Disclaimer: I own no part of Love Hina, but Sean is me.
Thanks to those of you who have stuck by me all this time (you know who you are). This chapter will be a bit different from the other ones. Like the Intermission, this one will be split into differfent parts with no relevence to each other. I hope this isn't too much of a stretch for you. If it is, then you probably wouldn't be reading this right now, so I don't know why I'm saying it. Anyway, this first part involves something I've wanted to do for the last 10 chapters and it's good to finally get it over with.
* * * Chapter XVI * * *
* Part One: Arrivals *
Monday, 9/3 11:23 AM (A/N: I don't know if Labor Day is celebrated in Japan or not.)
"Well, this certainly is exciting," Sean muttered sarcastically.
"Tell me about it." Kitsune agreed.
The new school year has gotten under way, and the two of them were the only ones with nowhere to be. They both knew Hinata-Sou would get very boring for half the day.
"At least we should be glad that Keitaro, Naru and Mutsumi all got into Toudai."
"Don't remind me." Kitsune still had a hangover from the party they had the night before to celebrate the occasion.
"Well, now that we have the whole place to ourselves, what do you want to do?" Sean asked, knowing full well what the answer might be.
"Oh, I don't feel like doing much of anything right now. Let's just watch some TV until this stupid headache goes away."
"You really shouldn't drink so much, Kitsune."
"Don't start preaching to me, Sean, it's not going to help."
"Eh, I don't feel like lecturing anyway."
They spent the next hour just laying on the couch, watching television. "I wish this thing got Comedy Central," Sean thought after a while.
The only break in the monotony arrived with a knock at the door. "I'll get it," Sean said, getting up. Kitsune just muttered something incomprehensibly.
"Hello?" Sean said as he opened the door. He saw a man, a woman and a child.
"And who might you me?" The woman asked, raising an eyebrow. Both parents had an unlit cigarette hanging loosely from their lips.
"I'm the landlord."
"How did you get a job here?" The man asked.
"I applied here, how else?" Sean muttered as though he had explained himself countless times before.
"Then you must be Sean." The woman said.
"How do you know my name?"
"I was the one who hired you."
"What?"
"Who's at the door, Sean?" Kitsune asked. She immediately recognized the people at the door. "Oh, welcome back."
"Hello, Kitsune. Staying out of trouble, I trust?" The man said.
"What do you think?"
"You know them?" Sean asked.
"Yeah. That's Haruka, that's Seta, and the girl is… what was your name again?"
"Sarah." The blond girl said, obviously bored.
"Haruka… where do I remember that name from?"
An idea appeared in Kitsune's mind. "Hey Haruka, you don't happen to know someone named Keitaro, do you?"
"Yeah, he's my nephew, why?"
All the pieces fell into place in Sean's mind. "Well, apparently, your nephew has been staying here for a while."
"Is that so? Well, I'd love to just stand here in the doorway and chat like this, but--"
Sean stepped aside with a start. "Where are my manners? Please, come in."
"Thank you." The three entered and were led to the living room.
Sean took note of the girl's size and approximate age. "How long were they on their honeymoon again?" he whispered to Kitsune.
Kitsune laughed a bit. "Sarah's her stepdaughter."
"Ah."
Seta, Haruka and Sarah took a seat on the couch, while Sean and Kitsune sat in chairs to one side.
"So," Haruka started, "where is that nephew of mine?"
"He's at school along with everyone else except us two," Sean answered.
"He still going to that cram school?" Seta asked.
"Nope. He's enrolled in Tokyo U."
"So he finally made it." Sean nodded. "How long have you been here?"
"From what I hear, since the day after you left."
"I knew I should have waited for you to arrive," Haruka mentally kicked herself.
"I doubt it would have mattered that much, but pain might not have been an issue if you had."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, picture Naru's reaction after finding me in the hot spring."
"Ouch."
"You're telling me. I was out cold for three hours."
"Have things improved since then?"
"There have been some ups and downs, but I think times are better for all of us now more than ever. I won't go into everything that has happened since my arrival; not enough hours in a day."
"Why is a dork like you living in a place like this?" Sarah asked.
"Well, don't we have a cheerful personality today. To answer your question, I wanted to get some business experience, and I saw an ad for an opening here. If only you hadn't neglected to mention what this place really was instead of just a 'hotel.'"
"Did I forget to say that?" Haruka asked.
"Yes you did, but everything's turned out fine. My beatings have almost stopped entirely. I just wish it was the same way for Keitaro." Sean shook his head and sighed. "At least he can take a punch well; better than I could ever do, but it's still an inconvenience."
"That's Keitaro for you," Haruka said.
"Yep," Seta added. He turned to Kitsune. "Well, how's Sean been treating you all?"
"Oh, he's just wonderful," Kitsune said. "He respects our privacy and our modesty. He actually goes out of his way not to peek at us."
"I just don't want to be accused of being perverted, that's all," Sean said.
"So he hasn't tried to make any moves on you or anything?" Haruka asked.
"Are you kidding?" Kitsune got up, walked over to Sean and sat on his lap, wrapping her arms around him. "We're the ones flirting with him. I swear, with all the times he's resisted my advances, he must have the strongest will of any man I've ever seen."
"That may be true," Sean added, "but you don't know just how hard it gets sometimes."
"Like when?"
Sean blushed deeply. "Like now."
"Really?" Kitsune started to get that look on her face. "Then let's see how… hard I can make this for you." She then began rubbing her butt against his privates.
"Kitsune, don't," Sean whined.
"Why?" Kitsune asked seductively. "I can tell you're enjoying this."
"I have to put up with sort of thing daily," Sean said to his guests. "And since the two of us will be alone for half the day--what with the school year and all--I fear it will only get WORSE." Everyone noticed Sean grit his teeth and grip the arms of his chair. Even then, his arms were visibly shaking.
"See what I mean?" Kitsune said. "No matter what I do to him, he refuses to act on his hormones."
"That must be a bit hard on you, too," Haruka noted.
"Oh no. I can… coax him into pleasing me; he just won't let me--or anyone else--return the favor."
"I see," Seta said, rubbing his chin.
Sean noticed Kitsune start to increase her efforts--visually and otherwise. "I think you all should go before this turns ugly."
"Alright," Haruka said. "I should get to opening the shop anyway."
The three walked to the front door. As Haruka closed the door behind them, she heard one last exchange:
"KITSUNE, STOP THIS, PLEASE!!"
"No! I'm not going to give up! You can't hold out forever!"
--- 2:53 PM
Keitaro and Naru saw Haruka when they passed by the tea shop on their way back from school.
"Aunt Haruka!" Keitaro said. "When did you get--ow!" Haruka slapped him hard on the back of the head
"Just Haruka. We just got back today."
"It's good to see you again. Have you met Sean yet?" Naru asked.
"We sure did," Seta said, stepping outside. "He sure is something--exactly what I can't be sure."
"What has he told you?" Keitaro wondered.
"Well, just that--"
"AAH!!!" Everyone turned to see Sean running frantically down the steps.
"Sean, get back here and take what coming to you!" A familiar voice said, not too far behind.
"Oh no," Naru said. "Is Kitsune coming on to Sean again?"
"Sure is," Haruka said grimly, looking at her watch. "Apparently she's been after him for the last couple hours."
Sean continued to run until he saw the group before him. "Thank god," he sighed. He skidded to a stop a few feet past them, almost falling on his face in the process.
"I've got you now!" Kitsune said when she came into view. "Hold him for me, Naru."
Naru looked to find a look of pure desperation on Sean's face. "I'm sorry, Naru."
"What?" was all she could say before Sean grabbed her breasts. Instinctively, she sent him flying halfway across town.
"Why did you do that?" Kitsune asked. "I almost had him that time!"
"If he doesn't want you to do that to him," Haruka said, "why don't you respect his wishes?"
"His mind says no, but his body says yes. I'm going to get him one of these days, and he's going to thank me for it afterward." She stomped off back to the dorm.
"Is it like this all the time?" Seta asked.
"Not all the time, but it does happen quite often," Keitaro answered.
"Why doesn't he just give in? He's torturing himself doing what he's doing."
"He's saving himself for Shinobu."
"He's what?!" Haruka was shocked by what he said.
"Sean and Shinobu have been going out for a while," Naru said. "The guy's determined to not be on the receiving end of anything sexual until Shinobu's of age."
"Goodness," Seta said. "I can't imagine how he can stand it."
"I sure wouldn't be able to," Keitaro said.
After twenty minutes of the reunited friends and family members swapping stories (Keitaro and Naru made sure to keep Sean's abilities hidden for the moment), Sean returned, a nasty looking bruise on his face.
"Thank you, Naru," Sean said, "for saving me from her."
"You know Kitsune won't give up until she pleases you, right?"
"Yeah, I know. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to my room before she finds me again." Sean half-staggered up the steps.
"He's one of a kind," Seta said.
"You don't know the half of it," Naru added.
--- (Meanwhile,)
"I should have done this long ago," Kitsune said to herself as she sat on Sean's bed, flipping through his spell book. "He won't get away from me again; no way no how. Ah, here's the one." She read a certain page of the binder, a sadistic grin on her face.
---
Sean walked through Hinata House cautiously towards his room, his eyes darting back and forth. He knew that Kitsune might appear out of anywhere. He reached his destination without incident. "That was almost too easy," he thought as he opened his door. Finally safe from Kitsune, he allowed himself to relax a bit. He laid himself down on his futon. "What am I going to do about her?" he said to himself.
"You won't be doing anything," a voice said.
"What?!" Sean tried to get up but was unable to move. "What's going on?"
Kitsune came into Sean's sight range. "I have you right where I want you."
Sean recognized the binder in her hand. "Oh no."
"That's right. You can't do anything until I say you can."
"Please, there must be some other way!"
"I've tried every other way. You've left me no choice."
"But I don't want this!"
"Shut up! You're going to enjoy this, and I won't stop until you do." Kitsune stripped off her clothes, then crawled on top of Sean's frozen frame and started grinding her crotch against his. She could feel his erection through his sweatpants. "Now that's what I'm talking about. You'll thank me for this later."
Screams could be heard from Sean's room all over the building, but if you listened closely, you could tell Sean's cries weren't exactly ones of terror, if you know what I mean.
* End of Part 1 *
Well, that turned out differently than I expected. *Ahem* Let's just move on, shall we?
* Part 2: Departures *
Saturday, 9/22 -- Diary of Maehara Shinobu
It's been a few days now since Sean left. I'm probably missing him more than anyone else here. I know he'll be back, but still, not having him around is tearing me up inside. I still remember when he made the announcement…
--- Wednesday, 9/19 8:06 AM
Breakfast that morning was eerie to say the least. On most days, Sean was quite cheerful; or if he wasn't, he would just put up a decent façade to stave off any worried glances. This time, he made no effort to hide himself. Everyone could see plain as day that he was deep in thought; so much so that he seemed completely unaware of the looks he was getting.
"Is something wrong?" Shinobu eventually asked.
"It's just that I want to say something, but I don't know how to put it."
"You know you can tell us anything," Naru said. "Go ahead."
"You're not going to like it."
"I'm sure it couldn't be that bad," Kitsune said.
"Well, alright, but don't say I didn't warn you." Sean sighed and internally built up the strength to form the words. "I'm going to be leaving today."
"WHAT?!!" Everyone said in unison.
"Why?!" Shinobu asked, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Calm down, everyone. I will return, but I just don't know when."
"Where will you go and why can't you take us with you?" Kitsune asked.
"I'm not sure exactly where I'll end up and I don't want to pull everyone away from school." Sean shot a look at Kitsune to keep her comments to herself.
"Don't you want us around anymore?" Naru asked.
"Now you know that's not true. I just need some time to myself to work on some spells, that's all."
"Why can't you do that here?"
"Because what I have planned might be very dangerous and I don't want to deal with the guilt should anyone get hurt. Besides, this is the biggest project I will have ever attempted and it will demand my utmost attention."
"I see," Motoko said. "Being around us could very well be the biggest distraction a man could have."
"Exactly. While I'm gone, I will leave my duties as manager in the capable hands of Keitaro and Shinobu, though I don't intend for them to take precedence over your studies."
"I see you have thought this out to a great extent," Motoko noted.
"I had to. This is a very delicate matter and I didn't want to leave anything unsaid other than things that I would rather not reveal at this time. There is one last thing I have to do before I leave." Sean reached into his pocket and retrieved an odd-looking, multi-hued ring. He tossed it in Keitaro's direction.
"What is this?" Keitaro asked as he examined it.
"Ever since you arrived, I have brought you back after your… mishaps involving the girls. I will not be able to do that if I'm not here, so I created that ring that will do it for me."
"Will I have to activate it or anything?"
"No. It will automatically trigger after you are hit, bringing you back to our room. If there is nothing else to be done, I must get my things ready." He bowed and showed himself out. Everyone just watched him leave, none of them knowing what to say.
--- 9:12 AM
The whole group walked down the front steps together; they knew it would be the last time they would see Sean for a long time from the suitcases he was carrying with him. When they reached the bottom, Shinobu wrapped her arms around Sean tightly; she wished she wouldn't have to let go.
"I don't want you to leave!"
"This is hard for me, too. I wish I could do this here or at least bring you with me, but there are too many problems involved with both of those ideas. If I am to do what I need to for my experiments, I need to find some place to be alone. Don't worry; I'll keep in touch."
Shinobu sniffled a bit. "Alright, then. I understand."
"Good. Now go on; I don't want you to be late for school because of me."
"I'll miss you, Sean."
"I'll miss you too." Shinobu broke off her embrace and ran off, tears trailing behind her.
"I wish you success in your endeavor," Motoko said as she rushed after Shinobu to try to console her.
"Come home soon, Sean," Naru said as she kissed him on the cheek and went on her way. Everyone else also said their goodbyes, leaving Sean alone at the base of the hill.
"There should have been an easier way to do this," Sean said to himself, fighting back tears. "But the sooner I go, the sooner I can get back to those I love." He took one last look at Hinata-Sou before he vanished without a trace.
--- (Shinobu's Diary continues…)
…and there it was, I just let him leave for who knows how long, and there's no way to contact him or anything! There are so many things that I wish I knew: What kind of spells are he doing? How powerful could they be that would make him fear for our safety? Why couldn't he have taken me along? I've been practicing magic with him for a long time and I could have helped him. I don't know how long I can hold out without him being here with me… no, I have to be strong. I know Sean would not want to see me cry, no matter what. Besides, he'll come back eventually, so we will be together again. I just have to keep my mind off him until then; but I don't know if I can.
---
"Shinobu?"
"Come in." The door opened and Kitsune walked in.
"How are you feeling?"
"I've felt better."
"It can be hard, I know, but I think I have something that will cheer you up."
"What?" Kitsune moved her hands from behind her back to reveal a letter. Shinobu gasped when she saw that it was made out to her. "Is it from Sean?!"
"I can't say for sure; there's no return address." Kitsune placed the letter in Shinobu's trembling hands. "Do you want me to leave?" Shinobu nodded. "Alright."
As soon as Kitsune left and closed the door behind her, Shinobu opened the envelope and read the contents:
---
Shinobu,
Yes, Shinobu, It's me, Sean. I hope you are doing alright without me. I just wanted to tell you that I have found the perfect place to work and I'm making good progress in my project. I will not tell you where I am so you will not try to find me; I'm trying to keep your safety in mind. I know you want me to be there, but if I hope to complete this, I must be free of all distractions. You have no idea how hard that is though, for you all are in my thoughts every day; tell them that for me. I still don't know how long it will be until I return, but what I do know is that I will come back, so don't worry. I hate to see you sad; you know that.
XXOO, Sean
---
Shinobu held the letter close to her. "I love him so much. I must follow his example and improve myself so I can impress him when he gets back." Determined, she left her room to face the world.
--- 10:21 PM
Keitaro sat at the table in his room reading one of Sean's books; a Magic: the Gathering novel titled "Invasion." "I'm beginning to understand why he's so into all that hocus pocus…" His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in." He was surprised to see Shinobu walk in wearing her nightgown. "Uh, may I help you?"
Shinobu seemed slightly nervous about what she was about to say, but she had noticeably greater confidence that day, and that gave her the courage to speak. "Could I ask a favor of you?"
"Sure, what do you want?"
"May I sleep in here tonight?"
Keitaro was stunned. "Um, well…"
"It's alright if you don't want me to--"
"No, it's not that, I just wasn't expecting such an odd request. I guess it's okay with me. I suppose I could sleep out on the couch tonight."
"No, you can stay."
"But what will Naru think if she sees you in here?"
"If I see what?" Naru said as she opened the trap door. She saw Shinobu below her and she started to see red. "What are you doing to her?" She said as she jumped down, ready to knock Keitaro's lights out.
Keitaro started his usual apologetic rant before he noticed Shinobu move between himself and the charging redhead.
Naru saw this also and stopped her advance. "Why are you protecting that pervert?"
"Because he hasn't done anything, Naru." Shinobu put emphasis on that last word.
"Then why are you in here?"
Keitaro decided to speak up. "She asked if she could sleep in here tonight."
Naru looked confused. "Why do you want to do that?"
Shinobu blushed. "You know that I've missed Sean very much since he left."
"Of course."
"Well, I figured that maybe if I slept in his bed, it might help."
"Aren't you worried Keitaro might try something?"
"Hey, I take offense to that!" Keitaro said.
"Naru, you know as well as I do that he would never do anything like that; at least not on purpose. Besides, he offered to sleep in the living room, but I said it was alright for him to stay here."
"But I just can't take the chance. Keitaro, you're sleeping with me tonight."
"What?!" Keitaro was shocked; and why not? The sleeping arrangements were being turned on its ear. Oh yeah, also the fact that Naru just told him he was sleeping in the same room as her that night.
"You don't have to, Naru," Shinobu said. "Besides, wouldn't you be worried about him doing anything to you?"
"I can handle him just fine, thank you. Now get up there." She motioned for Keitaro to climb up the trapdoor.
"Ladies first."
"Oh, no. I'm not going to fall for that one. Just go before I throw you up myself."
Keitaro semi-reluctantly climbed up to Naru's room, with her following behind him. "I'm going to keep an eye on you, so watch it."
"Yes, Naru." Keitaro said, submitting to Naru's will.
"Don't be too loud up there, you two!" Shionobu said playfully as Naru started to close the door.
"We're not like that," Naru said adamantly as she shut the portal with a bit more force than necessary.
"Are those two the only ones who don't know what's going on?" Shinobu thought as she got into Sean's futon and drifted peacefully to sleep.
--- (Meanwhile…)
"I hope Shinobu got the letter," Sean thought as he worked long into the night. He had found an abandoned temple a few miles out of town and decided it would be a good place to work. Strewn about all around him were papers with scribbles on them; some of them had scribbles on top of scribbles. "I hope this won't take too much longer; upsetting the girls is really something I don't enjoy doing and I want to get back to them as soon as I can, but I can't rush this." He sighed and continued his efforts.
* * * End of Chapter XVI * * *
I know what you might be thinking: that things might get a bit boring with me out of the way. Trust me, with what I have planned, things should get very interesting. Please R&R! See you next time!
Thanks to those of you who have stuck by me all this time (you know who you are). This chapter will be a bit different from the other ones. Like the Intermission, this one will be split into differfent parts with no relevence to each other. I hope this isn't too much of a stretch for you. If it is, then you probably wouldn't be reading this right now, so I don't know why I'm saying it. Anyway, this first part involves something I've wanted to do for the last 10 chapters and it's good to finally get it over with.
* * * Chapter XVI * * *
* Part One: Arrivals *
Monday, 9/3 11:23 AM (A/N: I don't know if Labor Day is celebrated in Japan or not.)
"Well, this certainly is exciting," Sean muttered sarcastically.
"Tell me about it." Kitsune agreed.
The new school year has gotten under way, and the two of them were the only ones with nowhere to be. They both knew Hinata-Sou would get very boring for half the day.
"At least we should be glad that Keitaro, Naru and Mutsumi all got into Toudai."
"Don't remind me." Kitsune still had a hangover from the party they had the night before to celebrate the occasion.
"Well, now that we have the whole place to ourselves, what do you want to do?" Sean asked, knowing full well what the answer might be.
"Oh, I don't feel like doing much of anything right now. Let's just watch some TV until this stupid headache goes away."
"You really shouldn't drink so much, Kitsune."
"Don't start preaching to me, Sean, it's not going to help."
"Eh, I don't feel like lecturing anyway."
They spent the next hour just laying on the couch, watching television. "I wish this thing got Comedy Central," Sean thought after a while.
The only break in the monotony arrived with a knock at the door. "I'll get it," Sean said, getting up. Kitsune just muttered something incomprehensibly.
"Hello?" Sean said as he opened the door. He saw a man, a woman and a child.
"And who might you me?" The woman asked, raising an eyebrow. Both parents had an unlit cigarette hanging loosely from their lips.
"I'm the landlord."
"How did you get a job here?" The man asked.
"I applied here, how else?" Sean muttered as though he had explained himself countless times before.
"Then you must be Sean." The woman said.
"How do you know my name?"
"I was the one who hired you."
"What?"
"Who's at the door, Sean?" Kitsune asked. She immediately recognized the people at the door. "Oh, welcome back."
"Hello, Kitsune. Staying out of trouble, I trust?" The man said.
"What do you think?"
"You know them?" Sean asked.
"Yeah. That's Haruka, that's Seta, and the girl is… what was your name again?"
"Sarah." The blond girl said, obviously bored.
"Haruka… where do I remember that name from?"
An idea appeared in Kitsune's mind. "Hey Haruka, you don't happen to know someone named Keitaro, do you?"
"Yeah, he's my nephew, why?"
All the pieces fell into place in Sean's mind. "Well, apparently, your nephew has been staying here for a while."
"Is that so? Well, I'd love to just stand here in the doorway and chat like this, but--"
Sean stepped aside with a start. "Where are my manners? Please, come in."
"Thank you." The three entered and were led to the living room.
Sean took note of the girl's size and approximate age. "How long were they on their honeymoon again?" he whispered to Kitsune.
Kitsune laughed a bit. "Sarah's her stepdaughter."
"Ah."
Seta, Haruka and Sarah took a seat on the couch, while Sean and Kitsune sat in chairs to one side.
"So," Haruka started, "where is that nephew of mine?"
"He's at school along with everyone else except us two," Sean answered.
"He still going to that cram school?" Seta asked.
"Nope. He's enrolled in Tokyo U."
"So he finally made it." Sean nodded. "How long have you been here?"
"From what I hear, since the day after you left."
"I knew I should have waited for you to arrive," Haruka mentally kicked herself.
"I doubt it would have mattered that much, but pain might not have been an issue if you had."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, picture Naru's reaction after finding me in the hot spring."
"Ouch."
"You're telling me. I was out cold for three hours."
"Have things improved since then?"
"There have been some ups and downs, but I think times are better for all of us now more than ever. I won't go into everything that has happened since my arrival; not enough hours in a day."
"Why is a dork like you living in a place like this?" Sarah asked.
"Well, don't we have a cheerful personality today. To answer your question, I wanted to get some business experience, and I saw an ad for an opening here. If only you hadn't neglected to mention what this place really was instead of just a 'hotel.'"
"Did I forget to say that?" Haruka asked.
"Yes you did, but everything's turned out fine. My beatings have almost stopped entirely. I just wish it was the same way for Keitaro." Sean shook his head and sighed. "At least he can take a punch well; better than I could ever do, but it's still an inconvenience."
"That's Keitaro for you," Haruka said.
"Yep," Seta added. He turned to Kitsune. "Well, how's Sean been treating you all?"
"Oh, he's just wonderful," Kitsune said. "He respects our privacy and our modesty. He actually goes out of his way not to peek at us."
"I just don't want to be accused of being perverted, that's all," Sean said.
"So he hasn't tried to make any moves on you or anything?" Haruka asked.
"Are you kidding?" Kitsune got up, walked over to Sean and sat on his lap, wrapping her arms around him. "We're the ones flirting with him. I swear, with all the times he's resisted my advances, he must have the strongest will of any man I've ever seen."
"That may be true," Sean added, "but you don't know just how hard it gets sometimes."
"Like when?"
Sean blushed deeply. "Like now."
"Really?" Kitsune started to get that look on her face. "Then let's see how… hard I can make this for you." She then began rubbing her butt against his privates.
"Kitsune, don't," Sean whined.
"Why?" Kitsune asked seductively. "I can tell you're enjoying this."
"I have to put up with sort of thing daily," Sean said to his guests. "And since the two of us will be alone for half the day--what with the school year and all--I fear it will only get WORSE." Everyone noticed Sean grit his teeth and grip the arms of his chair. Even then, his arms were visibly shaking.
"See what I mean?" Kitsune said. "No matter what I do to him, he refuses to act on his hormones."
"That must be a bit hard on you, too," Haruka noted.
"Oh no. I can… coax him into pleasing me; he just won't let me--or anyone else--return the favor."
"I see," Seta said, rubbing his chin.
Sean noticed Kitsune start to increase her efforts--visually and otherwise. "I think you all should go before this turns ugly."
"Alright," Haruka said. "I should get to opening the shop anyway."
The three walked to the front door. As Haruka closed the door behind them, she heard one last exchange:
"KITSUNE, STOP THIS, PLEASE!!"
"No! I'm not going to give up! You can't hold out forever!"
--- 2:53 PM
Keitaro and Naru saw Haruka when they passed by the tea shop on their way back from school.
"Aunt Haruka!" Keitaro said. "When did you get--ow!" Haruka slapped him hard on the back of the head
"Just Haruka. We just got back today."
"It's good to see you again. Have you met Sean yet?" Naru asked.
"We sure did," Seta said, stepping outside. "He sure is something--exactly what I can't be sure."
"What has he told you?" Keitaro wondered.
"Well, just that--"
"AAH!!!" Everyone turned to see Sean running frantically down the steps.
"Sean, get back here and take what coming to you!" A familiar voice said, not too far behind.
"Oh no," Naru said. "Is Kitsune coming on to Sean again?"
"Sure is," Haruka said grimly, looking at her watch. "Apparently she's been after him for the last couple hours."
Sean continued to run until he saw the group before him. "Thank god," he sighed. He skidded to a stop a few feet past them, almost falling on his face in the process.
"I've got you now!" Kitsune said when she came into view. "Hold him for me, Naru."
Naru looked to find a look of pure desperation on Sean's face. "I'm sorry, Naru."
"What?" was all she could say before Sean grabbed her breasts. Instinctively, she sent him flying halfway across town.
"Why did you do that?" Kitsune asked. "I almost had him that time!"
"If he doesn't want you to do that to him," Haruka said, "why don't you respect his wishes?"
"His mind says no, but his body says yes. I'm going to get him one of these days, and he's going to thank me for it afterward." She stomped off back to the dorm.
"Is it like this all the time?" Seta asked.
"Not all the time, but it does happen quite often," Keitaro answered.
"Why doesn't he just give in? He's torturing himself doing what he's doing."
"He's saving himself for Shinobu."
"He's what?!" Haruka was shocked by what he said.
"Sean and Shinobu have been going out for a while," Naru said. "The guy's determined to not be on the receiving end of anything sexual until Shinobu's of age."
"Goodness," Seta said. "I can't imagine how he can stand it."
"I sure wouldn't be able to," Keitaro said.
After twenty minutes of the reunited friends and family members swapping stories (Keitaro and Naru made sure to keep Sean's abilities hidden for the moment), Sean returned, a nasty looking bruise on his face.
"Thank you, Naru," Sean said, "for saving me from her."
"You know Kitsune won't give up until she pleases you, right?"
"Yeah, I know. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to my room before she finds me again." Sean half-staggered up the steps.
"He's one of a kind," Seta said.
"You don't know the half of it," Naru added.
--- (Meanwhile,)
"I should have done this long ago," Kitsune said to herself as she sat on Sean's bed, flipping through his spell book. "He won't get away from me again; no way no how. Ah, here's the one." She read a certain page of the binder, a sadistic grin on her face.
---
Sean walked through Hinata House cautiously towards his room, his eyes darting back and forth. He knew that Kitsune might appear out of anywhere. He reached his destination without incident. "That was almost too easy," he thought as he opened his door. Finally safe from Kitsune, he allowed himself to relax a bit. He laid himself down on his futon. "What am I going to do about her?" he said to himself.
"You won't be doing anything," a voice said.
"What?!" Sean tried to get up but was unable to move. "What's going on?"
Kitsune came into Sean's sight range. "I have you right where I want you."
Sean recognized the binder in her hand. "Oh no."
"That's right. You can't do anything until I say you can."
"Please, there must be some other way!"
"I've tried every other way. You've left me no choice."
"But I don't want this!"
"Shut up! You're going to enjoy this, and I won't stop until you do." Kitsune stripped off her clothes, then crawled on top of Sean's frozen frame and started grinding her crotch against his. She could feel his erection through his sweatpants. "Now that's what I'm talking about. You'll thank me for this later."
Screams could be heard from Sean's room all over the building, but if you listened closely, you could tell Sean's cries weren't exactly ones of terror, if you know what I mean.
* End of Part 1 *
Well, that turned out differently than I expected. *Ahem* Let's just move on, shall we?
* Part 2: Departures *
Saturday, 9/22 -- Diary of Maehara Shinobu
It's been a few days now since Sean left. I'm probably missing him more than anyone else here. I know he'll be back, but still, not having him around is tearing me up inside. I still remember when he made the announcement…
--- Wednesday, 9/19 8:06 AM
Breakfast that morning was eerie to say the least. On most days, Sean was quite cheerful; or if he wasn't, he would just put up a decent façade to stave off any worried glances. This time, he made no effort to hide himself. Everyone could see plain as day that he was deep in thought; so much so that he seemed completely unaware of the looks he was getting.
"Is something wrong?" Shinobu eventually asked.
"It's just that I want to say something, but I don't know how to put it."
"You know you can tell us anything," Naru said. "Go ahead."
"You're not going to like it."
"I'm sure it couldn't be that bad," Kitsune said.
"Well, alright, but don't say I didn't warn you." Sean sighed and internally built up the strength to form the words. "I'm going to be leaving today."
"WHAT?!!" Everyone said in unison.
"Why?!" Shinobu asked, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Calm down, everyone. I will return, but I just don't know when."
"Where will you go and why can't you take us with you?" Kitsune asked.
"I'm not sure exactly where I'll end up and I don't want to pull everyone away from school." Sean shot a look at Kitsune to keep her comments to herself.
"Don't you want us around anymore?" Naru asked.
"Now you know that's not true. I just need some time to myself to work on some spells, that's all."
"Why can't you do that here?"
"Because what I have planned might be very dangerous and I don't want to deal with the guilt should anyone get hurt. Besides, this is the biggest project I will have ever attempted and it will demand my utmost attention."
"I see," Motoko said. "Being around us could very well be the biggest distraction a man could have."
"Exactly. While I'm gone, I will leave my duties as manager in the capable hands of Keitaro and Shinobu, though I don't intend for them to take precedence over your studies."
"I see you have thought this out to a great extent," Motoko noted.
"I had to. This is a very delicate matter and I didn't want to leave anything unsaid other than things that I would rather not reveal at this time. There is one last thing I have to do before I leave." Sean reached into his pocket and retrieved an odd-looking, multi-hued ring. He tossed it in Keitaro's direction.
"What is this?" Keitaro asked as he examined it.
"Ever since you arrived, I have brought you back after your… mishaps involving the girls. I will not be able to do that if I'm not here, so I created that ring that will do it for me."
"Will I have to activate it or anything?"
"No. It will automatically trigger after you are hit, bringing you back to our room. If there is nothing else to be done, I must get my things ready." He bowed and showed himself out. Everyone just watched him leave, none of them knowing what to say.
--- 9:12 AM
The whole group walked down the front steps together; they knew it would be the last time they would see Sean for a long time from the suitcases he was carrying with him. When they reached the bottom, Shinobu wrapped her arms around Sean tightly; she wished she wouldn't have to let go.
"I don't want you to leave!"
"This is hard for me, too. I wish I could do this here or at least bring you with me, but there are too many problems involved with both of those ideas. If I am to do what I need to for my experiments, I need to find some place to be alone. Don't worry; I'll keep in touch."
Shinobu sniffled a bit. "Alright, then. I understand."
"Good. Now go on; I don't want you to be late for school because of me."
"I'll miss you, Sean."
"I'll miss you too." Shinobu broke off her embrace and ran off, tears trailing behind her.
"I wish you success in your endeavor," Motoko said as she rushed after Shinobu to try to console her.
"Come home soon, Sean," Naru said as she kissed him on the cheek and went on her way. Everyone else also said their goodbyes, leaving Sean alone at the base of the hill.
"There should have been an easier way to do this," Sean said to himself, fighting back tears. "But the sooner I go, the sooner I can get back to those I love." He took one last look at Hinata-Sou before he vanished without a trace.
--- (Shinobu's Diary continues…)
…and there it was, I just let him leave for who knows how long, and there's no way to contact him or anything! There are so many things that I wish I knew: What kind of spells are he doing? How powerful could they be that would make him fear for our safety? Why couldn't he have taken me along? I've been practicing magic with him for a long time and I could have helped him. I don't know how long I can hold out without him being here with me… no, I have to be strong. I know Sean would not want to see me cry, no matter what. Besides, he'll come back eventually, so we will be together again. I just have to keep my mind off him until then; but I don't know if I can.
---
"Shinobu?"
"Come in." The door opened and Kitsune walked in.
"How are you feeling?"
"I've felt better."
"It can be hard, I know, but I think I have something that will cheer you up."
"What?" Kitsune moved her hands from behind her back to reveal a letter. Shinobu gasped when she saw that it was made out to her. "Is it from Sean?!"
"I can't say for sure; there's no return address." Kitsune placed the letter in Shinobu's trembling hands. "Do you want me to leave?" Shinobu nodded. "Alright."
As soon as Kitsune left and closed the door behind her, Shinobu opened the envelope and read the contents:
---
Shinobu,
Yes, Shinobu, It's me, Sean. I hope you are doing alright without me. I just wanted to tell you that I have found the perfect place to work and I'm making good progress in my project. I will not tell you where I am so you will not try to find me; I'm trying to keep your safety in mind. I know you want me to be there, but if I hope to complete this, I must be free of all distractions. You have no idea how hard that is though, for you all are in my thoughts every day; tell them that for me. I still don't know how long it will be until I return, but what I do know is that I will come back, so don't worry. I hate to see you sad; you know that.
XXOO, Sean
---
Shinobu held the letter close to her. "I love him so much. I must follow his example and improve myself so I can impress him when he gets back." Determined, she left her room to face the world.
--- 10:21 PM
Keitaro sat at the table in his room reading one of Sean's books; a Magic: the Gathering novel titled "Invasion." "I'm beginning to understand why he's so into all that hocus pocus…" His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in." He was surprised to see Shinobu walk in wearing her nightgown. "Uh, may I help you?"
Shinobu seemed slightly nervous about what she was about to say, but she had noticeably greater confidence that day, and that gave her the courage to speak. "Could I ask a favor of you?"
"Sure, what do you want?"
"May I sleep in here tonight?"
Keitaro was stunned. "Um, well…"
"It's alright if you don't want me to--"
"No, it's not that, I just wasn't expecting such an odd request. I guess it's okay with me. I suppose I could sleep out on the couch tonight."
"No, you can stay."
"But what will Naru think if she sees you in here?"
"If I see what?" Naru said as she opened the trap door. She saw Shinobu below her and she started to see red. "What are you doing to her?" She said as she jumped down, ready to knock Keitaro's lights out.
Keitaro started his usual apologetic rant before he noticed Shinobu move between himself and the charging redhead.
Naru saw this also and stopped her advance. "Why are you protecting that pervert?"
"Because he hasn't done anything, Naru." Shinobu put emphasis on that last word.
"Then why are you in here?"
Keitaro decided to speak up. "She asked if she could sleep in here tonight."
Naru looked confused. "Why do you want to do that?"
Shinobu blushed. "You know that I've missed Sean very much since he left."
"Of course."
"Well, I figured that maybe if I slept in his bed, it might help."
"Aren't you worried Keitaro might try something?"
"Hey, I take offense to that!" Keitaro said.
"Naru, you know as well as I do that he would never do anything like that; at least not on purpose. Besides, he offered to sleep in the living room, but I said it was alright for him to stay here."
"But I just can't take the chance. Keitaro, you're sleeping with me tonight."
"What?!" Keitaro was shocked; and why not? The sleeping arrangements were being turned on its ear. Oh yeah, also the fact that Naru just told him he was sleeping in the same room as her that night.
"You don't have to, Naru," Shinobu said. "Besides, wouldn't you be worried about him doing anything to you?"
"I can handle him just fine, thank you. Now get up there." She motioned for Keitaro to climb up the trapdoor.
"Ladies first."
"Oh, no. I'm not going to fall for that one. Just go before I throw you up myself."
Keitaro semi-reluctantly climbed up to Naru's room, with her following behind him. "I'm going to keep an eye on you, so watch it."
"Yes, Naru." Keitaro said, submitting to Naru's will.
"Don't be too loud up there, you two!" Shionobu said playfully as Naru started to close the door.
"We're not like that," Naru said adamantly as she shut the portal with a bit more force than necessary.
"Are those two the only ones who don't know what's going on?" Shinobu thought as she got into Sean's futon and drifted peacefully to sleep.
--- (Meanwhile…)
"I hope Shinobu got the letter," Sean thought as he worked long into the night. He had found an abandoned temple a few miles out of town and decided it would be a good place to work. Strewn about all around him were papers with scribbles on them; some of them had scribbles on top of scribbles. "I hope this won't take too much longer; upsetting the girls is really something I don't enjoy doing and I want to get back to them as soon as I can, but I can't rush this." He sighed and continued his efforts.
* * * End of Chapter XVI * * *
I know what you might be thinking: that things might get a bit boring with me out of the way. Trust me, with what I have planned, things should get very interesting. Please R&R! See you next time!