Author's Notes

This chapter, you'll see two faces that might be familiar to you if you like older anime.

Special Thanks to: Kamen Rider Chrome (totally freakin' rad name, by the way, I love Kamen Rider!), CodeMasterFiFi, James Birdsong, Jack Fedora (hi dad!), and Wittman the Tiger Ace. Y'all rock!

Fun Fact: I've been putting this all off for so long because I've been making preparations to go to college! That's right, folks, yours truly is eighteen years old now, and headed to CSUN at the end of August to pursue a degree in Psychology! Also, short chapter is short. Apologies.


Love Hina: Aozuki-hen

Act 2: Keitaro's First Day

Part 1: An Unexpected Arrival

-Hinata House [Keitaro's Room], Early Morning-

Keitaro yawned and stretched as he woke up. It had been a rough night, and a very long one, but he was glad to have gotten what little sleep he did.

-Dang, what a night,- he thought as he got up out of his futon. He checked the LED-lit alarm clock, to find it displaying 7:00 in blue letters. The ronin sighed, and got up, going to the closet to get himself something to wear and making a note to himself to buy new clothes.

Once he was fully dressed, Keitaro decided to go freshen up in the bathrooms. Luckily, on his trip to Hinata House he had been carrying a backpack filled with basic necessities, including a portable toothbrush and a travel-sized tube of toothpaste. His breath was... well, it wasn't pleasant, and Keitaro had the sneaking suspicion that if he wanted to remain on decent terms with the tenants, he'd need to freshen up and make himself look presentable.

Opening the door out to the hallway, he looked left, then right, and sauntered out...

"G'MORNING!"

WHAM!

The next thing he knew, Keitaro was sprawling on the floor, his head aching, and none other than tiny Kaolla Su was standing above him. She had come out of absolutely nowhere with a flying kick straight to his head.

"What's for breakfast?" the islander girl asked cheerily.

Keitaro groaned, staggering to his feet. "Ow.." The Kanrinin held his head, looking incredibly pained. "W-What was that...?"

"Oh, that's a customary morning greeting where I'm from!" Su explained, before darting around Keitaro to go to breakfast. "C'mon, Keitaro-san, let's go!" She ran down the hall, giggling, as Keitaro looked on in bewilderment.

"That's what passes for a greeting around here...?" he muttered, before going to the bathroom to wash up. It didn't take him very long to get there. Even though Su's impromptu attack had necessitated a bit of skulking around, so as to avoid any more crazy adolescents leaping out at him to give him a concussion, he managed to make it to the washroom in one piece, and groom himself for the day, before heading down to the dining room for breakfast.


-Hinata House [Naru's Room], Early Morning-

Naru Narusegawa was having a very bad morning. She hadn't been able to sleep a wink since last night, and it was all because of that stupid, no-good, PERVERTED-!

Viciously, Naru ran a brush through her long, ruddy hair, imagining the brush was a knife she was skinning Keitaro with. Of all things, the Kanrinin had had the audacity to peep on her in the bath, and then embarrass her right in front of her friends! And not one of them but Motoko had stepped in to defend her! She glared daggers at the center of her room, where a pile of wooden boards and a plush toy of a cartoon character covered a large hole in the floor. While Granny Hina had been Kanrinin, the two had used the hole to talk. Now, the Kanrinin's room was occupied by Keitaro, and who knew what kinds of perverse antics he would get up to once he found out about the hole?

On impulse, the redhead abandoned her brushing, reached over, and picked up the plushie, hugging it close.

"What'm I gonna do, Liddo-kun?" Naru muttered miserably, burying her face in the squirrel-like toy's plush fur. "That guy is nothing but trouble, I can sense it..."

And if so, she thought to herself, why the hell can't I get him off my mind? He was not particularly physically attractive, owing to his slim frame, mundane hairstyle, and, frankly, dorky-ass glasses, but when he had blown Motoko away with that cherry blossom thing... A ripple of some strange, unfamiliar emotion squiggled down Naru's spine, causing the Toudai hopeful to shiver. The fire in his eyes while defending himself from attack... It was so...

So enthralling.

Eventually, though, Naru got fed up. "Bah!" she shouted, tossing Liddo-kun the stuffie back onto his perch above the hole. "I've had it!" Anger rekindled, the fiery redhead finished attacking her hair, got on some decent clothes, and stomped her way down to breakfast.


-Hinata House [Kitchen], Early Morning-

It was a nice, bright morning, the radio was belting out bubbly J-pop tunes, and Shinobu Maehara was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the kitchen, cooking up a morning meal for her fellow tenants of Hinata House. Today, the blue-haired girl had decided to make something special, in honor of Keitaro's new job as Kanrinin: six sumptuous bowls of oyakodon! Shinobu happily hummed along to the radio's beat as she ladled steamy rice into six bowls, followed by a savory mix of chicken, egg, and scallions, all simmered to perfection in dashi sauce.

As she cooked, the little middle-schooler's thoughts drifted. Eventually, she found herself remembering the tumultuous events of the previous night. How Naru, frothing at the mouth, had beaten Keitaro to a pulp for the crime of accidentally walking in on her in the bath. How Motoko, driven by misplaced justice, had joined in...

...and how Keitaro had stopped both of them in their tracks in a flurry of cherry blossoms.

Where the flowers had come from, Shinobu had no idea. All she knew was that somehow, Keitaro had saved his own hide and, miraculously, healed himself, before giving Naru and Motoko a sorely-deserved tongue-lashing. Naru had scurried away once Keitaro had pointed out that she was naked, and Motoko had humbled herself to accept punishment- from a i)man(i, no less!

The blue-haired girl chuckled, before noticing Kitsune slink into the kitchen.

"Mornin', Shinobu-chan," the short-haired woman greeted, cheerfully waving at the diminutive cook.

"O-oh, good morning, Kitsune-senpai," Shinobu returned. "You're just in time for breakfast! Can you round up the others and tell them breakfast is ready?"

"Sure thing, sugar!" Kitsune smiled and took a look at Shinobu's chosen dish. "Ooh boy, oyakodon! You don't normally make this, do ya?"

"N-No," the little cook said honestly. "I'm making it in honor of Keitaro!"

At the mention of their new Kanrinin's name, Kitsune got a funny expression on her face. It was one Shinobu recognized- a slow, lazy curling upward of the lips. A devious expression.

"Is that so?" the fox-like girl said sweetly, clasping her hands together and interlacing her fingers. "What do you think of our dear new landlord anyhow, Shinobu-chan?"

"Uhm, well, I think he's very nice, and..." Shinobu tapped her fingers together. "Uh... I- I honestly think that Naru and Motoko are being too hard on him..." Her last words were spoken in a mumble.

Kitsune let out a sharp bark of laughter. "Too hard on him? Ha! Did you see him before he did the thing with the flowers? Poor idiot looked like a dead man walking!"

"That's the thing that's bothering me," Shinobu said softly, before looking around with wide eyes, as though she feared Naru or Motoko chancing on their conversation. "Why did Naru have to go to such extremes without even letting Keitaro defend himself? It just rubs me the wrong way..."

"What rubs you the wrong way?" a voice asked, and Shinobu went white as Naru entered, looking disgruntled.

"N-Nothing!" squeaked the middle schooler. "J-just this whole situation feels weird..."

"Huh, I'll say." Naru snorted and looked at the oyakodon. "Breakfast?" Shinobu just nodded meekly. "Ah, great. Don't mind if I do." The redhead scooped up a bowl, retrieved some utensils, and stalked away to eat.


-Hinata House [Dining Room], Early Morning-

Breakfast was a very subdued affair that morning. After the display in the hot spring last night, none of the girls could work up the courage to speak to Keitaro except for Su, and she was too busy shoveling food into her mouth to make any conversation. Motoko was absent- scrubbing the floors as punishment for her previous transgression, no doubt. Naru had her nose in a book as she ate, pointedly ignoring Keitaro. Kitsune and Shinobu were both watching the Kanrinin as he ate, the former with an expression of intense scrutiny, the latter with a shyer look.

Speaking of Keitaro's eating, he was eating much more and much faster than he had last night- his food consumption almost rivaled Su's, though his manners were much better.

"Someone's hungry," Kitsune finally commented, causing Keitaro to freeze after slurping up some egg.

"Uh... Y-Yeah." He let a nervous smile onto his face. "So, uh, can I ask about your schedules?"

Naru looked up from her book. "I go to cram school from eight to four, Shinobu and Su have middle school from nine thirty to three, Motoko has high school from nine to three, Kitsune just lazes around doing whatever," she said tersely.

"Oh. Uh... Okay then." Keitaro bit his lip and finished up his bowl, then went to the kitchen to wash it. "I'm gonna look over the place and see what needs repairing..."

"You do that," grunted Naru. She took a look at the clock, and her eyes widened. "Oh, crap... We're gonna be late for class! Su, Shinobu, hurry it up! Someone get Motoko!"


-Hinata House [Outside], Late Morning-

"H-How much farther...?"

"No worries, we're here!"

"Oh thank god..."

Outside the Hinata Inn, long after the four girls had left for school, two people had just ascended the stairs and were standing in front of the majestic blue building. One seemed hale and hearty, but the other was panting heavily. Both were toting a suitcase.

"Oouuuh..." the tired one groaned. He was a teenage boy- around Su's age, maybe a bit older- and had on a white dress shirt, and slacks. His hair was short and brown, and his face, though pleasantly boyish, seemed to be permanently home to a sullen expression.

In contrast, his companion was an adult woman with longer purple hair, wearing a red jacket over a black skirt and an olive green shirt. She seemed much more cheerful as she patted the boy on the back. "Oh, Shinji-kun, cheer up a little. You won't have to deal with those nasty stairs now, eh? Besides, you get to see Keitaro-kun again!"

"Uuh... If you say so, Misato-san..." Tentatively, Shinji approached the doors, and knocked.


-Hinata House [Common Room], Late Morning-

Thunk thunk thunk! Kitsune paused the television as she heard the knock on the inn's door. "What the...?" It couldn't be Haruka- she was definitely too busy running the cafe. But then who? Su, Shinobu, Motoko, and Naru had left, and Keitaro was too busy inside to be doing anything out there.

As such, it fell to one Mitsune Konno to open the door. However, she would certainly take her sweet time doing so. She sat up, and allowed herself to have a looooooong, bone-cracking stretch and yawn, before sticking her hands in the pockets of her short-shorts and sauntering to the door.

With a creak, it opened, and she was confronted by the boy and the woman who had just arrived.

"Uh, hello," the boy said shyly, stepping back a ways. "This is Hinata House, correct? Is Urashima Keitaro here?"


Glossary

Liddo-kun: A cartoon character in the world of "Love Hina". A yellow, squirrel-like creature, he is the star of the kiddie show "Liddo-kun and Friends". Keitaro and Naru are both fond of the character. Naru's Liddo-kun doll was a gift from an old friend.

Oyakodon: A popular breakfast meal in Japan, belonging to the family of donburi (dishes of meat or veggies served over rice bowls). The name means "parent and child bowl", a flavorful description of its containing both chicken and eggs! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.