'Love Hina: Adventures in Morphing!

Andrew Joshua Talon

DISCLAIMER: Myu! Myuuh!

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'Episode 7: A Little Insight: Not Quite Perfect! Keitaro

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My name is Keitaro.

And I find myself, talking, letting out every secret, every truth, I have ever hidden, to my aunt, who is sitting there, patiently, listening to every word.

I have to confess, becoming the manager of this dormitory wasn't exactly in my plans two years ago. The Yeerks were nearing defeat, as some of our contacts (Yeerks who were against taking hosts by force) stated that the Andalites had begun to make strides against them, thanks in no small part to us.

Being whacked out of the Hinata Sou by a fiery redhead's super punch, in a towel, after being called a pervert, peeping tom, pedophile, etc. etc., was something I really didn't need.

"So, if you've had this power for years," my aunt spoke, looking at me intently,"why didn't you use it? To hide or something." I sighed deeply, looking down at the ground.

"If Naru, or Motoko, or anyone else found out that I could morph... What do you think they would have done?" Haruka looked thoughtful.

"Hm... Motoko would think that you were a demon of some sort and try to purify you, Suu would conduct experiments, Naru would freak and probably never speak to you again, Shinobu would faint, and Kitsune would try to turn you into Visser Six." I looked up at my aunt, blinking strangely.

"Kitsune... What the..."

"Yes... You didn't know?"

"Um, well... No. I didn't," I confessed, feeling somewhat stupid. Kitsune was a Controller, and I didn't know?

"Sub-visser 985. But still, you haven't completely answered my question." I took a deep breath.

"I was... I almost got angry enough to use my power against them. I had... These vivid fantasies... Morphing lion, and smacking Naru through a wall in rage." I took a few deep breaths, the anger I thought I'd finally done away with gone.

"But you didn't."

"... No. How could I?"

"Yes... How could you..." Haruka looked up at me from her chair, contemplatively. She rubbed her chin, gazing at me up and down. I fidgeted, nervous.

"Keitaro... I'm not going to tell the girls about this." I nodded. I figured that, if she was going to, she'd have already done it by now.

"But, I want you to talk to me. I want you to share your true feelings." Her eyes were serious and open. "I want you to let down your mask."

"Mask?" I asked, confused. I'd come clean about being an Animorph, hadn't I? What more was there to talk about? Haruka shifted her legs, and I couldn't help but notice how her skirt rode up her legs-

Stop it, Keitaro! Of all the times to act like the pervert you're not!

"Your mask of authority... Of control. The mask you wear around your troops, and us," Haruka continued, never letting her gaze part from mine. I could do nothing but stare back, as though entranced.

"Let it go, Keitaro. I want to hear it all," she murmured, reaching up and pulling me into her lap. I was too confused to really do anything to stop her, as she held me, like a small child, against her bosom with her right hand at the back of my head, and her left around my waist. And I took my last breath as Keitaro Urashima, Animorph general, and breathed out as just Keitaro.

And I told her. About the screams of my victims. The roars of the Hork-Bajir. The horror of seeing Kanako chopped in half, of Tact lying lifeless in tiger morph, his neck broken, hearbeats away from death or being trapped in morph. Of David and I yelling at eachother about the best course of action, and Sayoko crying, breaking under the strain of being the mother of our group, as I was the father...

And we both cried, as the sun began to wane into the mountains.

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My name is Tact.

And may I say this? I really, really hate sushi. To be frank, it sucks ass. It really does. Raw fish? Wrapped in rice? Ugh, give me a platoon of Hork-Bajir to fight any day over sushi. Seriously.

"You're drawing attention," hissed Kanako, as we sat together at the bar. She was in her "hot American supermodel" morph, and me? Some brutish thug morph I made by mixing together a few punks I knew and had acquired.

"How do you eat this stuff? It tastes like-"

"Wait, no, let me guess: Crap?"

"Yes."

"Quit saying that! There... There he is," Kanako whispered. I discretely followed her gaze, and saw the guy she was pointing to. Jack Fitch, an American entrepreneur and former Controller.

Former voluntary controller. As in, he'd willingly taken a slug into his brain. He'd enjoyed it. And he'd been spotted near the homes of the two guys who'd morphed those... Whatevers and murdered my mom.

And so, I was understandably jumpy. Jumpy, as in, "I want to morph tiger, jump, and rip his freaking throat out and tear open his stomach and devour his innards and throw them back up and-"

"He's talking to someone," Kanako whispered, moving up closer to me, acting like she was feeling me up. All part of the plan, I thought, as I played along. All part of the disguise.

At least, that's what I told myself.

"He's leaving," she whispered, before asking, a bit louder: "My place or yours?"

"Mmm... Definitely yours," I muttered back, and drowsily stood up and walked with her, out of the bar. We stumbled down the dark sidewalk, laughing drunkenly, Fitch ahead of us.

"He's going in there," Kanako whispered, hanging off my arm. "We'll morph, then go in."

"What about Sayoko and David?"

"They said they'd be here in an hour-They have, er... Chores to do."

"... Right. Never mind," I sigh. I feel angry at the two of them, but focus it back onto Fitch.

He's the target, but stay calm, otherwise you won't get a shot at him...

"Anyway, let's get going," Kanako continues, pulling me into an alley roughly. We quickly demorph, before beginning to morph into rat and cat, respectively. Kanako's cat morph is of her own black tabby, Kuro, while my rat is Roger, my old pet before I lost him in Dad and David's apartment.

Maybe he's still alive. Maybe not. Who knows?

PREDATOR! RUN! Screams the rat brain, at Kanako. I ignore it, as I've done on many occasions, and scurry down the alley, through the garbage. I suddenly notice that Kanako's not with me.

Kanako? Hello? Where are you?

... Tact? We may have a problem.

Huh? I turn around, and scurry back as fast as I can go. My rat eyes are well suited to seeing in the dark, but smell is a more important sense to a rodent. Amid the stink of the garbage and other rat's droppings (kind of the rat media-Interesting, isn't it?), is a familiar scent. One I first experienced as a flying turtle in the Hinata.

The scent of a mid-twenties female, hopelessly saturated with booze.

Kitsune? What? So she's passed out on the pavement. Big deal. We can get her later.

That's not the issue, Kanako growled at me, standing atop the KO'd woman.

And the issue is...?

She saw us morph. Which is why she passed out.

Um... I'm not following. How do you know?

She screamed "HOLY SHIT! KANAKO!" before she fell.

... Um... Uh oh.

No kidding.

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NEXT TIME: Why don't you guys suggest something? What would you like to see? Shinobu become an Animorph? Naru get a Dracon beam gun? Motoko find the Time Matrix (aka Most Powerful Weapon in the Whole Frigging Universe)? LET ME KNOW!