Prologue:
Coming Around
By Damien
Having finished her morning workout, Motoko wiped the sweat from her eyes as she descended the stairs. She hoped she still had time enough to wash up before breakfast as not to be rude to the other residents. Motoko had just reached the bottom step when the phone rang. When it rang a third time without sign that the resident manager would pick it up, she answered it herself, promising to punish the manager for his lax stewardship when she next saw him.
"Hinatasou, who may I ask is calling?"
"Hello," a young woman's voice answered. "Can I speak with Kei-chan? Tell him it's his Ruri."
Motoko's face twisted in disgust. She pulled the receiver away from her head and looked at it as if it were a turtle. "Kei-Chan?" she repeated, knowing she couldn't have heard right. "Perhaps you have a wrong number?" She couldn't possibly be talking about Urashima… and wasn't he involved with Naru?
"What's wrong, Motoko? You look like ya kissed a turtle."
Motoko grimaced at the horrible thought before turning to glare at Kitsune for the allusion. "Nothing is wrong. I am just tired of having to do the duties of our lazy manager and wasting my time on wrong numbers." The kendo master returned her attention to the caller. "I am sorry; there is no one by that name here."
"This is the Hinatasou owned by the Urashima family?" the woman named Ruri asked, her voiced losing some of its youthful cheer.
"Yes," Motoko assured.
"Who are they looking for?" Kitsune asked putting her ear next to Motoko's near the receiver.
'Someone named Kei-Chan. Do you mind?" Motoko asked, hinting strongly at Kitsune's closeness.
Kitsune backed away with a grin at the easily riled teenager. "Ya mean they're lookin' for ole Keitero! He's got a girl on the side?"
"I'm sure it's some kind of mistake," Motoko reasoned back. Apparently the woman on the other end of the phone heard her.
"If this is the Hinatasou as you yourself agree then there is no mistake. Please put Keitero Urashima on the phone. I very much need to speak with Kei-Chan."
Hearing the affectionate moniker a second time caused a red hue to come to Motoko's cheeks. A part of her wanted to ask the woman what she saw in that perverted spineless male. Another part wanted to inform the woman that Keitero was already involved with Naru and that she shouldn't interfere. A final part of Motoko, one she hadn't been able to free herself from despite desperate efforts, was angry for far more personal reasons. "I see," she said tersely into the phone. "I will retrieve the male, Urashima. It will be but a moment."
Kitsune watched intrigued as Motoko returned the receiver to the counter top, slowly unsheathed the sword perpetually at her side and stormed off to find the manager, her black hair unfurled behind her as a guidon of righteous fury.
Kitsune mashed her giggling with a hand as she resisted the urge to pick up the phone and interrogate the person on the other end. Luckily for her, the wait wasn't too long as she soon heard Motoko's bellow of Urashima which was followed by someone running in the direction of the stairs.
As per script, Keitero Urashima tripped and landed in a heap at the bottom of the stairway. Motoko was quick on his heels.
"Jeez, Motoko, what did I do?" Keitero asked, trying to workout the kink in his neck from the fall. He hadn't even left his room yet this morning. He soon found a sword leveled at his throat.
"I don't know, perhaps forcing me to screen your perverted calls!"
"What?"
"Your girlfriend is on the phone for you, studboy!" Kitsune teased, elbowing him in the ribs.
"Who!" Keitero asked incredulously. Probably a wrong number. I don't have time for jokes. Today is the day I get my exam results. He attempted to walk away, but Motoko's sword and the promise of violence in her eyes stopped him.
"That's what I thought, Urashima, but Ruri insists otherwise." She tapped the tip of her sword to the bottom of her chin for emphasis. The effect of hearing that name on Keitero was instantaneous. Faster than they had ever seen him move, Keitero grabbed the phone's receiver from the counter top and tentatively said, "Hello."
Abandoning any pretense of disinterest, Kitsune and Motoko leaned in further and further toward the manager until he stiffened and placed his hand over the phone. "May I have some privacy? This is personal."
"Is it now?" Kitsune asked, one of her eyes propped open to look at Keitero suggestively. The manner of his response intrigued her all the more and even caused a slight blush to grace her cheek.
Keitero removed his glasses and looked directly into Kitsune's eyes with his own dark brown. "Yes, it is. So please may I have a moment?"
She really wanted to hear this conversation now! But she wasn't a match for those imploring brown eyes. She just couldn't say no to them, which is why she would eavesdrop on his phone call elsewhere. Nodding to his request, Kitsune then ran as quickly as possible in search of the resident mad scientist.
Motoko too was rendered mute by Keitero's change in demeanor. After watching Kitsune leave Keitero turned his attention to her, causing her own blush to worsen to a deep crimson. Unlike Kitsune, however, Motoko found herself trapped in his stare like an insect in deep amber. Slowly, her sword and scabbard slipped from her hands and clattered to the floor, but still she did not move.
"Motoko?"
"Motoko?"
"Uh… yes? Kei… ur… Urushima… yes?" she stuttered.
"May I have a moment of privacy? Please?"
"Privacy…yes, of course." She stumbled away before noticing she did not have her sword. Motoko quickly ran back to pick them up, mumbling apologies the whole while before dashing away again.
"Motoko! Motoko, over here!" Kitsune whispered fervently from inside Suu's room
Motoko looked to see Kitsune and Suu sitting in the middle of what could only be described as a jungle clearing with some strange device buzzing between them. "What are you doing?" Motoko asked, no longer under the spell of those brown eyes.
"What dya think we're doin'?" Kitsune winked and handed her a pair of headphones. Suu continued to make some adjustments to her device, and guide her observation tama into place.
When the small video screen came to life, Motoko again saw the glassesless Keitero speaking into the phone. She hadn't thought Keitero capable of such a serious and stoic expression. Again she momentarily stunned by his handsome face and her headphones hung limply in her hands.
"Oh, boy! This is good stuff! Too bad Naru hasn't come down yet! You snooze you lose!' Motoko heard Kitsune say. Motoko quickly dawned her own headphones.
Downstairs, Keitero didn't notice the mechanical turtle who took up position next to the phone and glowing red eyes were trained on his every move. He knew just how much his life could turn as a result of this conversation.
"Yeah, Ruri-Chan, I'll have the entry exam results this evening. I'll phone you right away."
"…"
"I think I did okay, but it's difficult studying here sometimes."
"…"
"I know, I know."
"…"
"Live with you?" Keitero repeated. He was about to answer when he heard a shout.
"TWO TIMING SWINE!"
Keitero placed a hand over the receiver and examined his surroundings. Finding nothing, her returned his attention to the phone. "You heard that?"
"…"
"Hahaha! It sounded like Motoko. I told you about her before."
"…"
"Yeah, but my opinion of her has changed since then."
Upon hearing that upstairs, Kitsune nudged Motoko. "Wondering if that is a good thing or a bad thing?"
Motoko scowled in the fox woman's direction. "I could not care less what that perverted man thinks of me!"
"Couldya two quiet down," Suu chided. "I'm tryin' to listen here."
"I don't think it will be necessary…" Keitero was saying into the phone. "This afternoon? The scores should be out around five so why don't I call you?"
"…"
"You come here!"
"…"
"Well… no, I guess not."
"Haha, it's nothing like that. You know, no matter what happens in my life that I will always love you Ruri-Chan. See you at the train station. Bye." Keitero hung up the phone and let out a protracted sigh. "Guess it was bound to happen sooner or later. Naru would have to learn about Ruri eventually, might as well be today." He quickly made his way back to his room to prepare for what had quickly become a defining day in his life.
The three eavesdropping ladies upstairs reacted differently to the news they had rudely acquired. Kitsune saw this as a fortunate turn of events. Maybe this would set a fire under Naur. Up to this point, Naru had it a little too easy in the love department as far as Kitsune was concerned. And if Naru failed to bring Keitero around with her charms… well there was opportunity there too, she thought snickering to herself.
Motoko on the other hand was nearly shaking with anger. While most of it was aimed at the two timing pervert of a manager, part of it was aimed at herself. She had known since the beginning that men were honorless distrustful letches, only interested in one thing. Despite that truth, she had allowed that male into their home and even worse into her own heart. "You deceitful philandering… how dare your heart wander!" She rose to her feet, the grip on her sword so tight, her knuckles had turned white.
Kitsune glanced in Motoko's direction as she wondered whether her little outburst was directed at Keitero or Motoko, herself. In either case, whom she would take that anger out on would be the same. Today was going to be such an interesting day!
Looking into the large mirror that hung on the wall across from her, Ruri watched as a glum looking Keitero placed the phone back on the hook. Doing the same with her own phone, she continued to watch as Keitero quickly went to his room. Waving a hand, the mirror's reflective surface returned to normal, showing a woman, who appeared to be in her mid to early twenties, with shoulder length black hair and light brown eyes, wearing a business suit. "I really don't think I can allow this to go on. One way or another, you'll be coming with me today, Kei-Chan."
Author Notes:
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