Chapter 8: Picking Up The Lost Dream
By Zenithos
Thanks again for the supportive reviews. I'm still learning step by step, so each and every comment, suggestion, or even flame means a lot to me. Thanks everyone.
Oh, and one additional note. I don't mind anonymous or unsigned reviews, but if you'd like me to reply to the review, then please submit signed ones, or, if it's a particularly pressing issue and you don't have a FF .net account, then please include your e-mail. Thanks.
Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina, Mahou Sensei Negima, or Sister Princess.
Proofread by Apocalypse Alchemist.
"Ok….errr…this should go here…" Keitaro mumbled to himself as he tried to get the radiator into a somewhat serviceable state. The only problem was that it looked like something built by a World War I engineer after coming back from the other end of the universe. So did every other part of the van's engine. It was old, but it was definitely a custom job, and Keitaro could see it's been through quite a bit. There were gunshot holes in some odd places, burn scorches here and there, and what looked like claw scratches in some places too.
He also found that some parts of the engine were held together with scotch tape, paper clips, and even rubber bands. He even found that the van's axle shafts had been replaced with bamboo.
When he pointed this out, Seta said, "Oh, that? Got those from the Chinese highlands after surviving an avalanche on Mount Taishan. They're stronger than steel, I can tell you that."
Who was this man?
"Wow…you're doing a good job there, boy." Seta said, nodding with approval. "You seem to know quite a bit about machines…"
"I have a little sister who's mad about machines. I had to learn quite a bit to be able to teach her what she wanted to know." Keitaro explained, pulling out what looked like an arrow from inside the radiator.
Just as he was wondering about the arrow and what on earth it could be doing inside the radiator, something knocked it out of his hand. "What?" Keitaro looked down at the arrow on the ground. Suddenly, his hammer, of its own accord, went ping and fell off the engine cab. Keitaro looked at it, puzzled, before shrugging and reaching out for a nearby screwdriver…which also went ping and rolled off the engine cab.
"Huh?" He looked around, before something small, sharp, fast, and definitely painful collided with his forehead. He fell backwards.
As he caressed the stinging spot on his forehead his eyes fell upon a cute little figure in a fluffy, slightly oversized coat, snow cap, trousers, and long scarf, sitting atop the car, smirking in the universal language of annoying smugness. In one hand she held a hand catapult. In the other, a well smoothed stone chosen especially for aerodynamic efficiency. This was definitely skill at work.
She pulled her catapult backwards and let fly another stone, straight at Keitaro's head. Bullseye. Keitaro went reeling back into the snow once again. "Ouch…." Keitaro moaned, caressing the now throbbing spot on his head. He slowly got up and looked the girl in the eye.
Sure, he had mischievous little sisters, but none of them ever shot anything at his head.
Intentionally, anyway…
Ok, maybe sometimes intentionally, but always out of jest. None of them ever shot anything at him with the intention of giving him concussions.
This brat was definitely there to spread pain and hatred. She grinned maliciously again as she loaded another stone onto her catapult.
"Err…Seta-san? This girl…?" Keitaro asked, moving backwards, looking for cover. He picked up the dislodged engine cap and used it as a shield.
"Oh, her?" Seta asked, from behind the van, where he was trying to find a spare tire. How hard was it to find one? But as it turns out, Seta had littered the road behind the van with tons of ancient junk ranging from large monolith idols to burnt-out alien artifacts, in his search for his elusive tire. "She's…err…my daughter. Her name's Sarah." Seta said, throwing over his shoulder an ancient rubber ducky he had found in an ancient Mayan ruin, which bounced across the road and distracted a few drivers.
"Err….Sarah? I'm trying to fix your daddy's van…ummm…can you please…HAH!" Keitaro shouted with triumph as the stone bounced off the makeshift shield. Meanwhile, out on the road, a few screeches rent the air as a number of cars crashed into an utter traffic fiasco, all on account of a little ancient rubber ducky.
The girl's smug smile turned into an annoyed scowl, as she pulled back her catapult again. This time, she aimed lower. "Sarah? Can you please allow me to get on with…OUCH!" Keitaro cried in agony as another stone made contact with his face. "H…how…" He wondered in pain as he fell backwards into the snow yet again. But his fall had saved him from another stone which skimmed off the surface of the snow and bounced upwards, missing his face by mere centimeters as he fell. "Oh….smart…"
"Oh….it's all fixed." Seta said, walking around to the front. "Sarah, you weren't giving the nice young man any trouble, were you?" Seta asked.
"No, papa, off course not." The girl smiled sweetly at her father, leaping down into his outstretched arms.
"Uhh…" Keitaro shook his head a bit as the pain slowly diffused into his skull. He looked up at the girl, opening his mouth to say a few words of reproach. He stopped as he saw the happy scene between the father and daughter, both laughing animatedly as Seta raised Sarah up into the sky. He couldn't help but smile as he got up and brushed off the snow from his clothes before going back to the engine cab.
"Well….I'm almost finished here…" Keitaro said, reconnecting a few tubes here and there. "Ok….err…I think that should get you as far as the next gas station." Keitaro said, closing the engine cap.
"From what I saw, young man, I think this thing could take me as far as Western Russia and still be kicking for more." Seta smiled at Keitaro as he put Sarah down on the ground. He turned the ignition. "Nice work…Far better than any ordinary mechanic…" Seta nodded with approval as the engine roared into life, with so much strength it almost flew off its wheels. "Say….young man, you wouldn't happen to be looking for a job, would you?" He smiled a slightly mischievous smile, a strange, yet confident shine in his eyes.
"Y…yes, definitely." Keitaro stammered, hardly believing his ears.
"Then come with me. I could use a pair of hands as capable as yours." Seta said, nodding at the car.
"W…wait…you haven't answered me properly…have we met before?" Keitaro asked again.
"Young man, I've got tons of work to get through, not to mention I now have…minus an hour to get to my meeting…" Seta said, looking at his watch as he got into the driver's seat. "So hop on."
"Y…yes, sir!" Keitaro said, leaping into the passenger seat.
"First of all, here." Seta said, handing him some superglue. "Those artifacts in the back need gluing together. Use those magic hands of yours, assistant."
"Wh…what?!" Keitaro gasped as he saw the entire museum's worth of destroyed ancient junk in the back.
Then he looked around at Sarah, who was sitting on one side, looking innocent, with a sledgehammer in one hand. She shot a malicious grin at Keitaro and indicated with a nod a small disc shaped artifact on the floor. Keitaro's eyes focused on it.
SMASH…
Keitaro blinked down at the remains of the artifact, now merely a scattered collection of dust on the floor of the car. It was cleanly removed by a breath of wind. Keitaro looked up at the source of the breath of wind, who was now smiling smugly once again, shouldering the sledgehammer.
Keitaro could somehow sense that this girl hated his guts. If she thought she could do that just because she's his new boss' daughter, then she had another thing coming….
SMASH…
There goes a highly fragile and valuable ancient Chinese Ming vase, taking Keitaro's sanity with it…
"Have you found it yet?!" Marciano shouted as she paced around the Urashima residence's living room, which had been upturned and, in essence, disemboweled.
"No, mother." April said, saluting. "We've searched the entire compound and we haven't even found clues appertaining to is whereabouts."
"I want the entire house ripped apart and torn down. I want it, April. And I will have it." Marciano shouted, almost hysterically. "I've worked my entire life for this…don't let me down!"
"Mother, it's not here. We're completely positive it's not here." February said, entering the room with January by her side.
Marciano's expression suddenly went dark with bitter realization. "…those brats…they must have taken it with them…" Marciano muttered, sweeping out of the living room.
"Madame Marciano!" Rokubunji called out.
"Listen, Rokubunji," Marciano said, turning towards Rokubunji with a scowl set on her face. "I don't want to know what it takes…I want those Urashima brats. Heck, if you can get me that Hinata Sou as well, it'll be even better." She said, with a threatening tone.
"Th…that's actually the problem, Madame. The court's doing their best to turn the case in our favour, but Matsura's already put forwards an extremely difficult case first thing this morning. The legacy itself must go to the children, no matter what any wills say." Rokubunji explained. "The only way to retain control over it, at this point, is to become their legal guardian." Rokubunji explained. "But the good news is the court has called the case put off until January, so we've got plenty of time to think up a counter-attack."
"Legal guardian, huh?" Marciano looked thoughtful for a moment. "I can't care less about the inheritance, Rokubunji. But I need to get what those brats are hiding. How do I become their legal guardian?"
"Well, Urashima Keitaro is still the probationary guardian at this moment." Rokubunji explained. "He has 6 months to acquire a proper income and to ensure his sisters' wellbeing. Within those 6 months, if there are any confirmed reports of him abusing, mistreating, neglecting, harming, or exploiting his sisters, or should he fail in acquiring an income, then he will be stripped of all guardian rights and it will be transferred to the next willing volunteer."
"So…." Marciano nodded, smiling maliciously, "That's all it takes? Well…it'll be really simple then…all we've got to do is make it look like he neglected them and allowed them to come to harm…" She turned to her daughters, who had assembled in the shredded living room. "Girls….I want you to arrange….an accident…"
January and May grinned maliciously. June and July smiled. April and Sep frowned as they looked at their sisters, before looking back at her mother. March merely remained as quiet as ever. August, Ocia, Nove, and Diesse meanwhile, giggled childishly, not understanding what was going on, but excited all the same. April gave the younger ones worried looks and looked around at Sep, who shook her head slightly and looked around at their mother.
"Yes, mother!" All 12 sisters shouted.
"Good girls…." Marciano smiled, turning around. "Very good indeed…" She said. "Oh so very good…"
"Tokyo-U…." Keitaro murmured, looking up at the majestic clock tower in the middle of the gigantic campus. "…I've completely forgotten about it…" He sighed.
"Hey, assistant!" Seta called. "Thanks, you really saved my life!" He said, running off in some random direction. "I'll call you again when I need help. I gotta run!"
"Ah…." Keitaro called out. "My…my salary?" He said, weakly, before sighing again. "Oh well…I guess it's already great that I got a job…." He leaned back on the van and looked up at the sky. "…I've already failed it twice…why'd I even think I have a chance the third time?"
SMASH…..
"Hey, baka! Don't act like you can't see me!" Sarah said, blowing a bubblegum.
Keitaro slowly reached up to his head and felt the cracked pieces of china. The superglue didn't even have a chance to dry yet….
"Ahahaha….I just fixed these…poor china…" He said weakly. He looked around at Sarah. "Err…Sarah-chan….why'd Seta leave you here just like that?"
"Oh, he does that very often." Sarah sighed, shrugging.
"Is that right?" Keitaro asked. 'Oh well…guess I'll just take care of Sarah while he takes care of his business….I am his assistant after all…' Keitaro thought.
SMASH….
Another ancient-artifact-turned-projectile smashed into his head. He slowly turned around to face Sarah.
There were times when big brothers had to handle their little sisters when they are being…difficult. Sure, his little sisters weren't often particularly difficult. In fact, they had matured so quickly that Keitaro was worried they actually bypassed their childhood. But perhaps the same tactics would work here.
"Sarah-chan, what do you say we go to the library and find you a good book to read or…" Keitaro's valiant attempt ended with another resounding smash and the loss of yet another treasure of human heritage. This time, it was an ancient porcelain vase base.
"…ok, I understand you're bored and you want something to do, but hurling those priceless artifacts at me sure is a waste of history. I mean, imagine the loss…." Keitaro tried a different tactic. SMASH…This time it was an alien-shaped ornament.
"…right…right….what exactly do you want to…" Keitaro said from behind the porcelain head that had stuck onto his head.
SMASH….
"Wow….you've got a really hard head, you know that?" Sarah remarked, nodding sagely at Keitaro, who's porcelain head had just cracked in two, revealing a solemn face with eyes obscured by a pair of cracked glasses.
"Oh…he's angry…" Sarah said, giving Keitaro's face an appraising look.
'…patience…patience…' Keitaro fought furiously against the beast that was raging against his inner rib-cage. "Ok…" Keitaro put on another cheerful smile, although the edges of his mouth couldn't help but quiver. "…The arcade?" He managed.
"….you really think bribes will work on a little girl like me?" Sarah asked, looking up innocently into Keitaro's eyes.
"….I dunno…you tell me." Keitaro answered, scratching his head.
SMASH….
"….not from you, idiot!" Sarah shouted, running away.
The cactus artifact that had embedded itself into Keitaro's head cracked in two and splattered on the floor, joining the rest of its other unfortunate brothers and sisters.
"….difficult…" Keitaro sighed. The throbbing pain in his head was killing him.
Suddenly, a much stronger nerve impulse burned through his senses. It was a sliding, burning pain down in his lower guts.
"Ughhh…wh…what?" He fell to his knees. "What…is this?" His muscles went tense and limp at the same time as he fell forwards into the snow. "Agh….must…go…after…Sarah…" He gasped, reaching out to drag himself back onto his feet.
No use.
His entire body went rigid as the pain raged through his abdomen, rendering the rest of his body cramped.
"Ani-kun!" A voice called out.
"Ah…." Keitaro's head spun as his mind sluggishly tried to process what he just heard. Ok, the voice said 'ani-kun' which could only mean it was one of his little sisters. He dizzily looked up his personal index of sisters and matched the call to Chiikage.
"Chii…Chiikage-chan?" Keitaro groaned.
"It's already started…" The blurry image of Chiikage carrying a crystal ball, half covered with a piece of cloth, approached him.
"This is only a temporary remedy…" Chiikage said. Keitaro noticed that she had taken out a bottle of water. The water gently sparkled as Chiikage poured it out over one hand, letting the water trickle out from between her fingers.
Keitaro's vision went out as the pain took up the entire volume of his sensory capacity.
"Ani-kun…." Her voice echoed in his head before everything faded out into darkness.
"Ughh…" Keitaro moaned as he slowly opened his eyes. The last thing he remembered was that he was suffering from immense pain. What on earth was in his breakfast?
He suddenly realized the pain was gone. Then he realized so was the university. He was floating down a long, twisted, dark red tunnel. Well…at least he thought it was down. There was absolutely nothing to tell the orientation with. Floating down alongside him was an assortment of strange objects. They were obviously domestic objects such as chairs and tables…but there was something completely off about them. For example, one of the mirrors floating down was showing a TV broadcast.
A chair behind him was prancing down the tunnel.
And was that wardrobe making suggestive moves at him?
What the?
He looked down at himself. He was again in the cloak he wore in his dreams the night before.
He was floating towards a brilliant orange light. Above him there was only pitch black darkness. He suddenly remembered where he had seen this tunnel. It was the rabbit hole in that Alice in Wonderland video he watched with his sisters a long time ago.
Why a rabbit hole?
He suddenly realized there was something entwined around his right hand. He looked down at it. It was Chiikage's pendant that he had found in the dream the night before.
But why was it here?
One of the mirrors floating by caught his attention.
In it was someone who looked a lot like Chiikage, wrapped in pure black robes, surrounded by darkness.
She was crying.
She was lost.
Keitaro reached out to the mirror and opened his mouth to shout.
The mirror shattered and exploded in his face.
"GASP!" Keitaro gasped as he woke up with a start. He raised a hand to his shaking brow. It was wet with sweat. He looked around, trying to get used to the gloaming darkness.
It was a library….or rather, a book storage. It didn't seem to be used often enough to be called a library.
Books were stacked in odd piles in places. Some were scattered on the floor. Rows upon rows of bookcases took up the rest of the room.
On one side, resting against a bookcase, was Chiikage, snoozing lightly. A few tarot cards were scattered beside her. Her small crystal ball lay by her side.
"Chiikage-chan?" He slowly got up from where he was lying against another bookcase. He suddenly noticed a small, wet paper talisman stuck on the front of his shirt, bearing the kanjis for 'healing dew'. He gave a little chuckle as he stood up and stretched.
He looked down at this watch.
He had been out for at least an hour. Wow…
Which reminded him…Sarah. Where is she?
The doors to the storage room opened suddenly. "hehe…that idiot won't be able to find me in here…" a little figure said as it briskly dusted off the snow off her coat.
Keitaro immediately took cover behind a bookcase and quietly peeked around the corner. Yes, it was his lucky day…
"GOTCHA!" Keitaro shouted with triumph as he leapt out at the girl.
CLANG…
He came face to face with a gigantic ancient bronze bell.
"Wow….you actually found me, idiot. I'll give you credit for that." Sarah said, leaping up a pile of books.
"…Ughh…Sarah, can we please talk for a moment without you throwing…" Keitaro's voice reverberated inside the bronze bell as he walked up to the pile of books.
SMASH….
A large disc-shaped artifact slammed into the bell, causing it to clang violently. Keitaro's brains threatened to disintegrate from the thundering clang in his ears.
The bell finally gave away and split in two, for some strange anime related reason. Keitaro slowly turned his head up to Sarah, an ominous grin on his face.
"That's it!" Keitaro shouted, leaping up the pile of books….which Sarah kicked, sending it along with Keitaro crashing to the floor.
"Why don't you just leave me and Seta alone! I'm finally getting along with him, and I don't want outsiders like you butting in between!" Sarah shouted.
'So that's it…' Keitaro thought, finally grasping the situation. "Listen, Sarah, I have no intention of…"
CRUNCH…
A gigantic set of dinosaur teeth (wielded by you-know-who) embedded itself in Keitaro's head.
"AAAAAAAGH!" Keitaro screamed in pain.
CRASH…
For a moment of two, the entire storage room shuddered violently as thousands of books thundered onto the floor. Plaster and dust rained down in choking clouds from the roof.
Keitaro had acted on pure instinct, grabbing Sarah and Chiikage and throwing himself to the ground.
"Ooomph…what was that for, idiot?!" Sarah shouted. Chiikage, meanwhile, somehow remained soundly asleep.
"Wh…what was that?" Keitaro looked around.
Part of the wall had collapsed in one place where a white van had crashed through it.
"Err….Noriyasu-san?" Keitaro asked.
"Ah…oh dear, oh dear…." A tall lanky figure stepped out of the van, obscured by the dust and plaster. He became progressively more distinct as the smoke and dust cleared up. "Oh….you?" He noticed Keitaro, who had slowly gotten onto his feet. "Oh, Sarah-chan's here too…hahaha, sorry about that, Sarah. I completely forgot about your existence again." He laughed heartily. "Oh, and you're my assistant, right? I completely forgot about you…oh, and your wages too. Hahahaha. Thanks for taking care of Sarah though."
"He's always like that…" Sarah whispered to Keitaro.
"Is he? What a….err…fascinating person…" Keitaro managed. "Err…you crashed in at the right time, Noriyasu-san. I almost died back there…" He said. 'Well, the crash itself almost killed me anyway' he thought.
"Well…" Seta scratched his head. "Err…as you can see, assistant, I'm pretty much an archaeologist. The university's archaeology department's a bit under-funded and understaffed, so I usually get all my research done by myself." He explained, though Keitaro could see that he was slightly unsure of his point. "Well…the thing is, err…" He scratched his head furiously. "I'll be needing quite a bit of help with lots of things. Research, digs, and whatnot. That's where you and your magic hands come in, assistant." Seta nodded at Keitaro.
"Err…Thank you for the opportunity…" Keitaro said, rather uncertainly, bowing.
"As for your salary…how much do you want?" Seta asked.
"Eh? I don't know. How much would you give me?" Keitaro asked, caught completely off guard.
"Hmm…well, I could afford a starting pay of about 50.000 yen a month. What do you say?" Seta asked.
(note: 50.000 yen is equivalent to around 500 US dollars, though it doesn't stretch as far as in the US as the cost of living in Japan is almost twice as expensive as in the US)
"Ah, that's great." Keitaro nodded, glad for just about any amount money.
"Anyway, that's the first time I've seen Sarah get along so well with someone she just met." Seta remarked, nodding with approval.
"Eh?" Keitaro's mouth fell open.
"Err…?" Sarah was lost for words.
"That's great, cause I've got to go to a meeting down in Okinawa." Seta announced. "So, can you please take care of Sarah for me for a few days? Thanks. I really appreciate it!" Seta said, leaping back in his van without giving Keitaro or Sarah time to have a say. "See you Sarah, take care!" The van accelerated backwards at an insane speed through the university courtyard (crashing through a nearby watermelon stand) before coming into a crashing stop at a tanuki statue.
"H…hey! Noriyasu-san!" Keitaro shouted after Seta. "Was I hired as a babysitter?!"
"PAPA! WAIT!" Sarah shouted.
The van's lights blinked on. The hazard lamps clicked on. The wipers suddenly came to life. It then roared forwards, straight back towards the hole in the wall.
"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Keitaro grabbed Sarah and Chiikage again and leapt out of the way as the van zoomed back through the hole and out through the wall opposite before speeding off across the university.
"Errr…." Keitaro pointed wordlessly at the new hole in the wall.
"I told you, he's always like that. Oh well…" Sarah sighed. "I guess I'll just have to let you take care of me today…"
"Hey! Don't make it sound as if you're the one with troubles!" Keitaro shouted. He looked around at Chiikage, who still seemed to be asleep. He sighed and shook his head, smiling at Chiikage. "You always push yourself too hard, you know that?" He said to his little sister's sleeping face.
SMASH…
"Hey! You're supposed to take care of me." Sarah said at the clay figurine head that obscured Keitaro's head. "Anyway, what's this?" She pulled off the paper talisman on Keitaro's stomach.
"AAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!" Keitaro screamed, doubling over his stomach.
"Oh…something important, huh?" Sarah asked, giving the talisman a bored look.
"Was it ok? Leaving Sarah like that, I mean?" A tall, broad shouldered, dark haired man asked Seta from the passenger seat beside him where he had sat unnoticed throughout the entire escapade.
"Ah, it's fine, Higuchi. I left her with Urashima Keitaro, after all." Seta said confidently.
"Good point." Higuchi nodded with agreement.
"It'll be good for her to spend a few days with the Urashima sisters." Seta said. "She might learn a thing or two from them."
"Patience and self-control, for example." Higuchi nodded.
"Ahahaha…yes, two of the main things, really." Seta laughed.
"Though I'm sure it'll work the other way too. You can't help but get influenced by Sarah's boundless energy." Higuchi remarked. "The sisters would need that, especially after what's happened."
"Very true." Seta said.
"….Sarah…." Higuchi couldn't help but sigh as he thought about the energetic little girl. "She's trying so very hard to make it seem as if nothing's wrong…."
"She always acts so strong." Seta nodded. "But in fact, I know she really wants to just let it out. She's lost so much." Seta sighed as he looked at a picture of Sarah on the dashboard. "She's never allowed me to see her cry, to allow me to comfort her." He shook his head. "Which is why I'm hoping she'd open up to Keitaro."
"But Urashima-sama can do just about anything. I have a lot of faith in him." Higuchi said. "He's a true descendant of the Urashima clan."
"Yes. That he is. There's no doubting that." Seta nodded.
"But….was it pure coincidence that you hired him to be your assistant today?" Higuchi asked, giving Seta a suspicious look. "….the whole thing seems far too convenient…"
Seta merely laughed good-naturedly, which is a good sign that he wasn't going to cough up an answer anytime soon. Higuchi sighed and gave up, knowing it was futile.
"By the way, Seta?" Higuchi asked.
"Yeah?"
"You're driving on the wrong side of the road." Higuchi said calmly.
"Oh, so I am." Seta laughed happily. "I thought everyone else was driving on the wrong side…" A few tire screeches and honks filled the air as the van swerved around the traffic and back onto the right side of the road.
"Seta, I know you and your van are invulnerable, but the rest of us aren't." Higuchi said, as the van narrowly avoided collision with an oil tanker, crashed into a watermelon stand instead, before skidding on the watermelons and falling over a bridge. "And it was absolutely no use reminding you about that, was it?" Higuchi sighed.
(By the way, in case you don't remember, Higuchi's the guy from the beginning of chapter 1)
"Wow…so you live here?" Sarah asked, looking up at the Hinata Sou. "It's gigantic!"
"Yeah." Keitaro said, coming up behind her, carrying Chiikage, who was still snoozing, on his back.
"By the way…I forgot to ask you. Who is she?" Sarah asked, pointing at Chiikage.
"She's my sister, Chiikage. I'll introduce you when she wakes up." Keitaro said.
"Hmmm…A loser like you has such a beautiful sister? What was she doing at Tokyo U?" Sarah asked.
"Err…" Keitaro was at a loss at how to answer at that.
"Oh, Keitaro, you're back." Naru greeted as she came up the stairs. "Oh, what happened to her?" She asked.
"Chiikage? Oh, she just fell asleep." Keitaro answered, heaving her up.
"Oh…I remember her saying she wanted to go out and find you." Naru said. "Oh, and did you feel any stomach pains? Or ill in any way?"
"Funny you should ask that." Keitaro said, walking towards the front door. "I just survived a Richter 9 bowel earthquake."
"Yeah, we all went through that." Naru nodded. "It was Suu's sesame oil."
"Ah…that explains a lot." Keitaro nodded sagely. "But it seems you're doing fine. What about the others?"
"Well, we passed out for some time…then when we woke up, we were all ok…" Naru said. "The floor was all wet for some reason though."
"Oh…wet floor huh?" Keitaro looked back at Chiikage's sleeping face and smiled. 'You're one naughty girl, you know that?' he thought.
"By the way, Keitaro, is she one of your sisters? I'm kind of losing track…there's too many of those little angels." Naru said, smiling, nodding at Sarah.
"Oh, her?" Keitaro looked down at Sarah. "She's the kid of the teacher I'm working for. I have to take care of her for….wait, I don't even know how long…"
"Huh?" Naru looked down at Sarah. "That's a bit irresponsible of your boss, isn't it? Leaving a child like her at the mercy of a perverted stranger like you?" She whispered to Keitaro.
"He…hey!" Keitaro protested.
"She's so cute." Naru smiled down at Sarah.
"Nice to meet you. I'm from California. My name's Sarah Mcdouggal." Sarah bowed.
"Wow…so polite too." Naru nodded with approval. "Your Japanese's really good, Sarah."
"Yeah, my dad taught me." Sarah smiled sweetly.
'What is she planning to do?' Keitaro wondered quietly, frowning in suspicion.
Sarah grinned maliciously back at Keitaro.
'Oh….' Keitaro sighed inwardly. Looks like it's going to be another long day…
"Welcome home, Onii-tama!" Hinako ran out to greet her big brother as he came in.
"I'm home, Hinako-chan." Keitaro smiled, ruffling her hair as he kicked off his shoes. "Where is everyone?"
"Oh, everyone's moving out from Onii-tama's room." Hinako said, suddenly looking slightly crestfallen.
"Oh, why is that?" Keitaro asked.
"They said something about wanting to give you privacy and some peace and quiet." Naru said. "Besides, girls need personal space too, you know."
"Oh…" Keitaro nodded slowly.
"But Hina-tan, Hinata-tan, Aria-neetama, and Kaho-neetama are staying with you, Onii-tama!" Hinako said cheerfully. "Your futon cabinet's too comfy to leave!"
"That's great." Keitaro smiled.
"Who's this midget?" Sarah asked aside to Keitaro.
"She's my sister…" Keitaro sighed. Talk about bad influence. 'You're not that big yourself…how can you call others midgets?' He sighed inwardly.
"I'm Urashima Hinako. It's a pleasure to meet you." Hinako bowed, smiling at Sarah.
"The pleasure's all mine. I'm Sarah McDouggal from California." Sarah too bowed politely.
"Ok, I'm off to drop Chiikage off in my room." Keitaro said, walking off.
"Sarah-chan, do you want to come and play in my room?" Naru asked Sarah. "You can come too, Hinako-chan."
"Wow, sure." Sarah nodded, wearing what seemed like an excited expression.
"Yay! Yay!" Hinako cried. "Onii-tama? Can Hina-tan please go?"
"No, I think you should stay with me." Keitaro said, slightly uncertain. Sarah was definitely one of the last people he wanted to leave any of his sisters with alone. "I think I'll need a little help with Chiikage-neesama." He made up a reason.
"Seriously, Keitaro, it'll be no trouble at all." Naru said.
"Yeah…big brother is so mean…" Sarah sniffled, her eyes watering. "He was mean to me too."
"C'mon now…" Naru gave Keitaro a look of disapproval.
"….Ok, but you have to be accompanied by one of your elder sisters." Keitaro said. "So go and find one of them now and then you can go."
"What are you so worried about?" Naru asked, as Hinako ran off to find her elder sisters.
Keitaro nodded over at Sarah. "She's not exactly as nice a little girl as she seems, I can tell you, though she's putting up a good show right now." He whispered.
"Big brother's so mean…." Sarah bawled.
"What on earth are you talking about?" Naru growled, clenching her fists. "How can that be possible? How dare you make a little girl cry? You really enjoy doing that, don't you? Here I was thinking you're really good big brother material…" She cracked her knuckles as she advanced on him.
"H…hey!" Keitaro shouted, quickly putting Chiikage down on a nearby sofa out of harms way before retreating slowly. "Calm down! What reason would I have to lie?!"
"DIE!" Naru shouted, delivering an uppercut straight into Keitaro's jaw, sending him straight through the ceiling.
"Wow…." Sarah looked up at the hole in awe.
Chiikage gently turned over and continued on sleeping.
"How is it going, desu-no?" Shirayuki asked. "Hime-chan can't see desu-no…."
"I don't think anything's happened just yet…" Sakuya whispered, moving aside slightly to give Shirayuki space to look inside the crack in the door.
"Checky…this sure is interesting…" Mizuki said, taking notes.
"D'you think they're going to have another fight?" Rinrin asked.
"They had a really big fight at the waterfall this morning…" Karen said. "Karen-chan hopes it doesn't happen again."
CRASH…
Keitaro flew up through the floor, bounced off the ceiling, and landed with a painful splat on the floor by his sisters.
"Onii-sama!" Sakuya gasped, quieting her voice just in time. "What happened?" She whispered worriedly as the sisters gathered around Keitaro.
"Err…never mind." Keitaro sighed, brushing off a bit of dust. "Misunderstandings, as usual. Hey, what're you girls doing?"
"…I believe I owe you an apology…" A voice said from inside the room. Everyone outside turned to look, including Keitaro.
"…It was your victory today…that was clear. If you hadn't been distracted by the ground giving away, you would've won completely. Not to mention, you saved me at the expense of your own safety." The voice continued.
It was Motoko. She and Keiko were sitting opposite one another in the proud samurai's room.
"No. It was my fault for being distracted. Besides, you were completely blinded by your rage. If you had been calmer, it would've been your victory. I wouldn't have stood a chance." Keiko said, smiling.
"But please accept your victory today." Motoko said. "And…would you mind practicing with me from time to time?"
"Sure." Keiko said happily. "It would be my pleasure."
"And I'll definitely challenge you to another fight." Motoko said. "And next time, I won't lose."
"I look forwards to it." Keiko said, bowing politely.
"Haha…so Motoko's not as frosty as I thought." Keitaro smiled, his heart swelling with pride at his sister's achievement.
"Oh, Nii-sama, you haven't been healed yet, desu-no…" Shirayuki said, looking at the paper talisman stuck to Keitaro's front. "Marie-chan just went to sleep too…she got really exhausted after healing everyone desu-no."
"Yeah, and Chiikage-chan didn't want to stick another paper talisman for exhaustion relief on her. She said something about disrupting mana flows or something." Sakuya said. "Chiikage-chan really saved the day though. If it wasn't for her, Marie-chan wouldn't have been able to heal anyone."
"The talisman should be able to hold up for about a day, Onii-chan." Karen said. "Chiikage-neechan's powers aren't anything to snuff at. It should last you until Marie-neechan wakes up."
"Yeah, I shouldn't have anything to worry about." Keitaro said.
"Oh, did somebody hit you again, Onii-sama?" Sakuya asked. "I bet it was Naru-sempai again…" She sighed. "I thought I told her to lay off already. I'll have to speak to her about this…"
"Haha…it was just another misunderstanding." Keitaro laughed. "Speaking of misunderstandings, I've got to warn you girls…"
"Ah! Onee-tama!" Hinako shouted, running up to them, with Sarah bringing up the rear.
"Oh…speak of the devil…" Keitaro sighed quietly. A light bulb suddenly came on in his mind. 'Yeah, that way, she'd be so busy there'd be absolutely no room for mischief, and some of the girls' good nature might get a chance to rub off on her.' He thought. "Hey, girls, this is Sarah." Keitaro said. "She'll be staying with us for a while, so try to get along ok?"
Sarah again put on her good-girl act as she greeted them all in turn.
"Right, guys, tomorrow's Christmas eve, but we've completely neglected the decorations and preparations. Can I count on you girls to get started?" Keitaro asked.
"Sure, you can count on us!" Sakuya said, thumping her chest.
"We'll have the best Christmas party ready for you, Onii-chan!" Karen said confidently.
"Hime-chan'd better get started on the food, desu-no." Shirayuki said, clasping her hands together.
"Hina-tan will find Hinata-tan, Kaho-tan, and Aria-tan, and get started on the decorations!" Hinako shouted, running off again.
"Right, now we've got to go find the decorations. This calls for a little detective work. Checky!" Mizuki said, following Hinako.
"Guys, take Sarah with you. Keep her busy, ok?" Keitaro said, pushing Sarah along.
"He…hey!" Sarah looked around at Keitaro. "What're you planning, you idiot?!" She whispered through gritted teeth.
"Just go and have fun, ok?" Keitaro smiled, as he watched them leave. "Keiko-chan?" He looked around at Keiko who had just left Motoko's room. "…I think I have a rough idea of what happened this morning. Congratulations. Your skills sure have improved."
"It wasn't much of a victory. A lot of things happened." Keiko said, smiling her usual modest smile.
"Well, a victory is a victory." Keitaro beamed.
"Anigimi-sama….I'm sorry I broke your rule…." Keiko said, suddenly looking downcast.
"Yes…I was just getting to that." Keitaro suddenly put on a serious look. "But I'm sure you had a reason. Care to explain?"
"….She challenged me to a fight, and I thought that if I could defeat her, I could get her to stop being so mean to you." Keiko explained.
"Well, whatever you do, remember, violence isn't a solution to anything." Keitaro sighed, patting her on the shoulder. "You should never, ever resort to violence, especially not for my sake."
"….Yes, Anigimi-sama." Keiko nodded, reluctantly.
"That's a good girl. I know I can always count on you." Keitaro smiled down at her. "Oh, and can I count on you to keep an eye on the girls? Especially that blonde-haired girl over there. Her name's Sarah and I'm supposed to keep an eye on her for a bit."
"Sure, Anigimi-sama." Keiko said. "It'll be my pleasure."
"Thank you, Keiko. I've got a bit more work to do, then I'll join you girls." Keitaro said, walking down the corridor…before suddenly treading air. "Huh? WHOAAAAH!" He cried as he suddenly fell through the hole in the floor he had made during his ascent.
"Anigimi-sama!" Keiko shouted, making a running start before sliding across the floor and grasping Keitaro's hand.
"Oh man…" Keitaro grasped the edge of the hole with his free hand and looked down. "Oh, I think I can make it on my own, Keiko-chan, thanks."
"No problem, Anigimi-sama." Keiko said, letting go of Keitaro's hand as he leapt down to the floor below.
"We're going to have to fix this…Looks like that's half this month's salary gone already." He sighed, shaking his head as he looked up at the hole.
Perhaps he had been a bit too optimistic.
"Ok, let's see…school fees for 12 children…." Keitaro murmured. "…well, it's a state school, so that saves quite a bit of money. And…health insurance too…hmmm….I'll have to downgrade the insurance plans a bit, but it should be fine….we've got Marie-chan anyway." He scribbled a few notes on the notebook in front of him. "Then there's food…with a capital F…growing children sure do need a lot of food…" Keitaro sighed, picking up his calculator. "There's no compromising here. The children need good nutrition."
"How's it going, Keitaro?" Naru asked, bringing in some tea and snacks.
"Oh, thanks, Narusegawa." Keitaro nodded. "It's a lot more complicated than I thought. Fortunately, my starting salary isn't too bad and the working hours seem to be quite flexible…I'll have plenty of time to spend with my little sisters, though it seems I'll be taking care of Sarah quite often too." Keitaro said. "The money I'm earning just about covers all my foreseeable expenses…don't have much left to save though, which means we're going to have to try and minimize damages to the Hinata Sou…" Keitaro looked up at Naru.
"Err…about that ceiling….err…sorry. It was a heat of the moment thing…" Naru laughed uneasily. "Err…by the way, since you're going to be busy working and all…what about Tokyo-U?"
"I…I don't know…" Keitaro sighed. "I never really had a chance of getting in. The only reason I kept trying was….because I had no other goal in life, I guess. I didn't have anything else worth fighting for. But now…" He looked at the large calligraphy scroll now hanging in the ornament alcove at one end of his room. "…I've got something I've got to fight for that's worth far more than my life…" He smiled a little smile. "…Now I'm fighting for them, Narusegawa, and I don't think I have room for any other commitments…"
"…that's how it is, is it?" Naru sighed. "But how do you know you don't have a chance? Besides, Tokyo-U has always been your dream. Not to mention if you graduate from there you'd have a better chance of supporting your sisters properly." Naru reasoned.
"That's….sort of true…" Keitaro said, uncertainly.
"Ok, why don't you settle it this way?" Naru sat down and put on her businesswoman front. "The cram school's having another mock test early tomorrow morning. Try it out, then decide. If you get a B or better, keep on going. If you get any worse than that, then you give up. What do you say?"
"…But…I haven't been studying properly for the past 3 days…" Keitaro sighed.
"Put on your cram cap and get started." Naru said. "Get moving. You've got…" She looked at her watch. "Exactly 16 hours until the exam. Good luck." She said, walking out.
"16 hours?" Keitaro looked at the pile of review books sitting on his desk on one side of the room. "16 hours…?" He asked again, weakly.
Just as he was about to pick up the first review book a number of thumps and crashes sounded from upstairs. "Huh?" Keitaro looked up at the ceiling. "The girls! What're they doing in Naru's room?" He leaped up onto his kotatsu and pushed open the hole in the ceiling.
"Girls? What're you...ooomph!" He gave out a muffled grunt as the an entire wardrobe of lingerie was dumped in his face. "H…hey!"
"Fell for it, didn't you? What do you think? Big, aren't they?" Sarah asked, looking down at his red face. "Sure hope you're enjoying yourself, idiot." She smiled maliciously before whistling.
"You found the decorations already, Sarah-neechan?" Karen asked, sliding open the door to Naru's room. Mizuki, Aria, Kaho, Hinako, and Hinata were right behind her. They all gasped when they laid eyes on Keitaro.
"In my room? Why would the decorations be….." Naru started as she came down the corridor, before stopping dead upon seeing Keitaro's nose stuck to a pair of her most prized panties. "Y….you…."
"…I…I told you it's not good to do that!" Sarah shouted, teary-eyed. "Now we're both in trouble…"
"How dare you drag in an innocent little girl into doing things like this…" Naru's scowl could've fried the eye-balls out of Medusa herself.
"You'd better hide before she finds out about the books!" Sarah whispered, but just about loud enough for everyone to hear.
"…B…books?" Naru ran over to her bookcase. "No….no….NO!" She gasped in panic as she pulled out book after book, flipping quickly through each and every one. "NOOOOOOOO!" She screamed hysterically before falling to her knees. One book fell to the floor and opened up to the last page upon which was scrawled, in huge, ugly letters, 'MERRY CHRISTMAS! FROM KEITARO'. "My…my review books….all ruined…." She aimed to fiery eyes at Keitaro. "So….you fancy yourself a scribble artist eh? What's your style? Grafiti? Well, you see….my style's contemporary sculpting. Mind if I use you as a model?" She smiled sweetly as she stood up, cracking her knuckles. "Death's just too good for you…."
"…Na…Narusegawa! No! It…it wasn't me! Think about it for a second!" Keitaro shouted.
Sarah grinned a big, satisfied, evil grin down at Keitaro.
Keitaro could only gulp.
To be continued…
For character profiles, sneak peaks, previews of upcoming chapters, for Sister Princess as well as my other works, feel free to visit our Fan Works Forum, the Unlimited Fan Works, accessible through the homepage link on our profile. Thank You.
Notes:
Kotatsu: A table with a heater under it that is covered with a thick blanket, usually used during winter.
Don't forget to check back soon! Chapter 9 will be up in 3 days, at latest.