I don't own Love Hina. Love Hina belongs to Ken Akamatsu. The story though is a figment of my weird imagination. For all grammar and spelling mistakes, I apologize in advance.

Foolish Heart

Four

---

"Where is she?" the voice was cold and unforgiving.

A sudden intensity grew in the air like a heavy foreboding that gloomed one's heart. But the sound of the voice was not evil. It sounded more like desperate longing. And beneath its dark passion was a deep resentment to a past long gone.

Mistakes of the past should not be allowed to happen again.

A female voice replied from the darkness of the chamber, "We have received reports that she was last seen in Japan, my lord,"

The momentary silence was heavy.

"Japan…"

"Yes, my lord. The origin… the origin of her suffering,"

A shadow loomed before the high ornate glass windows and beyond the dark clouds a storm was brewing. There was a sudden strike of lightning and the shadow's eyes glimmered. They were the eyes of a hunter.

Indeed… mistakes of the past should not be allowed to happen again.

---

Keitaro shivered.

He felt goose bumps all over his body. But he dismissed that to the cool summer breeze. Despite the sudden rattle of his heart he smiled and took in the surrounding. He never thought that leaving the Hinata Apartments for a while would make him feel better despite events that occurred recently.

She made me feel better. I guess that's for the good… but how long? She's right. How long will they let us stay like this? Keitaro mused as he shifted the weight of the grocery bags from one arm to another.

He glanced beside him and found a very cheerful Shinobu humming quietly.

He has deduced that Shinobu probably has a slight infatuation with him like a minor adoration. He deduced that she sees him more like an older brother like most girls of her age and he considered this a good thing. Although he could not muster the fact that he was considered as a role model by his younger charge, he was unsure whether he would be able to fulfill the role at all for such an impressionable age.

I had a younger sister once. A long time ago,Keitaro thought sadly, but all that suddenly changed.

And Keitaro has never been so wrong in his life.

"Sempai?"

Keitaro was derailed from his thoughts and smiled down on his companion, "What is it Shinobu?"

Shinobu smiled.

Then she grinned like a Cheshire cat.

A cold draft of air passed over Keitaro's next. He could not help but sweat a little from the sudden change in the atmosphere.

Shinobu grinned wider and whispered, "About that diving thing…"

"Huh?"

Keitaro suddenly found himself surrounded by trees. He was too busy musing that he did not notice Shinobu leading him to a secluded and abandoned area of a park. The voices of the people outside were faint. It was as if the very trees themselves were closing any chance of escape or from any prying eyes.

"Shinobu what do you mean-,"

Keitaro's last image was a pair of creamy white legs.

---

Naru could not concentrate. Her body alarms of something extremely perverted. And the most confusing part was that this feeling this time was not directed at Keitaro. She felt as if he was the victim this time. She suddenly felt fearsome for her supposedly estranged lover of extremely confusing love and hate relationship.

Someone's being so perverted with my Keitaro!

Naru paused.

My Keitaro? Where did that come from?

Ever since the arrival of Keitaro's girlfriend, she was unable to control herself. In her head there were voices telling her to act and listen to her heart. However, unfortunately pride gets in the way. It was as if the world has turned against her. In addition, the most alarming question keeps popping inside her head like a broken radio playing a song repeatedly - do you want him? Do you want him? Do you want him? Do you want him?

And she was afraid of what she would answer.

You know you want him.

"OH COME ON!" Naru shouted at the empty room. She screamed more to herself hoping to clear her mind.

I don't know what game you're playing Keitaro but it's definitely pissing me off,Naru thought, and what is she to you anyway? Is Kanako really your girlfriend? How can a beautiful young girl like her be your girlfriend? You can never have a girl like her because you are a perverted sonofa-

The phone has been ringing for a while now.

"WILL SOMEBODY GET THAT?" Naru shouted again poking her head out of her room.

Nobody answered.

And the phone kept ringing.

Fuming, Naru stomped through the hallway telling herself that she would berate the very first person she meet on the way. And she has already decided that she would pummel the living crap out of that person if that one person happened to be Keitaro. Girlfriend or no, she would beat him to a pulp and hopefully his girlfriend would see the kind of a wuss that he was.

She did not meet anybody on the way.

She picked up the phone, "Gosh, where in the world is everybody. It's suddenly empty in here… Hello? Hinata residence… yes…"

Naru reached for a paper, "I'm sorry but Keitaro is not around. May I take a message?"

And she almost dropped the phone after what she heard.

---

Kitsune waved at them when she saw them climbing their way towards the Hinata apartments.

Keitaro was blushing bright red and all the while kept wiping his mouth while Shinobu beside him was running breathlessly. For some reason for Kitsune this seemed to reek of something very "illegal". She approached the two. Keitaro was so busy blushing and wiping his mouth that he almost bumped into her.

"Hey what's with you?" Kitsune asked.

Keitaro looked up and whispered, "It was a bit salty,"

"Huh?"

"Kitsune-san! Can you please help us carry the grocery bags?" Shinobu suddenly appeared behind Keitaro, jumping all the while.

Odd, "Er… sure," Kitsune answered taking the two bags then she turned to Keitaro again, quickly dismissing Shinobu's "hyper" temperament, "By the way Keitaro Haruka just got back,"

Whatever Keitaro was thinking at that moment it suddenly disappeared. His mood suddenly darkened.

Kitsune could not help but step back a little. And oddly enough, she suddenly started thinking whether it was a good idea to tell him of her arrival. Because of this, she decided not to tell how Haruka reacted when she met Kanako. It was very odd. It was as if Haruka knew Kanako. Not unless…

Maybe Haruka has met Kanako before… and maybe she does not approve of Kanako? Kitsune thought, "She's in the-,"

"-in the teahouse right?" Keitaro continued for her, "I'm afraid you have to get these bags to the kitchen. I'll be back in a while,"

Without another word Keitaro handed the bags to Kitsune and headed towards the teahouse.

"What's that about?" Kitsune whispered.

Then she looked down at Shinobu who was silenced but Keitaro's sudden change of mood.

"By the way Shinobu… you're glowing. Did something happen?"

Shinobu blushed deep red but could not hide her smile.

---

"What do you think you're doing?" Haruka asked for what seemed to be the tenth time, "Do you know what's going to happen if they ever find out that you're here?"

Silence.

"How long have you been here? Why didn't you tell any of us? What in the world is going on? Why don't you say something Kanako?" Haruka continued.

"She has nothing to say to you," A voice answered by the door.

"She's here because I brought her here," Keitaro walked towards Kanako and placed his arms around her. Kanako sighed and felt safe.

Haruka regarded Keitaro for a while and asked, "You know the consequences of what you're doing right?"

Keitaro never batted an eyelid and answered quickly, "I do,"

Then Haruka sighed, "You should have told me. How long has this been going on?"

Kanako smiled a little and answered, "For a while now. I… you see… I-,"

"She belongs here Haruka," Keitaro said with finality.

"And do you think they'll let you?"

Keitaro did not answer. He whispered after a while, "We'll find a way… somehow,"

It was a long time before anybody said anything. The teahouse suddenly became gloomier.

Haruka stood and whispered, "I cannot promise anything but I'll try. I'll try to hold them off if it comes to that. But I don't think that what you're doing is right," then she headed for the back where the kitchen was.

Keitaro and Kanako stood there for a while. Then they bowed and said, "Thank you,"

And as Keitaro led Kanako towards the door, Haruka called out for him, "Keitaro…"

Keitaro looked back.

"I know how you feel. But you can't change the world with it. That's just how it is. Sometimes the best way to survive is to work around it. Are you really that prepared to give it all up for just that?" Haruka asked. Her eyes were pleading.

It took a while before Keitaro answered, "Yes. It's all worth it. My life may mean nothing to them at least it means something to her,"

"Very well… take good care of each other,"

"Thank you Haruka-san,"

---

"You look worried," Keitaro said as he joined Kanako on to the stone steps.

Kanako tried to smile and asked, "Shouldn't we? It's starting to happen now,"

"I know. Well… we have gone this far. We might as well ride it through,"

Keitaro held out his hand and Kanako took it.

Like a groom walking his bride they headed towards the Hinata Apartments.

---

Motoko was the last to get the message. She barely understood what Kaolla was saying but from the tone of her voice and the actions of her body, it was something serious. It was also the first time she has seen Kaolla react that way. Innocent looking as she wanted to show herself to everybody her eyes could not hide the depth of her understanding. And Motoko could see right through it.

Something bothered you Kaolla, Motoko thought as she walked towards the meeting place where they usually gather when Keitaro was not around.

And the time of such meeting also heightened its importance.

Why hold a meeting now? Keitaro will be coming back soon with his girlfriend. This is very unusual indeed, Motoko thought as she regarded the dimly lit room.

Then she saw them.

Kitsune, Shinobu and Kaolla sitting close to each other they're faces showing the same confusion and worry that Motoko felt. And in front of them was Naru.

Naru's face was that of a shocked look and a dignified one. It was a look of someone who has been shown something very offending and could not tell anybody of what she saw because it was too embarrassing to say. She knew something. And that something bothered her to the point that she has to let everybody know, and let them know quickly.

It was unlike Naru to be bothered this easily

Motoko joined them and sat on her usual place.

Then Naru stomped her hand on the tatami floor.

"You guys should know this," Naru whispered.

"What is this about Naru-sempai?" Shinobu asked tentatively.

"It's about Keitaro's girlfriend-,"

I'm sorry for the delay. I have no excuses other than the fact that I'm simply… just busy. Let me state my case. I'm a full time University student and I'm also working full time. So I only have small free time for myself. Anyway, hopefully you enjoyed this chapter. I'm setting the arena as the story is about to roll into one big… event. Well not as big as you might think but big enough for me. I'm hoping that you'll be there when it starts rolling.

Go Kanako and Keitaro!

For those that I might have offended, I'm sorry again. I know… this story is sooooo wrong.

Anyway, I'll post the next chapter sooner. Just tell me what you think. Or… do you have an idea what in the hell is going on? Hang around… I'll tell ya!

Cheers!

nivremous