Chapter 14
Panic! The Search for a New Part-Time Job
or~
The Big Budget Crisis
(Featuring: Sarah McDougal)
§
Mid July XX, 1999
|Hinata-sou, Dining Room|
A few months had passed since the Danzo incident.
Now and then, the friends and teachers from Konoha Junior High stopped by the Dorms to see how Ruto, Shinobu, and Kaolla are doing, without Danzo and Orochimaru breathing behind their necks for a while. The whole Hinata-sou and part of the public knew that the man, 'Minato', is really Arashi Urashima, who was a local police officer that helped serve the city. It turned out that he utilizes the arts of ninjutsu (from his family's hidden compartments) to not only keep himself in shape, but uses it to help do his duty. Kushina Uzumaki (PAIN's and Karin's elder sister) was a fine swordswoman that was trained in the Shinmei-style sword, but she had a dream to be a lawfully-wedded wife to a good husband, that is Arashi, and a mother to her future children.
(That's how Ruto has the abilities from his deceased parents.)
Then the residents reflected on what happened during these last 2 months...
-LNH-
2 months ago…
Sakura and Baby Sarada visited the place from time to time to rest for a while as the mother needed assistance with her homework and helped baby-sit the infant at the same time. Sarada is getting familiar with her new 'aunts' and 'uncles' and the surrounding area, for she is still just a helpless infant. Most of the time, it's baby stuff: cleanliness to the holders, changing diapers, private moments between mother and child for feeding time, burping, some spit-ups, a few babbles, a lot of crying, and the all-important part: sleep. The residents and landlord learned to try to keep things quiet when the baby is asleep while they go about their business and that means keeping Kaolla's playthings under control.
-LNH-
And there were times when Motoko's fangirls stopped by to have a briefing with their idol at the teahouse annex. At first, they didn't like the way that their upperclasswoman was being out of character and for her to have men living in the house. But then, Motoko objected to her peers, saying that Keitaro and Ruto (almost saying '-kun') are the rightful owners of the former family inn and they take good care of her. So she 'kindly' asked the underclasswomen to leave the place before she did something really regretful and hurt somebody, namely them; to which the 'idol-worshippers' did. (But the fangirls aren't through with Motoko just yet, not by a longshot.)
-LNH-
And then there were the occasional visits by a young boy and his possé of classmates (all of them at the age range of 8 years old), named of Konohamaru Sarutobi (Hiruzen's grandson), Moegi Utatane (Koharu's granddaughter), Udon Mitokado (Homura's grandson), and Hanabi Hyuga (Hiashi Hyuga's youngest daughter) and they are good friends since kindergarten.
(Ruto met them after he just started Junior High. The younger kids were having teacher troubles, including their schoolwork.)
They stopped by their school to watch their 'Oyabin' (as in 'Boss') develop his muscles during training and sometimes help with their 3rd Grade homework. They even got along with Kaolla like she's one of the gang (because of her childish and easygoing behavior), and Shinobu, who is sort of like a second mother to them because of her cooking skills and personality. However, they didn't fully understand about their senpais' relationship with their boss and why they have a strange feeling that involves 'cooties' with them.
(Konohamaru and company still have a LOT to learn about adult things...)
Later, the kids' teacher, Ebisu, confronted Ruto and accused him for giving his students false hopes for gaining the shortcuts of getting a diploma. However, the blond Urashima challenged the shortchanging schemer and put him in his place with an elaborate prank of his Sexy Jutsu (Bikini Model), telling the teacher that there is no shortcut on getting higher education without the consequences. Sure, there were cases when younger students took the Senior High courses, but it's almost like being a lone flower in a field of onions, like a certain girl in Azumanga Senior High.
Ebisu was later reprimanded by the Elementary School Board to properly redefine himself as a teacher in order to not let every student and board down again.
However, Ruto decided to play one more prank, and it's: play Cupid by bringing Ebisu (who is a bachelor) and Suzumé Namida (a bachelorette) together. And the plan surprisingly worked hunky-dory as the wavy-haired faculty member gave the ex-closet pervert (a bad title given by his students) a few pointers and he, in turn, took the colleague on a few dates now and then, whenever there was no school.
-LNH-
And whenever Ruto has days off from his kendo sessions, he occasionally visits the football (soccer) fields to render first-aid with the players or sometimes volunteer as a player. (He's not the best in ability, but just good enough to be in just about any position). Among the students who were aiming to win the Junior High district title was Rock Lee (3rd Year and Kaolla's classmate). He trained his body day in and day out to help support his team, so he constantly wear bandages and wrapping around his arms, hands, legs, ankles, and feet to hide his bruises, cuts, and stitches. Lee dreamed of being in the big leagues and a shot at the World Cup and a chance for the Olympics.
(Those are the conditions that prevail in the world of sports.)
But Lee has a problem that constantly bugged him like most teenagers had to face: finding a girlfriend as a steady. He asked Kaolla a few times, but she kindly said to him that she's already been taken; in fact, she told a bit of a half-lie to Lee and said that she already belonged to somebody else.
(She didn't want to tell the whole truth that she had to abide by her family's law to be betrothed to the first man (that is not of kin to her) that saw her completely naked and that person was Ruto. Kaolla just didn't want to be a fool to break the news to Lee in a harsh manner and hurt his already aching pride.)
He couldn't ask his classmate Rimu Ten-Ten either, because of her constantly hanging around with Neji Hyuga.
(Of course, whenever the three of them are together on friendly terms, whenever Lee makes some crazy or outlandish humor, the 'panda girl', that is Ten-Ten, often ends up getting the butt end of some of the jokes. Even Neji gets caught in the craziness, whether he joins in on the fun or gets the pratfall instead.)
And the footballer even tried to ask Sakura for a date, but she blatantly refuses; because one, he is a loudmouthed dork (according to her). Two, his approach was rather cute, but it's (still) wrong. Three, he's making such a racket, waking baby Sarada up and making her upset. And lastly, he needs to hit the showers and the laundromat more often, because he reeks of sweaty gym socks, and Sakura (and possibly even others) never did like the smell of an overworked soccer enthusiast.
The poor guy is down on his luck and love, but Rock Lee doesn't whimper. Rock Lee doesn't give up, (he thinks). He just needed to regroup and think about what went wrong with himself.
-LNH-
Shinobu's parents drop by from time to time to see how their little girl is doing. They are proud that she is doing better with schoolwork, having good friends in both the school and the dorms. Yasuharu said to the Urashimas that he had learned his lesson, but then both parents worryingly asked if Ruto had done anything to hurt their only daughter and her friends or made themselves cross that 'particular yellow line' to make her bear a child. Ruto said that he didn't, but he didn't want to admit to them that they 'accidentally' saw each other naked from time to time.
So Ruto requested the Maeharas to not tell Keitaro and Naru right away, because it would make them absolutely upset and break their hearts just because they (Ruto and the girls) jumped off the deep end before them. The reason for this is that he, Shinobu, and Kaolla are in a form of a relationship and have been friends for a long time. Miyabi didn't know what to believe, especially since her company is a bit on the quirky side and that she has friends that are just a boy and a girl that is clearly a foreigner. But after that's been said and done, the parents realized that their only daughter is growing up and is starting to live her life on her own.
-LNH-
Kaolla sometimes checks her e-mails and postage letters to see how her family's been doing. Lamba Lu (Kaolla's brother figure) is training himself to be the next ruling chief of his people after his father, Himesh.
Himesh and Chief Amamath are very, very distant relatives, but have the same royal bloodlines connected to each other. And before the former Chief passed away from a deadly illness, he made Himesh swear to let Kaolla go on a journey for higher education outside of their island to gain insight into modern technology and medicine. So Himesh Lu is now crowned as the new ruler of the island and laid Amamath Su: a great chief, a proud father, and a good friend to all of his people to rest by sending his coffin on a buoyant ride and then the new chief aimed a bow with a flaming arrow with a small jar of burnable oil to give the deceased a proper burial at sea.
Currently, Amalla, Kaolla's older sister, was planning to go on a journey into Japan to learn its native language and wanted to see how her little sister is doing and wanting to apologize to her for sending her off like that before returning back home to the islands.
-LNH-
Golden Week came and went like a warm Spring breeze as the Hinata-sou (excluding Haruka) decided to go have fun in the countryside in Okayama for a while after doing so much homework and extracurricular studies of both mind and body. Surprisingly, the Masaki extended family invited the group after meeting them in the city. Sasami clasped hands with Shinobu in friendship, Mihoshi was hugged by Kaolla (in her usual way), and Kenshi, Ryo-ohki, and Kaguya got along with Ruto like he's their big brother figure. Kitsuné and Ryoko look like they wanted to get stone drunk on good quality liquor, Naru is a bit irked about Washu's look in her eye, Motoko is able to meet the infamous Katsuhito Masaki that her family was talking about, and Tenchi and Keitaro became fast friends together after learning about their experiences involving women.
(Nobuyuki sobbed as he felt like he was left out while his wife Rea comforted him.)
They fully introduced themselves and later chatted about many things happening to them including how Ruto and his small gang first met them.
(A little while ago, Ruto briefed his company that the Masaki family is not what they seemed, so they better be on their best behavior, he says.)
So, the Masakis show the Hinata-sou what country life is in the outskirts of town. It was quaint, peaceful, and very wide open spaces to play around, farm crops, or any little things they could think of. Even their personal onsen was an astonishing sight to see. Thankfully, there are separate sides for the bathers to be in: the women respectively on one side and the men on the other (much to Keitaro's dismay).
While the girls and guests are busy chatting in their birthday suits and washing their little folks (Kenshi and Ryo-ohki), the men and a family friend named Seina Yamada (Jurai) were busy having conversations of their tales with the Urashima boys, including his trouble with his bad luck, that and the Urashimas can relate with woes of their own. Tenchi asked Keitaro about how did he live the life with at least 5 women (plus one female manager for a relative) and Keitaro said that sometimes having a relationship with even just 1 of the girls can be a bit of headache, heartache, and heartburn at the same time, but he is determined to do his best in becoming a better landlord to them and to do better in his exams for Todai, because he wanted to find himself a woman that'll help him make it through.
It was nice and all, but even Seina can tell that Keitaro can be foolish at times when it comes to really understanding women, especially the kind that may or may not fall for men such as themselves. Tenchi and Seina even noticed that Ruto has the vibe of being surrounded by women his age, including the older women of his peers. And why not? Tenchi did meet Ruto with his 2 girls by his side during the last encounter.
But while in the middle of the conversation, a particularly exhibitionistic Ryoko spatially went through the boundary to peek in on the excitement between menfolk. The display made Keitaro let out a nasty nosebleed and fainted in the water, while Ruto facepalmed in disgust at the Hakubi for (literally) butting in and causing a scene.
As the night dragged on, the Hinata-sou decided to take a rest in the guest rooms; Ruto with Shinobu and Kaolla take that one room together (after negotiating with one objectionably angry Narusegawa and the rather weak-kneed Keitaro); Kitsuné, still drunk from the saké from the onsen earlier, shares a different room with a very annoyed Motoko, and Keitaro and Naru take the last room, with a divider between them (for obvious reasons).
But in the middle of the night, Washu is working overtime as she gave the other Hinata-sou members a looksee into their health and added some modifications. Like the exams she did with Ruto, Shinobu, and Kaolla before, she checked the older folks for any abnormalities and found that they are mostly in good shape, as expectantly for college bound students (besides Kitsuné). Washu just needed to see what's been giving them a lot of unnecessary distress. The motherly scientist soon realized why: Motoko is coping with her confusion between turtles and the male genitalia, Naru has her problem with her personal family issues, Kitsuné with her boozing habits and lifestyle (being the daughter of a single mother), and Keitaro has his troubles since his ancestors were known to be prone to bad luck and insufferable hardships.
After the exams were done, she was surprised by the meeting of Mihoshi and Ruto (his classmates are sleeping with his double), who managed to get through the boundaries of her space-time room without much trouble.
(It turned out that just after Ruto went to the bathroom to relieve himself, Mihoshi came by in her black bikini panties and A-shirt, and wanted to sleep in Washu's ominous room to get over the snoring issue from some people. She's actually half-asleep.)
Guess Washu just couldn't hide the fact that her old habits of experimentation are hard to break. So after giving her clients a clean bill of health, Ruto and his extra doubles personally carried his unconscious friends back into their respective rooms before going back to sleep with the younger girls by switching back from his substitution. However, one of Ruto's doubles went a bit rogue and decided to prank Naru and Keitaro by placing them together on the futon and removing the divider between them.
The dawn broke as the rays of the morning sun hit the windows, when the silence of the Masaki house was broken by the short tempered Naru screaming her head off and a sound of 2 slaps on the poor Keitaro.
"Guess 1 of my clones must have pulled a trick without my permission again," Ruto grumbled and he's trying to come alive, but with a different form of a joke being pulled on himself. Shinobu and Kaolla were embracing the bedheaded blond in their sleep with a squeeze play of arms, faces, kiss marks, and uncovered breasts. Barely able to move his arms and hands, Ruto managed to perform a Shadow Double art with his one-handed sign to help pull his brother out of the 'battle' and cool down the hand-shaped bruises on his client's cheeks and apologized to Naru for the childish prank.
After deserving a good night's rest and a hearty breakfast made by Noiké and Sasami, the Hinata-sou company thanked them for the hospitality and bid farewell to them. Little do the group know, Ruto senses that Washu's projects are still far from over...
-LNH-
Not long after the events, the residents celebrated Haruka's 28th birthday together. Despite being usually indifferent and unenthusiastic, Haruka was glad that her nephews and the girls haven't forgotten her well-appreciated party and gave her presents as tokens of their esteem.
-LNH-
Of course, every now and then, Ruto had to face his other forms of enemy that constantly annoys him to no end; such as a girl who acted like a spoiled princess named of Hikagé Hyuga (firstborn daughter of Hiashi Hyuga and his wife, and Hanabi's older sister), and Neji Hyuga, cousin/biological half-sibling to the sisters. (His father, Hizashi, and uncle Hiashi were identical twins, but married different wives).
(Hikagé is the opposite meaning of the name Hinata.)
Hikagé is infatuated with Ruto and wants him for her unwilling husband while being his loving, domineering wife, while Neji is concocting a fixating vendetta to state his point to the Urashimas about property issues.
Hikagé and Neji's attitude made their respective parents very sad and regretted that they should have raised their brood better. It also made them very mad for causing trouble to their victims.
So the Hyuga family discussed with Haruka, Ruto, and Keitaro about their personal matters, things like dispute over the plot of the land (that is, the whole landscape before it became a city) that was given to the Urashimas by the High Shogun and his wife in the 1600's and shared part of the land to the twins' ancestors as a bridge to unite their feuding families. According to the annals, the Urashima warrior coincidentally named Naruto Urashima married the Head Chief of the Hyuga's first daughter, Hinata. (There were 8 daughters among other siblings borne by the Chief's wife and concubines.) The location was named after her as the Urashima's proclamation of love for his wife, and the rest is history.
Ruto found the documents hidden in the expansive area within the former inn and proved that the Hyugas and the Urashimas are indeed distantly related to each other and that the title to the land is legitimate. However, Hiashi and Hizashi requested to keep the meeting a secret from Hikagé and Neji until they have properly learned their lesson.
All in due time...
-LNH-
There were usual days inside and outside the school before summer vacation started. However, on one particular day, this is where things are showing the scenario that is better known as "Situation Normal, All F- - All Fouled Up", or a private SNAFU family matter.
|At the present time…|
It was raining in Hinata City in the first days of summer. Sure, it's summer vacation from school, but right now, there is a crisis that made the residents utter one big exclamation...
"What‽ We're broke?" the residents questioned about the issue. They were having a briefing at the table with Haruka about budget troubles.
"Right. We're in the red," Haruka answered through her unlit cigarette.
"How could this have happened?" Keitaro questioned while slouching on the table.
"But we have been paying our rent," Naru explained and Shinobu nodded.
"Think about it," Haruka said as she put away the cigarette in her apron as she remembered the times they've partied a lot, one after the other.
"Yeah," Ruto agreed while standing next to his 'aunt', "I've a feeling that somebody is involved in this big problem, 'ttébayo, and I know what's the cause of this." He pulls out some photos of the evidence as looked at their faces and points at each of the residents and shows a handwritten report about the suspects, starting with the worst: Kitsuné, "First, Onee-chan. Forgive me for what I'm bound to say. You... HAVE BEEN BOOZING AND 'DIGGING HOLES OUT HERE' AGAIN, DATTÉBAYO! Those gambling bets on the horse races aren't going to help you in staying in our premises, even with my help! And besides, you've been causing Aniki a lot of grief for not keeping his previous part time jobs! Not to mention, you spend too much on liquor, 'ttébayo! It makes me concerned about your overall health."
Kitsuné felt ashamed at her previous hijinx. Washu did warn her to take liquor in small doses, just like it's prescribed medicine. Maybe she really ought to cut down on spending her liquor and other novelties; heck, even try to learn to slow down on drinking her favorite saké...
Then Ruto points at Naru and says, "Don't think you can get off scot-free on this, Senpai."
Naru looked at Ruto as if she's got her hand caught in the cookie jar as he showed a few pictures of her crimes.
"Ever since that last failure of your Tōdai exam, you've been partying too much and too frequently, other than Haruka-san's birthday bash. I was hoping that you had better resolve your determination to find yourself. But the problem is that you gave Aniki one too many lumps on his head from that troublesome temper of yours, 'ttébayo! What's more is that you've wrecked the upstairs corner bath hall from your rumpus earlier!"
Naru gulped about what happened last night after Keitaro tried to have a conversation with her from across the area about the man involved in her life in high school. The landlord ronin ended up catching a cold from the sudden showers earlier. They later argued about the relationship (or was it the connection) between herself and her former tutor after being embarrassed as they threw objects at each other. It escalated until she threw a giant tanuki statue, with Tama clinging to it, and obliterated the area and Keitaro was sent flying from the impact, only to fall right top of the naked Naru's lap and topped it off with a noggin-knocking blow.
Then he turned to Motoko and said, "I know you're a hard woman, Motoko-senpai, but I'm afraid that you won't get away with your actions, either. Your sister would be ashamed because of your man-hating mangling! If you want to start living, you have to have a better understanding of your life skills, because right now, your socializing with other people is sorely lacking."
Motoko started to worry that her elder sister is going to discipline her by giving her a whipping she'll never forget. And Tsuruko is the most responsible person since their mother passed away all too soon.
And next comes Kaolla, "Kaolla-chan, you keep wrecking the dorms with your devices again. Those repair bills aren't going to fix themselves. You'll have to learn to take the consequences for your actions, or so help me, Kami-sama, I will have to forcibly revoke your VISA, dissolve our friendship, and I'll have to send you back to your family to make you reflect on your behavior."
She wouldn't think that her close friend (and boyfriend) wouldn't dare to send her back home, but then she sees his look saying, 'Try me' as she slouches on the table, in shame and in tears.
Then the blond Urashima turned to Shinobu, "I know you're the least involved in this crisis, Shinobu-chan. But there are times that you need to stand up for your rights, 'ttébayo. Sure, the parties are great, but there are times when valor is a better part of virtue and you get to know when to let your 'NO' mean 'NO'. Please try to understand."
Shinobu realizes that Ruto is correct. She needed the strength and courage to help do what is right and not let her timidity stand in the way.
And last, but certainly not least, Keitaro...
"Aniki... *sighs* I know you've been trying hard to be the landlord of the dorms, but you're being too soft on keeping the sanctity and commitment of this home and that happens because you're so wishy-washy. GET A GRIP, DATTÉBAYO!"
And Ruto is right, Keitaro thought to himself. A proud landlord that he turned out to be and it was his own fault for being a lame duck and for not having a proper backbone from his bad karma, and he's only 20.
But then, Ruto has one more thing to say, "And I'm sorry that I had to say this, but I can't simply be the breadwinner in my family's residence. It's just that I can't be the only one that has to save your bacon from your spending habits or your tomfoolery, believe it. That, and I don't have the lion's share because I'm not 'technically' the firstborn of my family. It's high time that you all will have to carry your share of the responsibilities. Some of us won't be around forever and have to move on outside of the dorms. You understand, 'ttébayo?" And he pulled up an empty chair nearby and sat down.
"Thank you, Ruto," Haruka said as she showed a bill of sale for the amount for the utilities and said, "So right now, unless we pull together 75,000¥ within the next 3 days, the power, water, gas, and phone lines are going to be shut off."
Then Motoko suggested, "In other words, you're saying that we are going to have to find a way to earn at least 10,000¥. Is that it?"
"Yes. Exactly what I have said," the teahouse manager answered.
But then Naru madly objected, "But the parties were all Kitsuné's idea, so she should pay up!"
"Yeah, but you partied along with everybody else," Kitsuné disproved her friend's claim as Naru sheepishly chuckled from the backfired objection.
"C-cases like this, call for collective responsibility, right?" Shinobu nervously questioned.
"Collective responsibility? Does it mean it tastes good?" Kaolla bounced out of her depression and broke into the conversation and landed on the table, but Ruto gracefully lifted the clueless Kaolla off the table and placed her on his lap and calmly explained, "No, it means you have to work, even for your meals. I'm sure even your family from the distant islands are doing their part for their pay."
The disappointed Kaolla hung her head low in the disagreement, knowing that she just can't win while letting her naïveté (and her metabolistic stomach) solve all her problems, because it doesn't. Thankfully, Ruto patted her head to cheer her up as well as Shinobu who then hugged Ruto for comfort.
"You have got to be *fricking* kidding me!" Naru blatantly griped, "I still got things to do! I don't have time to get a job! You agree with me, right, Keitaro?"
"Huh? Oh, right..." Keitaro was distracted for a moment. But just as Naru was about to give the landlord a wake-up punch, Ruto's double quickly grabbed the Amazon's wrist, stopping her attack as she yelled, "Let me go! Just one little punch! That o-baka probably has forgotten about his responsibilities as a landlord!"
"No, Senpai! I cannot tolerate this behavior! You know that this isn't the way to solve our dorm's problems!" Ruto said as he wouldn't loosen his grip on the Narusegawa's tirade, until Keitaro said, "Don't worry about it. I know where to find a way to make some much needed funds. Let's all try to do our best."
The tenants wondered what would be the solution to get out of this modern mess...
-LNH-
|The next day, somewhere in the middle of the highway|
A familiar van is driving around like a maniac. The voice of a young grade school girl was cheering as an older man was bungling while driving inside the vehicle. As it swerved passed by a red Matsuda (Mazda) whose driver complained, "F****** bastard! Watch it!"
"'ttaku, your driving is lousy, Papa!" the girl said with a rough accent.
"Sorry about that," the driver said, "Anyway, don't call me 'Papa'. You know I'm just your legal guardian. Now I'm going to fetch the workers, so try to be on your best behavior."
"I still hate men!" the girl grumbled with very little sense of hypocrisy.
"Now, Sarah, don't be a stubborn kid, OK?" the man rubbed the girl named Sarah's hat-covered head.
-LNH-
|A Street in Sasaki|
While the older residents were searching for a part-time job, Keitaro was supposed to meet the professor that had a help wanted sign that the ronin had applied. As he was waiting for the client, a student noticed the van weaving out of control...nearly hitting an electric tram...and now, it's heading towards him!
Keitaro jumped out of the way and then crashed into an electric pole, stopping it in its tracks. Then the driver inside asked, "Sarah, are you all right?"
"Yeah," the girl named Sarah answered. (Thankfully, she was disciplined hard enough from her relatives about wearing seat belts, unlike the driver...)
Then the driver apologized as he opened the driver's side door and showed his face, along with a gash on his head, and said, "So you're the one applying for the job?" It turns out that it's the same reckless driver that he and his brother met before, as well as the time during the Spring Festival.
But there's one other detail that needs to be stated. "Your head is bleeding!" Keitaro exclaimed while being buggy-eyed as the dim-witted professor realized his wound.
After the bump was patched up, The professor then said, "Well, better be off in the van, because there's no time to lose. We need to deliver the goods by 16:00."
"Okay, that would be nice and all," Keitaro reluctantly accepted, but then he pointed at a dump full of broken pottery, "But, it's a mess right now..."
"Ohto‽" the absentminded professor exclaimed, "That teacher is going to kill me for this!" He turned to Keitaro and asked him, "Say, boy, are you good with puzzles?"
"Well, sort of..." Keitaro replied.
"That's great!" the man in the lab coat excitedly said before he brought out a bottle of super glue to fix the broken china, "While we get to our destination, use this to stick the pieces back on."
"Eh‽"
-LNH-
|Inside the van, on the road|
"Why does this always have to be me!" Keitaro whined as he put the pieces back together with glue.
"I'm sorry about that," the professor apologized.
It turns out that the pieces that Keitaro is repairing are actually pieces of china that were excavated somewhere and he just finished a plate. But just as Keitaro was getting for the next part, but then...
A little earlier, Sarah (8, an American girl wearing overalls with positively no undershirt and a backwards-wearing baseball cap over her loose twin-ponytail'd blonde hairstyle similar to Tsunade Senju) was snooping from the back seat and was giving off a very jealous vibe. So the little delinquent - -
(Sarah is looking at the narrator giving a tick mark under her eye as it twitches!)
...Er, *clears throat*, the little sweetheart decided to cause a bit of mischief and with her sneaker-worn foot...
*Smash!*
...the repaired plate was busted and broken again.
"Hoy! You waste of human space!" Sarah rudely declared, "What's a meathead like you doing in me and Papa's love nest?"
And she kicks the loser's face multiple times (just for the heck of it). The hapless Urashima asked the driver who that girl was.
"She's not really mine," the man explained while driving, "She's from an acquaintance. Try not to annoy her."
::'Annoy', he says,:: Keitaro sarcastically thought, ::She's just a little stinker! She's nothing like Ruto-niisan!:: And he looks at the blondie who has that mischievous look in her eye and continues smashing the pottery. So far, progress was getting slow with a lying, destructive little princess showing off a sneaky smile. Then the loser asked the driver where exactly they were going to deliver these.
"Oh, did I forget to tell you? It's going to Tōdai." the professor answered.
"What‽ Tōdai!"
-LNH-
|Tōdai, Kanagawa Campus|
It turns out that the man, Noriyasu Seta (28), needed an assistant to haul the boxes to the 8th floor of the main Todai building. But because the elevator is broken, Seta hired Keitaro for the job. And after hauling the boxes to the desired location, both men wiped the sweat from their brows from a hard day's work as daylight hours are growing shorter. Seta also told Keitaro to keep the broken chinaware a secret.
But suddenly, Seta realizes that he's running late and has to go to his meetings, so he leaves Keitaro to his own vices. Unfortunately, Keitaro didn't have a chance to discuss a salary, but decided to hold that thought as he reclines next to the van and faces the Todai buildings. ::Tōdai,:: the landlord ronin thought, ::It's just happenstance that I had to come here. It's been 3 months since the exams…:: He reminisces about the times that Naru and Ruto were pushing him to his studies.
But then, the thought is broken when Sarah tries to get his attention by smashing another piece of chinaware on his head and yelling with bubble gum in her mouth, "Don't act like I'm not there, dork!"
"That hurts… ? AHH!" Keitaro screamed in panic as he noticed that the little sneak broke that same chinaware that just repaired. But then Keitaro notices the girl and asks, "Sarah-chan, is it? Why does Seta-san leave you here?"
"Papa usually does that," Sarah simply explained, "But you better get back to work. And you know, you look like a bug with that look on your face, dork."
Keitaro is beginning to lose his temper and lose his ever-loving mind against that cheeky, little, 8½ year old girl that should have been horsewhipped by her parents for her ugly behavior. (It's like she's straight out of one of Æsop's fables.) But the loser calmly recomposes himself and said, "Listen, kid, I can't just leave you here alone..."
But then Keitaro got collided with a Shakoukidogu (optic-eyed clay doll) replica thrown by Sarah who yelled, "Bug off!"
The head part of the 'dogu got lodged onto Keitaro's head and then he started chasing Sarah into the campus grounds. "What was that for, you little brat‽"
"Ohto!" Sarah exclaimed just like Seta as she made tracks until she called base... at the women's restroom. She taunts the doll-headed Keitaro because he can't just enter the 'sacred place'.
::How can I, a 20 year old, get through with a child like that? Sure Ruto-niisan and Kanako-neechan are likable, but that annoying little squirt is really pushing my patience!:: Keitaro thought as he fumes inside the 'dogu head, ::Calm yourself. I think I should look for Seta-san to get my salary.::
And he told Sarah to wait right there as he searched the area within the university. It took awhile to look for directions until a certain girl chewing on bubble gum pointed out where Seta is at.
"Oh, thank you," Keitaro said... before doing a double take at the person that turned out to be Sarah, "Wait a second! How did you get over here in this big campus‽"
"Just look in the window, doofus," Sarah said and they peered into the window. The unlikely pair sees Seta lecturing his class and the students are paying close attention to their teacher. Keitaro realizes that the classes in the university were alway boring,
Then Sarah proudly said, "That's my papa when it comes to teaching."
"Seems like everybody has a smile on them…," Keitaro said as he watched Seta as if he's his teacher, "This is what it's like in the life of a university student?" And he's right, Keitaro has been trying for the exams, but he didn't think about what courses to take for it. He is uncertain of what he's going to do.
But then, Sarah bashed the ronin's head with a porcelain base. Keitaro tries to ignore that insult (despite the gash on his head) while wondering if this is how little children should act. "Don't act like you didn't felt that, dunderhead," Sarah said as she throws a big monastery bell on his head with a *DONG!*. (Just don't ask how Sarah carried the replicas from out of nowhere or how she has super-strength to throw heavy objects with ease.)
The chase between cat and mouse resumes and Keitaro with the bell stuck on his head as he yells, "Come back here, you little brat!"
(The onlookers watched at the scene, looking like codfish with gaping mouths.)
Keitaro kept looking for the elusive devil into the book jungle (a room full of unstocked and uncatalogued books piled neatly like towers), but was smacked with a porcelain mask on top of his dumbbell'd head, cracking the bell in two.
That's when this game of ring-around-the-rosie has gone too far as Sarah hear the sound of a *snap* as Keitaro shows that he has enough and he yells, "Now I'm mad!" And he climbed on top of the stack of books close to where Sarah is at... given to account that he forgot that the balance is not on his side as Sarah lets out another insult, "Stupid. Why don't you just get lost? I am finally getting along with Papa, so don't interfere with us, you dork!"
Seta, just finished with his lectures, begins to wonder how Sarah and Keitaro are getting along, until he hears some crashing, followed by a man's screaming from pain as he enters the room. Then Seta said as he dropped the broken cigarette from his mouth, "That's interesting. It's the first time that Sarah-chan got along so well that she just met."
"Ah! Papa..." Sarah exclaimed by the sudden visit while Keitaro felt relief that his client arrived just in time.
Then Seta aloofly flattered, "So you were taking care of Sarah-chan while I was away. Thank you. And sorry, I forgot that you're still around and I forgot to plan a salary for you, too. Sorry! Sorry!"
"Papa's always like that," Sarah quietly explains.
"He's an odd person," Keitaro agreed.
Seta then confesses, "Forgive me, I was doing my own research, but the university wouldn't sponsor me any funds and I don't have an assistant." He lit up another cigarette and continued, "I was going to let you carry the load, but I've changed my mind. So, how about it, friend? Starting from tomorrow, would you like to be my assistant?"
Keitaro begins to feel hope that this little job may solve the budget issues, but Sarah is stunned by her 'papa's' decision.
-LNH-
|Later, in the Hinata-sou Main Onsen|
Keitaro and Ruto are relaxing in the hot water. They had a sign on the women's door saying in large print letters for the poor in sight to read as it translates from Japanese,
"Warning! Men are taking a bath!"
...with the Urashimas' names on the sign. They were talking about things that happened during their big day.
Ruto told Keitaro about his and the tenants' exploits of seeking a part-time job during the summer. Shinobu is assisting a food and cater booth, Kaolla is hired by her internet friend to help with some computer maintenance, Motoko was assisting teaching the other trainees with fencing swordplay class, strengthening each other's senews in the process; Naru and Kitsuné had a bit of difficulty trying to find a job, until they found a waitressing job with roller blades as they skate along the floors to deliver their orders.
Coincidentally, they all worked near one particular location: Todai!
Keitaro was utterly surprised that his tenants were working part-time at the same time that he was working with Seta. But then he asked, "What about you, Nii-san?"
"Well, Aniki," Ruto said as he stretches his arms and looked into the sky and said, "I was doing a part-time job at the A******* K** Studios, not far from Tōdai, doing some art touch-ups in the colored for [his manga project], dattébayo. A*******-sensei was impressed with my job and decided to let me stay until his project is finished or before school begins. Not to mention, it allowed me to render first aid in case of an emergency; we sometimes have problems with people having heart attacks, 'ttébayo. Unfortunately, I can't get paid until this Friday. If it all goes well, this could help with our budget problems, believe it."
Keitaro was glad that his little brother was doing well.
Then the older Urashima told his brother about his form of a job that was really a headache, but it's worth it. And he talks about the same man that they bumped into earlier and gave him and his 'daughter' their names during the skirmish. He also mentions that same 'daughter' that makes Dennis the Menace look like a saint.
"I don't blame you, Aniki," Ruto said, "I wouldn't be surprised if the professor's little shrimp would try to come and visit us right here, dattébayo."
"Yeah," Keitaro agreed, "But you know, she reminds me of somebody..." But then the boys see the butt-naked Naru walking into the onsen without caution just as she was about to punch Keitaro's lights out, Ruto stepped in and took the kick with a forearm block and complained, "Naru-senpai, I beg your pardon, but didn't you read the sign outside?"
"What sign?" Naru questioned, "But more importantly, why are you guys are in the women's bath‽"
"You destroyed the Corner Bath Hall, remember? I thought I made the sign large printed so you can read better, but it seems that I was wrong about you," Ruto explained.
"Say, Narusegawa," Keitaro chirped out, "I finally found a job today, but the money won't be ready until Friday before we pay the bills."
Then Naru begins to blush and then she says, "That's great. Now that you're part of a working group, are you already giving up on the Tōdai Exams?"
::Ninja Sense! Danger!:: Ruto empathizes about Naru's next reaction as Keitaro answered, "What? No... Here's the thing..."
*Slap!*
Naru smacks Keitaro with her towel in hand and yells, "O-baka!" as she angrily walks away.
"What's the matter with her?" Keitaro murmured with a wet towel on his face.
"Just one of those days, dattébayo," Ruto guessed.
-LNH-
|Elsewhere, at a different onsen|
Seta was relaxing in the hot water, thinking about the Urashima that worked for him and why he is related to an old flame of his. He also wonders how Naru and Kitsuné are doing after being away for the last 2 years or so.
Then Sarah came by with a kettle full of boiling water in her hand and asked, "Papa, how's the water?"
"It's just right," he answered in a fatherly manner.
"I'm coming in!" Sarah declared as she undressed herself and wore her silver one-piece swimsuit before attempting to enter the water. (She has a reason for her American modesty that will be explained later.)
The absentminded professor grumbled, "I don't think this should be appropriate..."
§
Intermission…-»
A/N: The scenario is mostly borrowed from (mostly) the manga section with the anime bits thrown in. I also tweaked the Keitaro doing touch-up art in the Akamatsu Ken studios scenario that was shown in the anime, but with Ruto instead.
Keep in mind that it's still a work of fiction, folks. And no offense to the original author.
More Backstory
As you know, Sarah McDougal (in this story), is somewhat a combination of the manga (the little prankster) and the anime (the jealous little beyotch) scenarios. Her background was that she was the daughter of Julia Cynthia McDougal, known to her friends as Jaycee, (named after combining the backstory of Sarah's mother and a character from A.I. Loves You); and a father who died from a deadly cancer during the time of the pregnancy (He was a close friend before she met Seta.) Jaycee has relatives living in America while staying in Japan and parts of the world with Seta, Haruka, and Sarah. However, tragedy struck the group when Jaycee realized that she had cancer in her lungs and then she passed away during the operation, leaving them with a big hole in their hearts: Seta and Haruka having to break up from their relationship and Sarah (6 years old at the time) was forced to live with her maternal uncle for a while.
Little do they realize that Sarah's uncle has a bit of a fixation of jealousy against his younger sister and turns his pent-up rage on little Sarah and abuses her with ill intent. It was so bad, she couldn't even go to school from her injuries and he wouldn't let her enter at school ever; the uncle even tried to go so far as to sexually molest the girl, but was then stopped by none other than Noriyasu Seta who gave the disgraceful pedophile what for after Sarah called for help on the telephone.
The maternal uncle was arrested by the authorities and was later tried and found guilty on multiple charges. Seta helped carry the physically and mentally damaged girl to the hospital for treatment and analysis. A child-psychologist helped alleviate her pain and let time heal the rest as she learns from her missing education.
Since then, she has lived with Seta as a 'daddy' to her since they bonded when she was younger. And Seta will try his best not to only raise the girl, but to help her grow up with a decent education. They've been on the road for 4 months (2 in America and all points elsewhere, and the last 2 months in Japan) after a year of staying to help the rehabilitation of Sarah. Learning Japanese to a young American is no easy feat for young Sarah, because sometimes being around with a globe-trotting professor (that is a born-Japanese citizen) can be rough on manners and mannerisms. Perhaps Seta will help give the high-wired 'daughter' some place to settle down from travelling so much.
That's all, for now... as the heat will be on!
- blukmage19
