Chapter VI – Valentine's Past, Valentine's Present

The sun had barely risen over the horizon, the dark purple sky starting to morph into golden yellow, red, and light blue, when Haruka Urashima began the process of opening her tea shop on the hill that led up to Hinata-sou. It was a routine she had grown used to ever since Hina passed ownership of the place to her: wake up, go through her regular morning rituals, read the paper, wipe down the tables and put on a fresh pot of tea for the early regulars. To some it would seem monotonous, but Haruka was a simple woman with simple pleasures, content to coast along freely without stress for as long as she could.

Which would be as long as Hina was clan head. Once she passed on the role, all bets were off.

That line of thought sent a slight shiver down Haruka's spine as she reflected on that little inevitability. It was kind of a given that Keitaro would inherit the illustrious role, something that should have made the older woman bristle, being the true blood relative and heiress. Surprisingly, the tea shop owner was fine with that, but she knew Keitaro would most likely appoint her his chief advisor and leave most of the administrative duties to her.

'He'd probably just spend all his time training…and brooding,' Haruka thought with a chuckle as she finished putting a large pot of water to boil. She did love her adopted nephew/cousin dearly, but the Urashima heiress was in full agreement with Hina that he could stand to be a bit more cheerful. Although with what he'd gone through, his angst was understandable…to a point.

'I wonder,' Haruka mused as she took a step outside of the shop to take down the boards that covered the windows, 'Kyo hasn't really come down to visit in a little while. Hope the girls aren't causing him too much trouble…'

She took a glance up the stairs at the looming form of the dormitories, before shaking her head and walking back inside, "Eh…he's a tough kid. He'll be fine."

As she approached the kitchen, she was surprised to find the subject of her thoughts currently seated at a table, a bokken leaning against the side of the table and a steaming cup of tea held in his hands.

"Huh…didn't expect to see you here," Haruka said as she walked up to the occupied table. Keitaro glanced up with a small smile, "Hey Haru…hope you don't mind, I used some of the boiling water. I put some more in though, so it should be okay."

"Please…its water, Kyo," Haruka dismissed with a shake of her head and a wave, "Funny story…I was actually thinking about how you were holding up over in the dorms. It's been a while since you came to the shop for tea and a chat."

The landlord scratched the back of his head nervously, "Yea…my bad about that. Things have been a bit hectic with studying for the exams and keeping up with…well…landlord stuff," he didn't dare tell her about his ongoing research into the Fifth Tachibana Pillar and his family. That wouldn't go over so well.

"Awww, don't tell me those girls are actually giving you a problem. After that duel with Motoko, I figured none of em would try to pull anything with you," Haruka joked before taking a seat across from the young man, "have they been behaving?"

"More or less," Keitaro replied, glancing back in the direction of Hinata-sou, "Suu's inventions keep getting crazier, Oni-Kitsune cranked her teasing up to eleven, and Motoko's still watching me like a hawk…," Haruka didn't miss the slight amused smirk on the young man's face as he recalled how he had irritated the taciturn kendo girl, "but other than that, no problems. Naru's cool and Shinobu's been an angel, if a little quiet lately."

Haruka nodded in understanding, "Guess that's to be expected. She's still getting used to you being around. She does seem to be happier, so I have to thank you for that," she placed her chin in her palm and focused her brown eyes more on the landlord, "So what does bring you down here, if it's not the girls?"

Keitaro's face shifted slightly, his lips turning up into a humorless smile, "I had the dream again…not surprising considering what today is."

The tea shop owner's heart went out to her younger pseudo-relative, recalling that it was indeed Valentine's day, "I see…guess you're gonna go off again for the day?"

"Pretty much," Keitaro replied, taking a moment to sip his tea, "I normally skip school today to train…I figure I can finally work out that problem I've been having with Shinonome…"

"Just don't overdo it," Haruka warned, before another question came to mind, "Did you tell the girls that you'd be going off on your own?"

Keitaro cringed, "Oops…forgot about that. Although something tells me that not telling them is probably for the best. I'll see them in the evening."

Haruka gave the young landlord a blank stare, "…are you ABSOLUTELY SURE that's the best thing to do?"

The Mononobe heir gave her a confused look, "Well, yea? I mean, it's just for a day. They'll be fine without me," he finished his tea and stood up, placing his bokken into his belt at his side, "Anyway, if you need me, I'll be in the forest behind Hinata-sou…right in front of the shrine."

Watching as he went through the doorway and up the stairs towards the tree line, Haruka once again shook her head in exasperation, a knowing smile appearing on her face.

'He REALLY doesn't know those girls very well, does he?'

"Keitaroooo!"

"Taro-chan~!"

"S-Sempaii! W-where are you?!"

"I don't see why you are all wasting your time like this," Motoko sighed as she watched Kitsune, Shinobu, and Suu search every nook and cranny within Hinata-sou for their missing landlord. They had gone all throughout his room, the empty bedrooms, the kitchen, the hot springs, and all of his other normal locales, but to no avail.

"Just cuz ol' Taro-chan gave us the slip for now, doesn't mean we're beat yet!" Kitsune countered as she took another look around the living room, checking for any potential hiding places, "and think of poor Naru-chan. You tellin me you're just fine leavin her like that?"

The Aoyama heiress cringed as she remembered the saddened look in Naru's eyes when they found her in the empty bedroom. Though she couldn't understand why, it seemed that the bespectacled brunette had put in quite a bit of work to surprise the young man. For him to have vanished into thin air was almost too cruel, even if he did so unintentionally.

Taking a glance at the clock, Motoko realized she and the others who had school only had another half hour before they would be late, "Well, this search of your will have to wait until the rest of us have finished class. We are going to be late at this rate."

"W-wha?! Oh no!" Shinobu jumped and sprinted back to her room to grab her books and other school necessities, Suu following behind. The ringleader of the "search" sighed and plopped down on the couch, her detective cap falling to the side of her head, "Oh fine…guess I'll wait til y'all get back then."

"Indeed," Motoko nodded before picking up her school bag from the floor next to the couch, "And who knows…maybe Naru-sempai will run into him at school?"

"…he won't be there today…"

The two occupants of the living room turned to see Naru trudging down the stairs, heavy storm clouds pouring rain down her head, "N-Naru-sempai? What do you mean?"

"In the two years I've known him, Keitaro-san has never come to school on Valentine's day or White day," the brunette replied, still sounding a bit upset, "the girls at school think he just hides somewhere though, and every year, they have a contest to see if anyone can find him. No one's done it yet though…I should've known better…"

Both other girls frowned, not used to seeing the normally upbeat girl so down. A determined look then came across the resident fox' face, "Nu-uh! It's too early to call it quits! Not after all the work you put in!"

Naru looked over at her friend confused, "K-Kitsune?"

"I'm comin with ya to school today, and we're gonna find Taro-chan if it's the last thing we do! Now hop to it, girl!" Kitsune exclaimed as she began pushing Naru out of the building and towards the trolley. Motoko could only stand and watch the entire spectacle before sighing and following after.

"I really hope they succeed quickly…if only to end this ridiculous farce…"

Unfortunately, success was not in the cards for the girls' efforts.

Despite spending all of their free time between classes combing the school building several times, Kitsune and Naru's search turned up fruitless. No one had seen hide nor hair of Keitaro anywhere. And as time went on, even the vivacious fox's seemingly boundless energy began to wane.

"Mou! How the hell is that boy so damn good at hiding?! I mean he wears a damn BOKKEN everywhere for Buddha's sake!" Kitsune screeched furiously as she dropped herself down on the couch that afternoon. Never in her life had she been so thoroughly bested by someone when it came to seeking them out, let alone her favorite target.

"I told you," Naru sighed as she took a seat on the other sofa in the living room, the gift in her hands dropping listlessly onto the coffee table in front of her, "It's like he leaves the country or something for 24 hours, then just pops back up the next day as if nothing happened."

Both girls shrank into their respective seats, wishing they would swallow them up. This was the scene that Motoko came across as she returned with Shinobu and Suu from school, "I take it your search was unsuccessful, Naru-sempai? Kitsune-sempai?"

"Taro-chan is a worthy foe," Kitsune replied sagely, "Normally I've been able to find him regardless of wherever he hid himself, but today it's like he left the country!"

"I-I'm sure Sempai has a good reason for leaving," Shinobu defended, although for the life of her she couldn't figure out what would make the young man disappear either.

Seeing her friends in a funk, Suu brought up an idea, "Oh! Oh! I know! Suu can make a Keitaro-radar using some of his DNA! With that, we can find him in no time!"

At that outburst, Kitsune again rose from her seat, "Dammit Suu! Why didn't you say that earlier!?"

"Uhh…Suu forgot? Sowwie!"

Kitsune just barely managed not to facefault into the floor, "Ya know what…nevahmind. Suu, you go make that radar! I am NOT lettin Taro-chan defeat me today!"

"Yay! I'll go make it now!" Suu ran upstairs, Kitsune hot on her heels. Shinobu muttered something about getting supplies for dinner from her room before running upstairs, forgetting that Motoko knew very well that all her cooking supplies were already present in the kitchen.

"Sometimes I question the sanity of the members of this household," the tall kendoka huffed before starting in the direction of the stairs. Just as she was about to take her first step, however, a faint pulse of ki shot across her senses, 'Huh?! What was that?'

Concentrating her ki-sensing ability, Motoko began to scan the immediate area. Unable to find the source in the dorm, she then expanded her senses outward and pushed them to their limits.

'Still nothing…I'm approaching the boundaries of how far I can-THERE!'

Finally locating the source, she then felt it out with her own ki, determined to know who it was that was all the way out in the forest, 'Hmm…it's a bit different from normal for some reason…full of rage…but it feels like…Urashima-san?'

Having committed the location to memory, Motoko began heading in the direction of the hot springs. Her abrupt change in direction caught Naru's attention, snapping the girl out of her depressed fugue, "Are you heading to the baths, Motoko-chan?"

"N-no, Naru-sempai," Motoko stuttered slightly as she tried to think of an excuse. This would probably be the best chance for her to learn more about the mysterious landlord without being distracted, but only if she went alone, "I'm just going out to the forest to train for a bit. The rooftop deck is full of drying laundry and I would rather not run the risk of disturbing it."

Seemingly satisfied by the lie, the bespectacled girl nodded, "Oh, gotcha. In that case, I think I'll just head to my room and start studying."

"That sounds like a good idea," the kendoka agreed, waiting for Naru to head up the stairs before resuming her trip to the back. All the while her mind was filling up with new questions.

'What in the world are you doing that far into the forest, Urashima-san? And why does your ki feel so much…angrier than before? You have a lot of explaining to do…'

"596! 597! 598! 599! 600!" Keitaro swiftly brought his bokken down in the air, the point stopping barely millimeters above the ground as he completed his latest set of katas. Ever since leaving his aunt's tea shop that morning, the boy had been hard at work training, tuning out anything that would distract him.

Taking a moment to wipe the sweat from his brow, the vigilant young man glanced around at the clearing. It was by sheer dumb luck that he had found the wide open space on one of his earlier sojourns through the forest. It was a comfy area with a large open patch of green grass, surrounded by bamboo stalks. In the center was a small stone shrine, the top of which was spotted with several patches of moss, giving it a very weathered appearance. Off to the side of the field were three thick wooden stakes that came up to the landlord's shoulders, their centers tied up with bandages and rope. Keitaro had been using them to practice some of his attack combinations, resulting in several scratches and divots in the old wood.

"Well, that ends that…what's next…," Keitaro looked over to a tree stump at the edge of the field. Resting on top of it was an open scroll that appeared to be extremely old, with frayed edges and faint writing. The paper was a deep crimson, like freshly spilt blood. As he considered the contents of the scroll, the avenger's eyes were drawn to the words scrawled at the top.

"…Ryuketsu no Shinsei (Nova of Bloodshed)," Keitaro whispered the phrase reverently, as if worshiping a god, "Perfect name for this curse…"

As he ran the name through his mind, the young landlord's frowned when he recalled the first time he'd heard that name.

"…that's what she called it too…"

Once again he found himself surrounded by a sea of nothingness. An endless blanket of white stretched as far as the eye could see, to the point that he couldn't tell what was up and what was down. While a regular person would be unnerved by such a place, Keitaro would normally not care much about it.

Or at least that would be the case, if it wasn't for the ghastly apparition standing in front of him.

She was wearing the same kimono as that fateful night. Her hair still flowed down to the middle of her back like a river of raven black. She was older now, having somehow aged over the years despite no longer being among the living. Only two things stood out that reminded the young man he was looking at a ghost: the still bleeding exit wound on her chest from getting run through by Juuchi Yosamu.

And her eyes. Her dead brown eyes.

"…Saya…" he whispered brokenly, his arms slowly coming up to reach out to her. He tried to hug her close like he used to, to feel her warmth as she hugged him back. And yet, like every other time he'd been brought to this place, he came short of her by scant inches, his fingertips barely brushing the aged silk of her garb.

"…you shouldn't be here, Kyo-nii," the pale apparition looked upon her brother with worry, "you've been using it more, haven't you?"

The grieving avenger tilted his head in confusion, "What do you mean, Saya-chan? Using what?"

"You shouldn't use it anymore…it'll hurt you," Saya warned, tears of blood streaming her face. The sight of his deceased sister crying pulled harshly at the avenger's heart, his arms working twice as hard to reach her. Unfortunately, it was as if he was stuck in stasis and couldn't move a single inch forward.

"I don't understand sis! Using what?! And why can't I reach you dammit!"

"Don't use it anymore…" Saya warned before a change came over her. Her once dead brown eyes shifted to a crimson as dark as the blood that continued to stream from her wound. Their surroundings also began to tinge crimson as well..

"Wait…tell me more! Don't leave me again, Saya-chan! Please! Don't go!" the avenger screamed and clawed at the space like a madman, never once taking notice that his own body was slowly disappearing as he began to awaken. Before he faded completely, he was barely able to make out his sister's final words.

"Don't use the Ryuketsu no Shinsei…or else you'll-"

"Huh…never can hear out that last part," Keitaro huffed to himself, before realizing he'd slipped into using the accursed ki during his recollection. Taking a slow breath, the Mononobe heir recalled the ki into himself before willing it back into its dormant state.

"Huh…normally I'm better with my control than this…" the landlord stood and dusted himself off before placing the scroll back in his gi and picking up his bokken to resume his katas. Judging from the glow of the sunset coming through the bamboo, Keitaro guessed he'd been distracted for about an hour. As he began his next set of exercises, he smiled and called out to the forest, "You can come out now if you want, Aoyama-san. I don't bite, ya know."

After a few moments, the sound of crunching leaves resounded throughout the clearing as a slightly disgruntled Motoko made her way out of the forest and into the training area, "Your spatial awareness and perception are quite strong, Urashima-san. I was sure I cloaked my ki-signature perfectly."

"Oh you did, but it wasn't your ki that gave you away," the landlord replied while continuing his basic striking katas, "It was your scent. I have a pretty good nose and your scent stuck out from the rest of the area like a sore thumb."

"…I don't know if I should feel disturbed or amazed that you know my scent so well," the kendoka deadpanned, "By the way…were you aware that the others were looking for you? They've almost torn the dorm apart in their search."

That statement stopped Keitaro mid-swing, "What? Really? Is everything ok?"

"Everything is fine…they are just blowing the whole situation out of proportion…as per normal when Kitsune-sempai is involved with anything," Motoko sighed before taking a seat against one of the three stumps in the ground, "Naru-sempai apparently tried to surprise you with a gift this morning, and when she found your room unoccupied, she screamed in surprise, alerting the rest of us."

"…she snuck into my room this morning?" Keitaro's brain seemed to shut down upon hearing those words, "wait…surprise me with a gift?"

The kendoka huffed and crossed her arms under her chest, "I cannot imagine why she wasted her time to honor such a stupid holiday, but she made you a giri-choco for Valentine's Day."

To her surprise, the landlord didn't become flustered upon hearing what Naru had done. On the contrary, his face seemed to fall as he smiled sadly, "Ah…is that right…I forgot that was still a thing…"

Motoko watched for a moment as the boy collected himself and began swinging his bokken once more, her eyes focusing on how precise and natural his strikes seemed to flow, "Strange, I thought men liked receiving chocolates on this day. They boast about it all the time at school."

"Most do, but I never really saw Valentine's day like that," the landlord responded without pausing his katas, "So many people focus on just the purely romantic side of it that they fail to remember the true essence of the holiday…it's a bit disappointing really."

"…the true essence of the holiday?" the younger girl asked. His words set off a spark in her mind, piquing her curiosity. Unaware of this, Keitaro replied, "Yes. While Valentine's Day is indeed a day to celebrate romantic love, it is also a day to celebrate love in general. Familial love, love between friends. We all love in some way, shape or form. It is the essence of that universal love that should be celebrated, but unfortunately it's been forgotten by people these days."

"…I see," Motoko whispered, once again feeling a faint constricting feeling in her heart. Long ago, she could recall hearing something similar, but for reasons unknown the identity of who'd told her such a thing eluded her, "Did you…come across this way of thinking on your own, Urashima-san?"

'Hmm…it was Dad that told me this, but obviously I can't tell her that,' Keitaro thought as he racked his brain for a believable answer, "No…a good friend of mine told me this when I was a boy…well, a YOUNGER boy than I am now obviously."

His answer did little to quell the pain in the kendoka's chest, but she did a superb job of hiding her discomfort, "Your friend sounds very wise."

"Yea…he was," the grief in Keitaro's voice was almost palpable, despite his best effort to keep it buried, "I remember every year that his family used to go out together, even if we had school. His parents would take them to the beach, where they had a private spot to themselves. I usually tagged along with them, since they thought of me as family, even though I was an outsider. That whole outing was devoted to strengthening that love between family and friends, and I honestly can't think of anyone that celebrated the true essence of love itself as much as they did."

Somewhere during his explanation, Keitaro had put his bokken down and took a seat next to Motoko, leaning his back on the stump next to hers. The young girl was so enthralled by his tale that she never noticed how close they were sitting. Even when he finished, the kendo girl still said nothing about his proximity, focusing only on the string of memories that had come to the forefront of her mind.

"…I also had a friend," she started softly, part of her trying to stop herself from baring such a damaged part of her soul to someone she still held mixed views over, but the pain in his voice called to her somehow, and it was a calling she couldn't refuse, "who thought similarly. His family would make celebrating that day such a grandiose affair. My sister and I would often be invited, and it was…quite entertaining, to say the least."

Keitaro looked over to the girl and noticed the slightly happy expression on her face, "Huh…sounds like a sweet time."

"It was-" she continued, before suddenly realizing what she was about to say, and to whom. The landlord nearly jumped when the girl stood up abruptly and dusting herself off before marching out of the clearing. Before she left earshot, she called out over her shoulder, "In any case, you better head back soon, Urashima-san. You've caused quite an issue for Naru-sempai and the others already. Don't make me come out here to get you again!"

"Uh…right! I'll come back inside in a bit!" Keitaro replied back before standing up himself. He could still see the anguish in Motoko's eyes as she left. He picked up his bokken from the ground and made his way out of the clearing. All the while, his mind was stuck on the last expression of his young tenant.

'So she still remembers those days too…' he thought as he made his way back to the dorms, 'I'll have to be more careful…for both of our sakes…'

Naru huffed as she went through another practice exam in her room. It was half past eleven at night, the moon casting an ethereal glow into the dimly lit bedroom, but the diligent student took no notice, her mind focused solely on her task…and on how Keitaro had (unintentionally) snubbed her the entire day.

'Stupid Keitaro-san…all that work and planning…and I thought I had him this time!' she thought angrily as she went through another problem, 'ugh…I don't even know why I'm so mad about this…'

Before she could get much further in her thoughts, a knock on the door caused the young woman to jump in her seat, "Oh, one second!"

Naru brushed away some dust from her skirt as she rose from her seat and headed for the door. Thinking it was probably Kitsune or Motoko at the door, she wasted no time in sliding it open, only to find that it was neither of the two that awaited her.

"Uhh…hey Naru-san. I, uh, heard you were looking for me?"

The lovely brunette could only stare in muted shock as the very person she had been hunting for and silently fuming at now stood in her door way, his hand scratching the back of his head nervously. After a moment, her face became blank before abruptly grabbing Keitaro by the scruff of his gi and pulling him inside. The young landlord was so caught off guard he didn't react to the sudden aggressive gesture, allowing himself to be dragged into the room over to the covered hole in the floor.

"Uhh…Naru-san? What are you-"

Naru didn't even let him finish as she kicked the panel covering the hole off and held the now slightly frightened young man over the opening. Without even a word or a change in her facial expression, she dropped Keitaro back down into his room. Thanks to his training, he was able to land on his feet, but looked back up questioningly at the young woman before she moved away from the hole to another part of her room.

"Uhh…I-Is everything ok, Naru-san?" Keitaro called out as he racked his brain for a possible cause for his friend's ire, "If I did anything to piss you off, whatever it was, then I apologize."

Light footsteps were heard above him for a moment before suddenly two stocking-clad feet passed through the hole. Realizing what she was doing, Keitaro quickly went over and held the beautiful girl by her hips as she finished climbing down. After setting her down on the ground, the landlord tried to step back. He didn't expect the sudden shove from Naru that pushed him onto his futon, which luckily for him he'd unrolled soon after he got back.

"…Naru-san, you're starting to scare me a bit…"

"…you're a real jerk you know that?"

Keitaro blinked once. Then twice, "…I'm sorry?"

Naru continued to stare at him blankly, putting the boy's nerves on edge, before she suddenly knelt in front of him and thrust something into his face, the boy recoiling as if expecting an attack. Taking a closer look at what was in her hands, Keitaro tentatively reached out, "…a pink box?"

The girl bowed her head in order to hide the blush she could no longer fight off, "H…Ha…Happy Valentine's day, you dummy."

Realization and guilt crashed down suddenly on the boy as he figured out why his lovely studying partner had been so angry with him, "Aww crap, don't tell me you spent the whole day looking for me just to give me this?!"

"Not the whole day, dumbass!" Naru argued, taking a retaliatory swing at the boy as he took the box from her, only to growl menacingly when he simply ducked under the strike, "And why can't you stay still and let me deck you for once?!"

"…because your punches are the devil and you'd probably take my head off if I let you hit me," the deadpan reply didn't help the young woman's anger at all, but her frustration was forgotten the moment Keitaro opened the box and saw the chocolate inside, "Uh…it might've gotten a little crushed since it was in my bag…but that's your fault since you ditched me this morning before I could give it to you!"

The landlord gazed at the sweet gift for a moment. It was in the shape of a heart with a caricature of Liddo-kun lying on top. One of its arms seemed to be melting, but otherwise it was a near perfect replica. Below the bust of the famous cartoon character was 'To Keitaro-san' written in melted white chocolate.

"Wow…you really put out all the stops, huh?" Keitaro's voice was barely above a whisper as he admired the gift. He was touched by his friend's effort, despite normally hating to receive chocolates from anyone on Valentine's Day after the loss of his family.

"Damn right I did! You better be grateful," Naru crossed her arms and tilted her head up and away from Keitaro, her face reddening further. The landlord laughed at her antics, "I'm really grateful, thanks Naru-san," a mischievous smirk suddenly came across his face, "now I just hope it actually tastes as good as it looks…can't judge a book by its cover."

His words had the exact effect he was looking for: Naru's blush covered her entire face and she sprang towards him, "Well if you're gonna be such a fucking jerk about it, then don't eat it! I'll just toss it out!"

"Heel, woman, heel!" the landlord laughed as he held Naru at bay with a single hand on her shoulder while the other hand held the box on the ground. The feisty young girl soon started pushing him down though, amazing the Mononobe heir with her strength, 'Sheesh! If I didn't know better, I'd say she was reinforcing herself with ki…'

A swift burst of strength from Naru caught the landlord off guard, and the hand on the ground slipped. His only support gone, Keitaro crashed onto his back, Naru hitting his chest seconds later as the jarring force of his abrupt drop caused him to lose his hold on the woman's shoulder.

"Ugh…we gotta stop ending up like this," Keitaro grumbled as he rubbed the top of his head. Naru stuck her tongue out at him playfully before realizing both of her hands were now resting on top of her friend's chest, 'Whoa…he's rock solid…his training must be totally hard core…'

Keitaro froze in surprise when he felt the girl's delicate hands gently rub and squeeze his pectoral muscles, the sensation feeling oddly comforting to him. That's when he also took note of how close Naru's face was to his, along with how she was accidentally straddling him. He never stood a chance against the blush that tinged his cheeks, "Uhh…Naru-san?"

"Huh?" the brunette looked up, a slightly dazed look in her eyes. Slowly, she became more cognizant of her position, the red returning to her face even faster than before. But despite her embarrassment, she didn't jump off of him like he'd expected her to. Instead, the two simply gazed at each other for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, Keitaro grinned, despite the color not leaving his face, "You know, you seem pretty comfortable right now."

"…well maybe I am," Naru countered, a smirk coming over her face. Two could play at that game apparently. She didn't know why she was being so lighthearted when normally she would've decked the man below her into orbit, but lately the bespectacled brunette had been feeling far more comfortable around her new landlord than she'd ever been. It was a new experience for her, and she found it…interesting…dangerous…fun.

'It's strange…I don't think I've been this relaxed with a guy since Seta-sensei…but it's different somehow with Keitaro-san…'

"Oh? Is that right?" the landlord replied coolly, placing both forearms on the ground and pushing up a bit, enough to bring his face closer to the long-haired beauty still straddling him, "Saying something like that could give a guy the wrong message, ya know?"

The brunette's smirk grew a bit wider as she too leaned forward, until her forehead was pressed against Keitaro's own, "And what message would that be, mister?"

The playful, almost sultry voice she'd spoken in sent a chill down Keitaro's spine. In his mind he knew they were pushing the envelope pretty far with their little charade, as he could already feel something pushing him to close the distance. His pride, however, wouldn't let him stop what had been set in motion.

"If I have to spell it out for you, then you're more dense than me," Naru felt her body shiver faintly as Keitaro's breath ghosted over her lips, which to her surprise, were scant millimeters away from his own.

'Whoa…he's really close…is he gonna…'

"FOUND YOU!"

A crash at the door quickly brought the two out of their trance. Looking over to the other side of the room, the Tokyo U aspirants found Suu and Kitsune lying in heap, limbs all tangled and hair and absolute mess. In the foreigner's hands was a strange looking device that somewhat resembled a mini radar of sorts.

"Ack! Suu! Why'd ya hafta barrel through the door like that?!" Kitsune whined as she tried to disentangle herself from the hyperactive blonde, who wasn't making things any easier for her.

Seeing the girls were distracted, Naru took the opportunity to get up off Keitaro, dusting off her skirt as she stood before giving a hand to the landlord to help him off the floor. The landlord smiled in thanks before taking her gesture and hopping to his own feet before turning to the two still struggling on the ground, "So…mind telling me why my door was just broken off the hinges, ladies?"

The foxy woman cringed at the tone of the landlord's voice and peered up at him, "Oh…uh…hey Taro-chan! Fancy meetin you here…in your…room…" even to her, the line sounded incredibly lame.

"Uh huh…what kind of trouble have you and Suu been getting yourselves into now?"

"No one could find you all day and everyone was getting worried!" Suu jumped to her feet, mysteriously freeing herself from Kitsune in a flash and bouncing in front of the slightly surprised landlord, "So I made this awesome Keitaro-Radar to find you!"

Keitaro facepalmed, "Ugh…I didn't know everyone would've been so troubled just because I disappeared, but that's not an excuse to go tearing up the dorms looking for me."

While the landlord began lecturing the mischievous pair, Naru took the moment to climb back up the hole into her room, thanking her lucky stars that neither Kitsune nor Suu had noticed her rather precarious situation with the young man. Getting into her pajamas and sliding into her futon for the night, the lovely young woman frowned in thought as she recalled how close she was to losing her first kiss.

'I don't get it…I thought I was in love with Seta-sensei…but why did I feel like I wanted Keitaro-san to kiss me? Hmph…stupid jerk, wrong message my ass!'

Author's Note - Hello again everyone! So...really long delay...I'm an ass and life is an evil roller coaster. Anyway, this is just the first of two posts (yea, you read that right), so I figure I'll leave my really long note at the end of the next chapter.