Love Hina


Disclaimer: This episode of Love Hina is of my own creation. I do not own any portion of Love Hina. "Love Hina" and all related characters, names, etc. are ©1999-2004 Ken Akamatsu/Mixx Entertainment Inc. Love Hina is a trademark of TOKYOPOP®. All rights reserved.

Note: This series takes after the "Love Hina" manga, since I haven't watched any of the anime. Given time, I will, but money is tight and I can't afford such luxuries at the moment. I promise.



Different Promises
Chapter 6:
Motoko's New Wardrobe


The young Aoyama woman sits in her room, staring uncertainly at a large bag of clothes in front of her. A little earlier, Haruka dragged her off to some of the clothing stores in town and 'helped' her choose out a full new line of clothing, seeing as how the only things she has the wear are her many pairs of gi and hakamas. Motoko picks up a dark purple spaghetti- string tank top and a pair of khaki shorts, her eyes widening. She quickly drops them and pulls her arms to her chest, looking at the clothing as if it had burned her. "I...I cannot do this!" she stammers, pushing the clothes and the shopping bag away. "Haruka must have gone insane, believing I am capable of wearing such...such rubbish!"

She stands up and turns around, but gasps in surprise as she notices Haruka standing in her doorway. The samurai girl blushes deeply and turns away. "You can wear that rubbish and you will," the older woman calmly states. "Believe it or not Motoko, you're a beautiful young woman and you have a very desirable body."

"But how can you expect me to wear this?" she asks, lifting up a skirt. "Things like this look gaunt on someone of my height! I am not meant to wear them!"

The Urashima woman takes her cigarettes out of her mouth, a small smirk on her face. "If you wear normal skirts, they'll show off a good bit of your legs, and I don't think my nephew would mind that too much." Her smirk widens at the lovely shade of red Motoko's face becomes. "If you wear that and a cute shirt to dinner tonight, Keitaro's definitely going to try to talk to you afterwards, trust me."

Motoko tosses the skirt down and walks out to her balcony, gazing out at the nearly set sun. She places a hand on her heart and sighs slightly. "Perhaps I am wrong about my feelings. It has been slightly cooler in the mornings and nights when I train, I might have just caught a cold. That could explain why my reactions are so..." she trails off as Haruka takes out a fan and smacks her on the head with it.

"What is so wrong with my nephew that girls all go into denial when they realize that they really like him?!" the older woman asks incredulously. "Is he that bad?"

"No!" the samurai girl answers, so quickly she surprises even herself. "He...he has many admirable and desirable qualities to him."

Haruka shakes her head with a sigh. "Then why don't you give it a shot? If you don't like wearing the clothes or if Keitaro doesn't really change his views of you, then you can return them. I kept all of the receipts and everything, so just say the word."

Motoko lowers her head and nods ever so slightly. "I guess I could give it a try."

The older woman walks up to the bag and rummages through it for a few seconds, finally pulling out a shirt. "This is cute," she comments, "and it goes well with this skirt," the Urashima woman adds, picking up the skirt Motoko tossed onto the floor. "Go ahead and put these on and remember what I told you."

"Yes," the samurai girl sighs. "I must not make a big deal about the clothing I am wearing while around others. I must stay cool and collected."

"Good. Well I'm going to get out of here so good luck Motoko." She leaves the bedroom and slides the door shut. "You're gonna need it," Haruka adds in an undertone, praying that this was a wise idea and it doesn't blow up in her face.

______

A short while later, the entire residence of the Hinata House, minus one certain samurai girl, are sitting around the dining table, all getting ready to eat a delectable looking dinner made by Shinobu, which is like a congratulations to their new landlord Keitaro. The youngest resident walks away from the table, looking up towards the third floor. "I wonder where Motoko is," she thinks out loud.

"Did you tell her that dinner was ready?" Naru asks.

Shinobu nods slightly, turning her head to the older woman. "Yeah, I did."

The shuffling of feet coming downstairs gets everybody's attention. They all look up and five sets of eyes widen at the sight before them. Motoko calmly walks down that stairs, wearing a dark blue skirt and a button up white shirt with a folded down collar. Her hair is pulled up into a ponytail and, despite her calm appearance, her face is a lovely shade of red. Acting as if nothing is out of the ordinary, she walks over to the table and takes a seat, right next to the new landlord.

Keitaro opens and closes his mouth several times, trying to say something but unfortunately not being able to sprout out any words, as goes most everyone else. Shinobu is the first to speak. "Oh wow Motoko, you look so cute!" She clasps her hands together while her eyes shine bright.

Kitsune leans over the table, a sly smirk on her face. "Yeah Motoko, you're looking unusually good. What's with the new get up? You got a hot date or something later?"

"No," she replies, beginning to place some rice and noodles on her plate, "I just felt like wearing something different today. I do not see what the big deal is."

Kitsune is about to say something, but Naru places a hand on her shoulder, asking permission to be the one to respond. The fox eyed girl complies, bowing aside. Narusegawa nods in thanks then turns back to Motoko. "The big deal?!" she shouts, her eyes widening. "The big deal is that, aside from that plain blue bathing suit and school uniform, we haven't seen you in anything else but your red and white training gear! And you don't have your sword with you! This is...monumental!"

"Yeah!" Su suddenly adds, leaping onto Motoko and knocking her backwards. "Why'd you change? You're always so boring looking!"

"I am not boring," the samurai girl responds grumpily. "I consider myself very conservative."

Kitsune leans over to Naru, whispering, "That's a boring person's word for boring." Her long time friend stuffs a hand in her mouth the stifle the laughter that's yearning to come out.

"I don't think she's boring either," Keitaro replies. "She wears what she is comfortable with and it expresses her lifestyle as a warrior. I really respect that," he adds, smiling winningly at the younger woman and getting a heavy blush in response.

The fox eyed girl notices Motoko's reaction and frowns lightly. 'Hmm, I think there's more to her change in wardrobe besides 'just trying something different.' Sorry Motoko but I saw him first, and my rule is finder's keepers!'

The rest of diner goes along nicely, with everyone enjoying the extremely nice celebratory meal Shinobu cooked for Keitaro's new position in the Hinata House. Motoko gets a few compliments thrown her way as well, mainly on the nice clothes and how cute she looks in them. The samurai girl, for her part, remains quite calm, despite the thorough blush that doesn't want to leave her face.

Keitaro finishes his food and stands up, patting his stomach happily. "Thank you Shinobu, that was by far the best meal I have ever had."

"Y-You're welcome sempai," the young girl shyly responds, suddenly finding her plate very interesting. "I just wanted to say congratulations to you for becoming the new landlord."

"Well thank you again." He pulls out a pad of paper and a pen and begins to walk away.

Motoko notices his actions and raises an eyebrow in confusion. "What are you doing Urashima?"

The young man stops walking and turns around, a light smile on his face. "Oh, since I'm the landlord now, I've gotta make sure this place stays in tip-top condition. I'm going to take a little walk around here and see what needs repairing." He begins to turn back around, but pauses in mid step. "Oh yeah, I'll have to check your rooms too so don't be surprised if I knock on your door later." He turns back around and slowly walks away, his eyes taking in everything around him.

"That's really nice of him," the young purple haired girl comments, smiling widely at his retreating form.

"Well it is his job now," Naru says, grabbing her plate and standing up. "It's not really nice of him, it's just him doing what he has to do now." She shakes her head and walks away.

Kitsune sighs at her best friend. "That girl's still holding a grudge against poor Keitaro, and now she's super pissed that he's the new landlord."

"I'm not holding a grudge and I'm not pissed!" she shouts from the kitchen. "I just don't like the idea of a guy owning this place and constantly being around. I mean, what about when we're in the hot springs! He could peek in on us, the damn pervert," she adds while cracking her knuckles.

"I think this can be really fun," the fox eyed girl responds, chuckling while sipping her precious saké. "I've hung out with him a bit and he's got such an adorably innocent nature to him. It's gonna be so easy to trick him and get some free rent out of it! What do you think Motoko?" She turns to the samurai girl, but she has already left the table and is walking upstairs, not wanting to be part of this conversation. With a shrug, Kitsune looks over at Su. "How about you Su? What do you think about our new landlord?"

The foreign girl places a finger on her chin and looks up, thinking deeply. A large smile appears on her face. "I like Keitaros, he's really funny! I'm glad he's stayin' so we can play all the time!"

"Yeah," Shinobu adds, "and he's so nice! He helped me with my homework and told me that I could do really well in school if I try real hard! I'm so glad that sempai's staying!"

Kitsune chuckles again while looking at Naru. "Looks like you're outvoted on this one."

Naru huffs and storms away, muttering, "Traitors."

The fox eyed girl shakes her head at her friend. She takes a sip of her saké and looks up. "I wonder exactly what Motoko's opinion on this is."

______

The aforementioned young woman is just about to slide open the door to her room when someone calls out from behind her, "Hello Motoko."

She turns and is slightly surprised to see Keitaro walking up to her. "Greetings Urashima, what are you doing up here?"

"Oh I was just working on my repair checklist." He begins to rub the back of his head. "I figured I'd check out the top floor first then work my way down." He points towards her room with his pencil, a slightly nervous look on his face. "Um...is it...is it okay if I check your room out...for inspection that is!"

Motoko holds her old protective instincts in and nods slightly. "Yes you may Urashima, but I warn you, a woman's belongings are not something for you to be rummaging around in."

Keitaro smiles and rubs the back of his head again. "The thought never crossed my mind Motoko, but I think you should keep your sword with you when you threaten someone," he gently pokes her nose, "without it, you look more cute than anything."

The young samurai girl feels the temperature in her face increase, as well as her heartbeat, both from the compliment and the physical contact. She quickly goes into her room, thankful that it is dark out and she hasn't turned her lights on. Unfortunately, Keitaro walks in as well and hits the light switch, illuminating the room. Motoko leans against the nearest wall, uncertain of what to do and what is going to happen. The young woman internally is gladdened that she cleaned up all of the clothes that were lying on her floor before she came down for dinner. 'I would have died of shame had Urashima seen my room in such a state.'

The Tokyu U student walks around the room, inspecting and also admiring it. "You have a very nice room Motoko," he comments, "I really didn't get a chance to check it out the other day." Her room is plain, yet it also shows so much. It is very tidy and neat. Her sword is resting on a plain sword stand with a scroll of a tree branch and the sun behind it. Her futon is rolled up behind a square section that has a tiny 'L' divider that has such words as 'Honor' and 'Discipline' written on it. A tea set and small chest is at the foot of the section. In the far end of the room in front of a dark changing divider, a very nice full set of samurai armor rests. "Wow, this is pretty cool."

Motoko holds in the light blush that is screaming to come out. "I do not wish to flaunt my belongings like the others do. I like to keep my room clean and simple, without the distractions of flashy and useless items."

Keitaro smiles at her, flipping his notebook shut. "Well there's nothing wrong with your room, not a single thing needed to fix up." He leans against the wall he is standing by, looking the young woman up and down again, taking in her new garb. "You know, I think you look really good in those clothes."

The samurai girl begins to absentmindedly playing with a strand of her long raven black hair. "So I've heard." She looks up as she senses the new landlord's aura coming closer. She feels her face heat up again at his warm smile and gentle eyes.

"You do." He begins to blush before he continues, "You know, we really don't know each other that well and I'm interested in getting to know you...so I was wondering if you were interested in...well...maybe going out for dinner or something sometime...with me?" He looks to the floor, his hands clasped behind him and his feet shuffling around on the floor.

The young woman is momentarily speechless, completely stunned at his question. 'I...I cannot believe this!' her mind screams at her. 'He's asking me out?! Haruka was right! This clothing has inspired Urashima to speak with me! But what should I say? Should I agree? It seems so sudden!' She looks at Keitaro, who has looked back up to face her, his eyes filled with nervous anticipation. "Well...I...um...I suppose that your...request is acceptable Ur...Urashima," she stammers out, looking back and forth, anywhere but his eyes.

Keitaro's current smile could light up a dark room. "R-Really?! Oh that's great! Thanks Motoko, you won't regret it!" He quickly hugs her then leaves her room, a small skip in his step.

Motoko is still frozen in the spot where the landlord hugged her. "I...I hope I do not," she mumbles, slowly sliding down against the wall, "for I greatly desire my first date to be a memorable one."

______

Keitaro walks down the second floor hall, happily chewing on some gum that he had in his pocket. As he trots past one of the doors on the second floor, it suddenly slides open, revealing Kitsune wearing nothing more than a large t-shirt. "Well hey there mister landlord!" she cheerily greets, the smell of saké strong on her breath, "you here to check me out?"

The young man briefly takes in her appearance and raises an eyebrow slightly. "Not exactly, though you are giving me quite an eyeful."

The fox eyed girl chuckles a bit, then grabs Keitaro's hand and drags him in her room. "Come on in here ya big perv!" After she pulls him in, she slides her door shut and turns to face him, placing one hand on her hip and the other on her chin, looking him up and down. "So now you're the new landlord," she mutters out loud. "I must say, you're heck of a lot cuter than the last one!"

Keitaro blushes and rubs the back of his head. "Um...er...thanks Kitsune." He starts to look around the room, trying to avoid looking at the younger woman and her state of undress. "So...does your room need anything repaired that you know about?"

Kitsune slowly, seductively walks towards him, making sure to show off as much of her legs as possible with each step. "Hmm, the one light in front of my balcony keeps on flickering, and I put in a new bulb not too long ago."

"Do you mind if I check it out?" She shakes her head with a shrug. "Well do you have a stool or something?"

While he looks back up at the flickering light, the fox eyed girl taps her chin for a few seconds. "Oh yeah! I think I've got one stored away in my closet." She slides her closet door open and purposely leans down as far as she can so her shirt slips up past her hips and her thong-clad rear sticks up in the air, swishing back and forth with her movements. Keitaro turns towards her to see if she has gotten a stool yet, and promptly chokes on his gum at the sight of her nearly nude rear shaking up and about. He grabs his throat and falls to his knees, his head slowly turning blue. Kitsune turns around with the stool in her hands, but drops it in surprise upon seeing the new landlord choking. "Oh my god! Keitaro! Are you okay?!"

He points to his throat and sputters out, "G-Gum... *cough* ...stuck... *gasp* ...help!"

Thinking quickly, the younger woman rushes over to the Tokyo U student and places one hand on his shoulder, while she rears the other behind his back. She slaps him as hard on the back as she can and with a loud gasp, the gum comes flying out of his mouth and onto the floor. Keitaro runs a hand through his hair, shaking quite a bit. "Thanks Kitsune," he gasps between deep breaths, "you saved my life!"

Kitsune grimaces slightly, feeling bad about what she did. "No, you shouldn't thank me," she mutters, "I just wanted to tease you a bit with what I'm wearing...well...not wearing." She suddenly becomes self-conscious and hastily sits down, folding as much of her legs under her as she can. "I didn't want you to choke on your gum like that." She looks up as a hand gently rests on her shoulder.

"Don't blame yourself," he calmly states, his eyes filled with warmth and forgiveness. "It was an accident. Truthfully, I'm kinda flattered that you'd want to tease me...especially like that!" he adds, blushing deeply.

The younger woman giggles slightly at his shy behavior, but is also very touched at his kindhearted words. "You're really a great man, you know that Keitaro Urashima?" She places a hand on his cheek and softly presses her lips onto his.

The landlord is completely stunned by her actions. 'What?!' his mind screams at him. 'Kitsune's kissing me?! Why?!' His mind suddenly pauses as another thought occurs to him. 'Hey...this feels really good! Maybe I should kiss back too.' He leans in closer as he begins to return the kiss.

Kitsune inwardly smile as she feels him begin to respond. 'Yes! He's kissing back, and he's not too bad for a rookie!' She opens her mouth and licks his lips, asking for entrance. He complies and she begins to explore the inside of his mouth as he inches his tongue into her mouth bit by bit. 'He's so shy and gentlemanly...that's so cute! I can't wait to open him up to a whole new world!'

______

Unbeknownst to either of them, a par of eyes was just watching them. At first she was planning on storming into the room and taking care of the 'pervert', but stopped herself as she noticed her best friend was clearly enjoying kissing him. Naru leans against the wall outside of Kitsune's room, a strangled look on her face. "I...I guess I should be glad that Kitsune is finally with someone, and she looked happy," she pauses as she places a hand over her heart, "but why did it hurt to see her kiss him?"


To be continued...

______

Author's notes: Heyas all youse big time fans! Another chappie in the wrappie! *cough* Er...well...putting aside the Su talk for a moment, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I've been progressively making each chapter a bit longer than its predecessor...and of course that's a good thing! Ah poor Keitaro, he asks the lovely Motoko out then makes out with Kitsune just a little bit later. Damn I wish I were in his shoes! And now Naru's starting to feel something for the big lug...it just can't get worse...well until Mutsumi comes into the foray!

In the next chapter, Keitaro will take Motoko out on a date to get 'better acquainted' with one another. How will Kitsune react to this news? Find out this and more next episode! - lighthawkdemon

Questions or comments? E-mail me at: lighthawkdemon@yahoo.com