Ghost of Hinata
Last Time On Ghost of Hinata
"Hey Su-chan come back!" Naru called after her. "We're meant to wait here for Haruka-san!" Naru and Kitsune chased after her. Motoko and Shinobu looked at each other before the elder girl shrugged and followed. Shinobu looked down the hallway and out the front door with a worried expression before running after the others.
Catching up with the others she sees them all surrounding a happy Su who was sitting on the floor nuzzling the young boy on her lap.
Chapter 2
The Hinata girls stood around Su and the young boy she had captured. He was sitting on her lap, giggling as Su nuzzled happily into his cheek.
"Is this the boy you met, Naru-sempai?" Motoko asked.
"Yep that's him. Shinobu-chan is he the one that talked to you?" the young girl nodded. Turning to Kitsune she said. "Well? Does he look like a homeless kid to you?"
Kitsune huffed slightly and approached the giggling children. "Excuse me but are you Keitaro Urashima?"
The boy smiled up at her. "Uhuh, who are you?"
"I'm Mitsune Konno, but everyone calls me Kitsune." She replied looking closely at the young boys eyes.
He just looked back into her eyes and smiled. "It's nice to meet you Kitsune nee-san."
'mmmm, he doesn't seem to be lying and he is cute.' She thought as she reached out and rubbed his head. "and are you Haruka Urashima's nephew?"
Keitaro smiled grew even wider "Yep that's my Aunty!"
"So why are you living here and not with your parents or Aunty or Granny?"
Keitaro shrugged. "I just do."
"So where are your parents now?" Kitsune asked.
He shrugged again. "Don't know. Probably working at our sweet shop."
"So you don't see your parents very often? And you live with your Granny and Aunty?"
Keitaro nodded. "Uhuh but I don't see Aunty very often anymore and I haven't seen Granny for a while now." He said, somewhat sadly.
Kitsune's mind was ticking over. What he was saying made sense and would explain why he was living here but it still didn't explain what Haruka said. "You know, Haruka-san is going to be coming up here soon."
Keitaro's eyes lit up "Aunty's gonna be here?!"
"Yep, do you want to hang out with us until she gets here." she asked kneeling next to him.
"Would that be alright?" he asked hopefully.
"Of course it would. We don't mind you keeping us company." She smiled down at him.
Keitaro leapt up and wrapped his arms around Kitsune's neck. "Thank You!" he cheered as he nuzzled into her neck.
Kitsune returned the strange boys hug "That's alright, Keitaro-kun, why don't you and Su-chan go and wait in the living room." she sent the two children off together.
"Why were you asking him so many questions, Kitsune-sempai?" Shinobu asked.
"I wanted to know if he was telling the truth." Kitsune said thoughtfully.
"And?" Naru asked.
"As far as I can tell he was telling the truth, but…" Kitsune trailed off.
"But what?" Motoko asked.
"Well yesterday when we asked Haruka-san about him she said that she didn't have a nephew. So that means one of them is lying. I thought that if we told him that Haruka-san was coming up here he might try and get out of seeing her because she would prove that he was lying but he seemed happy to see her." Kitsune mused.
"So what does this mean?" Shinobu asked.
"It means either Haruka has a reason for lying or Keitaro-kun is a very sick little boy." Kitsune concluded.
"What are you talking about?" Naru asked confused.
"Well he obviously believes that Haruka-san is his aunt but if she isn't then he's created a whole little world for himself. The only reason I can think of for him doing that is if something traumatic happened and he recreated a world in which he wouldn't have to deal with it."
"You don't think his parents could be…" Naru started.
"I have no idea, but it would explain why he lives here and hasn't seen then for a while. Whatever happened, it would have to have really screwed him up if he is willing to go as far as meet Haruka-san."
"Well I guess we'll find out when Haruka-san gets here." Naru said as she led them back to the living room where they found once again Su snuggling with the boy who was equally returning her affection.
"Keitaro-kun would you like something to eat?" Shinobu asked.
The young boy thought for a moment before saying "May I have an apple please?" he asked politely.
"Are you sure? I can make you something if you're hungry." She replied.
"No thank you, I'm not that hungry but Granny always told me that I should eat at least one fruit a day and I like apples the best." He explained as Shinobu went to get him an apple.
"Fu Fu Fu, silly Kei-kun." Su chortled as she pulled out her own favourite fruit. "Everyone knows bananas are the best."
Taking the apple from Shinobu, Keitaro frowned. "Apples are a lot better than bananas."
"Silly little boy." She petted his head condescendingly. "You are too young to know the true charms of bananas. You just trust your elders."
"No I'm not and apples are a lot better! Apples can be sweet or sour, and in loads of colours. Bananas are just yellow and mushy."
Su's eye twitched. "Fu Fu Fu bananas don't need to be many different colour or flavours to be better. Not only that but you make so many different treats from them like chocolate covered bananas, banana cake and banana pie. They are clearly the superior fruit."
Keitaro puffed out his cheeks "You can do more with apples! You can make apple pie, apple crumble, toffee apples, apple juice and lots of other stuff! That's why they're better than bananas." Su and Keitaro narrowed their eyes and glared at each other, a small spark shot between their eyes before they tried to force feed the other their respective fruits.
Deciding to break up the fight before one or both of them choked, Motoko picked up Keitaro and brought him onto her lap. Keitaro looked up and tilted his head quizzically "hsdfs mtju bhej?"
"Swallow before you speak." She told him.
Doing as he was told, Keitaro swallowed the banana before saying "Have we met before?"
"I do not believe we have." She replied.
"Really? Mmmm you remind me of someone." He closely examined Motoko's face. "She was really pretty just like you." he smiled.
Motoko blushed and coughed out of embarrassment. "Thank you Keitaro-kun." She petted his head when she noticed something strange. Frowning she continued rub his head, trying to put her finger on what was so bizarre. Keitaro just sat on her lap, happily soaking up the attention.
"Is something wrong Motoko-chan?" Naru asked.
"There is … no it's nothing." Motoko replied still frowning. Keitaro was oblivious to the conversation as he enjoyed the affection. The front door opened and the manageress of Hinata Sou entered the building. "Good, you're all here. I got the papers you guys need to sign."
"Hey Haruka-san. We managed grab that boy we were talking about." Naru said as Keitaro leaped off of Motoko's lap and wandered up to Haruka.
"Hiya Nee-san!" he grinned cheekily.
"Oh? Where is he?" Haruka asked as she walked past the young boy.
"I'm here!" he cheered as he stood in front of her and waved.
"er he's right in front of you." Kitsune said with some confusion.
Haruka just glared at them. "If this is a joke it's not funny. "
"I'm right here." he gave her a slightly hurt look.
"If you guys don't mind I have a business to run so you can fill these out and give them back to me later." She said tersely as she threw the papers down onto the coffee table and turned to walk away.
"Wait a minute Aunty, please stay for a while. I promise I won't call you Nee-san anymore." He begged, following close behind her.
"Haruka-san your nephew is right there!" Kitsune cried.
Stopping Haruka turned and glared at the girls "I've had enough of this. I've already told you and if you keep this up I'll throw the whole lot of you out. For the last time I do not have a nephew!" she snapped.
"Aunty..." Keitaro whispered as his lower lip started to tremble. Haruka turned to leave and Keitaro grabbed hold of the back of her shirt but Haruka carried on walking unhindered while he was dragged behind her. "Please Aunty don't go. Please I-I'll be good!" tears were now streaming down his face. "Aunty please, I-I'll come when you tell me to! Please say something!" he cried while the girls watched sadly. Keitaro let go of her shirt as she walked out the door. "A-Aunty hates me!" he bawled as he ran off.
"Keitaro come back!" Su called out as she, Kitsune and Shinobu rushed after him.
"Poor Kei-kun..." Naru murmured.
"What do you suppose that was about?" Motoko asked.
"Well I've heard that in some old families like the Urashimas that if a family member disgraces themselves then the others won't even acknowledge their existence or that of their children." Naru suggested. "Perhaps that has something to do with it?"
"I doubt it." Motoko said while frowning in thought. "With him being so young there's not much he could have done to warrant that kind of treatment and if it was his parents then I don't see why they would allow him to live here. They would either forgive him of his parents crimes or abandon him." Motoko replied.
"So what do you think the reason is then?" Naru asked.
"I do not know, but … my sister is an old friend of Haruka-sans. She may know something about this."
As they pondered the situation the youngest residents returned Keitaro-less. "You couldn't find him?" Naru asked.
"He went around a corner and disappeared." Shinobu sighed as she sat down. "Kitsune-sempai said that she was going to keep looking for him."
"I guess you will have to ask your sister." Naru said to Motoko. She nodded her head as she went to the phone and Naru sat down to explain what they discussed with Su and Shinobu. After several rings there was an answer.
¬Hello?¬ the voice said.
"Sister, it is me Motoko." She replied somewhat stiffly.
¬Motoko-han! It's good to hear from you! How are you? Have you settled into Hinata Sou?¬
"I am fine sister, though there is something I need to ask you."
¬Of course what do you need?¬
"Well there is a young boy here at Hinata Sou who claims to be Haruka-sans nephew but when we the two met, Haruka-san acted as if she could not even see him."
The phone was silent for a moment. ¬Are you sure that he claims to be her nephew?¬
"Of course I am." Motoko replied.
¬Did he tell you his name?¬ came an urgent voice
"Keitaro Urashima, does it matter?" Motoko asked confused.
Silence again ¬What does this boy look like?¬
"Well he is about 8 years old, a very innocent face and is about as tall as my hips." Frowning that her sister ignored her question
¬Impossible¬ Tsuruko mumbled down the telephone. ¬Tell me, have you noticed anything strange about him?¬
Motoko thought for a moment. "Well, apart from Haruka seemingly not being able to see him he does have the ability to disappear as soon as you break line of sight."
¬Nothing else?¬ Tsuruko pressed her for answers.
"No, not that I can thi- well there was something." Motoko replied hesitantly.
¬Yes? What is it?¬
"I- I am not sure quite how to describe it. When I petted his head there was something strange about how he felt. I cannot explain exactly what was strange but it seemed... fuzzy? No not fuzzy...familiar perhaps? I cannot accurately articulate the sensation." She finished.
¬I see… I will be there tomorrow.¬ Tsuruko declared.
"W-what? Why?" Motoko stuttered.
¬Because what you are telling me cannot possibly be true and I need to see it with my own eyes.¬
"What do you think it is?"
¬I do not wish to make guesses without more information so I will be there as soon as possible.¬
"If you believe that is the best course of action then I will see you tomorrow." Motoko said as her sister hung up the phone. Frowning Motoko returned to the others in the living room.
"So what did she say?" Naru asked.
"She said that she would arrive here tomorrow to see Keitaro-kun for herself."
"Why is she coming here?"
"I am not entirely sure why. Her responses were stranger than she normally is."
"Does she know anything about Keitaro-kun's situation?"
"She did not say, but there was something that she was not telling me." Motoko informed them.
"I guess we won't find out anything until she gets here." Naru sighed. "I wonder were Kitsune's gotten to?"
"Where did that little guy get to?" Kitsune wondered aloud as she turned another corner. She was still searching for the crying boy ten minutes after she had sent Su and Shinobu back to the others and had yet to find a trace of the little boy. Letting out a exasperate sigh at the empty hallway, she leant against a wall and rubbed her temple. 'What was up with Haruka? She acted as though she couldn't even see him. I hope the little thing is alright."
As she thought about the strange situation they had found themselves in she heard a soft sobbing. She looked around to try and find the source of the sound. Walking along the corridor she stopped where the sound was coming from. All she found was a empty hallway with no rooms but the sound persisted. Pressing her ear against the wall she heard the crying on the other side. Examining the wall closely she slides a panel off the wall to reveal a tunnel and a small crying boy.
'I guess this is how he keeps disappearing' Kitsune thought idly as she knelt next to the small weeping form. Grabbing hold of the boy, she pulled him into her chest. "There, there Kei-kun. It's alright." She rubbed his back, trying to sooth the distraught child.
"K-Ki-Kit-Kitsune nee-san, A-Au-Aunty hates me!" he choked out through the tears as he buried his head into her collar bone.
"Shhh, Shhh, it's OK." She said quietly. "I'm sure she doesn't hate you."
"Yes she does!" he cried "That's why she ignored me!"
"That's not true at all." She tried to convince him otherwise.
"Then why did she say she doesn't have a nephew?!" He countered, looking up at her with a tear stained face. Kitsune let out a sigh.
"I'm not sure, Kei-kun. But you need to calm down OK? No more tears?" she gently rubbed his head. Sniffing and wiping his nose on his sleeve he nodded. "Good." Pulling a tissue out her pocket she wiped his eyes. "Now the others are probably really worried about you, what do you say we go and show them you're alright?" Keitaro nodded again. "OK then." She kissed his forehead as she stood up and left the tunnel.
Bringing him back to the living room she called out "Look who I found." As she sat down between Naru and Motoko. Pulling the young boy off her friend and onto her lap, Naru stroked his hair.
"How you doing Kei-kun." She asked softly.
"OK" he mumbled quietly.
Su walked up behind him and pulled him of Naru's lap and into a hug, rubbing her cheek against his. "Don't be sad Kei-kun, Su will love you." Keitaro gave her a smile.
"Do you know why Haruka-san acted the way she did?" Motoko asked.
" 'cause she hates me." He sniffed.
"Hey, I'm sure doesn't hate you." Naru reassured him as she ruffled his hair. "Why don't we go down to the tea shop and find out what it was all about?"
Shuffling his feet and looking at the ground he mumbled "Don't wanna."
"But Kei-kun we should go see what she was talking about."
"DON'T WANNA!" he yelled with tears falling down his face again. "I don't want to get Aunty mad again." He finished quietly. Everyone looked down sadly at the small boy. Picking him up again Naru held him close.
"OK Kei-kun. You can just hang out with us." She ran her fingers through his hair as he nodded into her chest.
Later That Night
Keitaro had spent the remainder of the day with the Hinata girls. Alternating between girls Keitaro had soon regained his cheery disposition to the point where it seemed that he had completely forgotten about the confrontation with his aunt and none of the girls were eager to remind him about it. Su had apparently forgiven him for offending her favourite fruit and took great pleasure in playing with him, exploring her surprisingly quickly converted jungle room and rubbing her cheek against his. At the end of the day the girls discussed what they were going to do with Keitaro at night. Agreeing that they didn't want to risk him disappearing again Naru volunteered to take him for the night. When they informed him of this he grinned and hugged her.
Carrying him to her room Naru set him down and rubbed his head affectionately before turning around and getting changed into her pyjamas when she wondered about what her young friend would wear. "Hey Kei-kun, do you have anything to wear?" she turned around to see a pyjama clad Keitaro. "Hey, how did you get changed so quickly?" she asked as she knelt next to him.
The young boy smiled and said "I just did."
"Then where're your clothes?" she questioned him. Keitaro turned around and examined the room before facing Naru and shrugging. "You're a strange little guy, aren't you?" she rubbed his head. Keitaro grinned happily as he accepted her attention. "Let's get to bed, OK?" nodding his head he let her lead him to the futon. Sliding under the covers, Keitaro crawled on top of Naru and hugged her. "Love you Nee-san." He smiled up at her as he nuzzled into her chest.
Naru was caught off guard by this expression of fondness. How starved of affection must he be that he declares his love for someone he only met the day before. Rolling over so that he rested his head on her pillow she asked "Hey Kei-kun, you've been here by yourself for a long time, haven't you?"
"Uhuh."
"Don't you ever get lonely up here without anyone else around?"
"Yea" he replied with a sad note in his voice "But now with you and the other nee-sans here I won't be lonely anymore 'cause you'll keep me company." He finished with a large grin.
Pulling him close to her Naru gently stroked his back. "Yea, we will." Naru reassured him. "Night Kei-kun."
"Good night Nee-san." he snuggled closer to her before falling off to sleep.
The Next Day
Tsuruko Aoyama made her way up the stone staircase, hurrying two steps at a time, eager to find the truth behind this impossible situation. Arriving at the top of the stairs she was greeted by her sister "Where is he?" she asked getting straight to the point.
"It is good to see you too, sister." Motoko remarked dryly.
"Forgive me Motoko-han, but I do not wish to waste time on pleasantries. Where is he?" she restated her question.
"He is upstairs playing with Su-chan, one of the younger residents. Please have a seat and I will fetch him." She directed her sister to the living room while she made her way up to Sus room.
Entering the jungle room Motoko wondered how she would find the children when she heard a burst of laughter. Following the sound she found Keitaro and Su in a clearing, they young girl was mercilessly tickling the boy, not letting up despite his begging.
"Kei-kun, there is someone downstairs that wishes to meet you." Motoko said as she approached them.
"Who?" he asked as Su stopped her tickling.
"My sister wishes to see you." She said as she rubbed his head.
"Su will come too!" Su cheered as she as stood herself up brining Keitaro with her.
"It would be better if it was just him, Su-chan." Motoko replied.
"AWWWWWW but Su wants to stay with Kei-kun!" she cried as she hugged him tightly and rubbed her cheek against his.
Giggling Keitaro told her "We can play after OK Nee-san?"
Su just pouted "But you're just right for snuggling with!" she punctuated her statement by nuzzling into his neck.
Motoko sighed. "Very well Su-chan, you may come with us."
"Yay!" both children cheered. Keitaro walked hand in hand with Su and Motoko out of the room and down the stairs. Entering the living room they spied an elder version of Motoko. As he came into view Tsuruko's eyes went wide. "Kei-kun is that you?" He nodded hesitantly . "Do you know who I am" she asked.
Climbing up onto the chair next to Tsuruko, he looked closely at her face "Tsu nee-san?"
Tears formed in her eyes. "Kei-kun!" she pulled him to her chest as the tears fell "It's so good to see you again!" she buried he nose into his hair before freezing. Removing her nose she stared at the young boy who was happily nuzzling into her chest. She then looked up at Su and her sister staring at them. Turning back to Keitaro she pulled him away from her chest and looked deeply into his eyes. Extending her hand she gently cupped his cheek. Running her hand over his face she looked at him in amazement. "It really is you isn't it?" she whispered.
"Of course, Tsu nee-san." Keitaro replied with a smile.
"Do you know how long it has been since we've seen each other?" she asked softly. Keitaro shook his head. "It has been close to twelve years now."
"Twelve years...?" Tsuruko heard her sister mumble with a frown.
Keitaro frowned "It couldn't have been."
"Yes it has." She corrected him with a small smile. "It has been ten years since you- I was only eleven the last time we met and I am now 23."
"Really?" he asked in amazement.
"Really. I have even gotten married." She told him.
Keitaro squinted at her "I don't believe you." He said resolutely.
Tsuruko raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why not?"
"You look too young and pretty to have been married." He said as he folded his arms and pouted.
"You always were a flatterer." She smile and kissed his forehead giving him another strange look.
"Why are you here Nee-san?" Keitaro asked .
"Well when Motoko-chan told me you were living here I had to come visit you." She ruffled his hair. "Why? Aren't you glad to see me?"
"Of course I am!" he protested as he hugged her tightly. "I'm always happy to see you!"
"That's good to know Kei-kun." She murmured while stroking his hair. "Why don't you go and play with Su-chan."
"Don't you want to spend time with me?" he asked.
"Of course I do." She reassured him. "But there is something I need to discuss with Motoko-chan."
"OK." He leaned up and gave her a peck on the lips before running off with Su. Tsuruko watched as they left and once they were out of sight she turned back to her sister.
"You have touched him haven't you?" she asked sharply.
"Once or twice." Motoko responded.
"And you haven't noticed?"
"Noticed what?" she asked, once again wishing her sister wasn't so vague. "And what did you mean when you said you hadn't seen him for twelve years? He can't possibly be more than eight years old. Ten at the most."
"That he is pure Ki."
"So? He's a child. You would not expect his Ki to be corrupted." Motoko frowned as her sister ignored her question.
"No. I didn't say his Ki is pure I said he is pure Ki. As in he is nothing but Ki. He has no physical body."
Motoko blinked. "That's impossible. You just touched him yourself."
"I know but I felt no physical body just his Ki. It appears to condense into a physical object. That is only possible explanation."
"Why?" Motoko asked, confused.
"Because Keitaro Urashima died ten years ago."
"What?" Motoko asked shocked. "Are you sure?"
"I went to his funeral Motoko. I believe at some point someone would have noticed he was alive." She said dryly.
"What happened?"
Sighing, Tsuruko said. "He fell through old floorboards ten years ago when this place was still an inn. I was told that he broke his neck on the way down and did not endure any pain. But Haruka-san was there when his body was brought up." She finished quietly .
"So are you saying that he is a ghost?"
"No it is more than that. It is not so much his spirit but his Ki that remains." Tsuruko said thoughtfully.
"But how is that even possible?"
"I do not know, I have never heard of something like this happening. The only possible reason could be his healing ability." She mumbled to herself.
"Healing ability?" Motoko repeated.
"In life Keitaro-kun had an abnormal amount of Ki. As a side effect of that his body healed itself almost instantaneously. I once saw him trip over and cut his knee and the skin knitted together before my very eyes. It was a completely unconscious act and the only thing I can think of which led him to be like this is that his Ki was trying to save him but his body was too far gone and left an imprint of sorts behind. It is probably trying to rebuild itself but has not material to do so."
"Just how strong was his Ki?"
"Given time and proper instruction he could have easily surpassed both of us."
"And you think that this amount of Ki has given him a sort of immortality?"
"Technically no. He is not alive so he is not immortal. Its seems that his life force left his body when it was unable to repair itself. And since it had no vessel to contain it, it fashioned one out of his own energy."
"But how? It's just energy. Like our sword techniques, they don't have a will of their own."
"No but they do bend to our will and do what we want them to do, even after they have left our swords. His will to live must have pushed his Ki to do whatever it took to preserve him even if it meant abandoning his body."
"But how could it retain his personality?"
"Who knows? As I have said I have never heard of this happening. Perhaps it retained his mind or even just his memories."
"So it might not even really be him, just his memories." Motoko asked quietly.
Tsuruko gave her sister a small smile. "The memories are what makes him, him. Can you say you would be the same person with different memories? We are all moulded by our experiences."
"So do you think there is a way to save him? To put him back into a physical body?"
Tsuruko sighed "I cannot see how. He would need a vessel to inhabit. A dead person would be of no use as he would not be able to heal it. If we tried to place it in a living host we would be sacrificing that person as his Ki would undoubtedly overwhelm and destroy theirs. And there is no way of knowing if the a body can accept the Ki of another. To my knowledge a Ki transplant has never even been suggested let alone attempted."
"So what do you suggest?" Motoko asked.
"I will ask Haruka-san and then consult with others back at the school. I suggest you tell the other tenants but do not let them tell Keitaro-kun. He appears to not know what happened to him and it would be best not to tell him for now."
Motoko stared at her sister "Do you think he's dangerous."
"I have no idea. If he feels scared or threatened who knows what he could happen. His Ki could be completely devoted to preserving him or it could react to how he feels and defend him. And if that is the case then it could be extremely destructive. Ki is only limited by its host. Using Ki puts a great strain on the body and so is restricted to the limit of the person but Ki that is not being restrained buy a human body it has almost limitless potential. Imagine our strongest technique which can move of its own free will. He could obliterate anything he touches and not even know how to control it." She said thoughtfully.
Motoko looked shaken. "Are you sure?"
Tsuruko sighed "At this point I am not sure of anything. I have no experience in these matters so I am merely speculating. Hopefully I shall have some answers the next time I come."
"And when will that be?"
"When I have something to tell you. Forgive me Motoko-han, but I cannot be more specific."
"I understand, when will you leave?"
"Now, the sooner I return home the closer we come to unravelling this mystery." With that she stood up and called for Keitaro.
"Yes Nee-san?" he appeared on Tsuruko's back.
"How did you get there?"
"I walked." He said simply with a smile.
Accepting his answer without question, Tsuruko pulled him around her front and kissed his forehead. "I have to leave now Kei-kun."
Keitaro's smile fell. "But you just got here!" he protested.
Rubbing her nose against his she smiled. "I know Kei-kun but I promise to come back and see you really soon, OK?"
"You promise?" he asked still frowning.
"I promise." She agreed.
"You promised last time too but you didn't come back for a long time." He pointed out with a pout.
"I know and I'm sorry but this time I'll be back as soon as possible." She gave him a small kiss on the lips.
"OK." He said still sad. Wrapping his arms around her neck he kissed her cheek. "Love you Nee-san."
"Love you too Kei-kun." She whispered to him. Setting him down she petted his head and bid the two of them goodbye.
Waving their farewells to the elder Aoyama, Keitaro smiled up at Motoko. Returning his smile she knelt down and rubbed his head, once again feeling the strange sensation as her fingers ran through his hair. Now that she had been told his nature she realised that the sensation was similar to that when she used Ki. Before she could question him further Su appeared.
"Keitaro!!! Where did you run off too?!" she scolded him as she wrapped her arms around his body.
"I was saying goodbye to Tsu nee-san." He explained as he returned her hug.
Su just pouted. "But you just disappeared without saying anything."
"I'm sorry Nee-san" he nuzzled into her chest.
"That's OK, just don't do it again." she stroked his hair. "Now come on I want to show you my latest invention!" she cheered as she pulled him back to her room.
Down at Tea Shop.
Entering the tea shop Tsuruko spied her old friend "Hello Haruka-san it has been a long time."
"Oh hey Tsuruko-san, you here to see your sister?"
"I have just been up to seen her and I thought I might as well come say hello to you while I am here." She smiled as she approached the slightly younger woman.
"I see, you want a cup of tea?" Haruka asked. "Actually may I speak with you privately."
"If you want" Haruka responded before gesturing for Tsuruko to follow. "So what did you want to talk to me about."
"It's about your nephew, Keitaro-kun."
Haruka's features tensed up."What about him." she asked carefully.
"I just had a conversation with him." She said simply.
"Don't you start this as well! I've had to put up with this crap ever since those girls moved in up there and I'm sick of hearing it." Haruka yelled
"Haruka, please I know how it sounds but if you give me a moment-"
"Shut up! I don't know if this is some sick and twisted joke you and those girls have come up with but I've had enough. 10 years ago I saw my mother carry his dead body out of it I saw the way his neck had snapped and his empty eyes! He is dead! And nothing is going to change that!"
"Haruka-san calm down."
"No Tsuruko you have no idea what I went through! He was like my little brother and you have no idea what it feels like to go through that! " she glared at the woman "Do you know how long it took before I stopped seeing him where ever I went up there!"
"You saw him?"
"Of course not! It was all in my head! I couldn't stop imagining him everywhere. I woke up and he was asleep next to me, where ever I went he was following me, talking to me. Do you know how many pills I had to take, how many hours of therapy I had to go through to stop seeing him?"
"No Haruka-san, you didn't imagine him! He really is-" Tsuruko never finished her sentence. Haruka's punch knocked her clear across the room and slammed her against a wall. Bringing her hand to her lip she saw the blood dripping from it.
"Get out and don't ever talk to me again!" Haruka snarled. "And tell your sister and her friends that they are on their final warning. If they keep this up I'll evict the whole damn lot of them! Now Get Out!" Tsuruko stood up without another word and left.
Watching her leave Haruka retreated back to her room. Picking up the phone she punched in the number she knew by heart and waited.
¬Hello?¬ an elderly voice came through the line.
"Mum it's me." She said tersely.
¬Oh, hello Haruka-chan, how are you doing?¬
"I don't want to run Hinata Sou anymore." Haruka replied, ignoring her mother's question.
Hina paused ¬Why not?¬
"You know why not." Haruka growled.
¬I thought you had gotten over this.¬ Hina sighed.
"How the hell is anyone meant to get over what I saw. Isn't that the reason why you're gallivanting around the would instead of looking after your tenants." Haruka countered.
Hina was silent again, unable to argue with her daughters statement. ¬If not you then who should run Hinata Sou?¬
"I don't care just as long as it's not me!" she yelled as she slammed down the phone. Picking up a photo on her bedside table she looked at the image in her hands. It showed two smiling children, a girl slightly taller than the boy with her arms wrapped around his shoulders and her chin rested on his head. Sitting on the bed her tears fell as she looked at it. Curling into a ball Haruka held the picture close to her chest as she wept.
"I-I'm so sorry Kei-kun."
A/N from Rincewind: not much to say except I hope you liked it. Please review and tell us what you think. For those of you wondering about my other fics, well I plan on writing the next chapter of Sempai before the others but I'm sure you know what they say best laid plans. As for Ancestor it's been placed on the back burner for now but will try to update as soon as possible. Also please see my profile and vote on the title of the spin off of Kid-Keitaro.
Well until next time.