Chapter 2: A Home for Her

In this chapter and the following one or two chapters, I'll be explaining what happened in the 6 months between the time Keitaro first met Hinata and the present day at the beginning of the story. Sorry for the time confusions I've been causing everyone. I have a tendency to make all these flashback scenes.

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina.

Thanks for all the supportive reviews. I really appreciate them.

By the way, all the terrorists featured in this story are left-wing-activists, not religious fundamentalists. I have no intention of bringing any sensitive world affairs into this.

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Present day…

'My name is…Hinata. This is…Hinata Sou. I live here with…my brother, Urashima Keitaro…whom I call Keitaro-sempai. I've lived here for…5 months. I can't remember anything before that…'

She blinked drowsily as she stared blankly at the wall. Her room, room 201, was still a bit bare. Her violin case stood on one side. The hinges seemed to have come off for some reason. A book case stood on one end, though it was still only half filled with books. Her desk stood right beside it, neat and clear save a book and a pen. Beside her, looking up at her, was a strange-looking drooling alien doll. It wasn't the cutest of dolls, but Hinata treasured it nonetheless.

She stretched as she swung her legs over her bed, scratching her head as she slipped on her slippers. Within a minute she was out in the bare cold corridor, her bath things under one arm, a stifled yawn in the other.

"This is Nichiuri News, bringing you the top of todays headlines." The television set downstairs was on. "Yesterday, one of the senior leaders of the left-wing political terrorist group, Takano Ryuuji, was finally caught after months of police investigations. He was found tied up along with members of his cell in an abandoned train yard. Police claims an anonymous phone call had lead them to the round-up." Hinata descended the stairs just in time to see a shot of a number of policemen shepherding a group of dazed looking men into a police van. One of them, a bald man in a crumpled black suit with a pair of cracked shades, was screaming at the top of his lungs, "I swear! It was a kid! The Government's got kids with guns on the streets! I swear it! You've gotta believe me! I swear! It was gonna kill me!"

"And on other news, an update just came in on the Kyoto prosthetic body part replacement research centre incident. It appears the police have finally traced a survivor who was unable to disclose any information on the matter due to his currently shell-shocked state. Doctors have attributed his condition to severe trauma…" the anchorwoman continued.

"D…demon….d…demon…Agency…the agency...break…seal…lab…fire…angel… wing… black…" Hinata saw the the man shown on TV as she walked past the living room, muttering with unfocused eyes as the doctors tried to question him. There was something about the man that intrigued her for some reason.

Her train of thought was suddenly cut short as an arm wrapped around her neck forcefully from behind. Her bath things fell with a clatter to the floor as by pure reflex her elbow shot upwards in retaliation. Her counterattack was cut short by a well placed hand.

"Oneechan! Ohayo-gozaimasu!" a cheerful voice said from behind her. Hinata suddenly relaxed and looked around.

"Ohayo, Mikuru-chan." Hinata smiled as she dislodged the over-excited arm around her neck. "Aren't you a bit too hyper for this time of the morning?"

"It's a really good morning, oneechan! Konno-san even said ohayo to me this morning!" She said happily as she danced around Hinata. Mikuru was, for the lack of a better description, built to be hyper, with long slender limbs, a small sporty body, with neck length dark red hair topped off with a cute white kitty cap. She was just a year younger than Hinata but she's come to call her Oneechan anyway.

"I wonder if that is really something to celebrate, Mikuru-chan. Doesn't she say ohayo every morning anyway?" Hinata asked as she picked up her bath things and proceeded into the changing room.

"No…not really…she always seems so grumpy around me…" Mikuru said, looking up at the ceiling in thought. "Maybe she has perpetual hangovers…" she suggested, wearing her cute 'serious' look as she followed Hinata in. She hadn't really brought her bath kit but seeing as her oneechan had decided to take a bath, she just whipped a spare towel off a shelf and joined her anyway.

"I really doubt that…" Hinata smiled down at the child as she opened the door to the baths. Speak of the devil…

Mitsune was lying back in the hot spring, a cool can of beer sitting on the edge beside her. She looked up as she noticed Hinata and Mikuru enter. Her already narrow eyes narrowed even further.

Naru, who was going through some flash cards beside Mitsune, suddenly registered the sudden drop in temperature and looked up. Suddenly, Mitsune got up, wrapped her towel around herself, and walked straight past Hinata and Mikuru without a word.

"err…Mitsune?" Naru asked, wondering at Mitsune's strange behaviour, before shrugging and gesturing at Hinata and Mikuru to come into the bath.

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Present day, Keitaro's room…

"Yes…yes…are you sure? The title is 'Love Hina'. Are you positive that's the title? OK…the address? Right…right…ok…I'll be there first thing this afternoon…make sure nothing happens to it, ok? I want that book, no matter what it takes. Yes, thanks." Keitaro tapped the red button on his cell and exhaled a breath of mixed relief and frustration. He scratched his head as circled something on one of the pieces of paper jumbled on his low table.

"Come in." He said, hearing a quick series of raps on his door.

"Ohayo, sempai." A cheerful voice said. Keitaro looked around and found Lee Davis standing at the door. "Heard the boss was really pleased." He said as he came into the room. "Don't mind me coming in, do you?"

"No, no. Please. Take a seat." Keitaro said, moving a pile of papers aside to make space.

"Well well…someone's been busy." Lee remarked, nodding at the pile of paper, maps, and phone directories strewn across the room. "Hell, did you sleep last night?"

"How's Mikuru-chan doing?" Keitaro said, ignoring Lee's question. On the surface Lee may look like a simple, laid back kind 14 year-old. His messy black hair, relaxed and open expression, and relaxed casual demeanor, which was heavily reflected by the way he dressed, only strengthened the impression. But Keitaro knew this kid was one to be reckoned with.

"She's getting along fine. Damned conditioning's thrown off almost all her coordination...but she's already recovered most of her basic movement functions within the past 3 months." Lee said, sitting down. "They really should lay back on the initial conditioning…it isn't like we can't teach them manually, y'know. Mikuru-chan was almost labeled a failure." Lee gestured in a frustrated manner.

"Hmmm…" Keitaro nodded. "Well, your hard work's paid off, hasn't it. Mikuru-chan's all cheerful and hyper now. She's practically bouncing around."

"Well…yeah. I think I'm going to lay off any further conditioning. I mean, I think she's fine the way she is." Lee said, looking down. "How's Hinata? I mean, she injured her arm a few weeks ago, didn't she?"

"Oh…she's fine. No problems at all." Keitaro sighed. He was still rather concerned about Hinata's condition, especially after she collapsed in the train the day before.

"I guess she didn't have that many bugs to iron out in the first place." Lee said. "Seriously though, sempai, why've they gotta be kids?"

"I dunno, Lee…I dunno…" Keitaro sighed again and closed his eyes. The day he first met Hinata, he never thought everything would end up this way.

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6 months ago, in the Social Welfare Agency's Medical Wing…

Keitaro was ready to bet her eyes were most probably bright blue. He looked around and aimed a questioning look at his boss.

His boss just gestured at the girl and said, "She's one of the special patients we're taking care of. She's lost her memory, so it's your task to take care of her for some time. You know, get her used to everyday life, teach her things, get her to see the outside world, and, most importantly, report to us when she recognizes anything or if anything goes wrong. You know, some people may be a bit unstable after a bout of amnesia..." He said. "Oh, she's forgotten her name too, so you'd better give her a name."

"Err…me?" Keitaro asked.

"Yeah…she has no parents or any relatives, so you might as well." Raphael said. "She'll be up soon, so you can talk to her and name her then. We'll leave you two alone." He said, as he and the secretary left him alone in the room with the girl.

"Err…a name?" Keitaro asked himself. "What a weird job…and…hey, I forgot to ask him, how come she looks so much like the girl I described last week?" He wondered out loud, as he approached the girl. Everything about her was just as he had described.

'She's…cute…' Keitaro thought to himself as he leaned in and watched her sleeping face. She had a slightly round, soft face, with what could only be described as a cute nose. Her eyebrows were well defined, a shade darker than her hair, which was almost snow white. "err….what should I name her?" He wondered out loud.

Her eyes opened slowly as she looked around before getting up. She held onto her blanket as she got up. Keitaro blushed slightly, realizing that the girl wasn't wearing anything under the blankets. 'Thank God she's holding that blanket up…'

"Hmmm?" she mumbled drowsily. It took her a while to register Keitaro's presence. "Umm…anou…" Her voice was rather quiet, yet peaceful and comforting to the ears.

"Hi, err…my name's Urashima Keitaro. You can just call me Keitaro." Keitaro smiled, taking a seat on the bed. He looked into her eyes and found that her irises were…a blazing red. 'Was that natural?' Keitaro thought to himself.

"Umm…Urashima…Keitaro-sama" She repeated after him.

"So…do you remember your name?" Keitaro asked.

"Umm…anou…" She cocked her head to one side, her face screwing up in concentration as she seemed to try and remember something long forgotten.

"Well, don't worry about it. You may have suffered a bit of amnesia." Keitaro smiled. "I'll give you a name for now, ok? Umm…let's make it Hinata, shall we?"

The girl smiled slightly and nodded, seemingly not worried over having lost her memory.

"Hinata huh? He's a bit on the traditional side, isn't he?" Raphael asked, looking in on the scene from the other side of a large one way mirror that looked in on the room. Neither the girl nor Keitaro noticed that they were being watched. As far as they were concerned, the window was just an oversized mirror.

"Are you sure he's fit for the job?" Another man asked.

"He's perfect for it, for a variety of reasons." Raphael said. "but we'll see how he does after 2 weeks." The watched as Keitaro asked the girl a number of questions regarding her past. She merely shook her head at each question, further confirming her loss of memory.

"So…you don't remember that either, huh?" Keitaro smiled understandingly. "Don't worry, when we go out later, I'm sure you'll recognize something."

"Excuse me?" A voice asked from the direction of the door. Keitaro and Hinata looked around at the nurse who had poked her head around the door. "The doctor has approved of her discharge from the clinic. She can leave as soon as you're ready." She announced.

"Yeah, thanks." Keitaro said, bowing slightly. "Umm...can you please help her get dressed? And I guess we'll have to find her something to wear as well…"

"Don't worry about that. We've prepared something for her." The nurse said, walking in, a pile of garments in her hands.

"You could buy her more clothes later and charge it to the agency. For now, you're allowed to take her home." The secretary said, walking into the ward. "Just remember to report to us if she recognizes anything. Also, don't forget to take her back here in two weeks. We'll also discuss your contract extension then."

"Yeah, thanks." Keitaro said, leaving the room. "errr, Hinata, I'll leave you to change, ok?" He said, looking back at Hinata, who had partially climbed out of the bed. "Ah…sorry…" Keitaro blushed, closing the door behind him. "Sigh…babysitting again…I guess I'm fated for these kind of jobs…" He sighed, remembering his last babysitting assignment from Seta.

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Present Day, Hinata Sou Living Room…

"Hinata-chan?" Keitaro poked his head around a corner and looked into the living room. "Oh…Sarah-chan!" Keitaro called out as he noticed the small blonde haired girl crouching by a sofa. She jumped and whirled around in surprise before slowly backing away towards the wall. Keitaro caught a brief glimpse of what seemed like a heavy bound book just before it disappeared behind Sarah's back.

"Uhh…Sarah-chan?" Keitaro was a bit worried about Sarah-chan too, actually. She had been acting very strangely lately. A lot stranger than she normally is. "Eh…did you see Hinata-chan, by any chance?"

"N…no…haven't seen her." Sarah shook her head uneasily. Her eyes were darting all over the room, seemingly afraid of something.

"Where's Suu-chan. You normally hang out with her, don't you?" Keitaro asked brightly, making a brave stab at a conversation. In actual fact, there had been a sharp decline in Suu-Sarah pranks after the incident 6 months ago, though lately it seemed like they've started to make new attempts, especially after Mikuru arrived.

"Oh…she's…busy. I…I gotta go. Uhh…bye!" She ran past Keitaro and up the stairs.

"What's up with her?" Keitaro wondered to himself as he walked over to where he had seen Sarah crouching. "Huh?" he came to a sudden halt as he noticed what seemed like white powder. There seemed like there was an attempt at a hasty clean up but lots of the powder remained unwept. In some areas Keitaro could just make out remains of what seemed like lines and curves. Just as Keitaro was cautiously extending a hand to touch the powder, a cheerful voice called out behind him.

"Keitaro-sempai!" Keitaro whirled around. He had managed to get a small sample of the powder on his index finger. He cautiously rubbed it against his thumb and found the texture to be very similar to…

'Chalk?' Keitaro wondered to himself. In front of him stood Hinata in her usual simple blue collared white blouse, white vest, and matching white skirt.

"Were you looking for Hinata, sempai?" Hinata asked, looking straight up into his eyes as if awaiting orders.

"Yes. Yes, I was." Keitaro said, nodding, wiping his finger on the back of his shirt. "Uhh…we have to go out somewhere this afternoon. It'll be a short stop but have your violin ready."

"Hai, wakarimashta." Hinata said, straightening up to attention.

"We'll go out somewhere afterwards. It's only a bit of business to take care of." Keitaro said, turning around. "But don't let your guard down."

A few minutes later saw the two of them walking down the stairs of Hinata Sou. Keitaro on the right in his black vest, white shirt, and jeans. Hinata on the left with her violin case slung over one shoulder.

The bright sun shone brightly overhead. Hinata couldn't help but remembering the first memory she ever had. It was as if her entire life started at that moment. The moment she first met Keitaro…

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6 months ago, in front of the Social Welfare Agency building…

"Right. Best of luck, Urashima. Take good care of her, all right?" Raphael said. "Take care, Hinata. Listen to Urashima, ok?" He said to Hinata. Hinata nodded at him. "Good girl." He said, patting her on the head.

"Sir…I'm just wondering…" Keitaro asked, scratching the back of his head with one hand. His other hand was securely around Hinata's.

"Yes, Urashima?" Raphael asked.

"Did you choose me because I added babysitting to my job resume?" Keitaro asked, slightly interested.

"Well…partially, Urashima, partially…in fact, that was of small significance. Well, good day to you. Remember, two weeks." He said, turning around and leaving Keitaro and Hinata in the driveway. The secretary gave them one last smile before following her boss.

"Umm…well…I guess it's just you and me, now, isn't it?" Keitaro smiled down at Hinata. Hinata nodded and tightened her grip around Keitaro's hand, as if afraid to be parted from him. "Ok then, let's go." They both set off down the driveway towards the road.

"Well, I guess our first stop will be home…err…my home. We'll just leave my stuff there, then we'll go out somewhere, ok?" Keitaro said in the bus. Hinata had stuck her face to the window, fascinated by the passing scenery.

"Anou…Urashima-sama…there're so many people…" Hinata said, looking back at Keitaro with an inquiring look.

"Oh, off course. We're in the city, after all." Keitaro explained. "City's are full of people. It's only natural." Keitaro was surprised to find that it was actually quite difficult to explain such simple terms such as cities.

"…so many buildings too…" Hinata said in awe. She sat back in her seat while still staring out the window. "The sun…Hinata knows it's the sun…but Hinata doesn't remember ever seeing it before…Hinata knows that's a tree too…and those are cars…but Hinata can't remember…" Hinata said, looking around at Keitaro again. Keitaro decided that her way of referring to herself sounded quite cute and that he'll just put off teaching her otherwise.

"I guess that's what amnesia's like. But you'll get your memory back soon, I promise. Then we can find your family and friends." Keitaro said, reassuringly.

"Family …" Hinata looked up at Keitaro and gave him one of the loneliest looks he's ever seen.

Keitaro smiled. "I'll always be there for you, so don't worry, all right? For now, I'll be your family."

"Thank you…Urashima-sama." She gave Keitaro a tight hug around the waist.

"And you've got to stop calling me Urashima-sama. Call me Keitaro." Keitaro said, blushing. But he felt he had to comfort the girl somehow. He decided to just stroke her hair as gently as he could. 'There's a lot of getting used to to be done…' he sighed inwardly.

"Hai…Wakarimashta…anou…Ke…Ke…Ura…shima-sama?" Hinata stammered, looking up into Keitaro's eyes.

"Never mind." Keitaro sighed.

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Present Day, Mitsune's room…

"Motoko sure has been away for a long time…have you heard anything from her?" Naru asked, sipping a bit of her tea while mentally criticizing the state of Mitsune's room. Mitsune, off course, knew that cleanliness was next to Godliness. Being an atheist, that was exactly why she avoided it.

"No…not really." Mitsune replied, flipping the page of her newspaper. The front page bore the headlines, 'Six senior parliament members and 7 foreign diplomats disappeared or killed in 4 months. Police baffled.'

"Things have been really hectic in Japan, hasn't it?" Naru pressed on, trying to get a conversation going. "With all the left wing political uprisings…socialist terrorist attacks…the missing politicians…"

"Yes…and it all began exactly 5 months ago…" Mitsune lowered her newspaper slightly to look Naru in the eye. "Exactly when all these strange things started happening."

Naru sighed in response. "Leave it, Mitsune. Shinobu's already gone. There's a certificate to prove it. There's even a grave, a gravestone, and a coffin. Ghosts do not exist."

"Explain it then!" Mitsune half-shrieked. "Explain everything that's happened in the past 5 months. Explain what I've seen. What you've seen. What Sarah and Suu have seen!"

"Illusions. We're just tired. The shock of losing Shinobu must have weighed heavily on our subconscious. That's why we start seeing things." Naru shook her head with frustration.

"So now you're saying we've all gone simultaneously potty!" Mitsune asked incredulously.

"Look. All I'm saying that you've got to let it rest. Besides, the death of 13 politicians and all these terrorist attacks have nothing to do with it." Naru said, placing her cup on the table with a thump to emphasize her view.

"I don't know…and I don't like those three new tenants either…I mean…Hinata and Mikuru don't even have a background for heaven's sake." Mitsune said, standing up and pacing around the room.

"I think you're developing paranoia, Mitsune…besides, that's what you call amnesia. You're not supposed to have a background. You've forgotten it." Naru tried to reason with her.

"We'll see. We'll see." Mitsune said, sitting back down. "I've got a feeling…a real bad feeling…"

"Paranoia…" Naru sighed under her breath.

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Present day, at the foot of the stairs to Hinata Sou…

"You're probably wondering where we're going." Keitaro said. They were waiting under the shade of a tree for the tram that would take them to the local train station. Hinata looked up at him and cocked her head to one side with an expression of polite interest.

"It's a small place downtown somewhere. I don't think you're going to need the violin case…but just in case." Keitaro said. Hinata nodded silently. "Also, please don't do anything rash unnecessarily. I don't want you hurting your arm like last time." Keitaro said gravely. Hinata nodded yet again, though her expression grew somber.

"The agency knows nothing about this. Please don't tell anyone where we're going and what we're about to do. It's strictly our business only." Keitaro said, looking down at Hinata. Hinata nodded again, this time more vigorously.

"Well…about where we're going…" Keitaro sighed. "Well…remember that time I asked you if you believed in second chances?"

Hinata's mind raced back to her first day in Hinata-Sou, 6 months ago.

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6 months ago, Right in front of the Hinata Sou…

"It's…so big…" Hinata gasped in awe as she shielded her eyes against the bright noon sunlight to get a better view of the Hinata Sou. She, as many others before her, had paused at the top of the long flight of stairs up the Hinata Sou to take in the splendour of the Hinata Sou for the first time.

"It's called the Hinata Sou." Keitaro said. "This'll be your home, at least for the next 2 weeks." He opened the door and called out, "Tadaima!"

"Anou…why did you shout just now?" Hinata asked curiously.

"Oh? It's to tell everyone in the house that we're home." Keitaro explained, taking off his shoes and placing it on the shoe rack. Hinata copied his actions exactly.

"But why do we have to tell everyone?" Hinata asked, in a quiet tone.

"Because…" Keitaro was suddenly at a loss. Why do they do that? "I guess…er…it's just good manners to let others know you're home." Keitaro shrugged.

"Oh…" Hinata slowly wandered about slightly, while staying within a 3 meter radius of Keitaro.

"You can go and explore if you like." Keitaro said, gesturing around him. "It's your home, after all."

"Honto?" She asked, cocking her head to one side. "But…will you come with Hinata?"

"I'll just deposit your stuff in your room then we can go." Keitaro smiled, starting up the stairs. "I guess everyone's gone out…I'll introduce you to the others when they get back." Hinata followed close behind while looking frantically about, afraid to miss any details.

"You've got a choice of rooms, actually. You can use any unoccupied room you like here." Keitaro said. Hinata looked about and wandered off a bit. She walked on by herself a bit, seemingly curious. Keitaro paused for a moment at the top of the stairs as he watched Hinata go down the corridor. She suddenly paused in front of a door.

"Who's…room is this?" She asked, pointing at the door.

"Oh…that's…" Keitaro looked down. "It belonged to an old friend…" Keitaro sighed. "But she's gone now. It's empty. You can have it, if you like."

"Ummm…anou…no thanks…If it's all right…Hinata wants to sleep close to you." Hinata said, returning to Keitaro's side.

"Well…err…" Keitaro scratched the back of his head. On one hand, he wanted to get her settled and comfortable as soon as possible. On the other hand, the girls would kill her if they found out he was letting a little girl sleep in his room. "I guess…it's no problem, but only for a little while, ok?" He decided he'd be able to let her sleep there until the other girls return.

Hinata gave him a small smile. He smiled back and held out his hand. She happily grasped it and together they walked down the hall towards Keitaro's room. "I'll be back in a second, ok?" He rushed into his room. Hinata waited outside as a number of scuffles, bangs, and crashes sounded from inside the room. After a few moments, the doors opened once again to reveal a slightly haggard Keitaro holding a welcome mat. He placed in on the floor outside his room gestured grandly at the door. "Well, here we are. Home sweet home." He said. Hinata looked about with interest before walking over to the balcony.

"…everything's so green…" Hinata said. "Hinata knows what forests are…but Hinata doesn't remember ever seeing anything this beautiful before…" She said in awe as she took in the green scenery.

"Ok then, do you want to go out? We can go out anytime you want." Keitaro offered. "We've got to get you some extra clothes and everything."

"Anou…if it's ok, Hinata wants to just…" She trailed away as she continued to stare at the scenery.

"Ok then, I understand. I'll go down and get some snacks, ok? Just stay on this floor. You can look around the other rooms around here, if you want." Keitaro said, leaving the room.

"Wakarimashta…" Hinata answered suddenly, turning around to face Keitaro, her long snow white blonde hair flowed out with the wind.

"Umm…no need to be so formal. Uhh…at ease." Keitaro smiled at her.

"Hai, wakarimashta." She said, before taking a deep breath as if suddenly released from something oppressive. Keitaro watched her for a moment as she turned back to watch the scenery before shrugging and leaving the room.

Keitaro gave out a breath of satisfaction as he closed the door behind him. It seemed like Hinata would be an easy girl to handle. He decided that he liked the job after all. It wasn't difficult or demanding at all. Off course, he cared for Hinata beyond his job, just as he cared for anyone, but it was a good job nonetheless. If he could get paid for helping people, then all the better.

"Oh…all the rooms are connected by the balcony…" Hinata thought to herself, looking down the balcony. She slowly took a few steps down the balcony, looking in at the rooms she passed. "…wasn't this that room?" She finally reached room 201 again from the balcony side. She cautiously opened the door and took a step inside. It felt slightly chilly in the room for some reason.

"So…this belonged to Urashima-sama's friend…" Hinata whispered, looking about. She was naturally curious about everything, but she was particularly fascinated by this dark room.

"Hey…" a voice said, accompanied by the abrupt sliding of the door. Hinata whirled around and faced the door.

"Why are you in here?" The voice said. A figure walked into the room and faced Hinata.

"I…I'm sorry…I didn't realize I wasn't supposed to be in here…anou… Urashima-sama said I could explore a bit. He even said I could have it, if I wanted…" Hinata tried to explain as best she could. Unfortunately, being a person with no memories whatsoever, she was as perceptive as Helen Keller when it came to interpersonal skills.

Something within her forced her to suddenly start using first person pronouns instead of her intimate third person self-referrals. It was as if some strange instinct told her to do so in front of anyone other than Keitaro. Why, she didn't know.

"What?" The figure said, her voice rising. "This room…no one's allowed to come in here…it's…" The figure stepped forwards. Hinata, out of reflex, stepped backwards towards the light streaming in through the balcony doors. The light partially lit up her face as she reached the light.

The figure suddenly stopped and gasped. "Sh…Shinobu-chan?"

"Anou…" Hinata withdrew a bit more into the light, revealing more of her face. Her snow blonde hair shone bright under the light as the light fell full on her face. "Umm…my name's Hinata…"

"Oh…Gomenasai…" The figure stepped into the light. It was a dark skinned girl with a sullen face and a blank, empty stare. "I…I didn't realize. But still, you shouldn't come in here."

"Sorry. I'll leave now." Hinata said, turning to leave.

"Wait…what was your name again?" The girl asked.

Hinata turned around and said, "Hinata."

"Oh…my name's Suu…" The girl said. "If…If you need anything, my room's up the stairs." She offered, before turning away. "umm…by the way…welcome to Hinata Sou…"

"Anou…Arigatou…" Hinata said as the door closed behind the girl. She herself turned around towards the balcony once again and left. She solemnly closed the door behind her and bowed slightly at the door before leaving.

"Oh…Hinata-chan. I've been wondering where you could've disappeared to." Keitaro said, back at the room. "So, done exploring?" He asked, offering her a plate of cookies.

"Umm." She nodded. "May I?" She asked, reaching out for a cookie.

"Off course. Go ahead."

"Arigatou." She nibbled at her cookie as she watched Keitaro's face.

They remained quiet for a few moments before Keitaro finally asked, "Hinata…do you believe in second chances?"

To be continued….

Thanks again for reading.