Hajime no Keitaro: Beyond the Ring

It was a train ride Keitaro had been on countless times before. On any other day, this train ride served as time to collect his thoughts and ponder over what he hoped to accomplish on that given day. When he reached his destination, he was calm, focused, and ready to begin his daily work. But, to him, this particular journey to the Kamogawa gym felt much different from the others. He gazed at the passing buildings, the trees, even the passersby, etching them all deep into his memory, not wanting to forget one single detail.

As the train pulled into his station, Keitaro absentmindedly reached underneath his seat for his bag. When he grasped at naught but air, he chuckled at his own stupidity. Of course he did not bring his equipment. He wasn't going there for his daily routine. He needed nothing else except his courage to see him through.

Strolling down the street towards the gym, he gazed in wonder at his surroundings, at last taking in the sights he had neglected to notice during his training: the western-styled houses in the residential district, the quaint-looking stores in the shopping district, and the smiling faces of the people going to-and-fro with their purchases. Now that his mind was relaxed from its intense focus, he was able to take in the things he glossed over during his roadwork.

Even from a distance, the sound of leather striking leather resounded in Keitaro's ears as he approached his destination. It was a most familiar sound to him, and it never failed to bring a smile to his face to think about his friends working hard on the other side of the door. He looked up to each of his sempai as having a part of the man he truly desired to become:

Aoki's impish nature and frankness with women, even if his taste with the opposite sex left something to be desired.

Kimura's steadiness in both mind and body, even if he was considered nothing more than average.

Takamura's strength and stature. Although he was a pervert and a prankster, his undying love for his sport was undeniable.

Ippo's courage, determination and humility. He let nothing stand in his way in reaching his goals, and he was the very reason Keitaro was able to change his own course in life. He truly owed everything to him.

Keitaro paused at the door, blinking away the tears forming in his eyes. If he fell apart here, there was no way he could get through this. He gathered his resolve and pulled open the door. He headed directly to his trainer's office. There was no need to delay the inevitable.

"I can't say I'm not disappointed in your decision, Keitaro," Kamogawa said sternly. But he had not risen from his chair in anger. Perhaps, Keitaro thought, he had seen this coming and was prepared for it.

"I'm sorry sir," Keitaro apologized again, bowing deeply. "This was truly a difficult decision to make. However, I have confidence that I am doing the right thing. This is what I want."

"Are you quite certain of that, kid?" Kamogawa asked.

Keitaro stood his ground. "Yes, sir, I am."

Kamogawa grunted, glancing off to the side as if disinterested in Keitaro's excuse. "If you say it like that, then I guess I have no right to argue. If your heart really is not in this, then you shouldn't be here. You'll just drag everyone else down with you."

He might have been insulted, but Keitaro's heart was lifted by Kamogawa's answer. "Thank you very much for everything, sir. I truly owe you a lot."

Kamogawa stood up and rounded his desk to stand in front of Keitaro, who was still bowing low before him. Giving him a tap on his shoulder, Kamogawa said, "Just promise me one thing, alright?"

Keitaro stood erect. "Yes, what is it?"

Kamogawa grinned cockeyed at the young man. "When you are ready to lace back up, you'll come back to my gym and not one of my competitors."

A slow grin crept across Keitaro's face. "You have my word." With that, and a simple handshake, Keitaro was dissolved as a member of the Kamogawa Gym. From that point on, he was no longer a professional boxer.

A huge weight was lifted from Keitaro's shoulders as he stepped out of Kamogawa's office. He let out a sigh of relief and glanced around. To his surprise, all four of his gym-mates were standing just a few feet away from the door as if they were waiting on him to exit.

"So it's true, then," Kimura stated.

"You're really leaving the gym for good?" Ippo asked, looking downcast.

Keitaro smiled wistfully before answering. "Yeah, I am."

"Just let me say that I saw this coming a mile away," Takamura said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Like hell you did," Aoki grumbled.

"Let's face facts. Sure, Keitaro has been coming in like usual, but he just hasn't had that fire in his eyes like he did before," Takamura noted.

"But isn't that how it usually is when you come off of a match?" Kimura asked. Aoki nodded his head in agreement with his friend.

"That's only the case for you two losers, because you've never won a big match before," Takamura bluntly retorted. Despite Aokimura gnashing their teeth at him, Takamura continued to explain, "As Ippo I'm sure can attest, when you win a big match that you were supposed to lose, you get fired up even more than ever, and you can't wait until your next match is lined up."

Ippo nodded. "That is true. Winning when you are the underdog just makes you want to work harder."

Takamura slowly nodded his head sagely. "But in this case, Keitaro's just been half-assing it since his match against Sakata!"

"But why?" Ippo asked. "Why are you quitting boxing?"

Keitaro smiled at Ippo, trying to put his restless mind at ease. "I made a promise to someone a while back that I need to follow through with. It's a personal matter, really."

Aoki donned his all-too-familiar crooked grin and surmised, "It's that Naru girl, isn't it. She poisoned your fragile mind by telling you that she loves you, didn't she?"

Keitaro laughed out loud. Though the question might have been sarcastic, it was amazing that the dull-witted Aoki actually managed to hit the nail right on the head. "Actually, that's pretty much the gist of it, other than the whole 'poisoning my mind' part."

Aoki's eyebrows disappeared into his scalp. "Wait, what?"

"We made a promise to go to Toudai together this year. And I can't break a promise I made to the person most important to me."

Kimura nudged Ippo with his elbow playfully. "You should listen well to this man, Ippo. With his advice, you might actually stand a chance with Kumi-chan!"

"Oh for Pete's sake, will you give it a rest?" Ippo pleaded.

"True love, is it?" Takamura asked magnanimously.

Keitaro noticed that Aoki was quite literally sobbing into his sweat-stained shirt. "Are you alright?"

"That's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard in my life," Aoki wailed as he snatched Keitaro by the collar. "If you don't make Naru-chan happy, I'm going to kill you!"

Kimura gently pried Aoki away from the ronin as he continued to cry like a little girl. "Don't mind him. He's just been deprived of release lately, since he's preparing for his next match."

"TOMIKO-CHAN! TOMIKO-CHAN!" Aoki cried out with furious agony as he ripped away from Kimura's grasp, fleeing into the locker room.

"Anyway, before you leave," Takamura told Keitaro, looming over the former boxer, "there's one more thing we have to do before you can leave." Without waiting for a reply, Takamura grabbed Keitaro by the nape of his neck and yanked him towards the locker room.

"Hey, what is this? Let me go!" Keitaro cried, but to no avail.

Fifteen minutes later, Keitaro was standing in the middle of the practice ring, decked out in a set of Ippo's old workout clothes and in full sparring gear. The foursome of boxers sans Aoki, who was apparently still crying it out in the locker room, were standing in the corner, shadow boxing to warm up their bodies. "What exactly are we doing, now?" Keitaro asked.

"Consider this our special farewell ceremony," Kimura replied, unable to keep the grin off of his face.

"Each of us gets three minutes to pound our memories into that thick skull of yours," Takamura added.

Keitaro backed away, throwing his gloved hands into the air. "Wait a minute. I have to fight all of you?"

"That's right," Ippo responded. Keitaro cringed at his sempai's all-too-serious retort. Just sparring with any of these ranked fighters was a dangerous proposition for a lowly newbie such as he, but they all appeared they were prepared to seriously fight him with all of their strength.

"I'm dead," Keitaro croaked.

"Wait, wait, wait!" A high-pitched voice shrieked from the opposite side of the gym. The boxers turned and noticed Aoki running towards the ring. "You better not be forgetting about me! I'm gonna take out my frustrations on you right now, Keitaro!"

Takamura gasped. "You'd better run Keitaro, or you're gonna get Aoki's jizz all over your clothes!"

Ippo adopted a disgusted look. "Those are my clothes, Takamura-san…"

Aoki performed a nifty dive-slide into the ring and sprang to his feet with catlike agility. "I'm up first," he said, giving Keitaro his best stare down glare.

Keitaro raised his hands, unwilling to back down to Aoki's pressure. He would do his best, and live up to the standard of these fine boxers. He might go down, but not without a fight. And a fight he would give them.

"Alright then," Takamura said, slapping the ringside timer with his gloved hand. The timer blared out a loud staccato buzzing sound, signaling the spar to begin…

Though Keitaro considered him a quirky fighter at best, and an outright clown at worst, Aoki actually had quite a bit of skill. His awkward pressure kept Keitaro off-balance, and he landed blow after blow to his head and body from all sorts of unpredictable angles. The shots may not have been painful due to his headgear, but they certainly sapped his strength. By the end of the round, Keitaro had his back on the ropes and his legs were already shaking from the damage.

"Goddamn it all!" Aoki cursed, slamming his fists together after the buzzer sounded the end of the round. "Another ten seconds and I would have had you!"

Keitaro panted and wheezed. "You're probably right. The bell really did save me."

Aoki reached out with his right hand. "Good job hanging in there. You weren't bad for a kouhai."

Keitaro smiled brightly and tapped Aoki's fist with his own. "Thanks a lot. For everything."

"I guess it's my go then," Kimura said with a sigh as he jumped onto the ring apron.

Aoki did the honors of tagging in his best friend and made his exit. Kimura entered the ring and danced in his corner as Keitaro leaned against the ring post to catch his breath.

"Alright, here we go," Takamura said, tapping the timer once more.

Keitaro thought he might have fared better against Kimura, considering he was an outboxer that preferred not to slug it out, but that was not to be. Kimura charged at the sound of the bell, and Keitaro barely had the time to raise his guard before a deluge of punches rained down on him.

Keitaro attempted to fight back, but Kimura calmly avoided his punches and retorted with an even fiercer attack. With roughly one minute remaining in the round, Kimura landed a sharp one-two combination to Keitaro's chin under his headgear, sending him sprawling to the canvas.

"Nice one, Kimura," Aoki cheered.

"Come on, Keitaro-san, get back up," Ippo cried out, slamming his gloves on the mat.

Keitaro rose slowly and resumed his fighting stance. "Let's go," he said, stepping forward bravely. Kimura answered his sparring partner's call by lashing out to his body with a strong left hook.

The buzzer sounded, and Keitaro was saved from going down another time. His hands were heavy, and he could barely move about the ring. But he remained on his feet. He felt a sense of pride welling inside him, giving him energy.

"You're a fantastic fighter, Keitaro. You're going to be missed around here," Kimura said with a smile, tapping Keitaro on the shoulder before turning to leave.

Takamura, wearing a most devilish smirk, climbed into the ring to relieve Kimura. Keitaro chuckled inwardly. He felt like he was already hanging on by a very thin thread. Takamura would surely put him out of his misery.

"I was going to go easy on you," Takamura said, winding his arms. "But seeing you stand through Aoki and Kimura's best punches fired me up a little bit. You'd better be ready for me."

Keitaro nodded weakly, though he was sure he could only take one punch before he was out for good.

"If you can make it through my round with your consciousness intact, I'll consider you a real man, Keitaro," Takamura added.

As if in response to Takamura's words, a surge of energy welled through Keitaro's body, and he easily raised his hands. "I'll give it my best shot!"

"You can do it, Keitaro-san!" Ippo exclaimed, ringing the bell.

Takamura charged forward like a rampaging bull, and Keitaro tightened his guard in preparation for the onslaught. A right cross sent Keitaro reeling, his back slamming into the corner mat. The jolt was like an electric shock, but he could still feel strength in his legs. Opening his guard, he stole a peek at Takamura, who was grinning at him like an idiot. "Still standing?"

Keitaro took his pose and waved him closer.

"Alright, here I come then!" Takamura belted and charged forward.

When the buzzer sounded, Keitaro had lost track of how many times he had fallen after six. It seemed whenever he saw an opening to escape and buy himself a few seconds from Takamura's rush; he would hit him with a resounding shot that felled him. Whether it was from his own strength or from the cheering of his name by his fellow boxers standing outside the ring, he managed to reach his feet each time he was downed.

Takamura placed his gloved fists on his hips and smiled proudly at the thoroughly beaten man standing before him. "Looks like I couldn't quite finish the job. Alright, a promise is a promise I suppose." Takamura approached Keitaro and held out a fist. "You're a real man, Keitaro."

Keitaro beamed. "Thanks a lot, Takamura-san." Keitaro tapped his own fist against Takamura's. He could barely even lift an arm, let alone find the strength to punch his hand with any amount of force. He hoped that was the end of the punishment.

To Keitaro's chagrin, Ippo then stepped into the ring. "You've got to be kidding me, right?" Keitaro asked.

"Just three more minutes," Ippo said, wringing his hands together. "This is your final round. Show me what you've learned over the last year."

His sempai was standing in the same ring as he, the number one contender for the national title in his own division. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fight against the one he aspired to become. Keitaro wasn't about to let something like fatigue or his bruised and battered body get in the way of this chance.

"I'm coming at full strength," Ippo told Keitaro as a warning.

"Is that okay?" Aoki asked. "He's getting ramped up for his fight against Date-san. He might just kill him!"

Keitaro laughed inexplicably, giving pause to the other fighters. "I'm not afraid of getting hurt. I'm going to put up my best fight. So you're the one that should get ready, Ippo, because I'm coming to knock you out!"

Ippo grinned widely. "Very well, then." He put in his mouthpiece and gestured for the bell to be rung.

The buzzer sounded, and the pair met in the middle of the ring together for one final round. Keitaro's words were merely for show. He knew there was no way to win. But he wanted to give Ippo everything he had, and he wanted everything Ippo had in return. The only thing he could do was hope beyond hope that he could remain standing at the end of those final three minutes.

A bucket of water was splashed over Keitaro's head, bringing him back to consciousness. Sputtering and coughing, he slowly became aware that he was lying on his back in the middle of the ring. When he cleared the fluid from his lungs he said, "I guess I didn't make it."

"Sorry about that, Keitaro-san," Ippo said apologetically, looking like he had just broken a valuable piece of china.

"What the hell happened anyway?" Keitaro asked. He could not remember the blow that finally sent him into darkness.

"Left hook to the body followed by an uppercut," Aoki explained.

Takamura laughed. "You got dropped like Jesse Ferguson."

Keitaro winced in pain as he attempted to rise to a seated position. The others were gracious enough to remove his headgear and gloves while he was unconscious, and he was unsurprised to find his jaw was tender to the touch. "It's strange," Keitaro said absentmindedly. "I'm glad I can't remember how much that punch must have hurt, but I'm sad at the same time." As much as it pained him, Keitaro wanted to remember that one last punch.

"Well, it's sure as hell going to give me nightmares," Aoki grumbled. "That was one hell of a hit."

"If you want, I can reproduce what happened for you," Takamura said, grabbing Aoki's shirt before he could run away.

Keitaro laughed merrily. "That won't be necessary. I can still feel it, after all. And that's all that matters to me."

As Kimura was helping Keitaro to his feet, a door slammed shut on the opposing side of the gym. A cranky Kamogawa stood in front of the door, looking at the men with an incensed glare. "What the hell are you dumbasses doing just standing around? Get the hell out of here and do your roadwork, or do I need to get on my scooter and show you all hell?"

Aoki sighed mightily. "I guess that's our cue."

"Are you going to be alright by yourself?" Kimura asked Keitaro. Keitaro replied by simply nodding.

"Alright, you bums, try to keep up with me if you can!" Takamura yelled, taking a running jump over the ropes and landing with cat-like grace on both of his feet and dashing towards the exit without missing a single beat.

Ippo followed closely behind, yelling, "Wait for me, Takamura-san!"

Aoki groaned. "This is why I hate roadwork."

"And it's about to get a whole lot worse!" Aoki yelped and spun on his heels, discovering Kamogawa was standing right behind him. Atop the coach's head was the helmet he wore when he rode his scooter. "Now move your ass out of here!" Kamogawa waved his cane to and fro, chasing Aoki and Kimura out of the ring whimpering like two broken dogs as they ran to the exit.

Kamogawa turned his attention back to Keitaro, who was laughing out loud at his friends' misfortune. He caught himself quickly and regained his composure, however. "I trust you can find your way out?" Kamogawa asked.

"Of course," Keitaro replied with a smile.

"Take care of yourself then. I hope to see your face again in here someday." Kamogawa said, and left the ring. Keitaro watched as he pulled open the exit door and yelled, "What the hell are you two still doing here?"

Keitaro heard Aoki reply, "We were waiting on you, dumbass!"

"Get moving right now! And you'd better be glad I'll be with you when you drop dead!"

"If you kill me, I'll kill you back, old man!"

"Move your legs, not your mouth!"

"Shut up!"

The sound of Kamogawa's scooter faded into the distance, and Keitaro was left in silence, fighting back the tears welling in his eyes. These were memories that he would never forget.

After a quick shower and changing back into his street clothes, Keitaro bid farewell to his second home for one last time and left without any regrets.

The thought never occurred to Keitaro that he might have to explain why his face messed up as much if not more so than his match with Kentaro to the ladies waiting back home for him. As such, when he reentered Hinata Sou and Shinobu emerged from the kitchen to greet her sempai, the shocked look she gave him came as a surprise.

"What's the matter, Shinobu-chan?" he asked the girl who was covering her mouth with her hands.

"Y-your face," the girl replied frantically.

"My face?" Keitaro asked, reaching up and touching his cheek. The familiar sharp sting of pain reminded him of those earlier events. "Oh yeah, this. Don't worry, it's not as bad as it looks."

Kitsune was making her way down the stairs when she spotted Keitaro. "Shinobu-chan, is dinner ready, whoa! What the hell happened to you? Rough day at the office?" Kitsune asked, stifling a chuckle.

"I was just saying, it's not a big deal," Keitaro replied.

"Not a big deal?" Kitsune guffawed. "It looks like the yakuza worked you over! Do you owe them more money than I do, or something?"

"It's really…wait what did you say about owing money to the mob?" Keitaro asked.

Kitsune giggled bashfully and waved her hands as if trying to swat the question away. "Never mind that. So what's for dinner, Shinobu-chan?"

Keitaro scowled. That fox was adept at avoiding dangerous questions, but in the end it was probably best he not get tangled up in her wrongdoings anymore than necessary, so he dropped the question. More importantly, he had some important business to relay to his tenants.

"Curry pork tenderloin," Shinobu had said. One of Su's favorites. "It should be ready when Naru-sempai and Otohime-sempai get back from cram school."

Good, Keitaro thought. Dinner should be a good time to tell everyone. He decided he would wait until then. "Well then, I'll just head upstairs until then. Would you mind coming to let me know when it's ready Shinobu-chan?"

"Of course," Shinobu replied, her wonderful smile gracing Keitaro's eyes once more.

Once Keitaro disappeared up the stairs, Kitsune teased the young girl, "So cute! You're such the doting wife, aren't you, Shinobu-chan?"

Shinobu's cheeks instantly turned a shade of crimson. "Leave me alone!" she exclaimed, retreating into the kitchen to avoid further embarrassment.

Kitsune plopped her rump down onto the sofa and snatched the day's newspaper from the table. Flipping the pages open, she noted aloud, "That girl just makes it too easy."

Keitaro sat quietly in his chair for a moment and admired the scenery around him. It was the first time in quite a while the whole of the troupe were assembled at the table for a meal. It was rather cramped with Haruka and Mutsumi added into the fold, but one could not wipe the smile from Keitaro's face as he took a good look around him.

"What's with the look?" Haruka finally asked, noticing Keitaro had yet to touch his food.

Keitaro blanched. "Sorry. I was just thinking about how long it's been since everyone has been at the table like this. It makes me happy to see all of your faces like this."

Haruka smiled back at her nephew. "Well, thanks for inviting me. It's been a while since I've enjoyed a free meal courtesy of Shinobu-chan. After all, she should be charging for such excellent food."

"Oh, stop it," Shinobu replied, waving off Haruka's flattery. "This is one of the easier dishes I can make."

Now was a good a time as any, Keitaro thought, stealing a glance at Naru as she was absentmindedly chomping away at her rice bowl. "Actually, I invited you for a reason, Aunt Haruka."

Haruka flinched. "In light of this excellent meal and in the courtesy of present company, I will not slap you silly this time. But for crying out loud, would you please call me Haruka-san?"

Keitaro rubbed the back of his neck and laughed. "Sorry, old habits die hard. More importantly, I have something I'd like to tell everyone."

Keitaro had Naru's attention in an instant, and he could feel her gaze on him. He could tell she was frightened, and he wanted more than anything to set her mind at ease. But this needed to be taken from the beginning for the sake of the others, each of whom had a right to know exactly what was happening.

"It's about my face, and why I look like this," he began, looking into the eyes of each woman. He even had Motoko's rapt attention, much to his surprise.

"Is this about your next fight?" Kitsune interrupted.

"In a way, I suppose." Glancing sideways, Keitaro noticed Naru looking as crestfallen as he could remember, perhaps even more so than when she had failed the entrance examination last year. Just wait, Narusegawa, he thought. "There isn't going to be one."

The air seemed to be sucked from the room, and for a moment, not a single sound could be heard, as six sets of chopsticks froze in mid-movement.

"As of today, I am no longer a professional boxer," Keitaro explained, then pointing to his face, he added, "This was a parting gift from my friends. They gave me a proper sendoff."

"Why are you quitting, Urashima?" Motoko asked, looking as rattled as any other at the table.

"I'm not really quitting, Motoko-chan. There's just something more important I want to do now," Keitaro said, stealing a glance at Naru, who was silently trying to hold back tears of joy. "I wanted to tell you first, but I thought everyone should know."

"Idiot, don't say something so obvious in front of everybody like that," Naru said, turning away from the others to hide her tears.

"Besides, I'm pretty certain everyone will be happy to have their kanrinin back, right?" Keitaro asked with a beaming smile.

"You got that right. We've had a leaky faucet in the second-story toiled for over a month now," Kitsune said.

"The door to my room is starting to come apart," Su added. "It needs to be replaced."

"The hot spring is in desperate need of some cleaning as well," Motoko added. "The water doesn't even look blue anymore."

Keitaro laughed. "One thing at a time, okay? And let's enjoy dinner before you all start bossing me around again."

The rest of the meal was spent in merriment, with everyone tossing stories around about Keitaro's escapades during the last half-year. From his sudden interest in fitness, to when his secret about boxing was finally revealed. The eccentric boxers he became friends with, and his surprising upset win in his debut match. Everyone had her own personal story to share. This time was full of memories none of them would soon forget.

Later that evening, after Keitaro graciously saw to a few of the minor fixes required around the premises, he found himself standing in front of a familiar door. He rapped lightly on the wooden frame. "Narusegawa, are you still awake?" he called out softly. The light from her room shone through the paper door, but during their study sessions she was prone to falling asleep at her table.

He heard a rustling from the other side of the door, and he took a breath to calm his frantic heart as a shadow approached the door. The door slid open a foot, and a smiling face greeted him. "Hi."

"Hi."

"Come in."

Naru stepped out of the way, and Keitaro disappeared through the portal, and the light from the room illuminating the hallway slowly faded into darkness.

Kitsune smiled inwardly, taking a seat on the stairwell she had been peering down the hallway through. She had to give Keitaro some credit. To say something like that in front of everyone at dinner and sneaking off to Naru's room the very same night? That took some guts.

And Naru seemed to have changed more than anyone might have thought. Under normal circumstances, she would have dropped him at the mere mention of him making a pass at her, but it seemed she had finally come to terms with her feelings entirely on her own. "You've certainly grown up, Naru," she said aloud.

"What did you say, Kitsune-san?" a voice asked through the darkness.

Kitsune's heart leapt into her throat, and she lurched to her feet. "Motoko, is that you?"

"Yes, it's me. What are you doing sitting on the stairs?" the swordswoman asked.

Damn that kendoist's quiet feet! "Sorry about that," Kitsune said, devising a hasty lie. "I was just getting some exercise and needed a quick break."

"I see," Motoko replied. Kitsune could tell by the sound of her voice that Motoko was not buying her explanation. As Motoko passed, heading down to the first floor, she said, "It's not wise to peep from such an obvious vantage point."

Damn it all to hell! Though everyone knew she was a voyeur, she still hated when her cover was blown so easily. "Yes, ma'am," Kitsune replied, following Motoko down the stairs in defeat. As she climbed the stairs, however, a new idea sprang to mind. She wondered if she had the right tools to pull it off. It was worth a try, she thought as she headed towards her room.

ONE YEAR LATER

"This looks like the place," Keitaro said, approaching the simple-looking ramen restaurant.

Naru might have been put off with Keitaro bringing her to such a lowly place, but this was, after all, a special occasion. This was more his style anyway. It was a part of his charm.

"Welcome!" a friendly voice exclaimed as the couple entered. "Whoa, there's a face I haven't seen for a while!"

"Aoki!" Keitaro said, waving at the man wearing a chef's apron standing opposite the counter. "How are you?"

"I'm just great, man," Aoki replied, shaking Keitaro's hand as he sat at the booth. "So you did hook up with her after all," he added, giving Naru a once-over. "I'm proud of you!"

"Thanks," Keitaro replied with a laugh as Naru shook hands with the restaurant's proprietor. "Has Ippo not come yet?"

"As far as I know, he's on his way along with everyone else," Aoki explained as he passed two menus to the couple.

"What's good here?" Naru asked as she perused the menu.

Aoki chuckled haughtily. "Anything I make you will find absolutely delicious, I guarantee you."

"He's right, as much as it sucks to admit," a familiar voice said. "He might box like shit, but the man knows how to make ramen."

"Takamura-san!" Keitaro exclaimed, rushing to greet the man at the door. There were others behind him. "Kimura-san! Ippo! Kumi-san! You're all here!"

"How's it going, Keitaro?" Kimura asked nonchalantly.

"It's been a while!" Ippo exclaimed.

"Hello," Kumi said, waving.

"It's about time," Aoki said, passing out menus to his newest customers as they sat down.

As usual with such reunions, larger groups tend to break apart into smaller gatherings, and this one was no exception. As the men chummed it up about their recent goings-on, Kumi and Naru broke away into their own conversation.

"So things are going well between you two?" Kimura asked Keitaro.

Keitaro nodded. "As well as can be expected. We don't get to see each other as much as we'd like, considering we're in completely different classes at Toudai, but we're happy."

"That's so great," Ippo replied with a smile.

"What about you and Kumi? And progress in the last year on that front?" Keitaro asked.

Takamura laughed. "The day this chump grows a spine and asks her out properly is the day I eat my own shit."

"You mean you still haven't?"

Ippo shook his head morosely. "Not yet."

Keitaro laughed. It was just as well he supposed, considering how long it took for he and Naru to make it official, and they saw each other every day, living under the same roof. Ippo and Kumi likely only met once per month, if that.

"More importantly, champ," Keitaro said with a grin, punching Ippo in the arm. "Congrats on finally winning the title! That was an amazing match!"

"You were there?" Ippo asked, grinning ear to ear.

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world! I was literally jumping up and down when you knocked Sendo down that last time."

"It was hard," Ippo said. "I thought I had lost so many times, I couldn't believe it when I finally won."

"So how does it feel to have that belt around your waist," Keitaro asked.

Ippo scratched his head and shrugged. "I don't really know. I've only been champion for a little while, and I haven't defended it once yet. It still doesn't feel real to me."

Keitaro chuckled. "That's so like you."

"What about you, Keitaro-san? I heard you're unbeaten in the amateur ranks. Is that right?" Ippo asked.

Keitaro nodded with a smile. "Yeah, Toudai's got a pretty good boxing club. You would be surprised how strong some of the amateurs out there are."

"I know all to well. Take Vorg-san for example. He was one of the strongest people I've ever met in the ring."

"The amateur world champion, huh? That sounds like it could be nice," Keitaro said whimsically.

After a moment's pause, Ippo asked a surprising question, "Do you ever think about trying to fight professionally again?"

Keitaro sighed deeply and answered honestly, "Every single day. But still," he added, looking at his girlfriend, "I have no regrets about my choices."

"I understand," Ippo replied. "As long as you're happy."

"That I am."

"Alright, here we go," Aoki returned from the kitchen carrying a tray full of ramen bowls. "Here you are, ladies," he said as he took two bowls off of the tray and placed them in front of Naru and Kumi. Dropping the tray in front of the men, Aoki said, "You should know which ones are yours."

Takamura glared at Aoki. "What the hell is with the difference in service, you asshole?"

Aoki refused to back down to the champion's pressure. "What the hell do you care anyway? Or do you want to be treated like a girl?"

"I'll kill you!" Takamura roared as he tried to jump over the counter to get at his prey. Kimura and Ippo held Takamura back as Aoki retreated back into the kitchen.

"Were they always like this?" Naru asked Keitaro.

Keitaro laughed. "Pretty much."

After the meal, and after everyone said there goodbyes, Naru and Keitaro made their way hand-in-hand back towards the train station. Their pace was slow and leisurely. Neither was in a major hurry. They mostly made small talk about meeting their old friends again. Naru shared with Keitaro about how frustrated Kumi was with Ippo for not telling her how he really felt about her, and Keitaro reminded her of the fact that her brother had a major grudge against Ippo for handing him his only loss in the ring.

"Talk about a strange situation," Naru noted aloud.

"They'll figure it out eventually, I'm sure," Keitaro replied. "We did, after all that happened with us, right?" Keitaro gave his girlfriend's hand a loving squeeze.

"You know, I've been thinking recently," Naru said. "You seemed to be really happy to see your boxing friends again."

"Yeah, it was good to see everyone and hearing how much progress they've all made in the last year," Keitaro answered.

"I asked Kumi about how she felt about her brother and boyfriend getting hurt all the time. She said to me that she knew the one place the both of them felt the most alive was when they were fighting. It's the one place where they feel they are truly themselves."

"Yeah," Keitaro replied, gazing at the ground before him as he walked.

"I asked if she ever got scared, and she said every single time they fought, she was scared they might not make it back in one piece. But the next thing she said really struck a chord with me."

"What's that?" Keitaro inquired.

"She said that as long as they were happy doing what they were doing, she had no right to get in the way of their happiness. She would support them one-hundred percent, no matter what happened."

"She's a really nice person, isn't she?"

Naru nodded. "And in that moment I finally realized…" Naru stopped in her tracks, gripping Keitaro's hand tightly. "Although I'm scared even now to think about what might happen, I have no right to stop you from being the person you are."

Keitaro was puzzled. "What are you trying to say, Naru?"

"I've watched you fight in your amateur matches, but they aren't the same. You're holding something back. I can tell."

Keitaro stood silently as Naru bared the truth. She was right. So much so that it shocked him down to his bones. Not even he had realized it before just then. Honestly, he just went through the motions. There was not an ounce of emotional motivation in his recent fights.

"You're a fighter, Keitaro. You belong in that ring, slugging it out with all of your heart and soul. And that's where I want you to be, because I can see the real you in that place; the man I fell in love with."

"But we promised," Keitaro said, shaking his head.

Naru silenced Keitaro with a stroke of his cheek with her open hand. "We'll just have to make a new one, won't we?"

"Naru…"

"If you promise to fight until you're satisfied, I'll promise to be there by your side, no matter what might happen. Good or bad."

Keitaro took a deep breath. "I'm going to need to think about this for a while."

Naru nodded. She expected he would say that. "You don't need to answer right away."

The couple continued their walk, though at a slightly higher pace. Keitaro wrapped his arm around her back, and she snuggled into his chest. "No matter what, huh?"

Naru nodded wordlessly.

"Wait a second," Keitaro said, halting his steps with some mysterious realization. "Was that some sort of backwards proposal?

Naru giggled. "Geez, you really are dense aren't you?"

FIN

A/N: At long last, this story comes to a conclusion. It has truly been a pleasure writing this for all of you. I have a few special thanks to give out:

A special thanks to George Morikawa and Ken Akamatsu for authoring the two works involved in this story. Your writing and drawing were truly the primary inspiration for this piece of fiction.

Thanks to Mike for his Beta reading and giving me two big thumbs up every time I wrote something well and for being patient with me during my many bouts of writer's block. This final chapter is for you, buddy!

A big shout out to Lunalundus Scribex and FinalKingz for linking this story on their websites. It's always a treat to learn your work is being shared with regulars.

Lastly, a HUGE thank you to all of my readers and reviewers. You are responsible for making this fic what it is. I graciously thank you for all 59,666 hits, 138 Favorites and 148 Story Alerts on this story at the time of this writing!

What's next? Well, I've still got quite a few active projects up my sleeve, and I might have another Love Hina project in the works waiting for the green light from the original author. Take care, everyone, and I hope to read your reviews soon!