Love Hina – Relations (Sequel to Love Hina - Memories)
Fanfic by Steven Biggs
Chapter One – Pain
Friday Night
After a hard day's work around Hinata-sou, Keitaro finally has time to carry Naru's repaired desk up to her room. As he pushes it the last few feet down the hallway, Naru slides open her door.
"It's about time. They delivered it this morning! Why do you always take so long to get things done?"
Keitaro, breathing heavily, takes a few seconds to lean against the wall, resting his over-strained back and legs.
"I'm really sorry, Narusegawa. I had a lot of work to do today."
Naru crosses her arms.
"I had to use that old apple crate as a desk for a week and I'm tired of it! My room reeks of the smell of apples now!"
She moves to the side and points at the door.
"Well? Are you going to bring it in or do you expect me to do your work for you?"
"I'm sorry."
He rubs his back and then starts pushing the desk back to its proper place.
"Narusegawa, could you move the crate, please?"
She walks up behind him and kicks his leg, causing him to trip and fall onto the desk chin first.
"I'm not touching that smelly old box anymore! You brought it up here, so you move it!"
Rubbing his chin, he pulls the box to the middle of the room and pushes the desk into place. Keitaro then carefully moves her lamp and books back onto the desk before picking up the box. In spite of how tired he is, he smiles at her.
"Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"Get out of my room so I can go to sleep, you stupid, lazy, pervert!"
"I'm sorry, Narusegawa."
He turns and carries his load through the door. Naru moves to slide it closed and almost slips on something wet. She yells as she closes the door.
"Next time, don't sweat so much on my floor!"
As Keitaro trudges towards the stairs, another drop falls to the floor. It is another tear, another piece of his heart.
Naru walks to her desk. She places a hand on it and turns her head back to the door and whispers.
"You stupid jerk. I bet you really have forgotten that tomorrow is my birthday. Su told me that she's been tracking you for the last month trying to find out what you were going to get me. She told me after dinner that you haven't been in a gift store at all."
She sits in the chair and lays her head on her arms.
"I thought that you liked me. You remembered everyone else on their birthdays, but not me."
"I hate you."
Keitaro puts the crate in a storage shed and returns to his room. He is so tired that he accidentally bumps into the kotatsu table, scooting it loudly across the floor. Footsteps move across the ceiling and Naru slides Liddo-kun away from the hole.
"Can you try to be quiet? I'm trying to sleep up here!"
Before he can utter his apology, the cover closes over the hole.
"I'm sorry."
He falls onto his futon, too tired to bother changing into his pajamas. As he closes his eyes, a tear falls down his cheek, mirroring the eroding of his heart.
"Narusegawa has been really hard on me lately. What have I done wrong? Have I been fooling myself thinking that she really liked me?"
He places his glasses above his pillow and pulls his blanket up. In less than a minute, he falls asleep. But tonight, his dreams no longer offer any refuge from the pain in his heart. His last sanctuary, his last defense, falls.
Saturday Morning
Everyone is sitting at the table eating breakfast. Keitaro, his usual smile brightening the room, compliments Shinobu.
"This is wonderful food, Shinobu-chan! What is it?"
Shinobu blushes.
"Th-thank you, Sempai! It's an American dish called rice pudding."
Kitsune spoons more of the pudding into a bowl.
"Rice with milk and sugar! Those Americans always amaze me with their originality!"
Motoko closes her eyes as she eats another spoonful.
"This is heavenly!"
Su is spinning pirouettes in the corner.
"Tasty! Tasty! Tasty!"
Tama-chan nibbles some from her small bowl.
"Mew! Mew!"
Naru, her dark mood forgotten for the moment, pats Shinobu on the back.
"You keep outdoing yourself, Shinobu-chan!"
Naru looks across the table at Keitaro. As she watches him happily eating, her smile fades.
"What are you so happy about this morning?"
He stops smiling and lowers his head. He slowly keeps eating.
"I'm talking to you, you stupid pervert!"
He closes his eyes as despair crashes down on him.
"Are you going to answer me, you jerk?"
Another tear squeezes from his heart and runs down his cheek. Without thinking, and not even realizing what he is saying, Keitaro whispers.
"Shut up, don't ever talk to me again."
All the girls become motionless, shocked.
He looks up.
"Huh? What? What's wrong?"
Flames burning from her eyes, Naru leaps over the table. A spinning back kick sends Keitaro crashing into the wall. As he slides to the floor, she follows up with a brutal punch to his left cheek. He lands in the corner and tries to stand as Naru rushes over and crushes him back to the floor with her elbow. As she swings her foot at him again, Keitaro latches onto her ankle. He holds her leg still, easing his grip so he won't hurt her. With her other foot, Naru kicks him through the door. He tumbles a few times and lands in the hot springs.
Keitaro rises in time to see Naru sailing through the air towards him. She drives her left knee down on his left shoulder, dislocating it again. As he screams in pain, Keitaro spins around, causing his right arm to swing outwards. The back of his hand smashes into Naru's right cheek, sending her tumbling out of the water.
Keitaro sinks to his knees as the pain in his shoulder flares. He barely notices the stinging of the back of his right hand, but it is enough to cause him to look at it. He looks up and sees Naru lying on the ground with the other girls crowded around her. Through his pain, he whispers.
"Oh my god! What have I done?"
Naru sits up and looks at him. As she rubs her cheek, her lips quietly whisper.
"I hate you."
Motoko raises her sword. Her eyes are dark as she looks at him.
"How dare you strike Naru-sempai? You lecherous, deceiving, foul male!"
"SHINMEI SCHOOL SECRET ARTS! ROCK SPLITTING SWORD!"
Keitaro rises to his feet and lowers his right arm, making absolutely no attempt to resist Motoko's attack, as the only thing he sees is Naru. As the vortex rushes towards him, the girls see a tear fall from his eye. None of them understands that with that tear, the last small flame in his broken heart is extinguished. The sadness in his eyes strikes them like a physical blow.
Motoko, sensing that he is leaving himself exposed to the full force of her attack, yells at him.
"Urashima, no! Raise your defense! URASHIMA!"
His eyes locked with Naru's, Keitaro speaks as the vortex rips into him.
"The bottom dra . . . . ."
Keitaro, along with half of the water in the hot spring, crashes into the wall. The water splashes upwards, briefly forming a beautiful arch over the half-empty pool before pouring into it once more. Keitaro falls to the ground, crying out as he lands on his damaged shoulder. Shinobu rushes to his side. As she rolls him over, he whispers.
"Leave me alone. Stay away from me, please."
"Aaauuuuu! Sempai!"
He gets to his knees. Grabbing the edge of the door, he pulls himself up and enters the inn. Kitsune stares at the empty doorway.
"Did you see his eyes?"
Motoko shakily places her sword in its sheath.
"Praise the spirits that the water absorbed some of the force of my attack. He left himself utterly defenseless. Urashima always raises some hidden strength when struck, but not this time. I was afraid that he would die!"
Su reaches out and holds Motoko's hand.
"Why would Keitaro wanna do that?"
"His, his sense of honor. He judged himself guilty and was willing to accept whatever I did. But his eyes, they were so empty. Naru-sempai, what is wrong with him?"
Naru gets to her feet.
"How should I know?"
"Why were you so harsh in speaking to him? And what would cause him to respond as he did?"
"I, uh, I don't know."
Kitsune touches her arm.
"Naru, what's the problem? You know something. You can't fool us."
Before she can answer, Shinobu cries out.
"How can you stand there like that? Sempai is hurt!"
Shinobu rushes through the door. As she enters the common room, she skids to a stop. Keitaro is on his knees and leaning against the end of the couch. Shinobu gently places a hand on his back.
"Sempai?"
He closes his eyes and lowers his head.
"Please, leave me alone, Shinobu-chan."
"B-but your arm!"
"Forget about it."
"You need a doctor!"
He pushes himself up and walks towards the stairs, his left arm hanging uselessly at his side.
"I don't want a doctor."
Shinobu moves towards him.
"But, Sempai!"
He turns to her. Shinobu stops as she sees his eyes. It is almost as if all the light and warmth in the room falls into them and disappears. He turns and walks up the stairs. The other girls enter the room and Shinobu turns and looks at Naru.
"Naru-sempai, what did you do to him?"
"I just hit him, that's all."
"No, I don't mean that!"
"What do you mean?"
"Didn't you see his eyes? They look the same as my mother's did when my father left."
Kitsune shakes her head.
"Oh god, no. What'd you say to him Naru?"
"Only what that stupid pervert deserved."
Kitsune spins to her.
"What did you say?"
"I told him that I hated him."
Kitsune sits on the couch and covers her face with her hands.
"Why?"
Ignoring her, Naru walks towards the dining room. Motoko moves to block her.
"Naru-sempai. What has he done to deserve your treating him like this?"
Naru balls her fists.
"I thought he liked me!"
"I do not understand."
"Why did he forget my birthday? He remembered the rest of your birthdays! If he loved me, why did he forget?"
"How could you know that he has forgotten?"
Naru looks at Su.
"Su-chan tracked him before each of your birthdays to find out what he was getting for you. He hasn't done anything for me."
She drops to her knees.
"The same thing happened before Seta-san left. Why do the men I like always forget about me?"
Su rolls over and looks up at her.
"Maybe he was able to evade my tracker?"
Naru looks hopeful.
"Is that possible?"
"Aw, nope, not really. Zero chance in fact."
"Aaauuuuu!"
They all turn to Shinobu, who is reaching for the phone.
"Why are you worried about a stupid present? Sempai is hurt!"
Before she grabs the phone, it starts to ring. She quickly answers it.
"Hinata-sou, Maehara Shinobu speaking."
She listens to the person and then covers the phone and turns to Naru.
"It's, it's S-s-sempai's mother! What do I do?"
Kitsune rushes over to her.
"Don't tell her that he's hurt, we don't want to worry her. Tell her, tell her that he's out buying groceries."
Shinobu passes the message, listens for a few seconds, and then hangs up the phone.
"Aaauuuuu! Sempai's parents are coming over to visit him this afternoon!"
Kitsune slaps her hand on the counter.
"Darn! This is not gonna be pretty!"
Shinobu starts dialing the doctor. The rest of the girls stare at Naru.
"You don't expect me to, I mean how can I tell them that I, that I . . . . ."
Su jumps up.
"Hey, this is Keitaro! After the Doc patches him up, he'll get good as new in no time!"
A few minutes later, Dr. Hikari arrives and goes up to Keitaro's room. She comes down a minute later and sits with the other girls. Motoko looks at her.
"Have you treated him so quickly, Hikari-san?"
Hikari shakes her head.
"He has refused to let me help him, and I cannot treat a patient that denies my aid if they are of sound mind."
She looks at Naru and Motoko.
"What have you two done to him this time?"
Motoko described the events of the morning. Hikari nods.
"It seems that you were very fortunate, Motoko-san. All of his pain is Naru-san's responsibility."
She turns to Naru.
"Is there anything that you can add that will explain why his eyes are so empty and his refusal to let me ease his pain?"
She repeats what she said to him, and why.
"That was very cruel and selfish of you, Naru-san."
Naru stands up.
"Me, cruel? Why is it my fault that Keitaro forgot? Shouldn't that be something important to him?"
"Maybe he did not forget. Maybe he decided not to do anything special for this day."
"What do you mean?"
"You have been treating him even more poorly than usual for the last few weeks. Why should he show kindness in return?"
They stop speaking as they here a noise on the stairs. Keitaro walks down, carrying a small paper bag in his right hand. He looks at no one as he slowly walks into the dining room. Shinobu peeks through the door and sees him drop the bag into the garbage in the kitchen. She quickly moves back to the common room before he sees her.
He walks back up the stairs, never once looking at anyone. Su stands next to Shinobu.
"What'd he do?"
"He just put that bag in the trash."
Su scurries through the dining room door. A few seconds later, she slowly walks back out carrying the bag. A tear on her cheek, she walks over and places the bag on the coffee table. Motoko leans to her.
"Su-chan, what is wrong?"
Su grabs the bottom of the bag and pours the contents onto the table. The girls gasp as they recognize the items. They are some pages torn from his sketchbooks and a page ripped from his photo sticker collection. All of the pictures are of Naru. One small item slides out after the rest.
It is the charm necklace that Naru gave Keitaro for Christmas.
Naru reaches out to touch the necklace. Suddenly, the girls hear a pounding noise coming from upstairs. After a few minutes, the pounding suddenly stops and is followed by a heavy crashing sound. They hear Keitaro screaming in pain. Hikari grabs her bag and rushes up the stairs, followed by all the girls except Naru.
As they throw his door open, they see Keitaro lying on the floor, his kotatsu table shattered underneath him. A hammer lies a few inches from his outstretched right hand and his chair is on its side a few feet to the right of the table. They all glance up at the ceiling and see that the hole to Naru's room is firmly boarded shut. Hikari moves and kneels at his side.
"How could he have done that with one arm? Naru-san, assist me to reset his shoulder like we did the last time. Quickly, before he wakes up."
"She didn't come up with us."
Hikari looks up at Kitsune.
"Then you must assist me. Motoko-san, please help us also."
She instructs them to hold Keitaro's chest and shoulder firmly. Hikari pulls his arm straight and guides it back into place. As Shinobu crouches in the corner so that she cannot see, Su stands near Keitaro's head.
"Do ya need to use your stick again?"
In spite of the circumstances, Hikari smiles.
"No, Su-chan. That will not be necessary this time."
As the other girls clean up the damage in his room, Hikari finishes binding his shoulder and places Keitaro's arm in a sling. Taking a small jar of medicine out of her bag, she pours a few drops into his mouth.
"There, that will help lessen some of his pain."
Motoko kneels next to her and gently moves a lock of hair from Keitaro's forehead.
"Physical pain is one thing. However, what about his feelings? Hikari-san, I have not the understanding to help him. Is there anything that medicine can do for his heart?"
Hikari shakes her head.
"Even with what we have learned over thousands of years, we cannot ease that kind of pain. Only from within oneself can a cure be found."
She stands and looks out the window.
"Even then, there may be nothing that can be done. For it takes two hearts to make one whole."
Kitsune kicks a piece of the broken table.
"Naru. Why'd she have to do this to him? Keitaro-san is the kindest person I've ever known. No one deserves to be happy more than him. He always sacrifices for others, always putting his concerns and feelings aside to help us. It's not fair!"
Shinobu walks over and wraps her arms around Kitsune's arm.
"Even this morning, Sempai must have been feeling bad. But he still smiled to make us all feel good. Aaauuuuu!"
Su sits and pokes at the hammer.
"I can't be happy anymore if Keitaro is sad."
Tama-chan glides in the window and lands next to Keitaro. She slides over and rubs her nose against his hand.
"Mew?"
They all leave his room and go downstairs. Naru is still sitting on the couch. Kitsune stands in front of her.
"Doesn't it even matter to you that Keitaro-san is hurt? How could you just sit here when he needed us?"
Naru pushes her aside and heads for her room.
"I don't care what happens to that idiot! Leave me alone!"
Shinobu carefully places the papers and necklace back in the bag. She places it in the china cabinet in the dining room.
In her room, Naru looks at her desk.
"(Ooh, it still smells like apples in here!)"
She moves to the window and slides it open. Water still drips off the roof from Motoko's attack. She remembers that Keitaro said something to her.
"What was that fool trying to tell me?"
"The button?"
"No."
"The batter?"
"No."
"The bottom . . . . ."
"Yes. But the bottom what? What the heck did he mean?"
Naru sits at her desk. She pulls a drawer open to get her study guide.
"Drawer? Did he mean the bottom drawer maybe? But what did that mean?"
She opens the bottom drawer. There is nothing inside.
"That idiot never makes any sense."
She pushes the drawer back, but it stops before sliding all the way in. She pushes again, but something is jamming it.
"I thought that jerk had them fix this! Now the drawer is stuck!"
Naru angrily pulls the drawer all the way out and checks the rails. As she looks inside the opening, she sees something all the way in the back. Reaching in, she feels a small box and pulls it out. She sits on her chair and turns the box over. A small card is attached to it. In Keitaro's familiar handwriting is a simple message. Naru whispers the words written there.
"Happy Birthday, Narusegawa. From Keitaro."
She lowers the present to her lap.
"Are you happy now? You got your darned gift."
She turns and sees Kitsune leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed.
"You actually believed that he'd forget your birthday. That's awfully low of you. Keitaro-san is the most loyal and faithful friend anyone could want. He'd never forget the people he cares about. How could you ever forget that?"
Naru bows her head, unable to answer her friend.
"Well, what are you gonna do?"
"I, I, don't know."
"What kind of answer is that? Darn it Naru, I can't believe you! The one person in this world that cares about you more than life itself is lying down there with his shoulder ripped up and his heart crushed and you don't know what to do!"
Shinobu runs into the room, her eyes wide.
"Haruka-san just called! Sempai's parents are in her teashop right now! They'll be here in a few minutes! Aaauuuuu!"
Kitsune looks at the clock.
"Oh darn! It's already twelve o'clock!"
The girls all rush downstairs, unable to think of what they will tell Keitaro's parents. They all stand up as the door slides open.
End of Chapter One.
Fanfic by Steven Biggs
Chapter One – Pain
Friday Night
After a hard day's work around Hinata-sou, Keitaro finally has time to carry Naru's repaired desk up to her room. As he pushes it the last few feet down the hallway, Naru slides open her door.
"It's about time. They delivered it this morning! Why do you always take so long to get things done?"
Keitaro, breathing heavily, takes a few seconds to lean against the wall, resting his over-strained back and legs.
"I'm really sorry, Narusegawa. I had a lot of work to do today."
Naru crosses her arms.
"I had to use that old apple crate as a desk for a week and I'm tired of it! My room reeks of the smell of apples now!"
She moves to the side and points at the door.
"Well? Are you going to bring it in or do you expect me to do your work for you?"
"I'm sorry."
He rubs his back and then starts pushing the desk back to its proper place.
"Narusegawa, could you move the crate, please?"
She walks up behind him and kicks his leg, causing him to trip and fall onto the desk chin first.
"I'm not touching that smelly old box anymore! You brought it up here, so you move it!"
Rubbing his chin, he pulls the box to the middle of the room and pushes the desk into place. Keitaro then carefully moves her lamp and books back onto the desk before picking up the box. In spite of how tired he is, he smiles at her.
"Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"Get out of my room so I can go to sleep, you stupid, lazy, pervert!"
"I'm sorry, Narusegawa."
He turns and carries his load through the door. Naru moves to slide it closed and almost slips on something wet. She yells as she closes the door.
"Next time, don't sweat so much on my floor!"
As Keitaro trudges towards the stairs, another drop falls to the floor. It is another tear, another piece of his heart.
Naru walks to her desk. She places a hand on it and turns her head back to the door and whispers.
"You stupid jerk. I bet you really have forgotten that tomorrow is my birthday. Su told me that she's been tracking you for the last month trying to find out what you were going to get me. She told me after dinner that you haven't been in a gift store at all."
She sits in the chair and lays her head on her arms.
"I thought that you liked me. You remembered everyone else on their birthdays, but not me."
"I hate you."
Keitaro puts the crate in a storage shed and returns to his room. He is so tired that he accidentally bumps into the kotatsu table, scooting it loudly across the floor. Footsteps move across the ceiling and Naru slides Liddo-kun away from the hole.
"Can you try to be quiet? I'm trying to sleep up here!"
Before he can utter his apology, the cover closes over the hole.
"I'm sorry."
He falls onto his futon, too tired to bother changing into his pajamas. As he closes his eyes, a tear falls down his cheek, mirroring the eroding of his heart.
"Narusegawa has been really hard on me lately. What have I done wrong? Have I been fooling myself thinking that she really liked me?"
He places his glasses above his pillow and pulls his blanket up. In less than a minute, he falls asleep. But tonight, his dreams no longer offer any refuge from the pain in his heart. His last sanctuary, his last defense, falls.
Saturday Morning
Everyone is sitting at the table eating breakfast. Keitaro, his usual smile brightening the room, compliments Shinobu.
"This is wonderful food, Shinobu-chan! What is it?"
Shinobu blushes.
"Th-thank you, Sempai! It's an American dish called rice pudding."
Kitsune spoons more of the pudding into a bowl.
"Rice with milk and sugar! Those Americans always amaze me with their originality!"
Motoko closes her eyes as she eats another spoonful.
"This is heavenly!"
Su is spinning pirouettes in the corner.
"Tasty! Tasty! Tasty!"
Tama-chan nibbles some from her small bowl.
"Mew! Mew!"
Naru, her dark mood forgotten for the moment, pats Shinobu on the back.
"You keep outdoing yourself, Shinobu-chan!"
Naru looks across the table at Keitaro. As she watches him happily eating, her smile fades.
"What are you so happy about this morning?"
He stops smiling and lowers his head. He slowly keeps eating.
"I'm talking to you, you stupid pervert!"
He closes his eyes as despair crashes down on him.
"Are you going to answer me, you jerk?"
Another tear squeezes from his heart and runs down his cheek. Without thinking, and not even realizing what he is saying, Keitaro whispers.
"Shut up, don't ever talk to me again."
All the girls become motionless, shocked.
He looks up.
"Huh? What? What's wrong?"
Flames burning from her eyes, Naru leaps over the table. A spinning back kick sends Keitaro crashing into the wall. As he slides to the floor, she follows up with a brutal punch to his left cheek. He lands in the corner and tries to stand as Naru rushes over and crushes him back to the floor with her elbow. As she swings her foot at him again, Keitaro latches onto her ankle. He holds her leg still, easing his grip so he won't hurt her. With her other foot, Naru kicks him through the door. He tumbles a few times and lands in the hot springs.
Keitaro rises in time to see Naru sailing through the air towards him. She drives her left knee down on his left shoulder, dislocating it again. As he screams in pain, Keitaro spins around, causing his right arm to swing outwards. The back of his hand smashes into Naru's right cheek, sending her tumbling out of the water.
Keitaro sinks to his knees as the pain in his shoulder flares. He barely notices the stinging of the back of his right hand, but it is enough to cause him to look at it. He looks up and sees Naru lying on the ground with the other girls crowded around her. Through his pain, he whispers.
"Oh my god! What have I done?"
Naru sits up and looks at him. As she rubs her cheek, her lips quietly whisper.
"I hate you."
Motoko raises her sword. Her eyes are dark as she looks at him.
"How dare you strike Naru-sempai? You lecherous, deceiving, foul male!"
"SHINMEI SCHOOL SECRET ARTS! ROCK SPLITTING SWORD!"
Keitaro rises to his feet and lowers his right arm, making absolutely no attempt to resist Motoko's attack, as the only thing he sees is Naru. As the vortex rushes towards him, the girls see a tear fall from his eye. None of them understands that with that tear, the last small flame in his broken heart is extinguished. The sadness in his eyes strikes them like a physical blow.
Motoko, sensing that he is leaving himself exposed to the full force of her attack, yells at him.
"Urashima, no! Raise your defense! URASHIMA!"
His eyes locked with Naru's, Keitaro speaks as the vortex rips into him.
"The bottom dra . . . . ."
Keitaro, along with half of the water in the hot spring, crashes into the wall. The water splashes upwards, briefly forming a beautiful arch over the half-empty pool before pouring into it once more. Keitaro falls to the ground, crying out as he lands on his damaged shoulder. Shinobu rushes to his side. As she rolls him over, he whispers.
"Leave me alone. Stay away from me, please."
"Aaauuuuu! Sempai!"
He gets to his knees. Grabbing the edge of the door, he pulls himself up and enters the inn. Kitsune stares at the empty doorway.
"Did you see his eyes?"
Motoko shakily places her sword in its sheath.
"Praise the spirits that the water absorbed some of the force of my attack. He left himself utterly defenseless. Urashima always raises some hidden strength when struck, but not this time. I was afraid that he would die!"
Su reaches out and holds Motoko's hand.
"Why would Keitaro wanna do that?"
"His, his sense of honor. He judged himself guilty and was willing to accept whatever I did. But his eyes, they were so empty. Naru-sempai, what is wrong with him?"
Naru gets to her feet.
"How should I know?"
"Why were you so harsh in speaking to him? And what would cause him to respond as he did?"
"I, uh, I don't know."
Kitsune touches her arm.
"Naru, what's the problem? You know something. You can't fool us."
Before she can answer, Shinobu cries out.
"How can you stand there like that? Sempai is hurt!"
Shinobu rushes through the door. As she enters the common room, she skids to a stop. Keitaro is on his knees and leaning against the end of the couch. Shinobu gently places a hand on his back.
"Sempai?"
He closes his eyes and lowers his head.
"Please, leave me alone, Shinobu-chan."
"B-but your arm!"
"Forget about it."
"You need a doctor!"
He pushes himself up and walks towards the stairs, his left arm hanging uselessly at his side.
"I don't want a doctor."
Shinobu moves towards him.
"But, Sempai!"
He turns to her. Shinobu stops as she sees his eyes. It is almost as if all the light and warmth in the room falls into them and disappears. He turns and walks up the stairs. The other girls enter the room and Shinobu turns and looks at Naru.
"Naru-sempai, what did you do to him?"
"I just hit him, that's all."
"No, I don't mean that!"
"What do you mean?"
"Didn't you see his eyes? They look the same as my mother's did when my father left."
Kitsune shakes her head.
"Oh god, no. What'd you say to him Naru?"
"Only what that stupid pervert deserved."
Kitsune spins to her.
"What did you say?"
"I told him that I hated him."
Kitsune sits on the couch and covers her face with her hands.
"Why?"
Ignoring her, Naru walks towards the dining room. Motoko moves to block her.
"Naru-sempai. What has he done to deserve your treating him like this?"
Naru balls her fists.
"I thought he liked me!"
"I do not understand."
"Why did he forget my birthday? He remembered the rest of your birthdays! If he loved me, why did he forget?"
"How could you know that he has forgotten?"
Naru looks at Su.
"Su-chan tracked him before each of your birthdays to find out what he was getting for you. He hasn't done anything for me."
She drops to her knees.
"The same thing happened before Seta-san left. Why do the men I like always forget about me?"
Su rolls over and looks up at her.
"Maybe he was able to evade my tracker?"
Naru looks hopeful.
"Is that possible?"
"Aw, nope, not really. Zero chance in fact."
"Aaauuuuu!"
They all turn to Shinobu, who is reaching for the phone.
"Why are you worried about a stupid present? Sempai is hurt!"
Before she grabs the phone, it starts to ring. She quickly answers it.
"Hinata-sou, Maehara Shinobu speaking."
She listens to the person and then covers the phone and turns to Naru.
"It's, it's S-s-sempai's mother! What do I do?"
Kitsune rushes over to her.
"Don't tell her that he's hurt, we don't want to worry her. Tell her, tell her that he's out buying groceries."
Shinobu passes the message, listens for a few seconds, and then hangs up the phone.
"Aaauuuuu! Sempai's parents are coming over to visit him this afternoon!"
Kitsune slaps her hand on the counter.
"Darn! This is not gonna be pretty!"
Shinobu starts dialing the doctor. The rest of the girls stare at Naru.
"You don't expect me to, I mean how can I tell them that I, that I . . . . ."
Su jumps up.
"Hey, this is Keitaro! After the Doc patches him up, he'll get good as new in no time!"
A few minutes later, Dr. Hikari arrives and goes up to Keitaro's room. She comes down a minute later and sits with the other girls. Motoko looks at her.
"Have you treated him so quickly, Hikari-san?"
Hikari shakes her head.
"He has refused to let me help him, and I cannot treat a patient that denies my aid if they are of sound mind."
She looks at Naru and Motoko.
"What have you two done to him this time?"
Motoko described the events of the morning. Hikari nods.
"It seems that you were very fortunate, Motoko-san. All of his pain is Naru-san's responsibility."
She turns to Naru.
"Is there anything that you can add that will explain why his eyes are so empty and his refusal to let me ease his pain?"
She repeats what she said to him, and why.
"That was very cruel and selfish of you, Naru-san."
Naru stands up.
"Me, cruel? Why is it my fault that Keitaro forgot? Shouldn't that be something important to him?"
"Maybe he did not forget. Maybe he decided not to do anything special for this day."
"What do you mean?"
"You have been treating him even more poorly than usual for the last few weeks. Why should he show kindness in return?"
They stop speaking as they here a noise on the stairs. Keitaro walks down, carrying a small paper bag in his right hand. He looks at no one as he slowly walks into the dining room. Shinobu peeks through the door and sees him drop the bag into the garbage in the kitchen. She quickly moves back to the common room before he sees her.
He walks back up the stairs, never once looking at anyone. Su stands next to Shinobu.
"What'd he do?"
"He just put that bag in the trash."
Su scurries through the dining room door. A few seconds later, she slowly walks back out carrying the bag. A tear on her cheek, she walks over and places the bag on the coffee table. Motoko leans to her.
"Su-chan, what is wrong?"
Su grabs the bottom of the bag and pours the contents onto the table. The girls gasp as they recognize the items. They are some pages torn from his sketchbooks and a page ripped from his photo sticker collection. All of the pictures are of Naru. One small item slides out after the rest.
It is the charm necklace that Naru gave Keitaro for Christmas.
Naru reaches out to touch the necklace. Suddenly, the girls hear a pounding noise coming from upstairs. After a few minutes, the pounding suddenly stops and is followed by a heavy crashing sound. They hear Keitaro screaming in pain. Hikari grabs her bag and rushes up the stairs, followed by all the girls except Naru.
As they throw his door open, they see Keitaro lying on the floor, his kotatsu table shattered underneath him. A hammer lies a few inches from his outstretched right hand and his chair is on its side a few feet to the right of the table. They all glance up at the ceiling and see that the hole to Naru's room is firmly boarded shut. Hikari moves and kneels at his side.
"How could he have done that with one arm? Naru-san, assist me to reset his shoulder like we did the last time. Quickly, before he wakes up."
"She didn't come up with us."
Hikari looks up at Kitsune.
"Then you must assist me. Motoko-san, please help us also."
She instructs them to hold Keitaro's chest and shoulder firmly. Hikari pulls his arm straight and guides it back into place. As Shinobu crouches in the corner so that she cannot see, Su stands near Keitaro's head.
"Do ya need to use your stick again?"
In spite of the circumstances, Hikari smiles.
"No, Su-chan. That will not be necessary this time."
As the other girls clean up the damage in his room, Hikari finishes binding his shoulder and places Keitaro's arm in a sling. Taking a small jar of medicine out of her bag, she pours a few drops into his mouth.
"There, that will help lessen some of his pain."
Motoko kneels next to her and gently moves a lock of hair from Keitaro's forehead.
"Physical pain is one thing. However, what about his feelings? Hikari-san, I have not the understanding to help him. Is there anything that medicine can do for his heart?"
Hikari shakes her head.
"Even with what we have learned over thousands of years, we cannot ease that kind of pain. Only from within oneself can a cure be found."
She stands and looks out the window.
"Even then, there may be nothing that can be done. For it takes two hearts to make one whole."
Kitsune kicks a piece of the broken table.
"Naru. Why'd she have to do this to him? Keitaro-san is the kindest person I've ever known. No one deserves to be happy more than him. He always sacrifices for others, always putting his concerns and feelings aside to help us. It's not fair!"
Shinobu walks over and wraps her arms around Kitsune's arm.
"Even this morning, Sempai must have been feeling bad. But he still smiled to make us all feel good. Aaauuuuu!"
Su sits and pokes at the hammer.
"I can't be happy anymore if Keitaro is sad."
Tama-chan glides in the window and lands next to Keitaro. She slides over and rubs her nose against his hand.
"Mew?"
They all leave his room and go downstairs. Naru is still sitting on the couch. Kitsune stands in front of her.
"Doesn't it even matter to you that Keitaro-san is hurt? How could you just sit here when he needed us?"
Naru pushes her aside and heads for her room.
"I don't care what happens to that idiot! Leave me alone!"
Shinobu carefully places the papers and necklace back in the bag. She places it in the china cabinet in the dining room.
In her room, Naru looks at her desk.
"(Ooh, it still smells like apples in here!)"
She moves to the window and slides it open. Water still drips off the roof from Motoko's attack. She remembers that Keitaro said something to her.
"What was that fool trying to tell me?"
"The button?"
"No."
"The batter?"
"No."
"The bottom . . . . ."
"Yes. But the bottom what? What the heck did he mean?"
Naru sits at her desk. She pulls a drawer open to get her study guide.
"Drawer? Did he mean the bottom drawer maybe? But what did that mean?"
She opens the bottom drawer. There is nothing inside.
"That idiot never makes any sense."
She pushes the drawer back, but it stops before sliding all the way in. She pushes again, but something is jamming it.
"I thought that jerk had them fix this! Now the drawer is stuck!"
Naru angrily pulls the drawer all the way out and checks the rails. As she looks inside the opening, she sees something all the way in the back. Reaching in, she feels a small box and pulls it out. She sits on her chair and turns the box over. A small card is attached to it. In Keitaro's familiar handwriting is a simple message. Naru whispers the words written there.
"Happy Birthday, Narusegawa. From Keitaro."
She lowers the present to her lap.
"Are you happy now? You got your darned gift."
She turns and sees Kitsune leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed.
"You actually believed that he'd forget your birthday. That's awfully low of you. Keitaro-san is the most loyal and faithful friend anyone could want. He'd never forget the people he cares about. How could you ever forget that?"
Naru bows her head, unable to answer her friend.
"Well, what are you gonna do?"
"I, I, don't know."
"What kind of answer is that? Darn it Naru, I can't believe you! The one person in this world that cares about you more than life itself is lying down there with his shoulder ripped up and his heart crushed and you don't know what to do!"
Shinobu runs into the room, her eyes wide.
"Haruka-san just called! Sempai's parents are in her teashop right now! They'll be here in a few minutes! Aaauuuuu!"
Kitsune looks at the clock.
"Oh darn! It's already twelve o'clock!"
The girls all rush downstairs, unable to think of what they will tell Keitaro's parents. They all stand up as the door slides open.
End of Chapter One.