(Author's Notes: Welcome to Triumvirate, my take on the whole "What if Motoko and Keitaro lost..."deal. Yeah, these seem really popular these days. Well, first lemme clear something up. I am using triumvirate in the wrong manner, for it is Latin, and it literally means, "rule by three men". You will see why it is wrongly used when I explain the premise of the story. In all the Motoko and Keitaro lost fics I have read, Naru has a hard time with the whole thing. This fic provides a twist I don't think I have seen before, so it is worth a shot. The twist is, when Tsukoro asks Naru if she has a problem with the marriage idea, Naru goes OOC and confesses her love for Keitaro. Now, also keep in mind these is totally improbable, but in order to prevent future population decline in Japan, the country has legalized polygamy. I am pretty sure that it is illegal in Japan, but if it isn't, lemme know. Anyway, after hearing Naru's confession, Tsukoro amends the deal to where Naru is married to Keitaro as well as Motoko. Hence the title Triumvirate! Get it sorta? Three people married? Yeah, it's bad, but it's a cool title I think so I'm using it. Sorry all you Naru haters and all Keitaro/Motoko fans. I am prepared for the inevitable flames that are going to come my way for this story. So bring it! Lol. Nah, just leave a comment if you like or hate, and if you have something you think is a good idea, suggest it. Enjoy! P.S. Edited to remove lyrics to song after the hammer fell. Update to come in a few days.)

(Disclaimer: I do not in any way, shape or form own Love Hina. It is the property of Ken Akamatsu. Just clearing that up for you!)

Triumvirate

Chapter One: The Marriage

At the back of the train from Kyoto sat three people. They where newlyweds, yet none of them seemed to be enjoying themselves. Alas, it has been a very crazy day for Keitaro Urashima, Motoko Aoyama, and Naru Narusegwa, erm, that would be Motoko Urashima and Naru Urashima now... What started as a valiant attempt by Keitaro and Motoko to defend her honor, ended in a polygamist marriage. Now on their way home, the three Urashima's sit in quiet reflection.

"Oh if I could only have seen this one coming..." thought Keitaro. "This isn't good at all. Sure, I am married to Naru, but I am also married to Motoko... How in the hell am I supposed to deal with this one?"

How could anyone deal with what had happened to Keitaro? Last month the government had handed down a ruling that stated polygamist marriages would be legal in an effort to combat population decline. Earlier that morning, Keitaro found himself in the fight of his lifetime. He was going to help Motoko beat her sister Tsukoro, or lose and end up married to Motoko. Due to a demonic sword, Motoko and Keitaro technically lost. But when it came time for the marriage ceremony, Tsukoro dropped a bomb and said that an amendment had been made, Naru Narusegwa was also going to be married to Keitaro.

"Boy did that ever come out of left field? I don't know how it happened, but I am married to two women now instead of one. How I managed that, I may never know." Keitaro became irritated and tugged at his hair. He screamed, gaining the attention of his wives and half the train.

"Keitaro...?" asked Naru. "Are you okay?" Keitaro just looked over to his left and gave Naru a look. "Okay... perhaps that was a stupid question..."

Naru picked up a newspaper and read the headline. It read;

Courts ruling: Polygamy will stay legal!

Naru sighed and crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it behind her. "Only someone like Keitaro could end up in a situation like this." Naru looked over at Motoko. "I wonder how she is holding up..."

Motoko was the most confused and devastated of the three. Not only had her own sister banished her from her own dojo, but now she had ended up married to Keitaro, who was also married to Naru! "He loves her, and she loves him. I am now the third wheel in a loveless marriage." Motoko began to cry. "It seems there is only one way out of this..." she muttered out loud.

Keitaro looked over to his right to look at the sobbing Motoko. "Way out?" asked Keitaro, but the answer was apparent. "No! Motoko! You can't just go and commit suicide!"

Motoko looked Keitaro in the eyes. "What would you care anyway? You're married to Naru too, and everyone knows you love her!" Motoko sobbed. "What kind of bastard are you to force me to be the third wheel in a marriage that would be loveless for me? Death would be a welcome embrace!"

"Who says you'd be the third wheel in the first place?" asked Naru, who felt the need to try to console her friend. "I could be the third wheel, or hell, if we swung that way, Keitaro could become the third wheel!"

"There is always going to be a third wheel, this whole thing is insane!" shouted Keitaro, who was at the end of his rope. "Two women can't share a husband! Well, they can... but. Look girls, we are in this together now, and I want you both to know that right now I care deeply about both of you and I don't want anything to happen to either of you."

"But if I was out of the picture you and Naru could live a happy life together!"

"That isn't true Motoko." said Keitaro. "If you where dead, everyone would miss you, plus I'd feel like it was my fault you where gone, all because I picked one of you over the other."

Motoko just grabbed a hold of Keitaro and buried her face in his chest, crying her heart out.

"What are we going to do about this?" asked Naru.

"About what, the marriage?" replied Keitaro. "Not much we can do. I am more concerned about Motoko's mental health. Tsukoro has taken away a lot from her."

"Who knew you where so self-less?" Naru smiled.

"So…" sighed Motoko, lifting her head from Keitaro's chest. "Exactly how are we going to break this one to everyone back home."

"Uh… I got nothing." Said Keitaro.

"Ditto." Added Naru.

"I am also out of ideas, so this will be quite interesting."

"Guess we'll just do it like we break all other news. Get everyone in the same room sitting down, then tell the story." Keitaro paused. "Then wait for Shinobu to freak out, Kitsune to run of the booze, Mutsumi to pass out, Su to ponder it in her head, and Haruka make some sort of profound insight into our current situation."

Both girls looked at Keitaro.

Keitaro looked back. "What? You know it's true. That is generally how things go."

"Is this really the time for humor?" asked Motoko.

"I was just trying to lighten the mood with a little comedic insight into our lives." Keitaro paused for a moment, thinking hard on how to lift their collective spirits in some way. "Girls, I now this whole predicament is confusing, to say the least, but I want you to remember something. I promise that I shall do everything humanly possible to keep you guys happy. As long as you're both happy, I can be happy as well."

"Keitaro, are you sure that is a promise you can keep?" asked Motoko.

"Yeah, that is quite the promise Keitaro." Said Naru. "I know your dedication to keeping promises, but are you sure that is one you can keep?"

Keitaro appeared to be deep in thought but it didn't take him long to render his answer. "Yes, I am certain I can. And if I can't, you may punish me as you see fit."

For the first time that day, Motoko smiled. "Alright then, I will take you on that promise. Do remember, if you break it, there are pains far worse than death."

Keitaro winced, but trying to but the best face on things he said, "Like being married to me, for instance."

Naru, Motoko and Keitaro all laughed. It had been a long day, and it was about to get longer, since they where drawing close to home. They still had an hour to kill, and before long Keitaro saw that Motoko and Naru had fallen asleep, resting up for the big amount of explaining to come. To kill his time, Keitaro took out his beat up old CD player from his jacket and sat it on his leg cast. "Well, at least it serves one purpose." He thought. Keitaro turned on his CD player and put on his headphones. The first song was rather ironic, it of course being Closer by Nine Inch Nails. The irony was not lost and Keitaro and he quickly hit the random track button, the next song to come up was Times Like These by the Foo Fighters. Finding some meaning in the lyrics pertaining to his current situation, Keitaro turned it up. His English was good enough to get the lyrics (not to mention that he had looked them up in Japanese.) Keitaro sat back in his seat and listened to the chorus. While the song was playing, on his right, Motoko shifted her head and placed it on Keitaro's shoulder, and on his left, Naru did the same. At any other moment, Keitaro would have bleed from the nose like a broken fire hydrant, but surprisingly, he didn't bleed a drop. He simply sighed, and listened to his CD player. The remainder of the way home was spent this way, in quite rest and contemplation.

Later On, Back at Hinata-sou…

Kitsune, Shinobu, Mutsumi, Su and Haruka all waited anxiously for Keitaro, Motoko and Naru to come back through the door, having won the day in victory. In fact, since Naru had called and shared what was going on, Kitsune had been crafting a welcome home party. (with plenty of spirits, of course.) Su had her surveillance gear trained on the stairs leading up to Hinata-sou, and she was planning to give the word to everyone to prepare for the surprise. No one present that day could have seen what came next.

"Guys! We have da trio in our sights! They are heading up the stairs!" shouted Su. "Everyone take their places!"

The girls scrambled around and hid behind things in the living room, hoping to catch Naru, Motoko and Keitaro off guard.

The trio crossed the threshold and walked into the living room, Naru still on the left, Motoko on the right, helping their husband into the room.

"Nobody is home…" said Naru.

"Trust me, they are here." Laughed Keitaro. "Come on out girls, no need to surprise us. We've had enough surprises for one day."

The girls all emerged from their hiding places, with confused looks on their faces.

"How'd ya know we where hiding?" asked Su.

"Simple. This place is never that quiet, and you have played more than enough tricks on me, so naturally I have picked up on them."

Ktisune came out and looked at Naru, then at Motoko and then she knew something was wrong. "What's the matter? Did you guys lose?"

Naru nodded.

"Oh girl, I'm so sorry!"

"No, don't be." Sighed Naru. "Besides, you haven't heard the full story yet."

"I'm not quite sure I like where this is going…" said Haruka, who had sat down on the couch.

"At the last moment, my sister amended the agreement." Said Motoko solemnly. "At the last moment she resolved that Keitaro not only had to marry me, but Naru as well."

A collective gasp came from the crowd. Kitsune dropped her bottle of sake, Haruka's cigarette fell out of her mouth, Shinobu passed out, as did Mutsumi and Su's demeanor changed to a very shocked look.

"You can't be serious!" said Kitsune after a long pause. "That is not even legal!"

Haruka cleared her throat. "On the contrary, The government made it legal last month. After a court battle and much debate, polygamy is still legal. I'm surprised you haven't heard, it's been all over the news and in the papers. It's a hotly debated issue the world over."

"This is wonderful!" said Mutsumi. "Kei-kun got to marry Naru and Motoko! I'm just upset I missed the ceremony… I always love weddings."

Kitsune looked at Mutsumi. "Only you, Mrs. Brightside, can take this situation and make it into something positive."

"Isn't there some way out of this?" asked Shinobu, who had recently regained consciousness and was finally able to form a complete sentence. "You where forced, weren't you?"

Motoko shook her head. "My sister had this whole thing laid out in great detail. It's one hundred percent legal."

"Annulment!" said Kitsune.

Naru shook her head. "Nope, polygamy law says you have to wait at least a year for any kind of annulment."

Kitsune shook her head in disbelief. "This has to be a joke."

Motoko and Naru held out their hands to show the wedding bands.

"Would you like to see the legal documents? Keitaro has them I believe." Said Motoko. "It's all very legal."

Su finally added something to the conversation. "Polygamy isn't all that bad, really. In Mol-Mol it's as common as regular marriage, if not more common. My father has two wives, and everyone in the marriage seems to get along well. My mothers didn't get along at first, but they learned to share my father, and themselves. So for you guys, it will be an adjustment, one that will take a long time to get used to, but I am sure you all will end up very happy."

Haruka stood up from the couch. "Have you all told your parents yet?"

Keitaro shuddered. "Nope. I am not quite sure I want to… Mom's gonna have a heart attack."

Haruka sighed. "Yes, you have to tell your parents that you're married. That's not something you can easily hide. And if you don't tell them now, they will be less happy with you down the line, since you kept it from them."

Keitaro sighed. "Damn your logic…"

Haruka glared at Keitaro. "Just call your parents. Naru, that goes for you too."

"I'm already thinking of how to break the news." Said Naru. "I don't think it will be as simple as going, 'Hey Mom and Dad! I just married into a polygamist marriage! Just thought I'd let you know.'"

"Eh…" sighed Keitaro. "I'm taking my cell phone and going for a walk to inform my parents. Motoko, Naru, are you two going to be okay while I am gone?"

Motoko nodded. "I'll be fine, I just have to do some serious thinking."

Naru nodded as well. "Yeah, I'll be fine. I just have some things to take care of."

Keitaro grabbed his jacket and crutches and headed for the door, as he left he called back to the girls, "Take care now."

After Keitaro had left, Kitsune looked at Haruka and asked, "Do you think he's going to run?"

She shook her head. "This is something you can't run from."

Motoko tugged on Naru's sleeve. "Would you help me move my things into Keitaro's room?"

Naru gasped. "You're moving in with him?"

"We are married, aren't we?" asked Motoko.

Shinobu wailed. "You're moving in with him? But that means…" Shinobu began to hysterically run around in circles.

"You're taking this seriously?" asked Kitsune in disbelief. "I thought you despised him, and now your going to sleep with him?" Shinobu heard Kitsune say the words sleep with him and she ran into a wall in a hysterical fit.

"Do I really have any other choice?" asked Motoko. "There is no immediate way out of this marriage, so I might as well make the best of it. And if making the best of it includes that, then I shall have no choice but to do that."

Naru stood in shock listening to what Motoko was saying. "She's going to sleep with him, try to make what pertains a 'normal' marriage! After what I did to get into this mess, I can't be thrown aside. I have to get to Keitaro first!"

Naru flashed back to the night before, when she was talking with Tsukoro.

FLASHBACK

"The truth is, Tsukuro, I do care. I love Keitaro and I don't know if I can handle him being married to someone else."

"I see, Narusegwa. Thank you for your honesty. Regardless of tomorrow's outcome, I promise to you that you will not lose Keitaro forever. You can count on that."

End Flashback

"Alright then, I will help you, as long as you well help me move my things when you are done." Naru grinned. "After all, we are married." "Yes, that's right. And then tonight, I will tell Keitaro how I feel and throw caution to the wind. Let whatever may happen, happen!"

Motoko smiled back. "Of course, Naru. I'd be happy to help you." Motoko was thinking just about the same thing as Naru at that time. "Yes, I shall speak with my husband tonight. And then I will show him just how committed to the marriage I am willing to be."

Naru and Motoko walked off to move into their new room.

"Oh I don't like where this is going. Not at all." Said Kitsune, shaking her head. "They each have a look on their faces… They are going to fight for the chance to be closest to Keitaro… No good can come of this."

"I agree." Said Haruka, lighting a new cigarette. "They both want to beat the other to sleep with him first. It will be interesting to see how this plays out."

Kitsune grinned slyly. "I got my money on Keitaro going insane from all the attention."

Later In The Park…

Keitaro sat on a bench under a large tree. He held his cell phone in his hand, playing with it. Searching for the words he would tell his parents. Keitaro sighed and dialed his parent's number.

"Hello, Mom?"

/Keitaro, it's good to hear from you. How much money do you need this time/

"Mom, I don't need money! I just needed to fill you in on something."

/Really? What would that be/

"Uh, are you sitting down?"

/I am now… What is it that you need to tell me? I'm not sure I like where this is going./

"I'm sorry I didn't call you and invite you, because this kind of came out of left field. But uh, I got married."

There was a long pause, then joyous screams could be heard on the other end of the phone.

/Oh Keitaro! When do I get to meet her/

"Uh… them…"

/What was that/

"Them Mom, them. I am married to two women."

/YOUR WHAT? KEITARO HOW DRUNK WHERE YOU/

"I wasn't drunk, I lost a duel with someone and I ended up marrying two of the girls I live with. I was just trying to be helpful, honest."

/Well, you sure did one hell of a job being helpful. Isn't this illegal/

"Nope, one hundred percent legal."

/Keitaro, do you really think you can deal with two wives at once? No one is that good in bed, not even your father, and trust me, he is…/

"Mom! No, do not finish that sentence! I don't wanna hear about that!"

/Oh… oops sorry. Teehee. Speaking of your Father, I am sure he will be very proud of you./

"Explain it to him for me, will you?"

/Of course, as best as I can. Thought I'm not sure I understand./

"Welcome to the club. Hey, there is a brightside here for you Mom."

/Oh really/

"Yeah, think of all the grandchildren I could have with two wives."

Click!

Keitaro was left with a dial tone.

"Glad that's over." Sighed Keitaro. After a moment he let out a shudder. "I wonder what that was for." What an ill omen that shudder would prove to be. For little did Keitaro know that back at his home, his comfortable room was being transformed.

End Chapter One…

Coming Next Chapter: Things become tense for the triumvirate as they all move into the same room. And when the rest of the Hinata girls intervene into the married life of the three, what will happen? How will the other girls really react to Keitaro being married? What is going to happen that first night they all share a bed? Keep waiting for the next chapter to find out.

(More Authors's Notes: Heh, sorry about such a crappy chapter guys. I've been busy with other things. Leaving less time for writing. And as of right now I am ill with a nice bout of flu, so that may have effected how well I did my work here. Anyway, better chapters to come.)

(Quick Edit - May 6th, 2005: I had to remove some lyrics from the first chapter. Please don't fear, Chapter Two is within completion.)