Disclaimer: I own no part of Love Hina, but Sean is me.
Ah, the cliffhanger. It just gets you coming back for more, doesn't it?
Chapter XXXIX: Relatively Speaking
"Oniichan…" the girl whispered. The silence that followed was deafening and the air surrounding everyone was so thick with tension, Motoko's sword could have been called into service. Before anyone could do anything else, she got up and approached Keitaro, a deep blush on her face. "I can't believe you're actually here," she said. "It's been so long, I'd almost completely given up hope of ever seeing you again."
"Um," Keitaro said. "This is going to sound awful, but I don't know who you are."
A sorrowful expression appeared on her face. "Keitaro, it's me, Kanako."
"Kanako…?" Suddenly, his eyes grew wide as realization set in. "Oh my God! Kanako, is it really you?!"
A smile formed on Kanako's face. "So you do remember."
"Um, exCUSE me," Naru said. Her eye was starting to twitch. "How do you two know each other? Is this some ex-girlfriend you haven't told me about?"
"What--No!" Keitaro said, as though Naru was crazy to assume such a thing. "Everyone this is Kanako, my little sister."
"You never told us you had a sister," Sean said.
"Well, we haven't seen each other in years. It must have slipped my mind."
"I think that's quite obvious, considering how long it took for you to recognize me," Kanako said.
"What have you been up to lately?" Keitaro asked. "I'm sure we have a lot of catching up to do."
"You have no idea," Kanako thought. "Well, lately, I've been accompanying grandmother on her worldwide travels."
"Well, that certainly explains a few things," Sean said.
"Care to elaborate?" Naru asked.
"I've been sending Grandma Hina expense reports every three months. No wonder she had one of them."
"Yes," Kanako said, getting back to business. "And that's reason I'm here. He hasn't spent any money towards repairs or maintenance for the last six months, yet this place is in tip top shape. I'd like to know why."
"All will be explained in due time. I'm sure you're not in any big hurry, right?"
"I suppose not." At first, Kanako intended to find out what she needed to and be on her way, but being reunited with her beloved brother was reason enough for her to stay a while longer.
"Good. You must be tired after your trip here. After breakfast, one of the girls can take you to the hot spring so you can rest up for a while. Whenever you're ready, you can meet me up in my room and we'll talk business. Now, the only thing left to figure out is, where are you going to stay? There's still that one empty room on the 3rd--"
"If you don't mind, I would like to stay in oniichan's room," Kanako said, looking at Keitaro.
"You what?" Naru asked, the twitch in her eye starting up again. "You can't be serious, can you?"
"I'm completely serious."
Sean saw Naru ball her fists in preparation to send somebody into the next town. Not wanting to find out who, he decided to intervene. "Naru, wait," he said. "I'm sure she has a good reason for this." "I hope she does," he thought.
"How would you feel after seeing someone you cared for after spending years apart?" Kanako asked. "Wouldn't you want to spend as much time with him as humanly possible?"
Naru's expression softened somewhat. "Well, I suppose."
"Maybe you and him can share the same room for now," Sean said. "These rooms are big enough to accommodate two people and I'll take measures to make sure each of you gets your fair share of privacy. We all know that Keitaro's not perverted, just accident-prone. And even if he was perverted, he wouldn't stoop so low as to come on to his own sister. Besides, it's not like they'll be sharing the same bed or anything, right, Kanako?" The way he said those last two words let Kanako know there was no room for negotiation.
"Of course not," Kanako said.
The air around the dining room table calmed somewhat as Keitaro led Kanako to her seat. The only exception to this was Naru, who was quite uncomfortable seeing her boyfriend holding hands with another girl, even if it was his sister. The introductions went off mostly without a hitch. (It was obvious Naru had no intentions of being friendly at this point.) After everyone became acquainted, normal conversation ensued.
"Hey Sean," Kitsune said. "Did you and Motoko have another one of your training sessions this morning?" This caught both Sean and Motoko by surprise, as they didn't think their match would be the topic of discussion. Taking the initiative, Sean decided to go with the flow, but be careful not to reveal everything that happened.
"Has it become that predictable?" Sean asked, smiling. This got Kanako wondering why she wasn't able to hear any fighting while she was waiting in the living room.
"Well, how did it go?"
"It was… unique."
"Don't keep us in suspense. What was so different about this one?"
"Does me winning count?"
A gasp rang out from around the table. "You actually beat Motoko?" Naru asked. Kanako figured such disbelief meant that Motoko must have greater skills than Sean, to say the least. "How did you do that?"
"Now now, I don't think it would be appropriate to reveal any of Motoko's possible weaknesses, would it?"
"It's not fair that you know and we don't!" Suu said.
"Well, I was specifically trying to find weaknesses, so she could work on eliminating them."
"Makes sense," Kanako said. It was at this point that she noticed that not only has Sean eaten a thing as of yet, there wasn't even a plate in front of him. "Aren't you going to eat anything?"
"Nah," Sean said, getting up. "I'm not that hungry right now. Maybe I'll have something later. See you later, Kanako."
"Hmm," Kanako thought. "There is definitely more to this place than meets the eye." She glanced at where Sean left the room. "Especially him. I'd like to find out about him as soon as possible… but he's right. Carrying those suitcases all this way made my muscles sore and a hot bath would do me a world of good…" she made a glance at Keitaro. "Especially if a certain someone should happen to join me."
When breakfast came to a close, Kanako considered asking Keitaro to take her to the hot spring, but after noticing Naru's reaction to seeing the siblings in such close contact (not to mention them sleeping in the same room), she decided it would be safer for both of them if she asked someone else. Shinobu volunteered to do it after she was finished with the dishes.
As Shinobu led Kanako to the changing room, she noticed an odd look on the older girl's face. "Is something the matter?"
"It's just that too much has happened too quickly. What started as a trip to clarify on Hinata-Sou's financial picture turned into me being reunited with my brother. You can't imagine the emotions running through me right now."
"How long has it been? Since you last saw Keitaro?"
"Too long. If you don't mind, I would rather not go into the details."
"Of course." They finally reached the changing room. "Well, here we are. Don't stay in the hot spring too long before going to meet Sean, 'kay?"
"Why? Is Sean impatient?"
"No, but if you wait too long, he'll start to wonder if you're alright."
"I see." Kanako opened the door and was about to enter was she saw that Shinobu wasn't going to follow. "Aren't you going to join me?"
"I figured you'd want your privacy so you can gather your thoughts."
"I've been alone with my thoughts for long enough. Besides, I have some questions that you can answer for me." Shinobu nodded and followed Kanako. Both girls changed into towels and went out into the hot spring. "Do you feel left out?" she asked as she lowered herself into the water.
"What do you mean?" Shinobu asked, a bit surprised at the sudden question.
"You're the youngest girl here, right? There must be some things going on here that you can't take part in because you're too young."
"Yeah, but I know that I won't be young forever, and I know it will be well worth the wait."
That got Kanako wondering just what goes on at Hinata-Sou, but first things first. "I can't help but notice that oniichan lives with you five beautiful girls," Kanako said after taking a seat. "I can't help but ask; what is his relationship with you girls?"
"He loves us all, but he holds Naru close to his heart."
"And does she feel the same way about him?"
"Well, they have been going out for a while now."
"That explains the way she was acting towards me," Kanako thought. "I have a feeling she's not going to like me very much." "What about Sean?"
"He loves us and we all love him, but he also has that certain someone."
"And who's that?"
"Me."
"You're kidding, right?"
"Believe it if you want, but it's the truth."
"No wonder you don't feel like you're missing out; you've already got someone."
"We don't do any of those… adult things together. He knows I'm too young right now, so he's willing to wait until I'm ready."
"That must put quite a strain on him."
"It could, but he can always turn to one of the other girls to help with that."
"And you don't mind?"
"Of course not. With all the temptation he faces around here, I'd be asking too much for him not to. In fact, on two separate occasions, Kitsune and Motoko were so sexually frustrated they were at wit's end and he took care of them. Since then, they've been having encounters every now and then to keep their hormones in check. I only wonder what those other girls will do once I get old enough and take their place."
"Does oniichan have to deal with that sort of thing?"
"You know, it's never come up."
Kanako nodded thoughtfully. "After I take care of business here, I might stay a while just to hear about everything that's happened here."
"You'll be here for a long time, then," Shinobu said, laughing a bit.
"I intend to," Kanako thought.
--- 8:52 AM
Sean heard a knock at his door from his seat at the table. "Come on in." The door opened and Kanako walked in. "Ah, you're here. How was the hot spring?"
"Very relaxing," Kanako said.
"You're telling me. I've actually fallen asleep out there a couple times."
"It was also very informative. Shinobu joined me out there and answered a few questions I had."
"Though I'm sure you still have more, or else you wouldn't be here."
"That's right." Kanako sat down across from Sean. "I'd still like to know how you're able to keep this place together without spending any money for repairs."
"Simple enough question, complicated answer." Sean took a deep breath. "Well, here goes nothing," he thought. "For the last year, I've been training myself in the use of… magic spells."
"Oh, you're a wizard," Kanako said calmly.
Sean was a bit taken aback by Kanako's reaction. "Uh, yeah, you can say that."
"I've met a couple of them during my travels with grandma."
"I see. Then you can understand why I was so hesitant to say anything about it."
"Yes. Do any of the other girls know about this?"
"Of course. I've actually taught them the basics of spellcasting. It didn't take as long as I thought it would. After that, Shinobu was the only one who expressed much interest in it."
"Is that because she's your girlfriend?"
"She must have mentioned that in the hot spring," Sean thought. "Actually, it's why we became a couple in the first place."
"What?" Kanako wondered what kind of spell was responsible, but before she could ask, Sean's door was slammed open and Naru rushed in.
"Sean!" she yelled. "Come quick! Suu's playing with her tanks again!"
"I'm on my way!" Sean said getting up and heading for the door. At the doorway, he stopped and turned to face Kanako. "I guess you'll be seeing me in action sooner than I thought." He then ran down the hallway, with Kanako following shortly afterward.
"Suu has tanks?!" Kanako thought as she and Sean went upstairs to find Suu piloting a squad of her toy tanks. "You gotta be kidding! How can--"
"Looks can be deceiving," Sean said.
"Ah, target sighted," Suu said, grinning. "Time for us to play, Sean!"
"Kanako, for your own good, stay back." Sean smiled as he turned back to the hyperactive girl. "Alright, let's play." Kanako noticed Sean position his arms like he was in some Old West shootout.
"Fire!" Suu yelled. About a dozen pinky-sized missiles were deployed. Sean made two clawing motions in front of him and every last projectile detonated before they got to him.
Kanako gasped at the size of the explosions. "How can--"
"Don't ask!" Sean yelled back as smoke filled the hallway, causing them both to start coughing.
Suu laughed from the other side of the smoke. "Let's see how you handle the next wave when you can't see them!"
"Oh, crap," Sean thought as he heard another batch of missiles being launched. Thinking quickly, he set up a force field spanning the entire hallway, intending to stop whatever might try to make contact. When the first couple missiles hit the barrier, he was surprised by how powerful the blast was, and he found himself having difficulty maintaining it. "C'mon," he muttered. "Stay whole for me; stay whole…" Suddenly, one of the detonations ripped a hole in the shield and another rocket passed through. Unable to stop it without lowering the shield entirely, he could only watch and growl a bit as it passed by him unhindered.
Kanako stood paralyzed as the missile headed straight for her. "No," she thought. "It can't end this way. I'm finally reunited with my oniichan and I'm going to be blown up by some foreign girl with a endless sugar rush!" At the last second, she felt someone force her to the ground, the missile passing within four inches of her head and went on to blow a big hole in the far wall.
Sean was unaware of the save, as he was forced to refocus his attention on making sure his force field didn't get reduced to Swiss cheese. After the last missile was taken care of and the smoke cleared, revealing a smiling Suu with a depleted arsenal, he lowered his defenses. "What is it about you and random acts of destruction?" he asked. Suu just shrugged, gathered her army, and bounded off to her room. "Maybe I should make another game disk so she can cause as much carnage as she wants without hurting any of us."
Kanako had her eyes closed as she laid on the floor, still scared of what might have happened. "Are you alright?" a familiar voice said. Hearing this voice made her face light up.
"O-Oniichan?!" she said, looking at him lovingly. "Did you just save me?!"
"I'm not about to let my sister be hurt now, am I?" he said, helping her to her feet.
Kanako found herself unable to force the color from her cheeks. "He still cares for me," she thought. "After all this time, he still loves me."
"C'mon," Keitaro said. "Let's go get you unpacked." Without another word, the two siblings went to get Kanako's bags, leaving Sean to fix the walls--again.
After Keitaro and Kanako unpacked (and Sean set up a curtain to separate each siblings' half of the room), the day pretty much went the usual route, but Naru quickly noticed that Kanako never left her brother's side for a minute, and it was starting to make her feel a bit uneasy about the whole thing. Eventually, she decided that she couldn't just sit back and watch it happen anymore; something had to be done.
--- 8:41 PM
"Sean?" Naru asked from outside his door. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Sure, come on in." Naru walked in and sat beside Sean, who was playing video games. "What's on your mind?"
"It's about Kanako," Naru said. "I'm worried that she might be getting a bit too close to Keitaro."
"Well, they are related," Sean said. "and ones that haven't seen each other in years. I'm sure she just missed him and wants to spend time with him."
"Maybe, but wanting to sleep the same room as him? That just doesn't sit right with me."
"At least they're not sharing the same bed," Sean muttered.
"Please don't put images in my head."
"Sorry. I can see that your troubled by this, and I think I know what we can do to put your mind at ease."
"And what do you have in mind?" Naru asked suspiciously as Sean turned off the game.
"Talk to someone who knows more about Kanako than any of us." Sean noticed the look she was giving him. "What did you think I was going to say?"
"Oh, nothing," Naru said, her expression quickly softening. "But don't you think talking to Keitaro is a bit risky? I mean with Kanako being right next to him and all--"
"Keitaro was not what I had in mind." Sean stood up and helped Naru do the same. "Come with me." Sean led Naru out of his room, and it wasn't until they walked outside that she realized where they were going.
"That's right," she thought. "Haruka's related to Kanako; and since Kanako and Keitaro haven't seen each other in so long, Haruka should have more information to give than him."
The two entered the tea shop to find it empty with the exception of Haruka, who was cleaning tables. It looked like she was going to close the shop any time now. "Hey Haruka," Sean said.
"Hey there," Haruka said. "What brings you here?"
"We're here to ask you a few questions."
"Have a seat," Haruka said, gesturing to a table (Which Sean noticed as one she hasn't cleaned yet.). "Would you like something?"
"I'm good. Naru?"
"We just had dinner."
"Alright," Haruka said, sitting down across from the other two. "So, what do you want to know?"
Sean turned to Naru, "Do you want to ask or should I?"
"You go ahead."
"Alright. What do you know about… Kanako?"
A look of slight surprise appeared on Haruka's usual poker face, her cigarette barely able to stay in her mouth. "And how do you know Kanako?"
"She arrived this morning."
A cigarette fell onto the table. "Please tell me you're kidding around."
Sean shook his head. "I'm afraid not."
"I'm glad you came to talk to me about this instead of Keitaro."
"Well, that would be pretty hard to do, considering Kanako's never more than two feet away from him at all times," Naru said.
Harukia sighed. "I should have figured as much."
"What do you mean?"
"Ever since they were kids, they were always close. Nobody could tear them apart for long. Years ago, they parted ways; and she didn't take it very well. Ever since that day, she's been waiting for him to return to her. After a while, she sank down into a deep depression from which I thought she would never escape."
"She was kind of like that before she saw Keitaro," Sean noted. "All work and no play, you know?"
"Exactly. In that span, she started to see Keitaro less as a brother and more as the one that got away."
"That sure doesn't sound like the way a sister should act," Naru said.
"Maybe that's because they're not related by blood."
"You mean she's--"
"That's right; she's adopted. She loves Keitaro dearly, and their time apart only made that feeling grow and mutate."
"Huh boy," Sean muttered. "Somehow, I think this is going to get worse before it gets better."
"Why do you say that?" Naru asked.
"Well, this morning, Keitaro saved her from being hit by one of Suu's missiles."
"And why didn't you do it yourself?"
"I had my hands full dealing with the other two dozen plus missiles coming at me."
"Keitaro's actions might have finally pushed Kanako over the edge," Haruka said. "I seriously doubt she'll let him escape her grasp again without a fight."
"Lovely," Naru said sarcastically.
"I suggest that, at all costs, try not to leave those two alone in the same room together. There's no telling what she might do."
"Well, that might be a bit of a problem," Sean said, holding the back of his head. "You see, she kinda talked us into letting her stay in Keitaro's room."
"She what?!" Haruka suddenly stood up. "We have to stop her before she--"
"Wait!" Sean said. "If we act too soon, she may realize that we know her intentions and Keitaro would be skeptical of what we're trying to accomplish. I say we let her make the first move, both to serve as proof of what Haruka said and to justify our actions."
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Naru asked.
"We have to know exactly what you're up against. Don't worry, you'll have my support and that of the other girls."
"Thank you," Naru said, giving Sean quick hug. "Let's get back before the others start wondering where we went."
"Yeah."
Haruka watched the two get up and walk out the door. "Oh man," she muttered. "This is not going to be pretty." She sighed, then resumed cleaning the tables. "And the waiting game begins." Suddenly, she remembered that a letter had come in the mail for Naru the previous day. "Oh well, I'll get it to her later. Damn, she's been getting a lot of letters from that guy lately."
--- 11:52 PM
Keitaro changed into his pajamas and got ready for bed. Kanako was in the room as well, but the curtain splitting the room in two protected their privacy. "See you in the morning, Kanako," he said, making sure to keep his voice down so he didn't disturb Naru, who was already asleep.
"Um," Kanako said, poking her head through the curtain. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Could you give me your opinion on something?"
"Of course."
"Wonderful. Could you come over here for a sec?"
"Maybe she decorated her side of the room," Keitaro thought as he approached the barrier and pushed it aside to reveal a startling sight.
"I ask you," Kanako said, sporting some revealing, sky blue lingerie. "How do I look?"
For a moment, Keitaro just stood there, dumbfounded at what he saw, but that moment quickly passed. Suddenly, blood sprayed out his nose.
"Is that a yes?" Kanako asked, slowly approaching him.
"Um, I, er…" was all Keitaro could say before fainting.
"Get used to this, oniichan," Kanako whispered as she half-carried, half-dragged Keitaro onto his futon. "You will be seeing more of me in the days to come." She kissed the unconscious man right on the mouth, then turned to walk back to her half of the room. "I let you go once before, but I won't let it happen again. Mark my words: You will be mine, and there's nothing anybody--especially that Naru girl--can do to stop me." Poor, unsuspecting, unassuming Keitaro. He has no idea what he's in for.
End of Chapter XXXIX
Oh, man; Naru's certainly got a lot on her hands, doesn't she? I wonder how it will all turn out. See you next time! Please R&R!
Ah, the cliffhanger. It just gets you coming back for more, doesn't it?
Chapter XXXIX: Relatively Speaking
"Oniichan…" the girl whispered. The silence that followed was deafening and the air surrounding everyone was so thick with tension, Motoko's sword could have been called into service. Before anyone could do anything else, she got up and approached Keitaro, a deep blush on her face. "I can't believe you're actually here," she said. "It's been so long, I'd almost completely given up hope of ever seeing you again."
"Um," Keitaro said. "This is going to sound awful, but I don't know who you are."
A sorrowful expression appeared on her face. "Keitaro, it's me, Kanako."
"Kanako…?" Suddenly, his eyes grew wide as realization set in. "Oh my God! Kanako, is it really you?!"
A smile formed on Kanako's face. "So you do remember."
"Um, exCUSE me," Naru said. Her eye was starting to twitch. "How do you two know each other? Is this some ex-girlfriend you haven't told me about?"
"What--No!" Keitaro said, as though Naru was crazy to assume such a thing. "Everyone this is Kanako, my little sister."
"You never told us you had a sister," Sean said.
"Well, we haven't seen each other in years. It must have slipped my mind."
"I think that's quite obvious, considering how long it took for you to recognize me," Kanako said.
"What have you been up to lately?" Keitaro asked. "I'm sure we have a lot of catching up to do."
"You have no idea," Kanako thought. "Well, lately, I've been accompanying grandmother on her worldwide travels."
"Well, that certainly explains a few things," Sean said.
"Care to elaborate?" Naru asked.
"I've been sending Grandma Hina expense reports every three months. No wonder she had one of them."
"Yes," Kanako said, getting back to business. "And that's reason I'm here. He hasn't spent any money towards repairs or maintenance for the last six months, yet this place is in tip top shape. I'd like to know why."
"All will be explained in due time. I'm sure you're not in any big hurry, right?"
"I suppose not." At first, Kanako intended to find out what she needed to and be on her way, but being reunited with her beloved brother was reason enough for her to stay a while longer.
"Good. You must be tired after your trip here. After breakfast, one of the girls can take you to the hot spring so you can rest up for a while. Whenever you're ready, you can meet me up in my room and we'll talk business. Now, the only thing left to figure out is, where are you going to stay? There's still that one empty room on the 3rd--"
"If you don't mind, I would like to stay in oniichan's room," Kanako said, looking at Keitaro.
"You what?" Naru asked, the twitch in her eye starting up again. "You can't be serious, can you?"
"I'm completely serious."
Sean saw Naru ball her fists in preparation to send somebody into the next town. Not wanting to find out who, he decided to intervene. "Naru, wait," he said. "I'm sure she has a good reason for this." "I hope she does," he thought.
"How would you feel after seeing someone you cared for after spending years apart?" Kanako asked. "Wouldn't you want to spend as much time with him as humanly possible?"
Naru's expression softened somewhat. "Well, I suppose."
"Maybe you and him can share the same room for now," Sean said. "These rooms are big enough to accommodate two people and I'll take measures to make sure each of you gets your fair share of privacy. We all know that Keitaro's not perverted, just accident-prone. And even if he was perverted, he wouldn't stoop so low as to come on to his own sister. Besides, it's not like they'll be sharing the same bed or anything, right, Kanako?" The way he said those last two words let Kanako know there was no room for negotiation.
"Of course not," Kanako said.
The air around the dining room table calmed somewhat as Keitaro led Kanako to her seat. The only exception to this was Naru, who was quite uncomfortable seeing her boyfriend holding hands with another girl, even if it was his sister. The introductions went off mostly without a hitch. (It was obvious Naru had no intentions of being friendly at this point.) After everyone became acquainted, normal conversation ensued.
"Hey Sean," Kitsune said. "Did you and Motoko have another one of your training sessions this morning?" This caught both Sean and Motoko by surprise, as they didn't think their match would be the topic of discussion. Taking the initiative, Sean decided to go with the flow, but be careful not to reveal everything that happened.
"Has it become that predictable?" Sean asked, smiling. This got Kanako wondering why she wasn't able to hear any fighting while she was waiting in the living room.
"Well, how did it go?"
"It was… unique."
"Don't keep us in suspense. What was so different about this one?"
"Does me winning count?"
A gasp rang out from around the table. "You actually beat Motoko?" Naru asked. Kanako figured such disbelief meant that Motoko must have greater skills than Sean, to say the least. "How did you do that?"
"Now now, I don't think it would be appropriate to reveal any of Motoko's possible weaknesses, would it?"
"It's not fair that you know and we don't!" Suu said.
"Well, I was specifically trying to find weaknesses, so she could work on eliminating them."
"Makes sense," Kanako said. It was at this point that she noticed that not only has Sean eaten a thing as of yet, there wasn't even a plate in front of him. "Aren't you going to eat anything?"
"Nah," Sean said, getting up. "I'm not that hungry right now. Maybe I'll have something later. See you later, Kanako."
"Hmm," Kanako thought. "There is definitely more to this place than meets the eye." She glanced at where Sean left the room. "Especially him. I'd like to find out about him as soon as possible… but he's right. Carrying those suitcases all this way made my muscles sore and a hot bath would do me a world of good…" she made a glance at Keitaro. "Especially if a certain someone should happen to join me."
When breakfast came to a close, Kanako considered asking Keitaro to take her to the hot spring, but after noticing Naru's reaction to seeing the siblings in such close contact (not to mention them sleeping in the same room), she decided it would be safer for both of them if she asked someone else. Shinobu volunteered to do it after she was finished with the dishes.
As Shinobu led Kanako to the changing room, she noticed an odd look on the older girl's face. "Is something the matter?"
"It's just that too much has happened too quickly. What started as a trip to clarify on Hinata-Sou's financial picture turned into me being reunited with my brother. You can't imagine the emotions running through me right now."
"How long has it been? Since you last saw Keitaro?"
"Too long. If you don't mind, I would rather not go into the details."
"Of course." They finally reached the changing room. "Well, here we are. Don't stay in the hot spring too long before going to meet Sean, 'kay?"
"Why? Is Sean impatient?"
"No, but if you wait too long, he'll start to wonder if you're alright."
"I see." Kanako opened the door and was about to enter was she saw that Shinobu wasn't going to follow. "Aren't you going to join me?"
"I figured you'd want your privacy so you can gather your thoughts."
"I've been alone with my thoughts for long enough. Besides, I have some questions that you can answer for me." Shinobu nodded and followed Kanako. Both girls changed into towels and went out into the hot spring. "Do you feel left out?" she asked as she lowered herself into the water.
"What do you mean?" Shinobu asked, a bit surprised at the sudden question.
"You're the youngest girl here, right? There must be some things going on here that you can't take part in because you're too young."
"Yeah, but I know that I won't be young forever, and I know it will be well worth the wait."
That got Kanako wondering just what goes on at Hinata-Sou, but first things first. "I can't help but notice that oniichan lives with you five beautiful girls," Kanako said after taking a seat. "I can't help but ask; what is his relationship with you girls?"
"He loves us all, but he holds Naru close to his heart."
"And does she feel the same way about him?"
"Well, they have been going out for a while now."
"That explains the way she was acting towards me," Kanako thought. "I have a feeling she's not going to like me very much." "What about Sean?"
"He loves us and we all love him, but he also has that certain someone."
"And who's that?"
"Me."
"You're kidding, right?"
"Believe it if you want, but it's the truth."
"No wonder you don't feel like you're missing out; you've already got someone."
"We don't do any of those… adult things together. He knows I'm too young right now, so he's willing to wait until I'm ready."
"That must put quite a strain on him."
"It could, but he can always turn to one of the other girls to help with that."
"And you don't mind?"
"Of course not. With all the temptation he faces around here, I'd be asking too much for him not to. In fact, on two separate occasions, Kitsune and Motoko were so sexually frustrated they were at wit's end and he took care of them. Since then, they've been having encounters every now and then to keep their hormones in check. I only wonder what those other girls will do once I get old enough and take their place."
"Does oniichan have to deal with that sort of thing?"
"You know, it's never come up."
Kanako nodded thoughtfully. "After I take care of business here, I might stay a while just to hear about everything that's happened here."
"You'll be here for a long time, then," Shinobu said, laughing a bit.
"I intend to," Kanako thought.
--- 8:52 AM
Sean heard a knock at his door from his seat at the table. "Come on in." The door opened and Kanako walked in. "Ah, you're here. How was the hot spring?"
"Very relaxing," Kanako said.
"You're telling me. I've actually fallen asleep out there a couple times."
"It was also very informative. Shinobu joined me out there and answered a few questions I had."
"Though I'm sure you still have more, or else you wouldn't be here."
"That's right." Kanako sat down across from Sean. "I'd still like to know how you're able to keep this place together without spending any money for repairs."
"Simple enough question, complicated answer." Sean took a deep breath. "Well, here goes nothing," he thought. "For the last year, I've been training myself in the use of… magic spells."
"Oh, you're a wizard," Kanako said calmly.
Sean was a bit taken aback by Kanako's reaction. "Uh, yeah, you can say that."
"I've met a couple of them during my travels with grandma."
"I see. Then you can understand why I was so hesitant to say anything about it."
"Yes. Do any of the other girls know about this?"
"Of course. I've actually taught them the basics of spellcasting. It didn't take as long as I thought it would. After that, Shinobu was the only one who expressed much interest in it."
"Is that because she's your girlfriend?"
"She must have mentioned that in the hot spring," Sean thought. "Actually, it's why we became a couple in the first place."
"What?" Kanako wondered what kind of spell was responsible, but before she could ask, Sean's door was slammed open and Naru rushed in.
"Sean!" she yelled. "Come quick! Suu's playing with her tanks again!"
"I'm on my way!" Sean said getting up and heading for the door. At the doorway, he stopped and turned to face Kanako. "I guess you'll be seeing me in action sooner than I thought." He then ran down the hallway, with Kanako following shortly afterward.
"Suu has tanks?!" Kanako thought as she and Sean went upstairs to find Suu piloting a squad of her toy tanks. "You gotta be kidding! How can--"
"Looks can be deceiving," Sean said.
"Ah, target sighted," Suu said, grinning. "Time for us to play, Sean!"
"Kanako, for your own good, stay back." Sean smiled as he turned back to the hyperactive girl. "Alright, let's play." Kanako noticed Sean position his arms like he was in some Old West shootout.
"Fire!" Suu yelled. About a dozen pinky-sized missiles were deployed. Sean made two clawing motions in front of him and every last projectile detonated before they got to him.
Kanako gasped at the size of the explosions. "How can--"
"Don't ask!" Sean yelled back as smoke filled the hallway, causing them both to start coughing.
Suu laughed from the other side of the smoke. "Let's see how you handle the next wave when you can't see them!"
"Oh, crap," Sean thought as he heard another batch of missiles being launched. Thinking quickly, he set up a force field spanning the entire hallway, intending to stop whatever might try to make contact. When the first couple missiles hit the barrier, he was surprised by how powerful the blast was, and he found himself having difficulty maintaining it. "C'mon," he muttered. "Stay whole for me; stay whole…" Suddenly, one of the detonations ripped a hole in the shield and another rocket passed through. Unable to stop it without lowering the shield entirely, he could only watch and growl a bit as it passed by him unhindered.
Kanako stood paralyzed as the missile headed straight for her. "No," she thought. "It can't end this way. I'm finally reunited with my oniichan and I'm going to be blown up by some foreign girl with a endless sugar rush!" At the last second, she felt someone force her to the ground, the missile passing within four inches of her head and went on to blow a big hole in the far wall.
Sean was unaware of the save, as he was forced to refocus his attention on making sure his force field didn't get reduced to Swiss cheese. After the last missile was taken care of and the smoke cleared, revealing a smiling Suu with a depleted arsenal, he lowered his defenses. "What is it about you and random acts of destruction?" he asked. Suu just shrugged, gathered her army, and bounded off to her room. "Maybe I should make another game disk so she can cause as much carnage as she wants without hurting any of us."
Kanako had her eyes closed as she laid on the floor, still scared of what might have happened. "Are you alright?" a familiar voice said. Hearing this voice made her face light up.
"O-Oniichan?!" she said, looking at him lovingly. "Did you just save me?!"
"I'm not about to let my sister be hurt now, am I?" he said, helping her to her feet.
Kanako found herself unable to force the color from her cheeks. "He still cares for me," she thought. "After all this time, he still loves me."
"C'mon," Keitaro said. "Let's go get you unpacked." Without another word, the two siblings went to get Kanako's bags, leaving Sean to fix the walls--again.
After Keitaro and Kanako unpacked (and Sean set up a curtain to separate each siblings' half of the room), the day pretty much went the usual route, but Naru quickly noticed that Kanako never left her brother's side for a minute, and it was starting to make her feel a bit uneasy about the whole thing. Eventually, she decided that she couldn't just sit back and watch it happen anymore; something had to be done.
--- 8:41 PM
"Sean?" Naru asked from outside his door. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Sure, come on in." Naru walked in and sat beside Sean, who was playing video games. "What's on your mind?"
"It's about Kanako," Naru said. "I'm worried that she might be getting a bit too close to Keitaro."
"Well, they are related," Sean said. "and ones that haven't seen each other in years. I'm sure she just missed him and wants to spend time with him."
"Maybe, but wanting to sleep the same room as him? That just doesn't sit right with me."
"At least they're not sharing the same bed," Sean muttered.
"Please don't put images in my head."
"Sorry. I can see that your troubled by this, and I think I know what we can do to put your mind at ease."
"And what do you have in mind?" Naru asked suspiciously as Sean turned off the game.
"Talk to someone who knows more about Kanako than any of us." Sean noticed the look she was giving him. "What did you think I was going to say?"
"Oh, nothing," Naru said, her expression quickly softening. "But don't you think talking to Keitaro is a bit risky? I mean with Kanako being right next to him and all--"
"Keitaro was not what I had in mind." Sean stood up and helped Naru do the same. "Come with me." Sean led Naru out of his room, and it wasn't until they walked outside that she realized where they were going.
"That's right," she thought. "Haruka's related to Kanako; and since Kanako and Keitaro haven't seen each other in so long, Haruka should have more information to give than him."
The two entered the tea shop to find it empty with the exception of Haruka, who was cleaning tables. It looked like she was going to close the shop any time now. "Hey Haruka," Sean said.
"Hey there," Haruka said. "What brings you here?"
"We're here to ask you a few questions."
"Have a seat," Haruka said, gesturing to a table (Which Sean noticed as one she hasn't cleaned yet.). "Would you like something?"
"I'm good. Naru?"
"We just had dinner."
"Alright," Haruka said, sitting down across from the other two. "So, what do you want to know?"
Sean turned to Naru, "Do you want to ask or should I?"
"You go ahead."
"Alright. What do you know about… Kanako?"
A look of slight surprise appeared on Haruka's usual poker face, her cigarette barely able to stay in her mouth. "And how do you know Kanako?"
"She arrived this morning."
A cigarette fell onto the table. "Please tell me you're kidding around."
Sean shook his head. "I'm afraid not."
"I'm glad you came to talk to me about this instead of Keitaro."
"Well, that would be pretty hard to do, considering Kanako's never more than two feet away from him at all times," Naru said.
Harukia sighed. "I should have figured as much."
"What do you mean?"
"Ever since they were kids, they were always close. Nobody could tear them apart for long. Years ago, they parted ways; and she didn't take it very well. Ever since that day, she's been waiting for him to return to her. After a while, she sank down into a deep depression from which I thought she would never escape."
"She was kind of like that before she saw Keitaro," Sean noted. "All work and no play, you know?"
"Exactly. In that span, she started to see Keitaro less as a brother and more as the one that got away."
"That sure doesn't sound like the way a sister should act," Naru said.
"Maybe that's because they're not related by blood."
"You mean she's--"
"That's right; she's adopted. She loves Keitaro dearly, and their time apart only made that feeling grow and mutate."
"Huh boy," Sean muttered. "Somehow, I think this is going to get worse before it gets better."
"Why do you say that?" Naru asked.
"Well, this morning, Keitaro saved her from being hit by one of Suu's missiles."
"And why didn't you do it yourself?"
"I had my hands full dealing with the other two dozen plus missiles coming at me."
"Keitaro's actions might have finally pushed Kanako over the edge," Haruka said. "I seriously doubt she'll let him escape her grasp again without a fight."
"Lovely," Naru said sarcastically.
"I suggest that, at all costs, try not to leave those two alone in the same room together. There's no telling what she might do."
"Well, that might be a bit of a problem," Sean said, holding the back of his head. "You see, she kinda talked us into letting her stay in Keitaro's room."
"She what?!" Haruka suddenly stood up. "We have to stop her before she--"
"Wait!" Sean said. "If we act too soon, she may realize that we know her intentions and Keitaro would be skeptical of what we're trying to accomplish. I say we let her make the first move, both to serve as proof of what Haruka said and to justify our actions."
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Naru asked.
"We have to know exactly what you're up against. Don't worry, you'll have my support and that of the other girls."
"Thank you," Naru said, giving Sean quick hug. "Let's get back before the others start wondering where we went."
"Yeah."
Haruka watched the two get up and walk out the door. "Oh man," she muttered. "This is not going to be pretty." She sighed, then resumed cleaning the tables. "And the waiting game begins." Suddenly, she remembered that a letter had come in the mail for Naru the previous day. "Oh well, I'll get it to her later. Damn, she's been getting a lot of letters from that guy lately."
--- 11:52 PM
Keitaro changed into his pajamas and got ready for bed. Kanako was in the room as well, but the curtain splitting the room in two protected their privacy. "See you in the morning, Kanako," he said, making sure to keep his voice down so he didn't disturb Naru, who was already asleep.
"Um," Kanako said, poking her head through the curtain. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Could you give me your opinion on something?"
"Of course."
"Wonderful. Could you come over here for a sec?"
"Maybe she decorated her side of the room," Keitaro thought as he approached the barrier and pushed it aside to reveal a startling sight.
"I ask you," Kanako said, sporting some revealing, sky blue lingerie. "How do I look?"
For a moment, Keitaro just stood there, dumbfounded at what he saw, but that moment quickly passed. Suddenly, blood sprayed out his nose.
"Is that a yes?" Kanako asked, slowly approaching him.
"Um, I, er…" was all Keitaro could say before fainting.
"Get used to this, oniichan," Kanako whispered as she half-carried, half-dragged Keitaro onto his futon. "You will be seeing more of me in the days to come." She kissed the unconscious man right on the mouth, then turned to walk back to her half of the room. "I let you go once before, but I won't let it happen again. Mark my words: You will be mine, and there's nothing anybody--especially that Naru girl--can do to stop me." Poor, unsuspecting, unassuming Keitaro. He has no idea what he's in for.
End of Chapter XXXIX
Oh, man; Naru's certainly got a lot on her hands, doesn't she? I wonder how it will all turn out. See you next time! Please R&R!