On with the show:
Chapter 3: Reunions or HeartbreakFor a moment, no one spoke, everything took on a deathly silence for Ryuuya as his mind dropped the ball and his mouth failed to even babble something from memory to pick up the slack.
Perhaps he was merely stunned to realise this clearly insane older man was Kanna's Father, though a history of insanity in the family may have explained a few things. Or maybe he was simply out of breath from running so far; only, such a short run should not have winded someone trained in the special arts.
Another, remote possibility, one he was doing his best to ignore, was the fact that this man was the patriarch of the woman with whom he was currently embroiled in the midst of a soap opera-esk love triangle with…
"Dad, this is Ryuuya Sagura", Kanna stepped in, sparing him a 'get your act together, this is my Father moron', look briefly as Keitaro turned to shake hands with the younger man.
"Pleased to meet you sir", Ryu said, cursing how stiff and formal he sounded. He was only greeting the man, not asking to marry Kanna.
Ryuuya blinked rapidly. Now where had that thought come from?
From the corner of his eye he saw Ayu eye him strangely for a moment, glancing swiftly back and forth between him and Kanna her small lips pursed as if she had read his mind and was worried by what such a thing might mean.
"Glad to meet you as well my boy" Keitaro spoke only half heard as Ryu took a step toward Ayu, more to reassure her than to distance himself from a potentially parentally enraged Father he told himself, "Ka-chan has told us a lot about you".
Ryuuya froze, "…Is that so?".
Responding to his distress without really thinking what she was doing, Ayu stepped closer, brushing her hand against his while disguising it as a gesture meant to turn him back to face Keitaro. One the other side of Ayu, Kanna frowned.
Under normal circumstances Ryu might have squeezed her shoulder or offered her a small smile as thanks, but right now he was too distracted and hoped she'd understand the lack of response.
Ryu was proud that he didn't start sweating or panic blindly like the protagonist from one of Kei's overdone manga plots, but he was still concerned. What had Kanna told her parents about their situation? Surely she hadn't informed them that she was in a sort of unspoken competition with her best friend for the affections of young man who was, until recently, the host to one of the most vile demons ever to scrape his way out of hell.
Unfortunately he knew Kanna made a point of blunt honesty, and he couldn't see her as the type to lie to her parents even if it meant that by doing so she protected her chances of winning him over some day.
Equally so, Ayu was a terrible lair. All it would take would be the wrong question phrased the wrong way and anything the Urashima's didn't already know would come spilling forth in a confused babble.
In short, Ryu was screwed.
"Yes, you're Motoko's boy right? How is your mother doing these days?", Keitaro's smile never wavered, if he was hiding his outrage he was doing it well.
"Yes sir, she's fine", he responded woodenly, grunting when Kanna managed to swing a kick around behind Ayu that connected sharply with the back of his leg. It was her less than subtle way of saying 'You're blowing it!', and all he could do was hold what he hoped was an open and welcoming expression on his face while mentally growling, I'm doing my best.
When the second kick came he almost jumped. It had clearly conveyed the message 'Try harder'. With Ayu he might sometimes wonder if her almost empathic ability to connect to those she cared with allowed her to read his mind sometimes, but with Kanna it was something else. They still hadn't dared test for any residual side effects of the Enishi incident.
Ryu found himself wondering, if she dreamed of fields of endless white also…
"That's good, I was worried about her after… well, after your Father passed on", though his words were kind they still raked at Ryu's innards like hot knives. He still had yet to forgive himself for Koichi's death, and doubted he ever would entirely.
Something in his voice clicked for Ryu, a strange sense of familiarity had been used when mentioning his Father…
"You… knew my Father sir?", he asked, curious.
"You could say that my boy, you could say that", Keitaro said with a mock mysterious grin that soon dissolved into another wide smile, "I was still the landlord of Hinata Sou when your Father arrived looking for your Mother after close to twelve years of separation. I was also one of the people who helped him celebrate his engagement".
Kanna rolled her eyes in an affectionate way and mocked punched her father as he chucked to himself, his eyes misty with memories.
"Your Father was a good man Ryuuya, always a warm smile and a joke… all the more tragic that he should die of a stroke at such a young age", Keitaro sighed, clapping a surprisingly strong hand on the younger man's shoulder.
Ryu did his best to ignore the sensation of Kanna and Ayu's eyes upon him. They were most likely wondering how the elder Urashima had come to be so misinformed. Having learned of everything that had happened in the worst possible way, they didn't know about the false story the council had forced his Mother to circulate at the time amongst those closest to the Clan but not a part of it, such as the Urashima's and by that time, his estranged Aunt and her Lover, Ayu's Mother Shinobu Maehara.
The council had resolutely refused to let anyone more than necessary know that leader of their people had been cut down by his own demon possessed spawn, though they readily told anyone with a grudge against the Sagura family within the Clan.
Still, it showed that Keitaro had been closer to his family than he had at first thought, believing him only to be a distant friend of his Mother's seeing as both she and his Father rarely spoke about the Urashima's. Then again if what Ayu had cryptically referred to that day on the park bench was indeed something real and not just a shared dream, then perhaps Kanna really had been brought to the family estate when he was a child, which would imply this man was much closer to his family than he had believed.
However, that also meant he was more likely to react badly if he ever learned the true cause of his friend's death, another strike in the column of factors suddenly conspiring against his chances of making a decision before something tore him, Kanna and Ayu apart…
"You remind me of him a little, your faces are similar…", Keitaro paused for a moment, adjusting his glasses and peering at Ryu a little closer, seeming not to notice how the younger man tensed as if expecting some sort of attack, "But your eyes are the wrong colour. I thought it was a trait passed down in your family, I've never met a Sagura with blue eyes before".
Ryu thought of lying, saying that they were a trait from his Mother's side, but anyone familiar with the Aoyama line knew that its women were the poster for the Japanese complexion, all boasting straight black hair and deep brown eyes capped off by pale, almost porcelain skin. Instead he simply chose the explanation that best fit his age.
"They're cosmetic, faux contact lenses, simply a whimsical fashion accessory", he said affecting a faint smile and as relaxed a pose as he could manage.
"If you're here, where's mom?", Kanna interrupted, not wanting to risk allowing her Father to fall into a lecture about 'snazzy' eyewear as he was increasingly prone to do now that he and his mentor, Seta seemed to have entered into a silent contest to see who could buy the most stylish glasses. Yet another thing to drive both their respective wives a little crazier.
"Naru? Oh, she's back at the house checking on Ema and the new tenants, she seemed busy so I left a note and went for a drive, before I knew it here I was, running into Ryu here", he flung an arm around Ryu like an old war buddy.
Kanna half smiled, wary of Ryu's displeased expression, whether over the sudden hug or more possibly knowing her Father some omission hidden within that last statement, she didn't know, but pleased on some level to see her Father and the object of her affections getting along.
A sidelong glance at Ayu's poorly concealed discontent stifled the rest of the grin. Despite the fact that they were supposed to be rivals, neither girl could really stand to see the other unhappy at her expense.
This small pleasure denied her, she was forced to focus back on the task at hand. Namely, finding out ahead of time if she was going to have to deal with a panicked and angry Mother yet again, because her Father's sudden disappearance had scared her and then, like her daughter, mad because she had been scared.
As long as she could recall, her Mother had never liked being left alone without being warned first, especially by her Father. This abandonment issue would become even stronger around certain people or places, such as her aunt Mutsumi or whenever they came to the Hinata area in general. In fact, she even had a vague memory of a place far away, with lots of woodland where they had gone once with Ayu's parents…
"In other words you snuck out cause you know mom has more sense than to let you wonder off on your own when it comes to anything that doesn't involve digging up old pots", she said folding her arms over her chest.
As biting as those words may have seemed, having seen the unchecked Keitaro in action, Ryuuya was entirely sure he disagreed.
"You know, I was told daughters were supposed to comfort their Fathers in their autumn years", Keitaro said, scratching the back of his head absently.
"When you get there dad, we'll work something out", Kanna smiled, raising up on her tip toes to give her Father a quick peck on the cheek, "But for now, I'll call mom to let her know your with us while Ryu finds us a free table".
"Since when was I reduced to table duty?", Ryu asked.
"Since I asked Guidance and they told me it was the only vocation suited to you", Kanna fired back, planting her hands on her hips and daring him to fight back.
Forgetting for a moment who he was in the presence of, Ryu squared up to her, his eyes glinting as he flicked through a list of quick comebacks.
"I think I see a table over there", Ayu pointed out, ever the peacekeeper, carefully taking Ryu's elbow to steer him away and towards a seat while balancing the tray that carried both her and Kanna's meal.
It wasn't until he had reached the table Ayu had chosen next to the window, affording them a view across the campus, that recent events caught up with Ryu and he almost missed his seat on the way down.
"It's quite alright my boy", Keitaro chuckled, perhaps sensing what was troubling him, "She gets that from her Mother, the Narusegawa's are all very strong women by nature, though they mellow with age… sort of".
Unsure what to make of that comment, Ryuuya opted to remain silent, picking at the spare salad Ayu nudged his way with a comforting smile.
For a minute or two, they enjoyed a companionable sort of quiet and Ryu was finally able to unwind a little.
His mind began to drift and he began mentally ticking off everything he had managed to do that day, reminding himself to finish composing his notes and hand them in before the day was over.
"Senpai", a gentle voice tsked, dragging him out of his own mind and back to the present.
"Hmm?", he asked inelegantly, looking down at Ayu, wondering why she was fighting the urge to smile.
"You, um… here…", she reached up with one finger as if planning to poke him, carefully pressing the digit against his cheek and removing it with a small piece of dressing drenched lettuce stuck on the end, "This was stuck there"
Ryu considered the tiny piece of vegetable for a moment before giving into one of his rare impulsive urges and carefully snagging it off her finger with his lips and swallowing it.
Strange how good food can taste when accompanied by the cute squeal of a startled girl.
"Glad to see everyone's having fun", Kanna's icy voice shattered the moment and almost set him choking on the lettuce.
He answered her even stare with an equally impassive one, annoyed that he couldn't deny a brief flutter of something akin to guilt as she took a seat, not next to her Father as he would have expected but on the opposite side of him as was customary these days.
The absence of conversation that usually accompanied these moments was broken however by the last question he would have wanted posed at that moment, and by possibly the last person he would have wanted to give an answer either too or in front of.
"So, how long have you two been dating?"
Ryuuya's head jerked up sharply, a few of his raven locks breaking free of their confinement and lashing over one eye.
Keitaro's strangely unreadable smile was focused solely on Ryu, looking neither left at Kanna, or right at Ayu, giving away no indication of which pair he had been referring to.
On either side, both girls had gone still, waiting to see if Ryu himself would choose a name. It felt as if every eye in the room had suddenly turned his way, hoping to see the long awaited moment of truth.
"Sir? I'm not sure what you mean…", Ryu opted to play it safe, swallowing at the almost palatable disappointment flowing off the two women beside him.
"You and Ayu-chan", Keitaro said still smiling, resting his chin on one hand.
Although naming one of the girls himself put Ryu past that particular minefield, he didn't need the swift pinch Kanna gave him to remind him not to let her Father form any conclusions about his attachments.
"M-me and S-senpai?", Ayu's face was slowly changing shade, and the return of her stutter showed just how little help she would be in correcting his mistake.
Something in her choice of words seemed to affect Keitaro for a moment, but whatever it was passed quickly allowing Ryu to move things forward.
"We're not dating…", he made a note to make it up to the small blue haired girl later for saying that so directly, but he could afford no misunderstandings, whispering almost without realising it, "…not exactly…".
Ayu smiled weakly, nodding in agreement while Kanna seemed torn as to what to do.
"Really? Its just that you two seemed so…. Oh well, my mistake I guess", Keitaro said, laughing sheepishly and massaging the back of his head again, "Did you get through to your Mother Ka-chan?".
"… Hmm? Oh, right. Yeah, she hadn't noticed you were gone yet luckily, apparently she was helping with something or other, sounded big though she wouldn't give me any details… Knowing mom I'm not sure whether to be curious or scared", both Father and daughter shared a secret smile. Though Naru Narusegawa as she was now was one of the most dignified and beautiful women you could hope to meet, when she got stressed enough she reverted to earlier, less… graceful, patterns of behaviour.
"I suppose I should go help, though your Mother will probably tell me to stay out of the way. We'll catch up properly later Ka-chan, you as well Ayu-chan, and I hope to speak more with you as well Ryu-kun", Keitaro eased himself up out of his chair, waving farewell as he left.
As soon as he was out of sight, Ryu let out a long breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding.
"That was… interesting", he blinked in surprise when he felt a pair of soft lips press against his cheek. His hand over the spot that had just been kissed, he turned to face Kanna as she picked at her meal, only a faint blush giving away the fact that she had ever done anything.
He raised a quizzical eyebrow when she glanced at him, receiving a shrug that was trying too hard to be casual.
"I'm just happy that you didn't totally screw that up, so don't get cocky… and don't get any weird ideas…", she said, seemingly trying to hide behind her own hair like Ayu once would have, "Jerk".
The train ride back was considerably more lively than the trip that morning had been, Ayu and Kanna talked about all the things they were going to talk about with her parents like a pair of sisters who had been away from their family too long, while Ryu listened in, curious as to their chatter having never really been separate from his close family until recently and even now, years of emotional suppression making it hard to comprehend some of their eagerness.
One more scar…
When the subject drifted to Ayu's parents, she sadly informed them that her Mothers wouldn't be visiting, but that she hoped to go visit them before the Christmas period was over, her mention of that particular word causing a awkward pause she did her best to overcome, speculating on who might come back to the Hinata Sou this year.
No one had heard anything from either Natsuki or Mizuki for months, Sara was on her honeymoon with a man she had met a year ago when he had broken down outside her café and as far as they knew none of the other older generation residents were coming back, that included Chii's Mother and Yui's to a lesser extent, as well as Mizuki's Mother a woman none of them had ever met called Kitsune, and of course, Ryu's own Mother.
"Aren't you going to go back home to visit her Senpai?", Ayu asked when the subject came up, "I'm sure she misses you".
"I don't doubt that… but she'd be the only one… I'm not sure I can face that again yet, and besides, I'm a little busy with things here at the moment".
"What do you mean?", Ayu blushed when he gave her and Kanna a pointed look.
"…Does that mean this whole mess is going to be sorted out this year?", Kanna spoke quietly, her gaze unfocused and staring out of the window as the landscape blurred by.
Ryu leant back in his seat, his head reclining against the hard fabric so that it was almost as if he were addressing the ceiling when he spoke.
"One way or another", he breathed, snowflakes whipping past his field of vision. They were getting closer to the station now.
"That sounds kind of ominous", Kanna noted, frowning when he only shrugged, continuing to watch the snow.
"Yeah… I guess it does".
When the trio of students reached the top of the Hinata Sou's stairs that day, they were greeted by a curious sight.
Waiting outside in a thick fir lined coat and trousers the same colour as the snow, her four-legged companion at her side, snorting impatient jets of steam into the increasingly cold air, was Chii.
Though it wasn't unheard of for her to wait for Ryu to come home on occasion if she had made something for him, there was an air of expectation about the young girl that wasn't directed at the Hinata Sou's latest resident.
"Chii-chan?", Ayu called out when they were close enough, drawing a short bark from Chiho, "Yes and Chiho-chan too. What are you both doing out here?".
"She's right, it's cold, you'll get sick", Ryu warned, patting her head absently, something tingling on the edge of his senses for a moment.
"Don't do that, she's not a little girl anymore", Kanna chided him, batting his hand away even though Chii hadn't objected.
"Chii was waiting for you", the young blond announced, remembering at the last moment to address all of them, not just Ryu, "There are some people waiting to see you".
"What kind of people?", Ryu asked suspiciously. He hadn't sensed anything dangerous, but then again it could have been someone who knew how to hide themselves, and with the loss of his demonic abilities, some of his other senses had been dulled as well.
"Follow", Chii said simply, sliding the door open just enough to allow them all to slip through single file while keeping the cold out as much as possible.
The living room was silent when they entered, not a soul to be seen anywhere, something that very rarely happened at this time of day.
"Chii-chan", Kanna spoke, looking around slowly, gradually becoming aware as Ryu was, that the lack of sound wasn't just limited to the living area, "Where is everyone?".
"Kitchen"
Pausing outside the door, Chii made a gesture for the three to continue through first, like some medieval wizard beckoning their knights forward in preparation for some grand quest.
Shrugging to Kanna and Ayu in response to their questioning looks, he pushed the door aside and stepped through.
"Surprise!", was the near deafening call that greeted him and the girls upon their entrance.
The table had been lain out ready as if for a feast, but that was not what held their notice, it was the diner guests that had their attention. Around the table were the expected faces; Ema, Yui and Kanna's parents, with Chii slipping around the stunned group to take a seat at her cousin's side, Chiho in tow.
There were also two very familiar faces that none of them had expected to see.
"I think the joy of seeing us again is just too much for them Yui-chan, look, they're speechless", the sandy haired blond seated on Yui's other side commented, tipping her sake dish toward the group and offering a slit eyed grin. Her Japanese sounded slightly odd and her once short hair now spilled in sandy waves down to her mid back, but there was no mistaking the speaker for anyone other than Mizuki Sekata, daughter of Mitsune and Kentaro Sekata and former resident of the Hinata Sou.
"Ara, I think you may be right Mizuki-chan", the second of their unexpected guests giggled, adding with a slight pout, "But I thought Ryu-kun at least would be happier to see us".
Ryu shook his head a few times, but Natsuki Otohime remained exactly where she was seated next to Ema, still as happy and impossibly, erm, beautiful, as ever.
"You can sit down you know", Yui piped up with an amused grin when none of them moved from the doorway, prodding them into motion. Ayu and Kanna took seats opposite Kanna's parents, putting Kanna alongside Mizuki, while Ryu was left with the space between Natsuki and the rather stunning older woman with long auburn hair he assumed was Kanna's mother.
"When did you two get back?", Kanna asked, the shock slowly fading and leaving behind curiosity and the first seeds of excitement.
"She", Ema replied before the other two women could respond, poking Natsuki with her finger, "Turned up just after you three left this morning, didn't even call to tell me first. I found her wondering around looking for Ryu-kun".
"For me?", Ryu asked, confused. It still sometimes took him by surprise when people willing tried to interact with him after years of being avoided, especially now considering that Natsuki was closer to the other girls than to him, having known them longer.
"Of course you, I wanted to know if you'd made a decision yet?", her simple question forced his stomach into knots for the second time that day.
"Decision?". He feigned confusion, mentally telling her to stop, hoping she would pick up on his thoughts like Kanna and to a lesser extent Ayu seemed able to sometimes.
It didn't work.
"Yes, about your girlfriend", she said, highlighting the last word with an almost teasing tone.
Around the table, eight people attempted to lean forward without being obvious.
"I…", he took a slow breath and released it, "I don't have a girlfriend Natsuki".
"Ara? Really Ryu-kun?", she spared Kanna and Ayu a sympathetic glance that Ryu was glad Kanna's parents couldn't see before her face resumed its usual cheery expression, "Then I guess that means I still have a chance doesn't it Ryu-kun".
Leaning forward she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, giggling almost shyly at his blank expression.
Mizuki whistled appreciatively while the others excluding Kanna, Ayu and strangely, Yui, laughed.
"Just something to think about", Natsuki added innocently, smiling brightly.
"I have to go", Kanna stood, almost knocking her chair over in her rush to stand, and sweeping out of the room before anyone could stop her, her mother calling out to her in concern.
"Kanna", Ryu and Ayu spoke at the same him, his eyes meeting hers only long enough for her to give an almost imperceptible nod before he too stood and gave chase, leaving the dining room muted.
"Eto… was it something I said?", Natsuki asked worriedly, wondering why no one but the Mizuki and the Urashima's would meet her gaze, and finding no answers there.
"It's ok Natsuki, I'm sure Kanna-chan was just feeling unwell. Lets eat, they'll be back in a minute", Ema said gently, gesturing for the others to follow suit.
As everyone ate Naru cast and enquiring glance at her husband to which he could only shrug.
Eventually the conversation started again, Mizuki recounting her many stories of life as an exchange student in America and everyone laughing with her, Keitaro even recalling a few of his own experiences, but no one could miss the two very empty seats at the table…
Ryu eventually caught up to Kanna on the laundry annex, finding her resting against the railing, seemingly unaware of the snow beneath her arms or the frigid temperatures as she stared listlessly out over the blanketed courtyard.
He approached her wordlessly, stopping next to her and resting a hand on her shoulder which she shrugged off without looking a him.
"Kanna…"
"What do you want Ryu, I'm trying to think", she muttered, still refusing to look at him.
"Your parents are waiting for you downstairs…", even to him it sounded lame, but his brain couldn't come up with anything better. Usually when Kanna was angry she got loud and very verbal, this was something new.
"I'll be down later"
"It's cold… you shouldn't be up here", he felt his frustration mounting but held his cool.
"Thanks mom, I hadn't noticed", she spat out sarcastically.
Ryu felt his temper threaten to snap, but he reigned it in, "Kanna, if you're mad at me just say so. Natsuki was only joking, and what I said… it's the truth at the moment… isn't it?".
Kanna sighed and turned to face him, her eyes brimmed with tears, "You know, the sad part is I really don't know anymore. Sometimes I think that you've already chosen…".
She reached out slowly, stroking his warm cheek with her icy cold hand, "That you and Ayu are just too polite to tell me to wake up and get lost, and that scares me bad enough, but then other times I think maybe it's the other way around, and somehow… its not any better".
Her hand dropped back to her side, "So which is it? Are either of us really close to you at all? Or are we both there like some of the rumours back in highschool used to say and we just don't see it?"
"…Kanna", he took a step toward her but halted when she backed away.
"You know, ever since that night in the warehouse, I've felt connected to you in a way I can't explain. Sometimes I wonder if its all a strange dream, and then something like today happens, I meet someone I knew before this happened and… it's like I'm waking up and being forced to realise I haven't moved anywhere expect in my own mind", a silent tear trickled down her cheek, but she backed away once more when he moved to comfort her, "Perhaps I don't want to wake up, but I think I will soon, and then I'll have to face the truth… Dreams can never be real… can they?".
Ryu thought of his own recurring dream, of the girl in the snow who called out to him every night.
"I don't know…", he replied honestly, "But, I'm trying to understand everything, I promise".
Kanna smiled sadly, walking past him to stand near the top of the stairs and looking back over her shoulder.
"I know, stupid jerk… … thank you, for caring", with a half-hearted smile she was gone, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
Ryu turn back to the railing she had leant against, resting his hands in the grooves left by her arms. It seemed his time was running out faster than he had thought and soon his decision might be taken out of his hands.
"Kuso", he muttered.
"Mind if I keep you company?", a voice asked, Ryu turning and startled to find Keitaro standing at the top of the annex stairs.
When he nodded, the older man made his way over, hands thrust deep in the pockets of his ever-present white lab coat to protect them against the cold.
How much of the conversation with Kanna had he just heard, Ryu wondered, and what, if anything, would he make of it?
"Brrr, it's cold tonight", the elder Urashima observed, a small smile present as he gazed over the view Ryu was pretending to be observing.
"…Yes, it certainly is", Ryu agreed, wondering why the older man was making small talk with him.
"So tell me, what do you think of life at the Hinata Sou?", this question caught Ryu off guard and he answered slowly.
"It's very… interesting", he replied.
Keitaro laughed heartily, adjusting his glasses after they slipped down his nose, "That's one way of putting it I suppose. I remember when I first came here. I was about your age I think. One boy amongst a house full of beautiful women, heh, sounds like a dream or crude plotline doesn't it?".
"…"
"In reality it's a lot more work than people would think. So much happens in such a short period of time… some good, some bad, and others…", he played with the wedding ring on his third finger, "Can be the best thing that ever happened to you, things you'd never dream were possible".
"I don't understand what you're trying to say sir", Ryu answered.
"I suppose I'm not being very clear am I?", Keitaro said, chuckling ruefully, "Naru always did say I was an idiot. What I mean, is that I've been where you are now. Stuck in the middle of something you have no experience with, trying to make the best choice without hurting those you care about. I just wanted to let you know, if you hang in there and work for it… everything will turn out alright in the end".
Keitaro returned his gaze back to the courtyard, neither man saying anything for a while, just watching the snowflakes trace their idle path down to the ground.
Ryu mulled over the older man's advice. It wasn't clear if he knew what was going on or not, but the gesture spoke volumes of his character, willing to help a man that was either going to make his daughter very happy… or break her heart in the worst possible way.
"I… thank you sir", Ryu spoke first, "… I think I know what to do now".
"Hmm? Oh, always happy to help I guess", he replied, rubbing the back of his head absently as Ryu bid him farewell and went to rejoin the others back in the dining room.
Keitaro stood for a moment, carefully reaching out one and an catching a falling snowflake, cradling it as it melted on his hand and vanished before returning the extremity to the warmth of his coat pocket.
"Please, take care of my daughter Ryu-kun", he said, bowing low to the stairs down which the younger man had just departed and adding in a voice barely above a whisper, "Both of them…".
That night, Ryu lay awake in bed, mulling over Kanna's words from that day. Was it true? Could a dream never be real, no matter what it felt like to the dreamer, no matter whether they wished it to be or not?
Did that mean he was wasting time thinking about the dream girl, and if so, why couldn't he just dismiss her as unimportant?
Damn it, he thought. His thoughts were just travelling in circles without ever leading him anywhere; he had other things to worry about. He thought Christmas Eve was approaching too fast, now he feared after Kanna's speech, that maybe, it was approaching to slowly.
How had things gone downhill so fast?
He felt his eyes growing heavy, threatening to carry him off to a land as white as the world outside had become.
Perhaps, he thought as his mind grew groggy, perhaps the girl in the snow would be able to help him, she had never demanded anything other than his company after all…
Distantly, he began to wonder when he had started to anticipate rather than dread his visits to this other world…
As he drifted into another night of fitful dreams, pure white snow fell gently outside his window, just as it did out side another many, many miles away, and by that window, a girl with impossibly long raven hair opened her golden eyes were she lay, wrapped snugly in the warmth of her futon.
"It's snowing… it's snowing where he is… that means it's getting closer… the time when we can be together", smiling dreamily her luminous eyes slowly shut, "Soon I can talk to him… wait for me… Ryu-sama…".
--- Author Notes---
Greetings my friends, it has been a long, long time since my last update I know, but what with summer fun, work and now, returning to university, things have been somewhat hectic to put it mildly, and my passion for writing dimmed a little I'll admit.
However, I'm back in the saddle now and ready to continue as things pick up the pace in the next chapter: Chapter 4: A Relative Question; More familiar faces arrive at the Hinata Sou, but are they here to help in the festivities, or are darker things on the horizon? All this and much more in the next instalment of Love Hina: What Dreams May Come.
Till Next Time, Betweenheavenandhell
(Remember, cast your vote for the girl you want to end up with Ryu now to influence the story)