Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina. That designation goes to Ken Akamatsu.

Chapter 10 – Target Acquired

After a rather frigid winter, spring had finally come to Hinata, with warmer days, plentiful sunlight, and blossoming flowers as far as the eye could see. One could easily tell how much the spirit of the new season permeated the area simply by observing the livelihood of the staff and students at Hinata High School, which was currently undergoing preparations for their graduation ceremony. Underclassmen hung streamers and banners from the many windows, while teachers coordinated with moving crews on the placement of the stage and multiple seats out in the vast courtyard. All in all, it made for quite the spectacle.

"Well…they seem to be pretty upbeat today," Ranmaru commented idly from where he leaned against a tree trunk, flanked on both sides by his brothers, "Is graduation even really worth all this, though?"

"I guess we'll find out when it's our turn in another year or two," Ichimaru replied, content with basking in the glow of the sun as he sat on the grass. Rikimaru sighed as he observed the decorators struggling with a banner that was caught in a strong wind, one of them nearly being blown away, "Something like graduating hardly matters to people like us. We have inherited the titles of Imperial Guardians, so our role in life has already been long since decided."

The youngest triplet nodded, "That's right. We're already at the top of the game. Who needs school anyway?" Ranmaru plopped down on the grass next to Ichimaru and yawned, "What we should be doing is enjoying this downtime. Ever since Heihachi-sama and Kurotora-sama left for Hakodate, it's been cruise city…"

"Isn't it always cruise city with you, Mr. Playboy?" Ichimaru chided with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "When was the last time you trained, by the way?"

"This morning, asshole!" the fiery Tachibana countered, "Sheesh, it's not like I slack off ALL the time…"

Rikimaru huffed, "Right…more like ninety percent, ninety-five on a bad day. It's amazing no one's kicked your ass yet."

Ranmaru shook his head exasperatedly, "You, my dear older brother, need to learn how to chill. When was the last time you got laid? I bet you're all backed up, that's what's making you cranky," he reached up and pulled the eldest triplet down to sit on the grass, "I'm tellin ya, just grab one of those sub-branch bitches and enjoy yourself."

"Tch…no thanks. Did that a few weeks ago, remember?" Rikimaru relented and made himself comfortable in the shade of the tree, "Unlike you, I prefer my women outside of the family, thank you very much."

"You consider that trash family?" Ranmaru raised his brow, smirking when his eldest brother quickly shook his head in the negative, "Thought so. But I see where you're comin from. In that case…"

The youngest triplet stood and pointed at the still-incomplete stage, "How about we head to that graduation ceremony later today? Pretty sure there'll be tons of babes to choose from there, right?"

"Hmm…maybe a little tighter? …and, done!" Naru grinned at her image reflected in the full-body mirror on the wall. She had just finished adjusting her tie on her school uniform one last time in preparation for the ceremony. It had been about a week since she and Keitaro returned from their adventure abroad with Mutsumi, and both ronin hadn't realized how close they had cut it with their return (Haruka had lightly chided them about it when they arrived home). The past few days had been a whirlwind of making preparations, at least on Naru's end. Keitaro had only chuckled while the bespectacled brunette nearly had a panic attack several times. Thankfully, their parents had already been told and planned to be in attendance later that day.

"We really lucked out with coming back when we did," the brunette said to herself as she pressed out a few ruffles on her skirt, 'It feels so surreal…graduating high school like this. I wonder if he-'

Her inner monologue was interrupted by a knock on the panel under her Liddo-kun doll, "Hey Naru-san, are you almost ready?"

Beaming, Naru quickly walked over to the spot on the floor and removed the panel, revealing Keitaro dressed in his dark grey school uniform. His hair had grown a bit during their vacation, now coming down to the top of his back, the spikes becoming even more unruly. She wouldn't tell him out loud, but the young woman thought the look suited the landlord rather well.

"I'm just about finished, come on up," she replied, stepping back from the hole and giving Keitaro enough room to climb up. Once he was standing upright, the young man saw Naru tap her mouth with her index finger, her eyes smiling at him. Chuckling, Keitaro pulled the girl into his arms and gently kissed her, their lips staying locked for a blissful few moments. Naru let out a pleasant hum as the kiss ended, "Mmmm…I don't think I'll ever get tired of that."

"I would hope not," Keitaro joked with a small grin, "It's kind of addicting, I just wish we could do it in the open…"

Naru poked her boyfriend in the chest and playfully glared at him, "Hey, if I remember right, it was your idea to keep us a secret from the others until after the ceremony, Mr. Random Ninja. "If Oni-Kitsune finds out, she'll flip her shit. And let's not even talk about Aoyama-san." Your words, not mine."

"Ok, Ok, I get it! I dug my own grave with that one," Keitaro surrendered, letting go of Naru and watching as she returned to the mirror to apply a very light layer of makeup and lip gloss, "Guess I should've thought that one out more."

"Yes, you should have. You think you're the only one suffering from this cloak-and-dagger routine?" the lovely young woman teased before making her way back over and hugging the young man tightly around his waist, "You think I don't want to show them and the world that you're mine, and anyone that has a problem with it can get a Naru-Punch to the face?"

The landlord shook in mock-fear as he returned the embrace, "Yea…about that. No Naru-Punching ANYONE in the face… ever. I think I still feel the sting from that one you gave me before we left for Kyoto."

"Aww…Mr. Fix It still has a boo-boo?" Naru cooed, narrowing her eyes seductively as she lightly pecked Keitaro's cheek, "How can Naru-sama make it all better?"

"Well…I can think of a couple ways," the Mononobe heir's voice was a low purr, taking Naru's bait as his head drew closer to hers. The long-haired girl in his arms giggled before moving her arms from the man's waist to around his neck while her head tilted up.

Sadly, it wasn't meant to be this time.

"Naru-chaaaan~"

Both teens sprung apart and Keitaro darted back down the hole in the floor just as Kitsune opened the door to Naru's room and dashed over to hug her friend, followed by Shinobu, Suu, and Motoko, "Congrats again, Naru-chan! Reunited in the real world at last!"

"Ah, th-thanks, Kitsune," Naru replied as she weakly returned her friend's exuberant embrace. She looked over and saw the others, "And thanks to you guys for the support too."

Motoko returned her thanks with a small smile, "Think nothing of it, Naru-sempai. It brings me great joy to see the fruits of your labors. Despite the obstacles you faced and continue to face, you still made it to this point. You should be proud."

"W-We'll miss seeing you at school, Naru-sempai," the timid bluenette whimpered, tears beginning to come to her eyes. Naru smiled and walked over to give the girl a hug, "Thanks Shinobu-chan, but it's not like we'll never see each other again. We live together. And if you ever need help with your studies again, feel free to ask me, ok?"

The younger girl nodded with a smile. Meanwhile, Suu ran over to the uncovered hole in the floor, "Hey, is Keitaro graduating too? I wanna say congrats to him!"

"You can say your congratulations without jumping down, Suu," Keitaro chuckled from the doorway of Naru's room, surprising everyone except Naru, who figured he would show up again after the others.

"…I suppose congratulations are in order for you as well…Urashima-san," Motoko said, albeit with some difficulty, "For a male, you were rather dedicated to your studies. It is…unfortunate that you and Naru-sempai were unsuccessful on your entrance exams."

Keitaro shrugged, "Hey…it's a hard exam, and it caught us off guard. We'll be ready next time though, right?" he winked at Naru, who had to fight an oncoming blush.

"Y-Yea…duh! You even need to ask?"

"Aww, look at that," Kitsune chimed in, her signature fox eyes in full effect, "Aren't y'all the cutest ronin couple!"

Shinobu blushed fiercely, steam pouring from her ears, "R-R-R-Ronin…C-C-C-Couple?"

The resident kendoka blushed as well, although it was mostly from righteous anger that embarrassment, "Kitsune-sempai, your jokes are NOT appreciated at this point in time, thank you very much!"

The fox laughed while Suu jumped around the room chanting "Ronin Couple" every few seconds, "Well hey, I just call it as I see it."

"Well I'm making another call," the landlord interrupted, somehow unfazed from the teasing, "It's almost eleven. Ceremony starts at half past twelve and we still have to catch the trolley and walk."

"Omigosh! We gotta go!" Naru exclaimed before grabbing her bag and dashing out the door, latching onto Keitaro's arm and pulling her along with him, "We'll see you guys when we get back! Don't wait up if we're late for dinner!"

Kitsune shook her head as she watched the dust cloud from the two graduates hasty departure dissipate, "Man, I don't think I was that pumped up for my graduation…then again I was leavin those two behind, so maybe that's why I wasn't as excited."

"I suppose so," Motoko replied before making her way out of the room, "In any case, I will head to the roof to get some training done before lunch. Call me when everything is ready."

"I will," Shinobu replied before heading downstairs, "I-I'll go get some studying in before preparing lunch. I c-can't afford to slack off now."

The hyperactive foreigner followed her, "Oh! Suu can help Shinobu-chan study! Suu's a genius!"

Before she could politely refuse, the blond grabbed Shinobu and pulled her downstairs, leaving Kitsune alone in Naru's room, "Hmm…well that ends that. Wonder what I should do today…"

The ceremony itself actually didn't take that long. It was a lovely late-March afternoon, and everyone wanted to have as much time as possible to enjoy it, the principal and staff included. After the traditional singing, special guest speakers, and the speeches by the principal and student council president, the new graduates found themselves free to roam around the school grounds. Some held their friends close as tears of goodbye streamed from their eyes, others took endless pictures with their fellow grads and popular teachers.

Naru did neither, and instead opted to take a walk around the mostly empty campus, reflecting on her days as a student. As she passed by the library, she smiled as she recalled the very first time she met her best-friend-turned-secret-boyfriend.

'It's really been two years…I don't think either of us could've ever known we'd end up the way we are now,' she thought as she spotted the desk they had first sat at so long ago, 'I was the bookworm, and he was the quiet loner kid…now that I think of it, us pairing up does sound like a good match…'

Suddenly, the brown-haired girl's vision went dark as a pair of masculine hands gently covered her eyes, "You get three guesses as to who I am. Should you fail, a terrible punishment awaits you."

Smiling, Naru lifted her hands to trace the other person's hands, "Hmm…your hands feel pretty calloused, but still gentle…tense forearms…soft cheeks…you can't be Keitaro-kun, could you?"

Keitaro removed his hands from his girlfriend's eyes, "Damn, and here I thought I had you. Guess I'll have to try harder, huh?"

"Please, you'd never trick me that easily, Mr. Fix It," Naru teased as she turned to face her grinning boyfriend, idly spotting that he still had all of the buttons on his uniform blazer, "Huh…I thought the girls in our class would've mobbed you for those. How'd you keep em all?"

The smirking young man tapped his forehead, "You underestimate my power. I am far more than a match for the likes of them."

Naru sighed and shook her head, "I KNEW letting you watch Episode III was a bad idea…nerd!"

The two laughed before setting off again together on their final tour of campus. Seeing that they were alone, Naru took Keitaro's left arm and pulled it to her, leaning her head against his shoulder contentedly. The Mononobe heir chuckled at her behavior before planting a quick kiss on the top of her head, earning him a giggle.

"Did you ever think," Naru began as they headed down a path filled with newly planted flowers, "That we'd end up like this after we first met?"

"To be honest, I didn't. I didn't see myself entering a relationship with anyone," Keitaro replied honestly, "least of all the most sought after girl in our school."

Naru wrinkled her nose a bit, "Ugh…don't remind me. Right after we were let out, this one guy just came out of nowhere and confessed…what was his name again? Kentaro, I think?"

"Oh, Sakata? Huh…I'm surprised he never tried sooner," Keitaro mused. He knew of the rather spoiled young man since their junior year. He had always made a spectacle of how well off he was. The Mononobe heir immediately placed Kentaro under the "Avoid at all costs" tab of his acquaintances…he didn't need the headache.

"He said something about wanting to date me earlier, but that I was always around 'that rough-looking Urashima kid', so he thought we were a thing back then" Naru replied, brushing an errant thread of hair from her face, "No surprise, seeing that we did hang out a lot. It was like having my own little bodyguard."

Keitaro gave her a dry side-glance, "Riiiiight…"

The lovely girl laughed before letting go of the young man's arm and facing him, "Anyway, I should probably go find my family. I think they're around here somewhere."

Keitaro nodded, "You do that then. I'll go look for my folks too. Meet up later?"

"Mhmm!" Naru said before almost leaping at Keitaro and stealing a kiss from his lips. The two stayed that way for only a few tender seconds before Naru let go and ran off with a wave to find her family. Alone once more, Keitaro sighed and looked up through the blooming cherry blossom trees at the sky, "I really wish you could have been here for this…Tou-san…Kaa-san…Saya-chan…You always talked about seeing me grow and take the next steps into manhood."

A soft wind gently blew across him, almost as if the dearly departed had heard him and meant to comfort him. Savoring the sensation, the lone Mononobe continued to wander aimlessly on campus, reflecting on all he had done…and all that he still had to do.

"Man this blows," Ranmaru whined as he and his brothers continued to walk around the high school campus. The main ceremony had ended a while ago, and now the new graduates were mingling with each other, taking pictures, signing yearbooks, and gleefully chatting about the schools they got into. During that time, the Tachibana triplets had made their rounds, scoping out who looked prettiest…or rather Ranmaru was doing the scoping. Rikimaru looked around with indifference, while Ichimaru seemed content with just admiring the beautiful weather.

"What's the matter Ran, this little scouting trip of yours not what you thought it would be?" Rikimaru teased, much to the annoyance of his younger brother, "I honestly don't see the point…you're the son of an Imperial Guardian, you could just order one of the maids back at the house to blow you if you really need to get off that bad."

Ichimaru chuckled, "Maybe he's too tired of how easy he's had it, and wants a challenge?" he glanced up at the sky, the sunlight forcing him to narrow his already slit eyes even more, "Gotta keep up the seduction skills after all. Never know when we might need 'em on a mission."

"For once he's actually right," Ranmaru mumbled, placing his hands in his pockets and taking another glance around at the crowd, "Those whores at the palace are gettin boring. I need something new…something fresh…something-"

The youngest triplet paused mid sentence, when out of the corner of his eye he spotted a young girl who seemed to be a bit lost. She looked a bit younger than the triplets, possibly by a year or two, with chestnut brown hair that had a slight reddish tinge, similarly colored eyes, and a cute, heart-shaped face. She was dressed in slightly worn sneakers, a frilly green skirt that went to the top of her knees, and a white blouse under a teal vest tied with a blue ribbon. Her hair was split into two pig tails, with more blue ribbons tying the hair into place. All in all, she was definitely a step above what the triplets had seen so far.

"….Guys, I'll be right back," Ranmaru said quickly before following after the girl, a predatory grin coming over his face. Seeing that look on his brother, Rikimaru huffed and turned to head back to the courtyard, "Well, there he goes. I'm out of here. Are you coming, Ichi?"

"Yea, I'd rather not get caught up in whatever he has planned," Ichimaru said with a fox-like leer aimed at where he saw Ranmaru and his target disappear, "I'm meeting up with pops in a bit too, so I should get back soon anyway."

Heedless of his brothers' departure, Ranmaru slowly stalked the lost-looking young girl until they reached the other side of the school. There was a section of the building where it was divided by a dip in the wall, creating a small, dark alley. Picking up a rock, the Tachibana threw it at a garbage can, startling the girl and making her turn away from the wall to see what made the noise. Using his incredible speed, Ranmaru silently ran along the wall, above the girl, and into the alley way that she was about to pass. Ducking into the darkness, he didn't have to wait long before the now skittish girl passed by.

"Hmph…way too easy," he whispered just before he quickly grabbed the girls arm and pushed her further into the alley, "Well, well, what do we have here?"

The girl screeched, turning wide frightened eyes to the boy that had pulled her into the dark alley, "W-W-Who are you?! Wh-Wh-What do you w-want?!"

"And here we go with the stupid questions," Ranmaru replied snidely, "Fine, I'll bite. You're really cute. I'm really bored. We're all alone. Get the picture yet, or should I keep going?"

The girl tried to run past him, only for him to grab her by the collar of her blouse and roughly push her against a wall, a kunai appearing in his other hand before holding it to her neck, "Now now…that was a little mean, don't ya think? Especially after all the trouble I went through…now be a good little bunny, ok?"

The terrified girl let off another shriek, but it was cut off when Ranmaru quickly moved his hand from her shirt to her mouth, "So that's how it's gonna be, huh?"

He threw the girl to the ground, her blouse and vest tearing off from the force and leaving her on the ground in just a pink bra and her skirt. Ranmaru gazed hungrily down at her as he advanced slowly.

"…guess we're doing this the hard way then!"

Keitaro's ears perked up when he heard something that sounded like a young girl's frightened shriek. Thanks to his deep mental musings, the Mononobe heir never even realized he had walked all the way to the rear side of the school. The muffled cry, however, was enough to shock him back into reality.

'What the hell was that?' he thought as he used a pulse of ki to scan the area around him. The area around him was rather vacant, with a few trees, a couple of dumpsters, and the far side of the school where one of the emergency exits was, along with an alley created by the dip in the school building. It was there that his scans picked up something terrifying.

"You can't be serious!" he cursed as he made a dash for the alley. Once he arrived, the avenger came upon a scene that made his blood boil.

A reddish-brown haired girl was in tears, her pink bra now shredded so much it exposed her developing B-cup breasts, her green skirt also in tatters. She peered up frightened at her assailant, who was twirling his kunai with one finger.

"Now…comes the real fun part," Ranmaru whispered as he advanced again on his victim. Before he could make three steps, however, a powerful hand gripped his shoulder hard and literally hurled him out of the alley, the boy only stopping when his back smashed against one of the dumpsters.

"…you pathetic, disgusting piece of garbage…" Keitaro hissed as he slowly walked out of the alley. Ranmaru coughed, gingerly getting back to his feet before fixing the older man with a harsh glare.

"Who the FUCK do you think you are?!" he nearly shouted, "Do you have ANY idea who you're fucking with?!"

Keitaro took a closer look at the boy in front of him, taking note of his wild red hair that stuck up like billowing flames, the purple overcoat he wore over his clothes with the emperor's vigil, and his angry amber eyes.

'I know him…he was one of the targets in the profile,' the avenger had to fight the manic grin that threatened to come over his face, 'Ranmaru Tachibana, youngest triplet son of Minato Tachibana…well isn't this my lucky day!'

Unaware of the thoughts going through the other man's head, Ranmaru stood upright, fighting the burning pain in his back from the impact, "I guess you figured it out, huh? That's right, I'm an Imperial Guardian! See how bad you just fucked up now?!"

Keitaro didn't move an inch, his brown hair blocking his eyes from view. Taking it as a sign of fear, Ranmaru chuckled, "Ah fuck it. Tell ya what…I'm feeling a little generous today. If you leave now, and swear to tell no one about what you saw, I'll spare your life. What do you say?"

"Interesting offer," Keitaro began, a dangerous edge lining his voice, "I'll do you one better. If you turn yourself in now, I won't put you into an early grave."

"MOTHERFUCKER!" Ranmaru screamed, flipping the kunai in his hand into a backwards grip, "Don't say I didn't try to give you an out!"

Using an impressive burst of speed, the young Tachibana dashed towards Keitaro, bringing his kunai up for a slash to the throat. Just when the blade was about to connect, the Mononobe heir tilted back slightly, the tip of the weapon barely missing the skin. Shocked, but undaunted, Ranmaru continued to deliver a series of fast slashes and strikes at random. Keitaro smirked as he dodged every blow by the narrowest margins.

"Hold still you bastard!" Ranmaru upped the speed of his strikes, but none of them scored even a glancing blow on Keitaro, 'Who the fuck IS this guy?!'

'I think I've toyed with him enough,' Keitaro suddenly grabbed Ranmaru's kunai arm by the wrist, stopping the boy in his tracks. The Tachibana tried to pull his arm out of the older man's grip, but the avenger's grip was like a steel vice. Smirking viciously, Keitaro lifted the would-be rapist into the air by his arm, and swung him into the side of the dumpster. Ranmaru screamed in pain as he felt his chest smack into the unforgiving steel, not hard enough to break anything, but enough that the would-be-rapist felt his ribs compress dangerously. Relishing in the boy's pain, Keitaro decided to end it and threw Ranmaru into the wall leading to the alley. The Tachibana's head smacked into the wall with a dull thud, knocking him out instantly while his body slid to the floor leaving a small trail of blood on the wall.

'Well…that was quick,' Keitaro rotated his shoulder and walked up to the vulnerable Ranmaru. Eyeing the kunai on the floor next to the boy's hand, the avenger felt his cursed ki flare up, almost as if it was calling out to him to take the boy's life.

'I could end him right now…I was going to save him for later, but this is a golden opportunity-'

"EEEP!"

Keitaro whirled around, ready to bolt the scene when he saw the victimized young girl holding onto the wall only a couple feet away, her wide brown eyes fearfully staring at him. Letting out a sigh, the landlord slowly walked over and knelt in front of the girl, "It's ok. He won't hurt you ever again."

The girl flinched, almost as if she was prepared to run, but Keitaro gave her his best reassuring look, while simultaneously suppressing his evil ki once again, 'Can't do anything while she's here…better make sure she's ok first. There'll be other chances...'

The young girl stood still for a moment, tears still streaming down her face, before running and wrapping her arms around Keitaro's neck while she cried, finally overcome by disgust, fear, and anguish over what had happened, and what would have happened if her assailant hadn't been stopped. The landlord held her gently, rubbing her bare back to comfort her, "That's it…just let it all out now…you're going to be just fine."

Keitaro rubbed at his eyes as he walked through the entrance of Hinata-sou, his mind heavy with the events of the day. After calming the strangely familiar young girl for a bit longer, he gave her his blazer to protect her modesty and escorted her to the nearest police booth a couple of blocks away from the school. He had also dragged the still-unconscious Ranmaru behind him, not willing to take any risks in case he tried to escape. After dropping them both off and explaining what happened to the policemen at the booth, the landlord disappeared before the two officers could take his name.

"I'm glad I got away so fast…the last thing I need is the police snooping around me right now," he said to himself as he reached his room. As he changed out of his outfit and into his casual gi and hakama, his phone suddenly started buzzing. Puzzled, he picked it up and cursed when he saw it was Naru.

'Shit! I was supposed to meet up with her before we came back! I hope she's not too mad,' he accepted the call and said a silent prayer before answering, "Hey, Naru-chan. What's up-"

"Keitaro-kun…" Keitaro's eyes narrowed at the halting, broken tone in his girlfriend's voice, "…are you still at the school?"

"No…something came up and I had to come back in a hurry," he replied, "I'm really sorry, I meant to call you but-"

"It's alright…" the brown-haired girl sniffled, "Listen…I'm not gonna be home for a couple days…something happened with my family, and I…I have to be with them for a bit…"

Keitaro narrowed his eyes in concern, "Are you ok? Is your family alright, Naru-chan?"

"…I'll tell you when I get back…I'll see you in a few days."

"Wait! Naru-cha-" Keitaro called out, but the phone line suddenly went off, leaving the avenger wondering what could have happened to hurt his girlfriend so much.

'Naru-chan…I hope whatever it is, isn't too serious…'

Three days passed without a single word from Naru, and Keitaro was beginning to get increasingly nervous. After the abrupt end to his last call to her, the landlord went about telling the girls that their housemate would be out for a few days to visit her family. While they were concerned for their fellow dorm member and friend, the girls took the news at face value, although Kitsune did try to tease more details out of Keitaro. Her attempts were thwarted by Motoko, who dragged the woman off while scolding her about 'tempting the bestial urges of a man with her jokes'.

Ever since then, the household was on edge, waiting with baited breath for Naru to return. Everyone's mood seemed to take a hit, with even Kitsune cutting down on her jokes substantially…something Keitaro was secretly grateful for.

The afternoon of the third day, the young landlord decided to do some meditation in his room, as a way to calm his thoughts as well as regain his center. He hadn't tried to call Naru again after that day, afraid that he would be intruding on what he believed was a private matter. It didn't help his anxiety over her well-being, however.

'...Naru-chan...'

He was brought out of his mental musings when he sensed a familiar ki enter the area of the dorm, followed by the front door slamming open and a piercing shriek of despair echoing throughout the lobby. Quickly getting to his feet, the landlord rushed downstairs with bokken in hand, clueless as to what he would find, but preparing himself for anything.

The Mononobe heir was met with the scene of a weeping Naru, kneeling on the ground while Kitsune held her to her chest, rocking back and forth slowly to calm her down. Motoko came down the stairs next, also armed and stood next to Keitaro until she realized the situation, and ran over to kneel next to the distraught young woman, "Naru-sempai! What's wrong?! What happened?!"

Keitaro felt a slight pull on his hakama, and looked down to spot Suu and Shinobu lightly clutching him. Suu was unusually quiet, a look of concern on her normally upbeat face, while Shinobu looked scared, having never seen Naru so utterly distraught before.

"S-S-Sempai…what happened to Naru-sempai?" she whispered, Suu glancing up at the man as well. Kitsune and Motoko continued to try and calm their friend down in the meantime, also trying to ask what had happened, but to no avail.

"…I don't know, Shinobu chan…but I'll try to find out," Keitaro replied before walking over and stopping just a foot in front of the bawling girl. Kneeling down to her level, he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him abruptly, "Naru-chan…what happened to you?"

Without warning, Naru threw herself at the landlord, only his training preventing them from falling to the ground. Renewed tears preceded even more sobbing, before she finally calmed down enough to get out a few words

"…my sister…Mei…she…she was…she was…"

Her next few words cast a haunting chill over the room, and as she continued to divulge what had occurred over the past three days, Keitaro found it harder and harder to control the cursed ki that flowed through his veins.

"So the bastard almost raped your girlfriend's younger sister, and the cops let him off with just a slap on the wrists because of his position…politics fucking suck in this country."

Keitaro heard Kimiko spit on the ground in disgust over the phone before she continued, "That is...that is absolutely terrible. As if what he and his fuckface brothers did days ago wasn't enough…!"

The landlord fought the urge to growl. Naru had explained how her sister had been brought to a police booth by an as-of-yet unidentified savior, and her family had been called over to get her. However, by the time they had arrived, the assailant, who had been brought unconscious to the booth as well, had been released. A day later, Naru's parents received word that the police refused to pursue the case, despite the overwhelming evidence. Naru's father had nearly had a heart attack, while her mother instead focused on holding her youngest daughter and trying to calm her. Mei was so afraid, she refused to step outside without her parents or her older sister, even going so far as to refuse to attend school.

"I'm going to need everything you have on that little bastard, Kimiko," the landlord hissed, his grip tightening on his cell to the point of nearly cracking it.

"Right…well from what I was able to gather, he hasn't done much around the city, save for his partying. Despite being underage, his status as the son of an Imperial Guardian grants him virtual immunity from the law. So long as he doesn't harm anyone important, the police won't touch him."

Keitaro banged a fist on the wall in frustration, "Tell me something I don't know! My girlfriend was bawling her eyes out for hours, her sister's too afraid to go outside and her parents are cracking to pieces trying to keep everything together! Give me something I can use, dammit!"

Kimiko was silent for a moment before finally replying, "There is one thing…he recently purchased a club in downtown Tokyo. Some hip new placed called Tensai. For the past couple of weeks, he's been trying to fill out the staff before its opening night in another week or two."

"Well…that does sound useful…" Keitaro mused, calming down somewhat with the new information. Kimiko continued, "Unfortunately, I've been assigned another guard detail, so me and my little drones can't get much reconnaissance done of the place. You may have to infiltrate on your own somehow, and learn whatever else you think you need to know before you strike."

"Understood. I'll figure something out," he replied before pausing, "….and Kimiko…..thanks."

Kimiko's eyes widened, "…What did you just say?"

Before she could inquire further, Keitaro hung up, not up to dealing with her teasing at the moment. Heading to his small desk, the landlord sat down and booted up his laptop. Activating the browser, he searched for the club Kimiko had mentioned.

'She said it was called Tensai…here it is,' he entered the website, and quickly spotted the ads for job openings, 'Kimiko wasn't kidding about the applications. I'll look into this later.'

Shutting down the laptop, the landlord rose to his feet and left the room. Heading downstairs, he saw Kitsune sitting on a chair next to the sofa, where Naru had passed out from exhaustion after crying for so long. Motoko had long since put the other girls to bed, both of whom were either confused or shell-shocked after hearing what nearly befell Mei. Hearing him approach, Kitsune turned her head up while continuing to gently stroke Naru's hair, "Well hey, strangeh. Didn't think you were still awake."

"I thought you'd be out cold by now," Keitaro replied before kneeling in front of the girl, taking note of the redness around her eyes, "How is she?"

"Still asleep…poor thing must've cried the whole way here," the buxom woman sighed sadly, staring at the sleeping girl piteously, "I still can't believe it…that…that monster actually got away with doing what he did to Mei….poor, sweet, innocent little Mei…"

It was Kitsune's turn to let the tears fall, her sobs silent, but still profound, "I've known that little girl since she first moved in with Naru after their folks got hitched…not a bad bone in her body…and this…this is what happens to her? How….how messed up IS that…?!"

Keitaro leaned forward and hugged Kitsune's head to his chest while she silently wept, the anger he had tried to keep in check almost bursting at the seams, "You're right…it isn't fair. That bastard deserves to pay for what he did…"

Making a decision, Keitaro withdrew and stood up, earning a questioning glance from the resident fox, "I have to make a call…I'll be right back."

Seeing the older woman nod, the landlord headed down the hall, wisps of red ki wafting off him like a repressed flame. Pulling out his phone, he dialed in one of his contacts and waited for a reply.

'…I've waited long enough…Ranmaru Tachibana…I will destroy you…I swear it on Mei's honor...!' his eyes blazed red as the person he dialed picked up on the other end.

"Good evening, Kyoshiro-sama! How may I help you?"

"Arata-san…I was wondering about that new toy of yours that we spoke about a while ago…"

Author's Note: Greetings again everyone. I know my apologies for taking so long must be getting old by now, but I'll probably continue to give them anyway. It's been a really rough couple months, made more so by the recent passing of my mother. Because of this, everything's been tossed for a loop.

Rest assured though, I am NOT giving up on this for anything. I have the next chapter almost ready and the others in the outline stages, so don't you worry. I'm gonna see this thru to the end.

So now Ranmaru done fucked up, and he woke the dragon. Next chapter, someone finally gets what's coming to them...and believe me when I say it's gonna get nasty.

Big thanks again to my beta Cloud Link Zero. Your ideas and enthusiasm continue to bring out the best in me and my writing.

Anyway, I've rambled enough. Time to get back to work. Ciph signin out.