways. The security guards present were too bewildered to do anything at the moment, but he didn't know how long that was going to last.
"This is as far as I can take you. It's all you from here on out."
The voice came over the intercom: "Gate 23-A, Gate 23-A… Boarding may now begin at Gate 23-A."
Rieko took off her sunglasses. "That's yours. Now go; I'll distract the guards."
Keitaro stepped off the motor scooter. "Thank you, Rieko-san… How can I ever repay you for this?"
She grabbed his head, pulling him into a quick, passionate kiss.
The blue-haired girl smiled sadly, tenderly caressing Keitaro's cheek.
"Just be happy, sempai. That's all I could ever want."
"Sempai? Wait, Rieko—"
"Sayonara." She revved her engine, taunting the security guards as they approached. "All right, you want a piece of me? Come and *get* me!" Rieko drove off, chased by a herd of security and staff.
Keitaro didn't wait. Using the chaos of the moment to his advantage, he jumped over the table at the security check and made a run for Gate 23.
*******
"Gate 23-A, Gate 23-A… Boarding may now begin at Gate 23-A."
Shinobu looked up at the gate entrance.
This was it. She stared down at her ticket.
She regretted leaving her luggage behind like that, but she couldn't bear to face Keitaro and Naru. What would they say, anyway? "It's okay, Naru and I forgive you for having a crush on me"?
She shook her head as she stood up.
No. She wasn't going to take that. The years she spent at the Hinata Inn were unarguably the best of her life, and she would miss Kaolla Su, and Haruka, and Motoko, and even Kitsune… But this was it. This was the end.
Just as she was about to walk toward the confirmation desk, however, she heard a shout.
"Shinobu-chan!"
Shinobu turned around. Keitaro was running toward her.
"Urashima-sempai…?"
She made a dash for the table.
"No, Shinobu wait!" Keitaro cried. She ignored him, quickly getting her ticket torn and running into the plane. "Damn it!"
A receptionist blocked his path. "I'm sorry sir, but you need a ticket to get past this point…"
"But I need to get to that girl right now! It's a matter of life and death!"
"I understand, but you can't do that without a ticket…"
Keitaro kneed him in the groin. The receptionist crumpled over like a rag doll.
He bowed respectfully. "Please excuse my rudeness." He sprinted down the hallway to the airplane.
*******
Just as Shinobu was about to enter the plane, she felt a hand grabbing her arm.
"Huh…?" She turned around and gasped. "Sempai!"
"Shinobu-chan…" Keitaro suddenly found himself with nothing to say, all the good speeches he had planned in his head withering away in the heat of the moment. So he just said what came to him. "You can't go!"
Was that regret in her eyes? Keitaro wondered. He could barely hear her response.
"I'm sorry, sempai… but I have to. I can't stay at the Hinata Inn any more. Tell Naru-sempai that I'm sorry for causing her so much pain. And…" She wiped her eyes, trying to kill the lump that was quickly growing in her throat. "I wish you both the best of luck. Goodbye, Urashima-sempai." She tried to pull away, but he wouldn't budge.
"But Shinobu…" Keitaro tightly closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. This was it. This was his future. "Shinobu! Please… I don't want you to leave!"
Shinobu turned around again, her face wreathed in sorrow. "Sempai, just let me go. Please."
"But that's just it, I *can't* let you go!" She looked away, and Keitaro took her by the shoulders. "Shinobu-chan, don't turn away. Don't you understand that we need you?"
A bittersweet smile formed on Shinobu's lips. "I'm sure… that you could cook and clean without me, Urashima-sempai. Everything will be okay. You'll see."
Keitaro winced. "That isn't what I meant." He shook her shoulders lightly. "Look at me, Shinobu! I'm telling you that we— that I need you! I want you to be here!"
"But why?"
It was a simple question, but Keitaro could suddenly feel the weight of the world, of fate, resting on his shoulders. Shinobu continued, her voice slowly filling with a sadness that broke Keitaro's heart. "For the longest time, it's been Narusegawa-sempai, or Otohime-san. They're both very pretty girls, sempai. Pretty, and smart, and grown-up... You should look for them, they might be waiting for—"
He took her face into his hands. She looked up in surprise, and she found a tense, nervous, but determined face looking back at her.
"You're right, Shinobu-chan. Those two are very pretty, and smart, and grown-up… But the truth is… I mean…" He stopped, took a breath, and tried again. "That is, I'm trying to say that…" He tried to stop again, perhaps to try and catch his thoughts before they poured out. But he was past the point of no return now. "The truth is, I just don't love them like I love you!"
"… What?"
He was about to ask himself the same thing.
What the hell was he doing? But once he began, Keitaro couldn't stop himself.
"Do you understand now? I need you because I love you, Shinobu! So please… don't leave. Stay here, with me, at the Hinata Inn. We can be happy together, make memories together! Just you and me. I promise." He took a deep breath, silently praying that the silence that followed wasn't a bad sign.
Tears began flowing before she even realized she was crying. Shinobu wondered if this was real. She prayed that this wasn't just a cruel joke or a dream, one that she would awaken from any minute now. She touched her mouth with her hand, just to make sure.
"You… love me…?"
Keitaro nodded solemnly, with an uncertain but loving smile on his face. He couldn't believe he said it himself, but there it was.
"Yes."
"But, what about Naru-sempai…" She frowned with uncertainty. "I saw you two kissing the other night."
Keitaro paused. "Oh." Then he laughed.
"What's so funny?"
"That was…" He chuckled. "… A goodbye kiss, I suppose."
"Oh." Shinobu nodded slowly. "… Prove it."
"Nani?"
"You heard me." Shinobu suddenly smiled, a beaming, happy look. "Prove that you love me! Kiss me, Keitaro!"
He simply stared at her.
She turned bright red in embarrassment.
"Gomen… was that… the wrong thing to say?"
"No no, it's just that… " He smiled. "… You called me Keitaro."
With that, he took her in his arms and gave her an affectionate kiss. This time, Shinobu returned the favor, getting on the tips of her toes and reaching up to wind her fingers through his hair.
At that moment, it was almost as if the entire world had changed.
Even if it did, Keitaro didn't care. He loved Shinobu, and nothing was going to keep them apart any more.
They abruptly stopped when they heard the sound of applause.
The flight attendants and some of the passengers stood at the entrance, clapping and cheering.
"Oh, that was so romantic…"
"Kiss her again!"
"Beautiful!"
Both Keitaro and Shinobu turned a deep shade of red.
They laughed nervously, scratching their heads.
He took her hand.
"Come on, Shinobu. Let's go home."
*******
"Shinobu-chan!" Haruka called out from the teahouse as she and Keitaro went up the steps to the Hinata Inn. She handed her a letter. "This is for you. Your cousin left it for you before she went. Welcome back, by the way." With a wink, she went back inside.
Shinobu stared at the envelope curiously.
Opening it, she removed its contents and began to read.
**Dear Shinobu-chan,
Well it looks like everything's okay now, since you're reading this letter.
As you may or may not have noticed by now, I've left the Hinata Inn. I've packed up my scooter, and I'm going to disappear. Sorry I haven't left any return addresses or phone numbers, but they wouldn't be very dependable anyway. To be honest, you and I, we're probably not going to see each other again for a while.
These last few weeks have been pretty fun. I'm just sorry I couldn't spend more time with you. But you want to know something? I think you're a good kid, with a good head on your shoulders. So if your parents give you any trouble, just tell them to stick it, because you know where your real home is: with your friends, and especially with Keitaro (yes, I know about that too).
There are so many things I wish I could tell you.
But if I had to give you only one piece of advice… just be HAPPY, Shinobu-chan.
The future's never set in stone. Things change, and things take you by surprise. But just take it all in stride, okay?
You're going places, I can tell. Just study hard and never give up, and pretty soon you'll find your life sweeter than any of your most beautiful dreams.
Trust me.
Love,
Rieko
PS: I left something for you. It's on your bed.**
"What does it say?" Keitaro asked.
Shinobu didn't respond for a while.
"Shinobu-chan?"
"I'm sorry, excuse me!" She ran inside the house, kicking off her shoes and heading straight to her room.
On her bed, wrapped in a big sky-blue ribbon, was a black electric guitar.
It was Rieko's.
Carefully, Shinobu picked it up and examined it.
On the back, carefully etched in Kanji, were the weathered words:
'Maehara Shinobu'Below it, slightly newer-looking and in Hiragana, was:
'Happy 16th Birthday'
Running her hand delicately over the markings, Shinobu smiled.
"Arigato, Rieko-san."
*******
Keitaro was taking a long bath in his designated barrel.
It had been a long day, and he felt entitled to a little bit of relaxation now that everything was pretty much over and done with. Looking at Tama-chan, who was flying next to him, he smiled. "This is the life, huh?"
"Miyuu!" the turtle chirped happily.
He heard the door slide open downstairs, and realized that the girls were all taking their evening bath as well. He turned away so they wouldn't think he was peeping, but he couldn't help but overhear their conversation as they talked:
"Interesting." Motoko said as she slipped into the water. "And then you left the airport and went home?"
"Hai." Shinobu nodded, luxuriating in the hot spring. "That's everything."
"Well that was certainly an exciting story!" Mutsumi said, removing her towel.
"It's a little anticlimactic, if you ask me." Naru quipped nonchalantly, sitting on a rock.
"What do you mean?" Shinobu asked.
"You didn't tell him your feelings!" Kaolla Su said.
"Yes I did!" Shinobu protested, blushing. "I asked him to kiss me, didn't I?"
"That's just not the same, though." Kitsune said, running her hands over the bath water. "You have to have a dramatic declaration of your love, otherwise it's just missing that 'oomph,' ne?"
"Right!" Naru smiled. "So, Shinobu, tell us now. How do you feel about Keitaro?"
Shinobu hesitated. "Well, I…"
Keitaro turned around, his attention rapt.
Was she going to say it?
"Baka!" Naru yelled up at him suddenly. "Don't eavesdrop, you little spy!"
"Ack!" He panicked, turning away guiltily. "Gomen, gomen!"
"That's right." She smiled, going back to Shinobu.
Whispering so only they would hear, Naru said quietly,
"He's still listening… I know him. Go ahead, Shinobu-chan."
There was a long moment of silence. Shinobu blushed.
"I love Keitaro…" She smiled shyly as she looked down at the water. "I love him very much."
"Awww!" Kitsune gave her a playful splash. "You're so cute, Shinobu-chan!"
Shinobu turned redder, prompting a round of laughs. She slowly joined in despite herself, a fit of giggles that seemed to lighten everything around them.
Then on the spur of the moment, Shinobu turned around.
She smiled brightly, waving her arms.
"Keitaro, did you hear me? Aishiteru (I love you)!"
As Keitaro sank into his tub, away from everyone else's view, he smiled.
She said it.
He looked one last time at the girl down there, the blue-haired one who stole his heart. There she was, the most beautiful person in his entire life. And she was smiling and laughing as if she hadn't a care in the world, calling his name blissfully:
"Keitaro… Daisuki (I really like you)!"
As he closed his eyes peacefully to enjoy his first moment of peace in a long time, Keitaro swore that as long as he could help it, he and Shinobu would be this happy for the rest of their lives.
And then it all faded into a beautiful silence.
THE END