Disclaimer: I own none of Love Hina, but Sean is me.
I don't really have anything to say right now, so let's just get started.
* * * Chapter XI: Undying Adoration * * *
Saturday, 7/20; 7:46 PM
The girls and Keitaro gathered in the kitchen and the dining room to make final preparations for their guest. Sean entered in a blue button down shirt with a flame motif (also blue), long jeans and tennis shoes; that was about as formal as he would ever get without complaints. "Um, I want to say something before Mutsumi gets here."
"And what might that be?" Naru was still a bit angry about what he said before.
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry about how I acted before. I have been really stressed the last few days and I didn't mean to take it out on you. That's why I left this afternoon. I hope you can forgive me."
"Does that mean I don't have to spend study time with Keitaro?" Naru said hopefully.
"Don't push it." Sean started to go outside to wait for Mutsumi to arrive.
Naru angrily crossed her arms. "It was worth a shot."
Sean stopped when he reached the door. "Oh, and one more thing. Keitaro, Kitsune, I don't know exactly what you two were doing earlier, but please keep it down in the future, alright?" He left with a smile on his face. He knew that would make things a bit more lively in his absence.
As he walked down the front steps, he started to wonder what might happen that night. His mind kept thinking of… certain things, but he knew it would probably never happen. When he got to the bottom, he found Mutsumi walking toward him. "Hi, Mutsumi. I see you found the place alright."
She chuckled. "It's sort of hard to miss."
"I guess so." He walked next to her up the stairs.
"Why did you meet me way down here?" She asked.
"I don't want you to bust your head open if you should pass out."
"Ah. A precautionary measure."
"Yup. I wouldn't want to see you get hurt or anything."
"Thank you for your concern." She decided to ask something that was nagging at her mind since they met. "How did you come to live here, anyway?"
"As hard as it is to believe, I applied for a job here."
"You work here?" Mutsumi raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, first, I want to say that I thought this place was just a hotel when I applied, and second, it's not as good as you might think. I've had my butt kicked more times than I can remember."
"I would think so. You're probably sneaking peeks every now and then."
"You'd think that wouldn't you? I actually go out of my way to protect their modesty."
"Oh." She looked at Sean for a moment, a hint of confusion on her face. "Why are you still wearing sunglasses? It is pretty late, after all."
Sean sighed. "I guess I'll level with you. I'm actually blind."
Mutsumi's eyes grew wide. "You're blind?!"
"I know it doesn't look that way, but I'll explain." Just then, PAVE appeared in front of them. "That is what I use to see."
"Wow. So you can see both of us right now?"
"Yeah. It's taken me a while to get used to the perspective. I'll explain how I got it later. Ah, we're here." Sean walked ahead of Mustumi and opened the door for her. "Ladies first."
"Thank you." When they entered the dining room, they found Keitaro hogtied and gagged. Naru was standing over him.
"I'm going to ask you again; what were you two doing?"
"Mmph," was all Keitaro could say.
"Is that what we're eating?" Mutsumi smiled as she saw the events unfold before her. "Looks a bit undercooked."
Sean stifled a laugh. "No, that would be Keitaro. I guess what I said before I left had the desired effect."
"What did you say?"
"I… hinted about what he and one of the girls might have done about an hour ago."
"What did they do?" Mustumi asked.
"I'm not sure myself, but they were making quite a bit of racket doing it."
Mutsumi giggled. "I see."
Sean turned to the others, still unaware of his presence. "Alright, leave Keitaro alone. Our guest is here. Everyone, this is Mutsumi."
"Hello." She said politely.
Upon seeing Sean's date, Kitsune walked to them and looked her over a bit. When she finished, she nodded her approval and took her seat at the table.
"I wonder what that was all about?" Sean thought. He shook his head and lead Mutsumi to her chair, pausing only to help untie Keitaro.
"Thank you," said the newly freed man as he sat next to Sean.
"No problem." Sean smiled at what he had done to him; torture wasn't one of his favorite pastimes, but sometimes he just couldn't resist.
"You explained why you're here," Mutsumi said to Sean, "but why is he here?" She pointed to Keitaro.
"He's my… assistant." She looked at him skeptically. "Alright, he's supposedly related to the one who owns this place. If that proves to be false, I'll leave his judgment and punishment to the girls." Naru smiled at the prospect of having free reign in Keitaro's fate. Keitaro on the other hand, became very nervous as to what she might do to him.
Sean noticed his uneasiness. "If you were telling the truth about that, you won't have anything to worry about; at least nothing more to worry about."
"You're right." Keitaro calmed down a bit, but still eyed Naru cautiously.
"Anyway, why don't you tell us about yourself, Mutsumi?"
As dinner went on, Mutsumi told an abridged version of her life story. As it turns out, she, like Naru, is trying to get into Tokyo U, but like Keitaro, she has failed a couple times before. This wasn't because she didn't know the answers, but her being anemic; she would pass out before she could finish the test. After she finished, she was introduced to the seven residents.
After everyone finished eating, Shinobu started to gather the dishes. "Here, let me help you with that," Sean offered.
"No, I can handle it." Shinobu said, her voice devoid of emotion.
Sean became concerned. "Hmm, usually she would jump at the chance for me to help her. I wonder what's troubling her," he thought. "It's probably nothing too important if she doesn't want to tell me about it."
As Shinobu started cleaning the dishes, she fought back tears. Her mind was like a broken record. "I must be happy for him. I must be happy for him. I must be--" Her thoughts were interrupted by Suu appearing next to her, drying the dishes she had washed. "You don't have to help me, Suu."
Suu just smiled. "I want to."
"…Thank you." She allowed this to keep her mind off Sean, at least for the moment.
Meanwhile, the others reconvened in the living room, where they watched TV and chatted for a while. Shinobu and Suu joined them after they finished the dishes. Soon, it was after 10:00 and Mutsumi had to leave.
"Here, I'll show you out," Sean said.
"Why do you want to see me go?" Mutsumi asked.
"I want to make sure you get down the front steps without passing out and hurting yourself."
Mutsumi nodded, accepting his reasoning. "Good idea." The two walked out toward the door together.
"She's a nice one," Suu said.
"Yes, I wish those two the best of times together." Motoko said.
Shinobu could not stand it any longer. She had to get out before she blew her top. "Excuse me. I think I'll turn in."
"Goodnight, Shinobu." Everyone said as she made her way up the stairs, but she didn't go to her room. Instead, she walked into Sean's room.
"I have to know for sure." She said to herself as she found Sean's spell book and flipped through the pages; there were more spells there than the last time she saw it. She found what was looking for and examined the odd markings for a little while before she returned the binder to the bookshelf.
"Time to put my abilities to the test," she said as she waved her arms around her in a precise pattern. When she finished, she looked into the mirror; she saw no reflection of herself. "One down, one to go." Once again, she started making hand gestures.
---
Sean and Mutsumi walked down the steps together. When they reached the bottom, they said their goodbyes.
"Maybe we'll see each other again sometime," Sean said.
"I think we will." Mutsumi said, smiling.
"Does that mean that you and me…" Sean said hopefully.
Mutsumi laid a hand on Sean's shoulder. "Sean, you're a nice guy, but I'm not sure if things would work out between us."
Sean felt like he'd been hit by a ton of bricks, but he didn't show it. "May I ask why?"
"It's just that you have so many responsibilities, I don't think you could fit in an outside relationship."
"I see. But you will visit sometimes, won't you?"
"Of course. I'll come by every once in a while to accompany Naru and Keitaro in their studies."
"I guess we can still be friends, then."
"Sure thing. See you later, Sean."
"See ya." Sean watched Mutsumi leave until she was out of sight. He then walked slowly back up the steps, his head bowed. "I guess it wasn't meant to happen. Figures."
Suddenly, his mind flinched. He looked around, but found nothing. "I could have sworn--" He started as he scratched his head. "Oh well." He continued solemnly back the dorm.
Shinobu saw the entire scene unfold before her from a few feet away. She was relieved that Sean was still available, but she couldn't bear to see him as sad as he was. "I need to figure out a way to cheer him up after what just happened," she thought.
When she saw Sean stop and look around, she started to panic. "Does he know I'm here?!" She then saw him shrug his shoulders and continue on his way. "Whew. That was close." Suddenly, an idea popped into her head; a smile appeared on her young face.
"Yes, that should let me find out once and for all how he feels about me," she thought as she recast the teleportation spell.
---
Kitsune was the first to notice Sean return. "So, are you two a couple?"
Sean smiled for a brief moment before the sad expression returned.
"She dump you?" Naru asked.
"We decided to be… just friends."
"Ouch," Kitsune said; she sympathized with him. "The curse of 'just friends.'"
"It's happened to you?"
"Too often." Kitsune glanced at Naru for a moment. "Too often."
"I see." Sean soon became aware of something a bit off in the scene before him. "Where's Shinobu?"
"She said she was going to get some sleep." Keitaro said.
"Oh." Sean left for the stairs.
"Where are you going?" Motoko asked.
"My room. I'll probably rest a bit and get some shuteye myself."
"Alright, then. See you in the morning."
Sean nodded and waved his hand as he left the room.
"He must be pretty broken up about what happened." Naru said.
"Yeah, so much for your wish, Motoko." Kitsune added.
"Nobody's perfect." Motoko said in her own defense.
"I'll go have a talk with him and see if there's anything we can do to help." Keitaro said, getting up.
"Good idea," Motoko affirmed. "After what he's been through, he may not be up for another one-on-one talk with a girl tonight."
"Right. Until tomorrow then… Naru." Keitaro said just before he was out of sight.
"Oh shoot," Naru said, realizing what he meant. "I'm going to have to spend study time with that creep. I'll to have to get Sean back for that."
"It can wait," Kitsune said. "In the meantime, who's up for some sake?"
---
As Sean entered his room, he noticed something was amiss as he sensed the residue of magical energy. "That's odd." He looked around but found he was alone; at least until Keitaro appeared behind him.
"Hey, Sean." He saw a strange look on Sean's face. "Is something wrong?"
"It feels like somebody was just casting spells in here."
"Do you think it's your energy?"
"No, I'd recognize it if it was. This is somebody else's, but I can't tell who's."
"Should we be concerned about this?"
"I don't think so. Whoever was here didn't take anything, so we should he alright."
"Okay." Keitaro suddenly remembered why he came. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"
"I suppose." The two men sat down on Sean's futon.
"So, why did she dump you?"
"The reason we decided to be friends," Sean reinforced, "was because she thought I had too many responsibilities here and a relationship might not work because of it."
"Ah, I can see how that can pose a problem. Will we ever see her again?"
"Oh sure. She'll come by from time to time to study with you and Naru."
"About that. Naru's still against me and her spending any amount of quality time together."
"She'll have to deal with it. You two don't exactly have to like one another; just be on less violent terms, which reminds me…" Sean grabbed Keitaro by the wrist and sent magical energy into him.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm making it so that when you're sent into space again, you don't take part of the ceiling with you."
"What?" Keitaro was confused by what he said.
"You'll understand next time Naru hits you." Keitaro nodded. "I've also got a way for you to teleport yourself back in the works." Sean brain-flinched again. "What in the--?"
"What's wrong?"
"It may just be paranoia, but I have the distinct feeling I'm being watched. I felt the same way when I was walking back after Mutsumi left." He shook his head. "My mind must be playing tricks on me or something."
"Maybe."
"I guess I'll get some sleep. I have a lot to think about and I'll probably have a clearer mind to work with in the morning. I plan on having a talk with Shinobu then. I'm getting concerned about the way she's been acting today."
"I'm sure she's fine."
"You haven't known her as long as I have. I know when something's troubling her; I just don't know what yet."
"I see. I guess I'll turn in, too. Good night, Sean."
"You too." The two men changed into their sleepwear and went to bed.
---
Unbeknownst to him, Sean's paranoia was quite accurate, as Shinobu had been spying on them. She was still invisible, so she wasn't that worried about being found out. She had teleported from outside into her own room, changed into her night shirt and jetted back to Sean's room before he got there.
"Alright, I'll have to act fast; he won't be asleep for too long," she thought as she ran the plan through her head one last time. After she was sure he was sound asleep, she made her way to Sean's futon, making sure to end the invisibility spell. "Let's see how he'll react to this."
---
Sunday, 7/21; 1:15 AM
"What the hell?!!" Sean thought. He refused to believe what he was seeing when he woke up. "Is this a dream?!" He knew he was awake, but still--this seemed a bit too strange for comfort, for you see, Shinobu was lying next to him on his bed, sound asleep.
"I have to get her back to her room before the others see us like this." Gently, he picked up the sleeping girl and slowly walked from his room to hers and set her onto her bed, pulling the covers over her body.
"Why did she do this?" he couldn't help but wonder. "She must have deeper feeling for me than I thought." He decided to stay by her side until she awoke. "If she doesn't see me when she wakes up, she might be heartbroken."
---
6:52 AM
Shinobu opened her eyes to find she was in her room. "How did--?!" She started to say until she saw Sean next to her, smiling. "Oh."
"You know, you could have just told me how you felt."
Crying, Shinobu hugged him as hard as she could. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It took courage to pull a stunt like that."
"I just wanted to know for sure… your feelings toward me."
"Is that what this is all about?"
"Yes. Seeing you with Mutsumi just did something to me. I had to know if you and her were--"
"Wait, was that you out there?!" She nodded. "But how come I didn't see you there?"
Shinobu released her embrace; her tears had stopped. "I made myself invisible."
"So that was your energy I felt back in my room."
"Yes. I found your spell binder, made myself vanish and teleported out to where you were. I heard the whole thing between you and Mutsumi."
"I see. Then you know the situation I'm in right now, but why did you go to all this trouble to find out my feelings towards you?"
"I needed an honest answer."
"Does this mean you want the two of us to be--"
"Yes, I do."
"Why didn't you just say so?"
"I didn't want to interfere in your personal life. I was trying to be happy for you that you found someone."
"You care for me that much that you'd put yourself through so much anguish for my sake?"
"I'd do anything for you, Sean."
"But are you sure you want to be with me this badly? I mean, if the others--"
"I don't care what the others would think. I can't stand not to be around you any longer."
Sean thought it over for a minute while Shinobu waited eagerly. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her.
"Does this mean that--?"
"Yes, it does."
She was speechless for a moment, tears beginning anew. "I love you so much, Sean," She said softly.
"I love you too, Shinobu." They remained there silently for a few moments before Sean broke down himself. "I'm so sorry."
Shinobu backed off a bit, surprised. Sean's eyes were shut tight, but tears still escaped. "What?"
"I could've… should've told you that sooner."
"That you loved me?" Sean nodded. "Why didn't you?"
"I was afraid. I've never felt like this before. Besides, there was too much uncertainty. How would you have responded? How would the others have reacted if they found out? I was scared to find out."
"I was scared at first, too." Shinobu wiped the tears from Sean's cheeks. "But I knew in my heart that it was right, and I think you feel the same way."
"Yes." He resumed the embrace they shared moments before. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." A thought occurred to her. "When should we tell them about us?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, let's just enjoy each other's company."
"Alright." Shinobu smiled and blushed slightly as she held Sean in her arms.
Just then, a knock was heard at the door. "What's going on in there?" Motoko's voice was heard from the other side of the door.
Shinobu started to panic. "What should we do?"
"I'll teleport back to my room. I don't think they're ready to find out about us yet."
"Okay," Shinobu said, a small smile still on her face. "See you in a little bit."
Sean nodded, then vanished just when Motoko opened the door.
"What's going on? I was hearing voices in here."
Shinobu turned on her innocent look. "Nothing's wrong. I was just dreaming, that's all. Don't scare me like that."
Motoko felt a bit guilty about barging in like she did. "I apologize. See you at breakfast." She left, closing the door behind her.
Shinobu allowed herself a wide smile. This was the happiest she has ever been. "I hope we don't have to hide our love for too long." She then got dressed and left for the kitchen to make breakfast.
* * * End of Chapter XI * * *
Well, that's that. I lose Mutsumi and pick up Shinobu. I'm going to tell you right now: don't hesitate to be brutally honest with your responses. See you next time around. Oh, and in case you're wondering, I have no idea as to how long this story will last.
I don't really have anything to say right now, so let's just get started.
* * * Chapter XI: Undying Adoration * * *
Saturday, 7/20; 7:46 PM
The girls and Keitaro gathered in the kitchen and the dining room to make final preparations for their guest. Sean entered in a blue button down shirt with a flame motif (also blue), long jeans and tennis shoes; that was about as formal as he would ever get without complaints. "Um, I want to say something before Mutsumi gets here."
"And what might that be?" Naru was still a bit angry about what he said before.
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry about how I acted before. I have been really stressed the last few days and I didn't mean to take it out on you. That's why I left this afternoon. I hope you can forgive me."
"Does that mean I don't have to spend study time with Keitaro?" Naru said hopefully.
"Don't push it." Sean started to go outside to wait for Mutsumi to arrive.
Naru angrily crossed her arms. "It was worth a shot."
Sean stopped when he reached the door. "Oh, and one more thing. Keitaro, Kitsune, I don't know exactly what you two were doing earlier, but please keep it down in the future, alright?" He left with a smile on his face. He knew that would make things a bit more lively in his absence.
As he walked down the front steps, he started to wonder what might happen that night. His mind kept thinking of… certain things, but he knew it would probably never happen. When he got to the bottom, he found Mutsumi walking toward him. "Hi, Mutsumi. I see you found the place alright."
She chuckled. "It's sort of hard to miss."
"I guess so." He walked next to her up the stairs.
"Why did you meet me way down here?" She asked.
"I don't want you to bust your head open if you should pass out."
"Ah. A precautionary measure."
"Yup. I wouldn't want to see you get hurt or anything."
"Thank you for your concern." She decided to ask something that was nagging at her mind since they met. "How did you come to live here, anyway?"
"As hard as it is to believe, I applied for a job here."
"You work here?" Mutsumi raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, first, I want to say that I thought this place was just a hotel when I applied, and second, it's not as good as you might think. I've had my butt kicked more times than I can remember."
"I would think so. You're probably sneaking peeks every now and then."
"You'd think that wouldn't you? I actually go out of my way to protect their modesty."
"Oh." She looked at Sean for a moment, a hint of confusion on her face. "Why are you still wearing sunglasses? It is pretty late, after all."
Sean sighed. "I guess I'll level with you. I'm actually blind."
Mutsumi's eyes grew wide. "You're blind?!"
"I know it doesn't look that way, but I'll explain." Just then, PAVE appeared in front of them. "That is what I use to see."
"Wow. So you can see both of us right now?"
"Yeah. It's taken me a while to get used to the perspective. I'll explain how I got it later. Ah, we're here." Sean walked ahead of Mustumi and opened the door for her. "Ladies first."
"Thank you." When they entered the dining room, they found Keitaro hogtied and gagged. Naru was standing over him.
"I'm going to ask you again; what were you two doing?"
"Mmph," was all Keitaro could say.
"Is that what we're eating?" Mutsumi smiled as she saw the events unfold before her. "Looks a bit undercooked."
Sean stifled a laugh. "No, that would be Keitaro. I guess what I said before I left had the desired effect."
"What did you say?"
"I… hinted about what he and one of the girls might have done about an hour ago."
"What did they do?" Mustumi asked.
"I'm not sure myself, but they were making quite a bit of racket doing it."
Mutsumi giggled. "I see."
Sean turned to the others, still unaware of his presence. "Alright, leave Keitaro alone. Our guest is here. Everyone, this is Mutsumi."
"Hello." She said politely.
Upon seeing Sean's date, Kitsune walked to them and looked her over a bit. When she finished, she nodded her approval and took her seat at the table.
"I wonder what that was all about?" Sean thought. He shook his head and lead Mutsumi to her chair, pausing only to help untie Keitaro.
"Thank you," said the newly freed man as he sat next to Sean.
"No problem." Sean smiled at what he had done to him; torture wasn't one of his favorite pastimes, but sometimes he just couldn't resist.
"You explained why you're here," Mutsumi said to Sean, "but why is he here?" She pointed to Keitaro.
"He's my… assistant." She looked at him skeptically. "Alright, he's supposedly related to the one who owns this place. If that proves to be false, I'll leave his judgment and punishment to the girls." Naru smiled at the prospect of having free reign in Keitaro's fate. Keitaro on the other hand, became very nervous as to what she might do to him.
Sean noticed his uneasiness. "If you were telling the truth about that, you won't have anything to worry about; at least nothing more to worry about."
"You're right." Keitaro calmed down a bit, but still eyed Naru cautiously.
"Anyway, why don't you tell us about yourself, Mutsumi?"
As dinner went on, Mutsumi told an abridged version of her life story. As it turns out, she, like Naru, is trying to get into Tokyo U, but like Keitaro, she has failed a couple times before. This wasn't because she didn't know the answers, but her being anemic; she would pass out before she could finish the test. After she finished, she was introduced to the seven residents.
After everyone finished eating, Shinobu started to gather the dishes. "Here, let me help you with that," Sean offered.
"No, I can handle it." Shinobu said, her voice devoid of emotion.
Sean became concerned. "Hmm, usually she would jump at the chance for me to help her. I wonder what's troubling her," he thought. "It's probably nothing too important if she doesn't want to tell me about it."
As Shinobu started cleaning the dishes, she fought back tears. Her mind was like a broken record. "I must be happy for him. I must be happy for him. I must be--" Her thoughts were interrupted by Suu appearing next to her, drying the dishes she had washed. "You don't have to help me, Suu."
Suu just smiled. "I want to."
"…Thank you." She allowed this to keep her mind off Sean, at least for the moment.
Meanwhile, the others reconvened in the living room, where they watched TV and chatted for a while. Shinobu and Suu joined them after they finished the dishes. Soon, it was after 10:00 and Mutsumi had to leave.
"Here, I'll show you out," Sean said.
"Why do you want to see me go?" Mutsumi asked.
"I want to make sure you get down the front steps without passing out and hurting yourself."
Mutsumi nodded, accepting his reasoning. "Good idea." The two walked out toward the door together.
"She's a nice one," Suu said.
"Yes, I wish those two the best of times together." Motoko said.
Shinobu could not stand it any longer. She had to get out before she blew her top. "Excuse me. I think I'll turn in."
"Goodnight, Shinobu." Everyone said as she made her way up the stairs, but she didn't go to her room. Instead, she walked into Sean's room.
"I have to know for sure." She said to herself as she found Sean's spell book and flipped through the pages; there were more spells there than the last time she saw it. She found what was looking for and examined the odd markings for a little while before she returned the binder to the bookshelf.
"Time to put my abilities to the test," she said as she waved her arms around her in a precise pattern. When she finished, she looked into the mirror; she saw no reflection of herself. "One down, one to go." Once again, she started making hand gestures.
---
Sean and Mutsumi walked down the steps together. When they reached the bottom, they said their goodbyes.
"Maybe we'll see each other again sometime," Sean said.
"I think we will." Mutsumi said, smiling.
"Does that mean that you and me…" Sean said hopefully.
Mutsumi laid a hand on Sean's shoulder. "Sean, you're a nice guy, but I'm not sure if things would work out between us."
Sean felt like he'd been hit by a ton of bricks, but he didn't show it. "May I ask why?"
"It's just that you have so many responsibilities, I don't think you could fit in an outside relationship."
"I see. But you will visit sometimes, won't you?"
"Of course. I'll come by every once in a while to accompany Naru and Keitaro in their studies."
"I guess we can still be friends, then."
"Sure thing. See you later, Sean."
"See ya." Sean watched Mutsumi leave until she was out of sight. He then walked slowly back up the steps, his head bowed. "I guess it wasn't meant to happen. Figures."
Suddenly, his mind flinched. He looked around, but found nothing. "I could have sworn--" He started as he scratched his head. "Oh well." He continued solemnly back the dorm.
Shinobu saw the entire scene unfold before her from a few feet away. She was relieved that Sean was still available, but she couldn't bear to see him as sad as he was. "I need to figure out a way to cheer him up after what just happened," she thought.
When she saw Sean stop and look around, she started to panic. "Does he know I'm here?!" She then saw him shrug his shoulders and continue on his way. "Whew. That was close." Suddenly, an idea popped into her head; a smile appeared on her young face.
"Yes, that should let me find out once and for all how he feels about me," she thought as she recast the teleportation spell.
---
Kitsune was the first to notice Sean return. "So, are you two a couple?"
Sean smiled for a brief moment before the sad expression returned.
"She dump you?" Naru asked.
"We decided to be… just friends."
"Ouch," Kitsune said; she sympathized with him. "The curse of 'just friends.'"
"It's happened to you?"
"Too often." Kitsune glanced at Naru for a moment. "Too often."
"I see." Sean soon became aware of something a bit off in the scene before him. "Where's Shinobu?"
"She said she was going to get some sleep." Keitaro said.
"Oh." Sean left for the stairs.
"Where are you going?" Motoko asked.
"My room. I'll probably rest a bit and get some shuteye myself."
"Alright, then. See you in the morning."
Sean nodded and waved his hand as he left the room.
"He must be pretty broken up about what happened." Naru said.
"Yeah, so much for your wish, Motoko." Kitsune added.
"Nobody's perfect." Motoko said in her own defense.
"I'll go have a talk with him and see if there's anything we can do to help." Keitaro said, getting up.
"Good idea," Motoko affirmed. "After what he's been through, he may not be up for another one-on-one talk with a girl tonight."
"Right. Until tomorrow then… Naru." Keitaro said just before he was out of sight.
"Oh shoot," Naru said, realizing what he meant. "I'm going to have to spend study time with that creep. I'll to have to get Sean back for that."
"It can wait," Kitsune said. "In the meantime, who's up for some sake?"
---
As Sean entered his room, he noticed something was amiss as he sensed the residue of magical energy. "That's odd." He looked around but found he was alone; at least until Keitaro appeared behind him.
"Hey, Sean." He saw a strange look on Sean's face. "Is something wrong?"
"It feels like somebody was just casting spells in here."
"Do you think it's your energy?"
"No, I'd recognize it if it was. This is somebody else's, but I can't tell who's."
"Should we be concerned about this?"
"I don't think so. Whoever was here didn't take anything, so we should he alright."
"Okay." Keitaro suddenly remembered why he came. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"
"I suppose." The two men sat down on Sean's futon.
"So, why did she dump you?"
"The reason we decided to be friends," Sean reinforced, "was because she thought I had too many responsibilities here and a relationship might not work because of it."
"Ah, I can see how that can pose a problem. Will we ever see her again?"
"Oh sure. She'll come by from time to time to study with you and Naru."
"About that. Naru's still against me and her spending any amount of quality time together."
"She'll have to deal with it. You two don't exactly have to like one another; just be on less violent terms, which reminds me…" Sean grabbed Keitaro by the wrist and sent magical energy into him.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm making it so that when you're sent into space again, you don't take part of the ceiling with you."
"What?" Keitaro was confused by what he said.
"You'll understand next time Naru hits you." Keitaro nodded. "I've also got a way for you to teleport yourself back in the works." Sean brain-flinched again. "What in the--?"
"What's wrong?"
"It may just be paranoia, but I have the distinct feeling I'm being watched. I felt the same way when I was walking back after Mutsumi left." He shook his head. "My mind must be playing tricks on me or something."
"Maybe."
"I guess I'll get some sleep. I have a lot to think about and I'll probably have a clearer mind to work with in the morning. I plan on having a talk with Shinobu then. I'm getting concerned about the way she's been acting today."
"I'm sure she's fine."
"You haven't known her as long as I have. I know when something's troubling her; I just don't know what yet."
"I see. I guess I'll turn in, too. Good night, Sean."
"You too." The two men changed into their sleepwear and went to bed.
---
Unbeknownst to him, Sean's paranoia was quite accurate, as Shinobu had been spying on them. She was still invisible, so she wasn't that worried about being found out. She had teleported from outside into her own room, changed into her night shirt and jetted back to Sean's room before he got there.
"Alright, I'll have to act fast; he won't be asleep for too long," she thought as she ran the plan through her head one last time. After she was sure he was sound asleep, she made her way to Sean's futon, making sure to end the invisibility spell. "Let's see how he'll react to this."
---
Sunday, 7/21; 1:15 AM
"What the hell?!!" Sean thought. He refused to believe what he was seeing when he woke up. "Is this a dream?!" He knew he was awake, but still--this seemed a bit too strange for comfort, for you see, Shinobu was lying next to him on his bed, sound asleep.
"I have to get her back to her room before the others see us like this." Gently, he picked up the sleeping girl and slowly walked from his room to hers and set her onto her bed, pulling the covers over her body.
"Why did she do this?" he couldn't help but wonder. "She must have deeper feeling for me than I thought." He decided to stay by her side until she awoke. "If she doesn't see me when she wakes up, she might be heartbroken."
---
6:52 AM
Shinobu opened her eyes to find she was in her room. "How did--?!" She started to say until she saw Sean next to her, smiling. "Oh."
"You know, you could have just told me how you felt."
Crying, Shinobu hugged him as hard as she could. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It took courage to pull a stunt like that."
"I just wanted to know for sure… your feelings toward me."
"Is that what this is all about?"
"Yes. Seeing you with Mutsumi just did something to me. I had to know if you and her were--"
"Wait, was that you out there?!" She nodded. "But how come I didn't see you there?"
Shinobu released her embrace; her tears had stopped. "I made myself invisible."
"So that was your energy I felt back in my room."
"Yes. I found your spell binder, made myself vanish and teleported out to where you were. I heard the whole thing between you and Mutsumi."
"I see. Then you know the situation I'm in right now, but why did you go to all this trouble to find out my feelings towards you?"
"I needed an honest answer."
"Does this mean you want the two of us to be--"
"Yes, I do."
"Why didn't you just say so?"
"I didn't want to interfere in your personal life. I was trying to be happy for you that you found someone."
"You care for me that much that you'd put yourself through so much anguish for my sake?"
"I'd do anything for you, Sean."
"But are you sure you want to be with me this badly? I mean, if the others--"
"I don't care what the others would think. I can't stand not to be around you any longer."
Sean thought it over for a minute while Shinobu waited eagerly. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her.
"Does this mean that--?"
"Yes, it does."
She was speechless for a moment, tears beginning anew. "I love you so much, Sean," She said softly.
"I love you too, Shinobu." They remained there silently for a few moments before Sean broke down himself. "I'm so sorry."
Shinobu backed off a bit, surprised. Sean's eyes were shut tight, but tears still escaped. "What?"
"I could've… should've told you that sooner."
"That you loved me?" Sean nodded. "Why didn't you?"
"I was afraid. I've never felt like this before. Besides, there was too much uncertainty. How would you have responded? How would the others have reacted if they found out? I was scared to find out."
"I was scared at first, too." Shinobu wiped the tears from Sean's cheeks. "But I knew in my heart that it was right, and I think you feel the same way."
"Yes." He resumed the embrace they shared moments before. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." A thought occurred to her. "When should we tell them about us?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, let's just enjoy each other's company."
"Alright." Shinobu smiled and blushed slightly as she held Sean in her arms.
Just then, a knock was heard at the door. "What's going on in there?" Motoko's voice was heard from the other side of the door.
Shinobu started to panic. "What should we do?"
"I'll teleport back to my room. I don't think they're ready to find out about us yet."
"Okay," Shinobu said, a small smile still on her face. "See you in a little bit."
Sean nodded, then vanished just when Motoko opened the door.
"What's going on? I was hearing voices in here."
Shinobu turned on her innocent look. "Nothing's wrong. I was just dreaming, that's all. Don't scare me like that."
Motoko felt a bit guilty about barging in like she did. "I apologize. See you at breakfast." She left, closing the door behind her.
Shinobu allowed herself a wide smile. This was the happiest she has ever been. "I hope we don't have to hide our love for too long." She then got dressed and left for the kitchen to make breakfast.
* * * End of Chapter XI * * *
Well, that's that. I lose Mutsumi and pick up Shinobu. I'm going to tell you right now: don't hesitate to be brutally honest with your responses. See you next time around. Oh, and in case you're wondering, I have no idea as to how long this story will last.