This is it...the final chapter. A lot of people are not going to like it (I think) Just don't kill me!

A Love Hina Goodbye

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina or any of the characters contained in here. Love Hina is owned by Ken Akamatsu. This FanFic is purely for the enjoyment of others...So don't sue!!!

Chapter 7

Their arrival at Hinata House could be described with one word: chaos. They opened the door just to be abushed. While Shinobu, Mutsumi, and Kitsune gathered around Naru, Su and Sara attacked Keitaro.

"Welcome Back!" Su cried happily, launching a rocket at the landlord. He jumped out of the way and laughed.

"Thanks for the welcome."

Motoko walked quietly up to Keitaro.

"Welcome back."

"Thanks. It feels great being back here. How've you been?"

The small talk among the residents went on for a few more minutes, then everyone went inside. Keitaro and Naru went to their respective rooms to rest, unpack, and get back into the routine. After a while, Keitaro stood on some boxes and stuck his head through the hole to Naru's room.

"How you holding up?"

"So far, so good." she replied.

"Good. Well, Shinobu just came to let me know that dinner is ready."

"Okay, see you in a minute." she said with a smile.

She kept smiling until he closed the cover and then she dropped it. Truth be told she was terrified. This was harder than she thought it was going to be. Taking a deep breath, she joined everyone for dinner. Afterwards, she went up to the roof for some air. After a while, she sensed Keitaro behind her. She didn't hear anything, but she didn't need to. She could just tell he was there by the calming vibe that surrounded him. He came to stand at her side.

"Hard?" he asked, Naru nodded her head.

"I'm so scared, Keitaro. I can tell everyone is trying to act normal, but everything is so strained."

Naru leaned her head on Keitaro's shoulder, and he rested his cheek on the top of her head.

"It'll be okay. You know I'm here for you. I always will be."

"Thank you." Naru said quietly. They stood there quietly together watching the stars.

The months flew by quickly. Soon things began to go back to their original ways. Everyone knew Naru would be fine when she punched Keitaro through the roof. The only time she got scared was when she went out at night by herself. Everyone understood her reasoning, and usually one of the residents would follow her to make sure she was okay.

One night she was going down to the store and Keitaro was following her. She made it down there with no problem, and Keitaro laughed as he watched her joke around with the cashier. She had come so far from the wreck she had been after the attack. As she headed home, he dropped a distance back, so Naru wouldn't notice him following her. After a little while, he had to stop to tie his shoelaces. Naru continued, oblivious to the fact that she was being followed. She rounded the corner that lead back to Hinata House. When Keitaro got to his feet, he started after her. All of the sudden, a shrill scream broke the peaceful night air.

Keitaro immediatly began running in the direction of the scream. He had heard it several times before, when the nightmares had tortured Naru's sleep. He rounded the corned to see her fighting with two men. She slammed the bag of groceries against the head of one man, and he crumpled to the ground.

The second assailant raised his hand to strike Naru, only to find a hand holding his wrist. He looked over his shoulder to see Keitaro. Keitaro delievered a nasty blow to the back of the mans kneecaps, and when he hit the ground, Naru punched him...HARD. The man his the ground, uncouncious.

Naru ran to Keitaro and flung herself into his arms. He held her tightly, and they stayed like that. He held her tightly, not wanting to let her go. All of the sudden, a movement caught his attention. He turned his head to see the first attacker stand and pull a gun out of his jacket. Naru turned to see what Keitaro was looking at, and froze when she saw the man aiming the gun at her. Before she could react, Keitaro pushed her to the side. She heard the gun go off as she hit the sidewalk. She heard her attacker running off, and looked frantically around.

Thats when she saw Keitaro. He was laying on his back, red blossoming on his shirt front. She scrambled to his side, tears pouring down her face.

"Keitaro?" she whispered.

He opened his eyes slowly and turned his head to look at her.

"Naru."

That one word set Naru into motion.

"It'll be okay! I'll go get help!"

Naru jumped to her feet and ran out in the street, screaming for help. A passing car stopped to see what the problem was, and when she saw the situation, she immediatly called the police. They came quickly, arresting the remaining attacker, and picking up his accoplice a few blocks away. Naru stayed at Keitaro's side the entire time, even in the ambulance. When they reached the Emergency Room, they told her she was going to have to wait outside. She immediatly ran for the phone and called everyone at Hinata House to let them know what had happened.

A short period of time later, everyone was there. Naru began to cry when she saw them, and they took care of her. When she finally stopped crying, she told them what had happened. After several hours, a doctor came out to talk to them.

"Mr. Urashima is in bad shape. He's in the ICU. We had to perform surgery on him. The bullet entered his chest and punctured one of the arteries of his heart. We did our best to repair it, but while on the table he had a seizure. We're keeping a close eye on him..."

Before he could finish his statement, he was paged on the intercom to ICU. He ran off without another word to the group. They knew that it was Keitaro, and Naru collapsed. It was another several hours before the doctor returned, his face somber.

"Ladies, I'm sorry to say that Mr. Urashima has taken a turn for the worse. We really aren't expecting him to make it though the night. We're going to monitor him closely, but its not looking too good."

He went on to explain about Keitaro's condition and how his heart was hemmoraging. He said one person could go in at a time to see him, and everyone knew that it would be Naru. She followed the doctor to the landlords room, but hesitated at going in. Finally she gathered her courage and went in to see him. She went to his bedside and looked down at him. It wasn't until that she reached down to hold his hand that he came to. His eyes fluttered open, and Naru's eyes welled with tears.

"Hey you, smile."

Naru had to laugh. Even in his condition, Keitaro was doing his best to take care of her. She put on a big smile and gave his hand a squeeze.

"You gave us a scare! You had me worried about you...everyone is out in the waiting room waiting to see you. I think Kitsune is planning a party for when you get home."

Keitaro shook his head slowly.

"Naru, I'm going to die."

"No you're not! Don't say that!" Naru protested angrily. "You'll be fine. You're going to get well and come home."

"Listen, Naru. Listen to what I have to say. I'm going to die, and I'm okay with that. I was able to protect you and I'm getting my chance to say goodbye. Have everyone come in here for me."

Keitaro closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Naru just sat there for a moment, then complied with his wishes. When everyone had assembled in his room, he called them forward one at a time.

"Sara, I'm sorry that I won't be around to watch you grow up, but I'll always be with you. Give 'em Hell."

"Su, you are so active and lively, never change that. Know that your "big brother" is watching over you."

"Aunt Haruka, thanks for everything. Please take care of Hinata House for me, and let everyone in the family know how much I love them."

"Mutsumi, you are such a joy to know. Please be careful and take care of Tama-chan for me."

"Shinobu, you are such an intelligent, talented young lady. You're going to make some guy very happy. Just don't break too many hearts."

"Kitsune, you've been a wonderful friend to me. Try not to get into too much trouble and try to keep an eye on everyone for me."

"Motoko, you are a skilled warrior, and its your job to protect everyone now. You have brought great honor to your family. We are you're family in a way, and we're so proud of you."

Everyone moved to the side as Keitaro fell silent. Naru moved to kneel at Keitaro's bedside.

"Naru, you mean so much to me. You've been my best friend, and I wouldn't have made it this far without you. Go to Tokyo U for me, and show them how its done. Follow your dreams and make them come true. I want you to be happy and live a full life. I love you, Naru. I'll always be with you and I will watch over you from above.

Keitaro stopped talking, and took a shuddering breath. Naru took his hand in hers and then leaned over the bed to kiss him softly on the lips.

"I love you, too. I always will." she whispered.

Keitaro's eyes glistened with tears and one slipped out of the corner of his eye as he smiled. Then he took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh, and then he was gone.

A week later they laid him to rest. One by one they said their final goodbyes and then left the gravesite. Finally Naru was the only one left standing there. She stood there silently for a while, then crouched to place her flowers on his grave.

"I love you." she said.

She stood up and turned away, and slowly began making her way back to Hinata House. She had said her goodbye, and now it was time for her to keep her promise to Keitaro. It would be hard without him, but she could do it. Because of him she had the strength to keep going, the strength to pursue her dreams, the strength to live.

She entered Hinata House, where everyone was waiting for her. Life goes on...

"So, whats for dinner?"

The End

Well, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed reading this fanfic as much as I enjoyed writing it. I decided at the beginning that this wasn't going to be the typical happily ever after. Thanks to everyone who reviewed it. Your opinions really helped me write this. So until we meet again, Ja ne! Kellie

The limits of life can seem daunting at times, tying us down, confining our parts, but the Power of Love breaks free of all bounds, making rulers of us all through the strength in our hearts.