Days had passed since Keitaro's epic battle. Once their house guest had left for their respective homes, work needed to be done. With Keitaro's new injuries, he was rather slow to finishing the repairs. Of course with the help of the Hinata tenants, progress was steadily showing. Most of Keitaro's daylight hours were spent working, and the evenings were spent studying with Mutsumi and Naru. Exam deadlines were approaching, and approaching fast.

It was now in the later of the day as Keitaro sat in his room with Naru. Both scribbled in silence as they completed the last of their work books. It was the third one this week they had been completely filled out. Naru breathed a sigh of relief once she was finished. With Mutsumi sound asleep in her own room, Keitaro was slower to finish. He rotated his shoulder once he finished his last math problem.

"So, how do you feel", Naru asked him.

"Kinda sore, but I'm fine."

"I meant about the workbooks", Naru corrected her friend.

"Oh yeah, no I feel alright about that too", Keitaro concluded. "The math problems seem a bit easier, thanks to you and Mutsumi."

"That's good", Naru remarked.

Keitaro wiped his glasses of the small fog that blocked his eye sight. He was unaware as Naru watched him perform the small task. She had her elbows on his desk, while she rested her cheeks in her hands. Despite the slight bruising around his eye, and the deep scar across his face, she admitted to herself that he looked rather cute. Once he had his glasses back on, Keitaro realized that Naru was looking at him rather deeply.

"What", Keitaro asked with a blushing smile.

"Nothing, I'm just thinking", Naru told him.

"About what?"

"About how lucky your promise girl is going to be", Naru asserted as she continued to observe him.

Keitaro slightly turned his vision away so he could see out of his window.

"Naru", Keitaro began, "I'm actually not sure if I'm going to meet my promise girl."

"What why", Naru asked as her soft and fluffy mood disappeared.

"It's just that...I haven't seen her in a very long time. I failed three times already, and I disappeared for almost two years. She could have graduated by now. I wouldn't be surprised if she moved on already."

"Don't say that Keitaro", Naru said as she leaned closer to him. "Don't give up Keitaro, I need you too keep this promise to me!"

Keitaro was blushing like a lobster in heat right now. Her face was just two inches from his. While his hormones were acting one way, his psyche was acting in a totally different manner. His memories retracted an event, a long time ago. It was a night he was talking to Masuka, and she told him the exact same thing.

Keitaro's felt as if his room was being replaced with an evening snow in the park. It was late at night, much like the present. The snow was falling above them, but Keitaro felt very warm by the clothes he wore, and the fact that Masuka was right in front of him. Keitaro could tell someone the exact details of his surroundings. From the number of trees in the background, the dpeth of the snow on the ground, to even the length of Masuka's long silky black hair.

"Don't give up Keitaro, I need you to keep this promise to me", Masuka pleaded.

"Do you really think there's still hope that I can get into Tokyo University", Keitaro asked her.

"Yes", Was Masuka's answer.

"Is there really a chance that I can still find happiness?"

"Yes", Was still Masuka's answer.

"I have one more question", Keitaro announced to her.

"What is it Keitaro", Masuka asked him.

"Are you happy...that we found each other?"

Keitaro remembered a long silence. In reality it was only three seconds, but it felt like forever for Keitaro. A smile appeared on her face before she answered him.

"Yes, Keitaro", Masuka said lovingly.

That was all Keitaro needed to hear. It could have been the wonderous environment, it could have been his impulses, or it could have been at the heat of the moment. Whatever caused his next reaction, Keitaro did the unthinkable. He leaned forward and seized Masuka's lips in a strong passionate kiss. He could still remember her moaning in his breath during the snow fall. Once he departed from her touch, Keitaro's heart beat ceased. In front of him was not Masuka at all, but Naru Narusegawa.

The person remained in front of him, and the park suddenly morphed back into his room. The look on both of their faces was somewhere between shock, horror, confusion, and hurt. Keitaro fell backwards on his back as he tried to piece together what had happened.

"Naru", Keitaro asked probably more confused that her.

Naru held her lips as if they had been violated. Her body was shaking uncontrollably as she spoke.

"Keitaro, why did you", Naru saked huim.

"Naru, I'm sorry", Keitaro confusingly tried to defend his actions. "I didn't mean to...When you asked...Masuka...And..."

Hearing Masuka's name was what sent her over the edge. Naru bolted for the door with Keitaro yelling, "Wait, Naru!" Keitaro didn't notice a single tear drop onto his floor as Naru fled. Now alone to himself, Keitaro tried to piece together what just went down. The fact of the matter was that when Naru told him to not give up, it unknowingly triggered a suppressed memory of his. Keitaro followed the memory with his own words, and coincidently, Naru said exactly what Masuka told him that time in the park, word for word.

One thing lead to another, and Keitaro did the same thing he did in the park, he kissed her. Only this time, it wasn't Masuka he locked lips with, it was Naru. Keitaro gently touched his lips, almost as if he scarred hers or his own in the process. Maybe he did scar her in some way.

"What have I done", Keitaro dumbfoldingly asked his room.

In her room just above Keitaro's, Naru cried into her pillow. She wasn't sure exactly why she was crying. Maybe it was because Keitaro stole her first kiss. No that wasn't it. The reason she was crying was simple enough for her to figure out.

"He's still in love with Masuka", Naru thought in her mind.

It was the most logical reason Naru could come up with. She knew that he was thinking of Masuka when he kissed her, and it hurt her; But why did it hurt her? Keitaro and her weren't in any kind of committed relationship. Afterall, they were only study partners, and he was just her manager. Masuka and Keitaro loved each other once, and he couldn't let that go. Is that what she was looking for. For Keitaro to love her like he did Masuke. She just didn't know. The confusing thoughts only made Naru cry even harder.

Despite her wailing cries, no one in the building heard her. That is, no one except Keitaro. Using a chair to keep his balance, Keitaro gently placed his ear to the ceiling. What her heard on the other side was very unsettling for Keitaro. He didn't mean to hurt Naru. He NEVER wanted to hurt Naru. Despite what she did to him in the past, he could never bear himself to cause Naru any harm. It shredded his heart muscles to hear her crying.

Keitaro was so tempted to meet her on the other side and apologize. However, he heard this old saying on the base that once said, "If you step on a landmine, make sure you make your next step count while you still have a leg or two". Avianna's words were right. It would be suicide to go into her room when she's in such a vulnerable state. Any further moves would have to wait. That was all he could do, let time go by and wait.

The waiting in term had been longer than any of them liked. Days had passed, yet Naru and Keitaro had not spoken to one another about the incident. They had seen very little of each other, and went as far as to avoiding the other. The other residents could see the strain on their companions. When any of them asked what was wrong, they would either avoid the question, or denied anything was wrong. The worse parts were probably played on Keitaro's part. His study sessions were greatly reduced. He wasn't getting the material anymore, and Mutsumi divided herself between Keitaro and Naru.

It was in the evening time, maybe around four thirty that Keitaro was studying agian. His session was disturbed by a slight knock on his door. "Come in", Keitaro said as he rubbed his puffy eyes. The surprise visitor was Shinobu. It was odd of her to go into his room unless she brought snack or needed help with her homework. However, there was no place of goodies, or a paper and pencil in her hands. Keitaro read her expression, and it told him that something was wrong.

"Shinobu, what's wrong", Keitaro gentle asked her.

"Sempai, it's Kitsune", The younger girl spoke out, "She hasn't come home yet."

Keitaro looked back at the clock on his desk. It was likely that she was off drinking at some random bar. However, she always, always came home before three thirty. Haruka once remarked that she could set her watch to Kitsune's ar time. She only went for evening drinks on the weekends. Being that it was only Thursday, something was definently off. Looking back to Shinobu only confirmed that something was up. Before he did anything drastic, Keitaro had to make sure that all other possibilities were cleared.

"Are you sure she isn't in her room?"

Shinobu shook her head side to side before saying, "No, I already checked. I'm worried about her Sempai."

"It's okay, it's okay", Keitaro said as he stood up from his desk. "I'll go find her and bring her back."

Shinobu happily watched as Keitaro put on a pair of shoes and grabbed a jacket. He opened his juror and took out his gun, and his knife. It was an odd precaution, but a military precaution. Shinobu walked with Keitaro downstairs. He passed the living room up, but saw no one besides his aunt. Haruka sat reading a fresh newspaper while sipping a hot cup of Apple Cinnamon Tea.

"Aunt Haruka, I'm going to look for Kitsune If I don't come back, avenge my death", Keitaro casually said.

"Okay", His aunt said as she never removed her eyes from the paper.

Before he completely cleared the dorms, Haruka shouted out to him.

"And enough with the aunt stuff! I only let you call me that until you settled back in!"

"No promises", Keitaro said as he shut the door behind him.

Keitaro's search had been long and fruitless. His bike took him from one bar to another in his search for Kitsune. His bike did stall once, and he was forced to push it to Crenjer's shop. The shady mechanic worked on it for a short twenty-minute. Once the new piece was applied, and Keitaro paid the man, he went back to his search. One after another, Keitaro scribbled off the bar names once they were searched. By now it was dark, and the street lights brightened to their fullest. The boy's bike pitter pattered to a stop into a small parking spot. He shut off the bike as he looked at the large sign that read, "The Sake House."

"This place has Kitsune written all over it", Keitaro remarked to himself.

Keitaro lifted himself off his bike as he headed for the door. The place was lit up with red lights, giving it a more exciting vibe. He looked around to the different people. There were so many of them, that it was hard to know who was who. The most logical thing to do was start at one end and work his way through out the place. His search didn't take long before his target found him.

"Well hellooo there Keitaro", a cheery voice called out to him.

A pair of drunk arms wrapped around him from behind.

"Kitsune, I should have checked this place from the beginning", Keitaro said as he turned around to face her.

By the way she wobbily stood up, and the blush on her cheeks, Keitaro could tell she had a little too much to drink.

"Keitaroooo, won't ya have a drink with me?"

"Kitsune, I really need to take you home", Keitaro tried to reason with her.

Now, now don't be goin and bein a spoil sport", Kitsune said as she pulled him across the bar.

"Kitsune, we need to get home. Everyone is woried about you."

"Don't be worrin about them, they'll be alright", Kitsune drunkenly reassured him. "Here, I want you to meet a new friend of mine."

Kitsune pulled Keitaro to a sit at a small booth. Once he sat next to Kitsune, he uncomfortable froze. His eyes enlarged as he looked at her new friend sitting across from them. It was a woman, no real problem. However, Keitaro knew this woman...He knew her all too well.

"Keitaro this is..."

"Viperous", Keitaro finished Kitsune's sentence.

"Oh so you two know eachotha?"

"Yes, we know each other very well", The blonde hair woman said as she slowly stirred her drink with a straw.

"How do you know eachotha", Kitsune asked.

"Her name is Viperous. An old recruit for the ERT. Last I heard she went rogue after she stole project Venom. How is that going for you?"

Viperous noisily slurped the last of her drink through her purple lipstick covered lips.

"That is correct. So you've been doing your homework."

"Indeed I have", Keitaro said with a stern voice.

Both Viperous and Keitaro stared each other in the eyes. The deadlock tension thickened between them. However, Kitsune was too drunk to comprehend what was going on.

"Barkeep, a bottle of your best Sake Wine, and three glasses please", Kitsune ordered across the bar.

Today I finished my Winter Semester of college, that was good news. The bad news is, I start the Spring Semester on Monday. My first thought was, aw shit I gotta get high (Just Kidding). My main thought was now I'm gonna have even less time to write. So here's another chapter for all your benefit. Just when you think life is at ease again, something always has to change that. Especially when you live at Hinata Sou.