Harmony of One
Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, any of its characters, or any thing Love Hina-ish. Ken Akamatsu does. So thank him for creating this awesome manga series.
A/N: Chapter 7 is slow, because I was reading all 38 volumes of Ranma 1/2, which is very good though it contains a rather unsatisfying ending. Grr…stupid Ranma…
"…" Denotes speech
Italics Denotes thought
Bold Denotes sound effects
Certain Sounds:
GOOMPH! Means Fainting
DOOONG! Means Shock
:blah: Denotes time/time change
Denotes scene/scene change
Denotes daydreams and sleeping dreams
Chapter 7: Su's Mind Switching Device – Mayhem!
:February 18th, Wednesday, sometime in the morning:
"Hiya!" CLACK! CLACK! CLACK!
"Urashima, your footwork is poor," Motoko said. "Komachi-chan, good job." Keitaro grunted. He was battling Komachi who was beating him hands down as practice while Motoko coached. Curse this, he thought.
"Yikes!" he yelped. CLACK!
"Urashima, I need a challenge," Komachi taunted. "This is too easy."
"Why you!" Keitaro shouted, angry because he knew it was true. He launched into a flurry of attacks.
"Ooooo, I got him angry," Komachi continued to taunt. Motoko sighed.
"Urashima, that won't ever work," Motoko said. And indeed it was, for Komachi suddenly swung hard from an attack from above and hit his sword into the air. She caught it gently.
"I win. Again," Komachi smiled.
"Arrgh!" Keitaro groaned loudly. He always lost. Well, it is only my third day, his brain rationalized. But how will I keep up Motoko's reputation?
"Urashima, that was utterly pathetic," Motoko commented. "But it was a decent job for being such an amateur. You lasted slightly more than three minutes." Three minutes? That's it? Keitaro thought wearily.
"Oh well, better do it again," Motoko said. "Komachi, you judge."
"Motoko-chan is going to battle him? Heh, he won't last more than one minute," Komachi commented.
"You take that back!" Keitaro suddenly yelled.
"Hah, I will if it happens, which it won't!" Komachi retorted. I'll show her! Keitaro thought, clenching his teeth. He gripped his sword tighter and shifted the hakama and gi he was wearing. He did have an advantage – the fact that Motoko's body had more muscle than his own. "Swords ready…begin!" Komachi cried out, raising her hand than slashing it down.
"Hiya!" Motoko raised her sword and swung down, vertically. Keitaro blocked it easily with a horizontal sword. CLACK! Motoko struck again, quickly shifting positions and Keitaro could tell that she was testing if he could manage all the basic blocks. I'll do more than block, he told himself. Attack! But this was easier said than done. Motoko kept on pressing down, only allowing for a quick defense each time.
"Motoko-chan, it's been half a minute," Komachi called. Motoko only nodded in recognition. Shoot, now she's attacking harder, Keitaro thought, clenching again and only managing barely to keep his feet. CLACK CLACK CLACK!
"Fifteen seconds," Komachi said. Okay, I must press the offensive now, Keitaro thought. He tried – he really did. He pushed. He blocked faster, tried to attack. But it was to no avail. Putting up a valiant defense, Motoko suddenly stuck out her foot and tripped Keitaro.
"Woah!" Keitaro cried. Motoko rammed her sword up and Keitaro was hit. BAAAM! He flew up…up….then fell back down with a crash. WHAMMO! His body was limp as Motoko neared.
"Err…" Komachi stuttered. "Was that necessary?" Motoko didn't answer. "Is he dead?"
"No…" Motoko answered. She had actually not meant to attack him so hard, but in the heat of the moment, she had lost control. Motoko gazed at the sky. "It is almost time for breakfast. Let us bring him inside." They dragged Keitaro's unconscious form inside and lay him on the couch. The clock read 6:50 AM and they could hear Shinobu cooking. They stared at Keitaro's dizzy-eyed body.
"Say, Motoko-chan, do you think you'll get back your body?" Komachi asked.
"I'd better," Motoko responded. They were quiet once again. Komachi again broke the silence.
"If-if you do, ah, change back, can we, that is me and Sakura, can we, you know, ah—"'
"What are you asking, Komachi-chan?" Motoko asked.
"Never mind," Komachi said quickly, turning away and looking down.
"?" Motoko asked herself. Suddenly Keitaro was in Komachi's face.
"Are you okay? Why are you blushing? Is it a cold?" he asked.
"Wha! DIE!" Komachi shouted, punching Keitaro far off into the distance. Motoko was slightly shocked at all this. Komachi was blushing? Indeed there is a slight flush to her cheeks, but that could be only because she has recently hit Urashima. How did he wake up without us knowing, anyways? Motoko thought.
"Breakfast is ready!♥" Shinobu said, coming out of the kitchen to announce this.
"Food? YAY!" Su shouted, appearing from nowhere and flying into the kitchen. BAAM! Keitaro landed back on to the couch, unconscious yet again. Motoko sighed.
Kitchen-
:7:00 AM:
"ITADAKIMASU!" Su cried.
"Su, what have we said about waiting?" Naru commented, sweat-dropping.
"Hmmff?" Su questioned, her mouth full.
"Never mind," Naru said. "Say, what happened to you?" Naru asked Keitaro.
"Oh? Heh heh, nothing," Keitaro laughed nervously, like he always did. "I just lost a kendo battle with Motoko."
"Why did you fight her?" Naru asked. "Don't you always lose?"
"Hey! I almost lasted for one minute!" Keitaro protested. There was only the noise of eating as no one spoke what they were thinking.
"That was strangely…pathetic," Kitsune mentioned.
"You try!" Keitaro whined.
"No way!" Kitsune argued. They continued to argue about how a minute was or was not a long time when Sakura entered.
"Ah, I'm sorry I'm late…" she said meekly.
"Sakura-chan!" Su said, swallowing. "Come here, I have to show you something!" Sakura walked over, dressed in her school uniform but Keitaro thought there was something…different about her.
"Is there something wrong, Sakura-chan?" he asked.
"Oh! Err…no," she said softly yet again.
"Are you sure?" Keitaro asked.
"Sakura-chan, if you are unwell, it would be wise to say so," Motoko said. "Sickness is only curable if admitted." Sakura shook her head, then began a conversation with Su. What's up with her? Komachi thought to herself. Why is she so soft? Did something…no, it couldn't have!
Everyone finished eating, all thanking Shinobu who only blushed and said "you're welcome" back. Komachi and Sakura ended up waiting in the living room for Keitaro. They sat on the couch.
"I wonder where Keitaro-kun is," Sakura asked nobody in particular.
"He'll be here," Komachi said. She wondered at how school was going to proceed, seeing as she now knew he was a male. And yet she was still going to help him.
Komachi coughed. "Sakura-chan, may I ask if you are really well?" Komachi finally said.
"Ye-yes, I am quite well," Sakura answered. This response alone made Komachi worry, because Sakura never stuttered.
"Let me feel your forehead," Komachi said. Sakura shook her head.
"No, I'm fine, really," she protested as Komachi put her hand to Sakura's forehead. It seems fine…woah, it all of a sudden got really hot! Komachi thought.
"Oh, h-hi, Keitaro-kun…" Sakura said, soft. What!
"Hi Sakura-chan, are you better?" Keitaro asked.
"Yes," Sakura answered. Komachi knew exactly what it was now and she was worried. But it couldn't be…just the other day, she was fine and even if she was like this she wouldn't act so…spineless?
"That's good," Keitaro said, smiling. Komachi coughed.
"Urashima, you cannot smile so freely, for Motoko-chan never does that and it would ruin her character," Komachi said.
"Oh. So I should make this face?" Keitaro asked, making a frowning face.
"Um…not like that either," Komachi said, sweat-dropping. "A neutral face."
"But what is a neutral face?" Keitaro whined.
"Be stern!" Komachi said. "Intense! Concentrate!" Keitaro furrowed his brows in focus. "Err…now you look like you're constipated," Komachi said.
"Urashima, what are you doing now?" Motoko asked, coming in.
"Practicing," Keitaro said, making various faces while Komachi shouted "no no no!"
"Practicing for what?" Motoko asked, confused.
"I just want to look like what you do but I can't seem to do it…how's this?" Keitaro asked, making another face.
"No!" Komachi and Motoko said at once.
"I give up!" Keitaro said, and he sat on the couch.
"What are we waiting for? Hey, where did Sakura-chan go?" Keitaro questioned.
"Where did she go?" Komachi repeated, looking around. Su walked into the living room.
"I've got something for you!" Su shouted. "Take it!" She threw a coin-sized object at Keitaro.
"Noooooo!" Keitaro yelled in mortal fear and ducked under the couch. It rattled and landed on the floor.
"Um…what is that?" Motoko asked.
"It didn't blow up?" Keitaro wondered.
"It's something for Keitaro! It helps him with his Motoko-reputation!" Su cried.
"What is it?" Komachi asked yet again.
"It replicates Motoko's Rock Splitting Technique, bringing instant defeat to the enemy who it is used upon! I used it before," Su explained.
"Ah, so that's how I did it," Keitaro said. He picked it up. "So I stick it on the sword like this?" he asked, placing it on the sword.
"Yeah, but you can only use it once, then it has to be recharged. Sadly, that's the limit of my capabilities," Su said, frowning.
"You still have time to make this while trying to finish your mind switching device?" Motoko asked, sweat-dropping and smiling at the same time.
"Oh, I'm done with that," Su said.
"WHAT!" Keitaro and Motoko shouted at once.
"Yup!♥" Su said, smiling.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!" Motoko bellowed.
"Oh, look it's time to go to school, let's go!" Su said, and she skipped out the door.
"Waaaiiitt! Su!" Keitaro cried pathetically, running after her. "Coome baaaaack!"
"Nyah nyah!" Su said, sticking her tongue out.
"Urashima, use the device!" Motoko said.
"Hey, that's right…but, I don't want to hurt anyone…" Keitaro said.
"WEAKLING! JUST DO IT!" Motoko roared.
"Ahhh! All right, don't kill me!" Keitaro whined. Su, don't die! Keitaro thought as he closed his eyes, crossed his fingers, and swung. WOOOSH! The wave of ki approached Su…and went right by her.
"You IDIOT! WHY DID YOU HAVE YOUR EYES CLOSED!" Motoko asked in fury.
"Sorry!" Keitaro said, turning his head and not seeing something very important – stairs. "WAAAAAAHHH!" he shouted as he tripped and hit his head on the landing.
"Urashima?" Motoko asked.
Hinata-Sou Living Room-
:8:00 AM:
"Okay, Motoko, I just called your school and told them that you were sick and that several of your classmates are going to take care of you," Naru said.
"What about cram school?" Motoko asked.
"Don't worry about one day," Naru told her. "I wonder where Kitsune is?"
"Oh, probably creating some mischief somewhere," Keitaro said. "Like she always is."
"Why I never have heard such an unfair attack in my life!" Kitsune said, walking down the stairs with her hand on her head. "Oh, what goes on behind my back I can only guess!" she said mellow-dramatically.
"Stop it, you're only embarrassing yourself," Naru said.
"Oh, when will you guys learn that I only do things for your own good?" Kitsune continued, not listening.
"Like that time you peeped on us studying?" Naru asked.
"That was for your memoirs when you guys get married!" Kitsune said.
"WHO SAYS WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!" Naru shouted.
"I've got it!" Su announced, coming in with a weird looking device. It had two helmets, as expected, with wires connected to a mainframe. The huge mainframe box had dials, gizmos, and whatever else. In essence, it was a crazy machine. Just like Su… Keitaro thought wearily.
"Okay, so how does this work?" Motoko asked, getting up and picking up a helmet.
"Hey, that's delicate!" Su protested. She snatched it away. Keitaro, had, however, already picked up the other helmet.
"So do I put it on like this?" Keitaro asked, jamming it on his head.
"No no! You'll break the electronics!" Su cried. She took that away too. "Both of you sit here and here," she ordered. Motoko and Keitaro sat facing each other.
"Urashima, it will be good when I have my own body back."
"Me too," Keitaro said. "At least I won't have to wake up so early ever again!"
"Why not? One so weak as you needs training," Motoko informed him.
"Well, one so weak as me wants to be able to pass my exam in five days!" Keitaro retorted.
"Can you guys keep it down?" Su asked. They fell silent as Su fiddled with the dials and knobs. "Ok, this should work." Should? Keitaro thought. "Everyone stand back." Everyone did indeed back away. If it didn't work, they knew it just might blow up. Even Su backed away.
"Um, Su, who's going to start it if you're that far away too?" Motoko asked.
"Oh, don't worry, I have a remote, see?" Su said, holding up a remote that a only one button on it.
"Heh, at least this thing doesn't self destruct," Keitaro joked.
"Actually, it does," Su answered. Everyone sweat-dropped.
"Just start it already," Naru said, breaking the silence. She pressed the button on the remote and suddenly the machine was alive. It hummed, buzzed, beeped, rattled, and even made some smoke.
"Su? Why is there smoke?" Keitaro asked worried.
"Don't worry!" Su responded. Suddenly, streaks of electricity began reaching out.
"Ah!" Naru shrieked.
"Stay back, if you're not hit then it should be okay! They can only reach this far!" Su said, and she drew an imaginary line. The machine continued sparking and buzzing and making lots of havoc in general. "It's almost complete!" Su shouted over the noise. BZZ! HUUMMM! BEEP!
"What's going on?" Sakura asked, coming down the stairs. "What's all the noise?"
"Ah! Sakura-chan, get away!" Komachi shouted.
"What! I can't hear you!" Sakura asked. ZZAAAAAPOOO! Suddenly, a huge discharge of electricity flew out and hit Sakura.
"Oh no!" Su cried, along with many others. Suddenly the machine stopped and was silent. Sakura, Keitaro, and Motoko were all not moving and unconscious, as was proven when Shinobu went up to check on each one.
"Are…au, are they dead?" Shinobu asked, scared.
"No…I can feel a pulse," Naru said after checking. They placed Motoko's body on the couch, Sakura's in a chair, and they dragged Keitaro's and left him on the floor.
"Woah that hurt!" Sakura cried, suddenly springing up.
"Sakura-chan!" Komachi exclaimed. "Are you alright?"
"Wait! I'm me again! I'M MEE! WOO HOO HOO!" Sakura started shouting, causing everyone to know it actually wasn't her. Sakura jumped up and down, suddenly stopped. She looked at everyone. "I'm not me, am I?" Sakura asked.
"Who are you?" Naru asked. "At least, who do you think you are?" Sakura seemed not to hear her. She pulled at her school uniform collar and looked down.
"PERVERT!" Naru shouted, knowing who it must be.
"Wait, I was just checking—" Sakura began, but Naru had wound up and slammed her fist into Sakura's face.
"Um…Naru…" Kitsune said as Sakura screamed in pain and landed in a smoking wreak on the wall. "You just punched a high school girl…" But by now, Motoko's body and Keitaro's body got up. Motoko suddenly looked all over herself and breathed in relief.
"I am grateful to have my body back," Motoko commented. "No, wait, I am very happy!" She pumped her arms in delight. Tama-chan who was on Shinobu's head squeaked.
"Myuh!" it said, and it flew over.
"Woo hoo!" Motoko sang, and suddenly grabbed Tama-chan and started dancing in a circle. "Not even Tama-chan can scare me!" Motoko said.
"Myuh!" Tama-chan asked worriedly as Motoko started to spin faster and faster.
"I have my strong body back, yes!" Motoko said, and squeezed Tama-chan.
"Myuh!" Tama-chan responded, nuzzling against Motoko. However, that was too much for poor Motoko and her natural high at being herself again had worn down.
"AHHHH!" Motoko yelled, and threw Tama-chan who was a very confused turtle. It flew and landed on Shinobu's head. Meanwhile, Keitaro's body had gotten up.
"What was that?" he asked. "Huh? Who am I?" Keitaro looked at himself, stood up, walked around, and tugged at his collar too and looked down.
"Sakura-chan, is that you?" Komachi asked.
"Me, but…no, it's me but it's not me!" Keitaro said. Sakura's body (who you should all know by now that it's Keitaro) walked over.
"Jeez do something so small and I get hit so bad," Sakura grumbled.
"Okay, now I'm really confused!" Keitaro whined. "How come I'm…Keitaro-kun?"
"Because you got too close to the brain switching process," Su explained.
"Oh…so Keitaro-kun is me!" Keitaro's body, which everyone knew was Sakura-chan by now, asked suddenly.
"Yes, and we're sorry that you have to endure this…" Naru consoled.
"Oh, it's okay…" Sakura responded. (A/N: It's very confusing, but this is actually Sakura in Keitaro's body. As long as you, the reader, actually knows who it is, then I'll write it like that. So for future reference, I will usually use blank's body when it's the body and you don't know who it is, but without a body you can usually know it's the actual mind of the person.)
"And sadly the vile pervert has seen your…ah…chest…" Naru said.
"Oh!" Sakura squeaked. "It's okay…err…if it's Keitaro-k-kun…" DOOOOONNNGG! Everyone was shocked, including Keitaro, who had no idea what this meant. He was the first to speak, actually.
"Err…you sure?" Keitaro asked.
"Yes…" Sakura said meekly again. Komachi was thinking furiously. How else to explain these weird events? It must be that Sakura-chan really is in— Komachi shuddered, though she could not say why, love with Urashima? How, when? Kitsune was smiling while everyone else was speechless. She had a knowing smile on – and Naru caught sight of it before Kitsune spoke.
"Well, it seems someone has caught the eye of a pretty young lass," she said.
"What! I did not!" Keitaro protested, but Motoko broke in.
"Let's switch them back," she said. Sakura and Keitaro went and picked up helmets.
"Round 2!" Su said, and she pushed the button. Again the machine began to hum, buzzing, beeping, and in general making a lot of noise. It sounded like a piano played by the skill of a two-year old – an electric piano, set to different sound sets.
"Myuh?" Tama-chan asked, flying around.
"Oh no, Tama-chan, come back!" Naru shouted. It would be horrible if Tama and Keitaro changed bodies! Tama dodged the random bolts of lightning that flew everywhere while Naru called out.
"Tamaa!" Naru cried. ZAAAPPOOO! Is it too late? Naru thought. But Tama had not been hit, instead a couch foot rest had been fried. Phew, Naru thought, and she sighed.
"How much longer?" Shinobu asked. She really wanted Keitaro to be alright again. Tama-chan came and landed on her head again.
"It should be almost done," Su said, checking the clock on the wall.
"Myuh!" Tama cried, and she flew onto Motoko's head.
"Waah! Turtle!" Motoko cried. She jumped around, trying to get the turtle off.
"Watch out, Motoko!" Komachi cried, but it was too late.
"Eh?" Kitsune and Naru asked, falling down as Motoko landed on top of them. Komachi grabbed Motoko when suddenly they heard a sickening sound. ZAAAAAAPOOO!
"Auuuuu!" Shinobu cried in horror. The room grew quiet. Oh no oh no, what should I do? Shinobu thought.
"Heh heh, that was a mess, wasn't it, Shinobu?" Su asked, laughing nervously.
"Are…will they live?" Shinobu asked, a finger in her mouth. One by one, they started to stand up.
"Who am I?" Naru's body asked.
"Hold on, I remember that I am Keitaro," Komachi's body said.
"What! I'm in Motoko's body?" Motoko's body complained.
"Okay, everyone, line up!" Su suddenly ordered.
"What?"
"Huh?"
"Just do it!" Su shouted again. They did. It was Keitaro, Motoko, Komachi, Naru, Sakura, and Kitsune.
"Now we will make a list of who each one is," Su said, and she walked up to each one asking who they were and wrote a list. "Here, I'll post it up," she said, and posted it. It read:
BodyInhabitant
KeitaroKitsune
MotokoSakura
KomachiKeitaro
NaruMotoko
SakuraNaru
KitsuneKomachi
"Wahh, how are we going to fix this?" Sakura whined. Everyone was thinking the same thing.
"Myuh!" Tama cried, flying about. It landed on Shinobu's head.
"You're a very very naughty turtle," Shinobu scolded it.
"Myuh?" Tama asked. Shinobu waved her finger.
"Huh, so this is what it feels like to be a guy," Kitsune mused. She hit her chest. "Nothing!"
"Kitsune, stop acting so weirdly," Motoko said.
"Well, excuse me Naru, I just have never been a guy before!" Kitsune said.
"I'm Motoko!" Motoko shouted.
"I don't have time to memorize the list," Kitsune told her. "But since I'm Keitaro…do you want to—"
"NO!" Motoko shouted, not letting her finish her sentence.
"Bah, you're such a spoil sport," Kitsune said. Everyone else, meanwhile, was trying to decide how to switch it.
"I've got it!" Su shouted. "This is how we can do it!" She had yet another piece of paper with names written down.
"Su, isn't this overly complicated?" Naru asked.
"You should just follow it, and it is quite simple. First, Keitaro in Komachi's body switches with Kitsune, so Komachi is herself and Keitaro is Kitsune. Then Sakura in Motoko's body switches with Naru, so Sakura is herself and Naru is Motoko. Then if Motoko in Naru's body switches with Kitsune, we can have Komachi and Keitaro and Keitaro and Motoko. Then we finish it off with a Keitaro Motoko switch," Su completed. She looked at all of them who were very confused.
"What?" Keitaro asked. "What happens?"
"Just go!" Su said, ignoring Keitaro and pushed several people forward, and thus followed out her plan. BEEP! BUZZ! HUMM!
:Several Tries later:
"Great, now who is who?" Keitaro asked. He was in Shinobu's body and was also very confused. Su, who was in Keitaro's body answered.
"I'm in your body, Keitaro, and it's fun to jump around! Weee!" Su cried.
"At least we haven't jumped into Tama's body," Motoko said. She inhabited Kitsune's body, and shuddered at the thought.
"How did Shinobu even get involved when nobody was mixed with her anyways?" Naru asked, in Keitaro's body. She wasn't happy with that.
"Yeah, I'm sorry, err, Shinobu that I'm in your body," Keitaro apologized.
"Oh! It's okay, um, it was just an accident," Shinobu said. She had gotten Kitsune's body, and was for the first time feeling what it was like to be "big" in that area.
"Okay, we figured it out," Komachi said. She and Sakura had switched bodies.
"We did?" Sakura asked. Komachi gave another diagram to Naru, one that made a lot more sense then the one that Su had written.
"Great, let's do it!" Naru said.
:Yet again, several tries later:
"Well, we are sort of ourselves," Naru said. "Who's still left unchanged?" The forms of Motoko and Kitsune raised their hands.
"Hey, Keitaro, raise your hand!" Motoko's body said.
"What? I am Keitaro!" Keitaro's body responded.
"Don't joke with me?" Motoko's body repeated. "I'm Keitaro!"
"Oh? Prove it!" Keitaro's body said, sticking out his tongue.
"Kitsune, stop joking around," Naru said, sweat-dropping.
"I'm not Kitsune! I'm Keitaro! Urashima Keitaro! Grade A loser Keitaro!" Keitaro's body said.
"Hey! I'm not that dumb!" Motoko said, starting to cry. Komachi tapped Sakura's shoulder.
"That's sure not Motoko-chan," Komachi whispered, giggling a bit, but Sakura still didn't answer. Huh? Is she still like that?
"KITSUNE!" Naru shouted.
"What?" Keitaro's body replied.
"GO AND SWITCH WITH YOUR OWN BODY!" Naru screamed.
"Ok, geez, make a little joke and you get all in trouble," Kitsune said. She sat on one of the chairs they had brought in and put on a helmet. Motoko sat on the other one.
"Alright, Keitaro, stay away, and keep Tama locked up!" Naru said. She shooed everyone else away into the kitchen, so they couldn't possibly stay away and locked Tama in a cage.
"Myuh!" Tama said, but everyone ignored him. Naru pressed the button. Hummmmmm…BZZT! ZAAP! SPARK! BEEP BOOP! BZZZTTT! ZAAP!
"Done?" Naru asked when the noises stopped. Kitsune's body looked at herself.
"Yeah, I'm booring old me. You know, it would have been more productive to be Keitaro," she said.
"Yeah yeah…" Naru said, ignoring Kitsune. "Okay, you two sit down for the final switch." Keitaro and Motoko did.
"Looks like we're back where we started, eh?" Keitaro said.
"Yup," Motoko agreed. "But thank goodness it's almost over."
"Ready?" Naru asked. They both nodded. "Ok!" Naru pressed the button. Nothing.
"What? Did you press it?" Keitaro asked.
"Yes!" Naru said. She pressed again. "Work, darn it!" she muttered as she pressed it again and again.
"Naru, are you sure you pressed it?" Motoko asked.
"YES!" Naru said, exasperated. She pounded the button. "SU!"
"Yah?" Su asked, popping her head into the living room. "What's up?"
"It won't work!" Naru said. Su bounded in and examined the machine.
"Guess it's broken," Su said after examining it carefully.
"WHAT!" Motoko shouted, ripping of her helmet.
"Haha, don't joke about such things," Keitaro said beneath the helmet.
"Nope, it's a goner. Rats, these parts were expensive," Su continued to say.
"S-su…is it true?" Naru asked, hoping for an answer that was not going to come for a long time.
"Nope, it's gone. See? The wires are all corroded and the insulation melted. Darn it, I should have gotten better ones," Su said, scratching her head. "Oh well." She tossed the metal plate with the electronics on it she was holding back. CLANG!
"Su…please…" Keitaro said.
"No, it's gone," Su said nonchalantly. "I'll just build it again."
"When will that be done?" Motoko asked.
"No clue," Su said. Keitaro hit the machine.
"Darn it!" he cried in frustration.
"Err…Keitaro, you just hit the self-destruct button," Su said. BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
"What?" Keitaro said.
"MOVE EVERYONE!" Naru shouted, dragging Su and Motoko away. Too bad for poor Keitaro. KABOOOMM!
"Aieeeeeeeeee!" Keitaro screamed, his voice disappearing into the morning sky.
"At least that part of the machine works still," Su commented. Everyone sweat-dropped.
Kitchen-
They were very very agitated. Shinobu twiddled her fingers while Naru, Motoko, and Su were discussing – no, arguing about how they can make another machine as soon as possible. Kitsune was talking to Komachi and Sakura.
"I can't! Those parts aren't easily available in the market!" Su said.
"Please, Su, what amount of money do you need?" Motoko asked.
"It's not about the money – I've got lots, see?" Su showed, bringing a wad of bills from nowhere. "It's just the parts need to be assembled custom-made and the company that makes them closes for the spring."
"Spring?" Naru asked. "It's only February!"
"Yeah, but by the time they make them it'll take to spring," Su explained.
"Arrgh!" Motoko growled. She pounded her fist on the table.
"Hey, don't interrupt our conversation!" Kitsune said in mock anger. Naru shifted her chair and turned towards Kitsune. She put on a sarcastic face.
"And what, Kitsune, could you be talking about that is more important than this?" she asked.
"Well, it obviously has to do with love, right Sakura?" Kitsune said, asking Sakura who nodded. "Which is more important by ten times than just waiting for parts to fix a machine."
"It's not just any machine!" Motoko said. "This affects my life directly!" Motoko ripped of her shirt to prove a point. "I don't want this body for several months!" she shouted, pointing to Keitaro's chest.
"Why not?" Kitsune said. Motoko scowled and glared at Kitsune. Kitsune continued. "Well, it seems you can't do anything about it anyways, so if you'll just not pound the table anymore…" Shinobu decided to speak up.
"A-ah, perhaps we can just stop talking about—"
"And this effects everyone here, too, since it involves the only guy in this whole dorm," Kitsune said, not hearing Shinobu.
"Sempai!" Shinobu cried, and was immediately interested.
"What about that idiot?" Naru asked.
"Well…we were just discussing the possibilities of his likes and dislikes including any…you know, people," Kitsune said, smirking now that she had ensnared people into her conversation.
"Of course that idiot would like people, but the chance of anyone actually liking him is a different story," Naru said.
"Se-sempai isn't that bad!" Shinobu exclaimed in her quiet fashion.
"Yeah, I like Keitaro!" Su said, completely content to ignore the fact that her machine had blown up and could not be fixed for a while.
"Su, you like everyone," Naru stated.
"But that has to count for something," Kitsune said.
"I-I also think that Sempai is a very respectable man," Shinobu said.
"What about you, Motoko?" Naru asked.
"M-me?" Motoko asked, not wanting to think about it.
"Oh?" Kitsune asked. "What about you, Motoko?" Motoko looked at them.
"No-nothing, really. Urashima is Urashima," she said.
"That's not good enough," Kitsune said. Naru was slightly taken aback, though. What happened to perverted lecherous spineless jellyfish? She thought. It can't be that Motoko…nah, it's about as probable as Keitaro becoming a famous genius.
"What?" Motoko asked. She subconsciously wrung her hands beneath the table. "Isn't that what you think, Sakura-chan?"
"Y-yes, Keitaro-kun is himself, but I-I like that self…" Sakura said.
"Oh ho, looks like you have some competition, Shinobu," Kitsune joked, putting her hand over her mouth.
"What! No, I just meant…" Shinobu trailed off.
"Meant what?" Kitsune asked.
"Yeah, what do you mean, Shinobu? Huh huh?" Su asked, bouncing around behind, above, in front, and all around Shinobu.
"I just meant that Sempai is very honorable," Shinobu said firmly.
"That lecher?" Naru asked. She snorted in irony. "Yeah, right." Kitsune turned to Komachi.
"What about you? You just met him, so what do you think about him?" Kitsune asked.
"Me? Ha, well, as you said I just met him so…" Komachi paused. What did she think about Urashima? By all accounts, a man so placed seems like he should be a pervert, though Motoko had never mentioned anything to her about him, probably to prevent such happenings as her coming over. Motoko probably didn't want us to find out that she had a male landlord in an all-girls dorm, Komachi thought. She knew that, however, from her limited contact with him, Urashima seemed honorable. Motoko had last night told her about his clumsiness that often ended in his perversion, but what Komachi saw and what Motoko and Naru probably knew was that it was mainly – at least, most of the time as well as she could figure – due to accidents, though that didn't stop them from being perverted acts. Honorable? Was he so? He did peep in at the women's locker room! Komachi suddenly thought angrily. But then again, her brain interjected by itself, he didn't want to go in, if I remember correctly. As Motoko-chan, Komachi could not find a single act in which Urashima acted un-chivalrous. But what did she think about him?
Was it affection? He works very hard, Komachi thought, reminiscing to the memory of Urashima not only working for school, yet studying for hours for his entrance exams and doing Kendo exercises so he might have some skill to keep Motoko's reputation and to a further extent, her honor. Komachi decided that Urashima was a man that she respected, and with a shock she realized he was the first male ever respected besides her father. He should thank me, Komachi fleetingly thought.
"Well, Komachi?" Kitsune asked.
"Eh?" Komachi asked, coming back to reality. "About Urashima? I…I don't know."
"Hmm…" Kitsune said. She made a face at Sakura that intrigued Naru.
"What?" Komachi asked. "I, err, just have not formed an opinion of him yet."
"You seemed to have made one when you first arrived," Kitsune said. "I seem to remember something about a pervert and a jellyfish? Or is that men in general, but Keitaro is different?"
"I-I…" Komachi stuttered. She glanced at Motoko, but Motoko remained emotionless. She didn't want to admit she actually respected him…
"We'll come back to you," Kitsune said. "As for me, Keitaro is someone very special."
"What!" Naru asked, very loud indeed.
"He's my source, my only source," Kitsune continued while Naru drew an angry face, "of personal pleasure." Naru's eye twitched. A vein popped out on her forehead. "He is the only who gives me money," Kitsune finished. Naru fainted.
"Stop fooling around!" she growled.
"It's true!" Kitsune said, holding her hands up in a "surrender" pose. "I can't deny it…but what is he to, you, Naru?"
"M-me?" Naru asked. Kitsune noted that only three people reacted like that. Only three people who have a possibility of "that"… she thought.
"He's just a stupid perverted idiot who happens to be aiming for the same school so we study together, though lately I haven't been," Naru said. Well, Naru is in the most denial, Kitsune snickered to herself. Her ears perked as she thought she heard a door open. Is Keitaro back? Time to enact the last plan. She winked three times at Sakura who winked back.
"I really like Keitaro-kun…I-I think he's my fated partner," Sakura suddenly said. WHAT! Komachi thought.
"What!" Motoko asked out loud. "When is…I mean…"
"That's great, Sakura!" Kitsune said. "Since you proclaim it so boldly, it is sure to come true! And no one else here thinks like that, right?"
"That's not true!" Komachi suddenly said. "I like him too!" Suddenly the room grew quiet. Komachi suddenly blushed red.
"Is that true, err, Iida-san?" Keitaro asked from the doorway. Komachi spun around, sputtering.
"I-I…" Komachi stuttered. What did she just say?
A/N: I hope this chapter was okay, especially the last part. But overlying the bad writing, it seems something may have worked. Oh well, I'm sorry for the long update time. Please RR!