Love Hina – Crimes and Miss-Demeanors

Fanfic

Realizing some terrible misunderstanding has just taken place, Keitaro also knows there is nowhere to go. Putting his hands in front of his face, he falls into his standard pattern.

He begs.

"Please forgive me!" he whispers as the combined attacks descend on him.

Screams of pain and terror rend the air outside the reformatory.

Haruka contemplates her tea as the sounds of violence echo down the hill. "Seems that the girls made the mistake of threatening Keitaro again and have met Nora." she chuckles.

After a few moments, Keitaro lowers his hands, wondering why he doesn't feel the pain of the girls' attacks. Looking up, he sees the three of them, yelling and running in desperate circles, frantically waving their hands over their heads and trying to leap from side-to-side, a small, tan blur flying from arm to leg to back to arm, again and again.

Chapter Seven

Saturday afternoon

Keitaro stares for only a moment at the wild antics in front of him. Realizing what is happening, he leaps forward and tries to grab Nora. The little cat, enraged that these strangers would attack her servant/master/owner (take your pick, it is a cat, ya know) evades his grasp for a few seconds while she delivers her brand of 'justice'. "No, don't! Leave them alone! Stop, you'll hurt them!" Keitaro calls out, concern for the girls' safety overriding any thoughts for his own well-being.

Motoko, the cat making a last lunge at her, wildly swings her wooden bokken, missing the animal completely. However, she does connect with the side of Keitaro's head, knocking the young man out as he manages to finally get a hold of the furry ball of terror.

Keitaro crumples to the ground, Nora in his hands. The girls, still screaming, take a few seconds to notice that they are no longer under attack and slow down enough to take in their surroundings.

Naru, her hair sticking out at wild angles, hugs her scratched hands and forearms to her chest as she pants heavily.

Kitsune, her tank-top half-shredded, sinks to her knees, grimacing at the pain from scratched arms and legs, exhausted by the ordeal.

Motoko, wincing at the painful scratches on her back and legs, stares at the unconscious manager. Flames again erupt from her eyes as she steps forward, her bokken raised over her head. "Now you'll get what you deserve, you bastard, Urashima! Perverting a pure innocent young maiden into being your live-in slut!"

And she runs screaming in terror as Nora leaps off Keitaro's chest and latches onto her shoulder and clawing her way down her back. Dropping her bokken, Motoko frantically weaves a wild path, disappearing around the side of the reformatory. A few seconds later, a muted 'splash' can be heard, and Nora comes sauntering back to the front of the building, looking as if she is smiling.

Kitsune sees the approaching feline and jumps backwards, hiding behind Naru "Sake! Ah want mah sake! Oh shit! Halp, save me!"

"Kitsune! Let go of me! Take care of yourself, I ain't your damned mother!" Naru, her movements constricted by the death-grip the Fox has on her, struggles to back away from the approaching hell-on-four-feet. She slows and stares as the cat stops at Keitaro's unconscious form and sits beside his head, licking his cheek and meowing.

Peeking out from a window, Su and the new visitor, Shinobu, stare at the outcome of the mayhem. A wet and bedraggled Motoko, her hair plastered against her face, walks from around the side of the reformatory and picks up her wooden bokken, trying to appear as dignified as the situation allows, which isn't much.

Naru, being clutched in a vice-like grip by Kitsune, is warily watching the cat beside Keitaro.

Shinobu looks at Keitaro and sees Nora. Giving a squeal, she rushes through the common room and back out the front door, the sketchbook still clasped in her hands. Su follows, grabbing a banana from the fruit tray as she passes the coffee table.

Keitaro moans and sits up, rubbing the side of his head, as Nora plants herself on his lap and stares at his three would-be assailants. "What happened? Are all of you alright?" He asks, getting his knees under him and rising, Nora held loosely in his arms.

"Wha, what the hell was that, that thing? Ah thought we was all goners!" Kitsune asks, her labored breathing starting to return to normal.

"What the fuck did you think you were doing? What stupid idea made you bring a dangerous animal like that up here?" Naru says, stepping towards Keitaro, her fists clenched. Kitsune releases her grip and backs away, not wanting to get anywhere near the cat again. Naru pauses for a moment as she sees the dark-haired young girl come out the front door with Su.

Shinobu stops and points at Keitaro. "You found my pussy!" she cries.

Naru's eyes flare red again "You dirty, two-timing pervert! How dare you screw a girl as young as that, forcing her to be your fucking girlfriend?" she exclaims as she prepares to deal Keitaro the worst punishment he's ever known. And then she starts running in circles, screaming again, as Nora leaps up from Keitaro's arms and latches into her hair. Naru frantically weaves a wild path, disappearing around the side of the reformatory. A few seconds later, a muted 'splash' can be heard, and Nora comes sauntering back to the front of the building, looking as if she is smiling.

Kitsune snickers "Now that looks awfully familiar." she says, eyeing the still bedraggled sword maiden. Motoko flashes Kitsune a 'say one more word and you shall be next' look, and turns back towards Keitaro as Shinobu runs up to him, Su beside her.

Keitaro looks at the new-comer clearly for the first time. Recognizing her as the young girl whom he sketched yesterday, he thinks he is in trouble. Again.

Shinobu bows to him "Mister Urashima, how did you find my pussy?" she asks.

Keitaro sees his sketchbook in her hand and, not paying attention, thinks she is berating him for drawing her yesterday. He bows and tells her, again "Sorry, it was just my stupid hand."

Feeling a sensation of heat behind him, Keitaro stands straight and slowly turns around. Naru, soaking wet after her trip to the hot springs, stands there, along with Motoko and Kitsune, and if looks could kill, well, someone would be raking in the cash from Keitaro's insurance policy about now.

Again, a quick recap for those just joining the show:

A. Young girl, assumed by the residents to be 'Nora', asks Keitaro how he found her pussy.

B. Keitaro blames it on his hand.

Keitaro boned, round two.

Silently, so as not to arouse the suspicion of the cat again, Motoko holds her bokken in front of her and summons her ki, a pale blue glow beginning to surround her wooden bokken, nearly causing Keitaro to lose it right there.

Naru, her lesson, learned (for now, at least) holds her hands behind her as she balls her fists in preparation for unleashing hell-on-Keitaro, a nearly-visible red aura encasing her form.

Kitsune, never one to learn quickly, steps up to Keitaro and slaps him across the cheek, the echo resounding like a gunshot. "Ya damned bastard! What the fuck are ya'll, get out of here, ya asshole! Sneaking around, screwing a . . ow, ow OW OW OWOWOWOWOW!" she screams. Nora has latched onto both her thighs, and as she desperately tries to remove the feline, Kitsune looks like someone frantically using a rabid Thigh-Master. Naru hurriedly pulls Motoko over and whispers in her ear, eliciting a nod and a handshake from the sword maiden.

Kitsune frantically weaves a wild path, disappearing around the side of the reformatory. A few seconds later, a muted 'thud', a profanity laced tirade, and then a 'splash' can be heard. A minute later, a drenched Nora comes staggering back to the front of the building, shaking her head as if to clear it. A few minutes later, as everyone waits, Kitsune comes around the corner, soaking wet and holding her head with her right hand as she continues to curse under her breath.

Su runs inside and comes back out a few seconds later, smiling and holding a five gallon, nearly-empty plastic jar with about a half-inch of loose change in the bottom, a hand-written label saying 'Curse Jar' on it.

Motoko pulls a few bills from her pocket and, unobserved by Kitsune, slips them to Naru. "How you were able to foresee that Konno-san would slam into the large boulder we both missed is beyond me?" the sword maiden whispers.

Naru smiles as she puts the money in her shirt. "I've known Kitsune since we were in junior high. She gets that way when she's totally flustered." she replies quietly.

As Kitsune walks past, the honey-haired girl leans over and says "A few more outbursts like that, and we'll have enough money in the curse jar to buy that new stereo." Kitsune mutters to the smiling girl "Just shut up. Ah don't wanna hear it, Ah don't wanna hear it!" as she pulls all the money out of her pocket and drops it into the jar Su holds. "And don't you and Motoko forget ya'lls share, you ain't been angels today either."

Naru and Motoko blush and reach into their pockets, carefully counting out money as Su stands there, ensuring they deposit the proper amount into the jar. That done, Su closes the jar, shakes it and says in a sing-song voice "We's in da monkeys, we's in da monkeys! We's gots a lots of what it makes ta gets a new stereo!"

Keitaro puts a hand out to Su, "Wait, Su-chan! Don't do that!" but it's too late.

Nora, hearing the sound of the change shaking in the jar, turns from licking the water off her fur and charges hell-bent for leather at Su, hissing and spitting like mad. Like a bullet out of a gun, Su drops the jar to the grass, claps her hands and laughs wildly, taking off for the stairs heading for Haruka's Tea House, Nora hot on her heels.

Everyone stares at the dissipating dust trail the two leave behind. As one, the girls turn towards Keitaro.

Putting his hands out, he shrugs his shoulders, "I always tied a can with coins in it to the door of my apartment to act as a cheap burglar alarm. Anytime Nora hears that sound, she reacts like someone is trying to break in and steal her stuff." he says, rubbing the back of his neck. Suddenly realizing that his 'protector' is no longer with him, Keitaro's head snaps up. "Oh heck!" He turns and runs from the girls, screaming, and Motoko unleashes on him! "Shinmei-ryu no Zanganken! God's Cry Attack of The Stone Cleaving Sword!"

Keitaro, unaware of what is about to happen, turns and looks at the sword maiden, wondering what she is talking about, just as the vortex of her ki attack sweeps him up and smashes him into the side wall of the reformatory grounds. Amazed, the girls watch as Keitaro almost immediately picks himself up and takes off running again, ducking and weaving to avoid another attack, and then disappears around the side of the building. A few seconds later, a muted 'thud', a muffled 'gack!' and then a 'splash' can be heard.

Naru looks at Motoko, then at Kitsune, then at, Shinobu, then at Motoko and Kitsune. "Wait a minute! Did he just call that furry terror Nora?" Looking back again to the young girl, she asks "Then who the heck are you?"

Sputtering under the glare of the three older girls, Shinobu whispers "M-my name i-is Shinobu Maehara. I-I was just returning th-this to Mister Urashima. H-he dropped it yesterday wh-when the elders were picking on him." She holds out Keitaro's sketchbook for them to see. "P-please don't hurt me! My mother told me I shouldn't come up here but it was so mean what the elders did I couldn't just keep it he didn't do anything wrong he just sketched me and I wasn't afraid but the elders were cruel so I told them to stop and I'm rambling, aren't I?" Shinobu whimpers, shaking like a leaf.

Kitsune steps over to the young girl, kneels in front of her and puts a hand on her shoulder "It's all right. Shinobu was it? We aren't gonna hurt ya'll. We was just having fun with Keitaro, he's our new manager. Weren't we, guys?" Kitsune says, motioning behind her back to get help calming the young girl down.

Naru stutters, "Y-yeah, that's right! We thought Nora was the name of Keitaro's bitch girlfriend and, we, uh, kinda mistook you for Nora. We should have realized you are much too nice and too young of a girl to shack up with a piece of crap like him." Shinobu shrinks away from Naru, frightened at her tone of voice and choice of words. Naru, embarrassed at having scared the young girl, bows. "Wait, I'm sorry Shinobu-chan! That came out totally wrong. I mean, he really isn't the kind of guy who'd do that. At least, I don't think he is, he only showed up yesterday, and we found out last night that he's our new manager so we really don't know that much about him and his aunt Haruka says he's not such a bad guy and he's kinda nice when he isn't being a pervert and, and now I'm rambling too, aren't I?"

Shinobu and Naru stare at each other for a few seconds, and then both girls break out in giggles. Motoko steps forward to greet the new comer, but Naru and Kitsune turn to face the young sword maiden. "Why the heck did ya'll do that to Keitaro?" Kitsune asks, her hands on her hips.

With an equally steel glare in her eye, Naru also questions Motoko. "Keitaro was already scared outta his wits! And we had already found out Shinobu-chan here isn't Nora! So, can you tell me why you attacked him?"

Motoko lowers her face, blushing as she holds her bokken behind her. "Well, truth be told, I missed out on the fun yesterday, and . . . and I did not desire to miss out again. As I was already primed to strike, i-it would have seemed a waste to abandon my attack after having prepared for it." she says, her foot tracing small circles in the grass.

Kitsune laughs, "Well, at least that's an honest answer. Ah sometimes forget ya'll do have a sense of humor. Granted, it's knocked out, tied-up, buried in a deep hole, covered with concrete, and guarded by more traps than a hunter's convention, but a sense of humor anyways."

Motoko's head comes up and she gives the Fox a haughty glare. "I shall have you know that I do not have the time for fun and games." Her look softens, "More often than not, I must wait for whatever amusement the two you chose to drop my way, meager though the leavings may be."

Kitsune's eyes open slightly "Ya mean our new manager, eh?" Motoko blushes and stares at her.

Naru snickers at the look the sword maiden gives the Fox. "Come on, Shinobu-chan, let's go inside and have some tea while we wait for Keitaro. I suppose he'll need a few hours to recover and go get some dry clothes before we see him again."

Shinobu hesitates for a moment and looks towards the corner of the inn, Keitaro's sketchbook held to her chest. "W-Will Urashima-sama be alright? Sh-shouldn't somebody see if h-he's okay? And I th-thought, that is, I h-heard no one was allowed to visit here." she asks timidly.

Motoko replies "I am sure that Urashima will be along shortly. You need not concern yourself on his behalf, Maehara-san. And, as for visitors not being allowed here, that is not true. While we are restricted to the grounds except for while attending school, or accompanying Haruka-san in procuring items for the daily running of this reformatory, it is not forbidden to have guests with the approval of the manager. As he is currently unavailable, we must assume that you, as you are returning his property to him, would be considered 'approved'.

Motoko glares in the direction that Keitaro took off in. "And, as long as any guests are female, of course. This is a girls-only facility." she finishes, a slight look of anger on her face.

Shinobu looks up at the sword maiden, and then towards the corner of the reformatory where Keitaro disappeared. Kitsune sees this and taps her on the shoulder. Squeaking slightly, the dark haired young girl jumps as she turns. The Fox says "Long story. We'll tell ya'll over some lunch and tea, if anyone here can remember how to cook." Kitsune looks at Naru and Motoko, who both shake their heads.

Naru says "I put some stuff on the stove and in the oven before Shinobu-chan and Keitaro showed up, but I forgot about it with all the . . . oh heck!" The girl sprints for the door, Motoko, Kitsune and Shinobu following close behind as they all head for the kitchen.

Kitsune shudders at the thought of eating a meal prepared by Naru, especially after the comparative feast that Keitaro had made for them the evening before. The leftovers were all used up as their breakfast that morning, and tasted as good reheated in the microwave as when they were freshly made.

As they enter the dining room, they see the kitchen door already opened. Keitaro, still soaking wet, his face covered with a hot springs towel, is wrestling with pot holders to remove a smoldering, stench-ridden mass he has pulled out of the oven.

From the kitchen, a billowing, putrid blast hits the girls, the odor being of something that could vaguely be called that of 'food'; at least, if you came from a lost tribe that believes that hot, molten tar with bits of road kill and assorted limp vegetables thrown in is a delicacy. Even then, you would not rush for seconds of what sits on the stove top.

The heaving mass visible under the lip of the covered pan in Keitaro's hands causes Kitsune to grab her mouth with one hand, her stomach with the other, and head for the bathroom at a run. "We're gonna" urfgh "starve! Keitaro-san," gurg "save me!"

Shinobu steps forward, amazing Motoko and Naru with her bravery at approaching the almost semi-living, well, whatever it is Naru is attempting to cook. She peers under the lid as it moves, squeezes her eyes shut as she whispers a small prayer, and then, placing her small hands on Keitaro's arm, looks at the kanrinin. "Wait, Urashima-sama, I think I can save this. Are there any fresh vegetables?" The pan makes a gurgling sound that causes the others to back a step or two away.

Naru responds first. "I think so, yes! I'll get them."

Following Shinobu into the kitchen, they watch as she makes a quick inspection of the other items still steaming on the stove top. "I'll need some water and a large pan"

"I shall get them for you, Shinobu-chan." Motoko says.

"Urashima-sama, where do you keep your spices?"

Keitaro, having opened a window, turns, opens a cabinet and removes a rack full of bottles "All you can use, uh, Maehara-san, was it?"

"Hai, Urashima-sama. Thank you."

Shinobu starts to revive the disaster Naru had spawned. She moves from pan to pan to oven and back, adding liquid here, seasoning there, dicing and placing fresh vegetables where they would do the most good. Naru shoos the manager out "Get some dry clothes on before you catch a cold or something, baka!" Naru quickly turns back to Shinobu, regretting the harsh tone she has just taken in front of her with the new manager, especially in light of the mis-understandings he's been the victim of the last two days. But, apologizing isn't one of her strong suits, so she hides her discomfort.

Keitaro, rather than argue with the hot-tempered high-school girl, heads out the door, passing a pale Kitsune as she re-enters the kitchen. Keitaro lowers his head and mutters "excuse me, I'm sorry" and minutely jerks away from her as they pass. Kitsune catches this, and turns to watch him walk away. As the door closes she sees him raise his hand to the cheek she had struck.

Kitsune's throat tightens as she stands near the door. (He really didn't do anything, but ya'll misjudged him again. No, be honest with yourself. It's one thing to tease him, or smack him around. Slapping his face in a fuckin' rage and calling him all sorts of names when he didn't do anything was just plain evil. Now, ya'll've got him avoiding ya like ya'll was the plague.)

Kitsune looks down at the hand that slapped their new kanrinin. (So, what did ya'll expect him to do, smile and give ya a big hug and a kiss on the cheek and say "Good afternoon, Kitsune, how's it going?")

Kitsune whispers to herself "Ah wouldn't have minded that, Keitaro-san."

Naru turns her head, hearing the older girl mutter. "What was that, Kitsune?" Without another thought, she turns back to watch the young girl attempting to revive what can only be referred to as 'lunch' if you rang the Goddess Relief Agency and wished for it to be called that.

Kitsune stands there for a few minutes as she contemplates her actions. Knowing what she has to do, she slowly walks out and heads upstairs to the kanrinin's office.

Keitaro, finding that Haruka had brought up the suitcases that were dropped off earlier, breathes a sigh of thanks. Stripping out of his wet clothes, he rummages through his stuff and pulls out an old work shirt and jeans, socks, and pair of soft slippers. As he is getting dressed, there is a knock at his door panel. "Uh, just a second, I'll be right there." He says, tucking his shirt in and placing his wet clothes in a basket to take down to the laundry.

Sliding open his door, he is a bit startled to see Kitsune standing there, her hands clasped in front of her. "Uh, oh, it's you, Konno-san." he asks, backing away slightly from the door. Kitsune's face droops as she sees his reaction.

Keitaro, his compassionate side again overriding his instinct for self-preservation, reaches a hand out a little, then pulls it back. "Is there something wrong, Konno-san? Can I help you?"

Kitsune smiles, a forced, weak effort, but a smile. "Ah, well, Ah just wanted to say, uh, that . . . ." she drops her gaze to the floor and bows. "Ah'm sorry, Keitaro-san. Sorry that Ah slapped ya'll and called ya such vile names earlier. Ah was wrong. We, uh, well, all of us, came to the wrong conclusion about ya'll and Nora yesterday and today." She says, her eyes looking at the floor between them.

Keitaro, not understanding, steps back and motions for Kitsune to come in. "Uh, could you run that past me again? Nora? But, I never mentioned her yesterday. Did I?" he asks, rubbing his neck.

Kitsune looks up, trying to meet his gaze. "Well, not, not really. Haruka 'told' us about Nora; how she and you live together and all that. But, she never said Nora was a cat."

Keitaro, still not getting it, stares at her with a confused look on his face. Kitsune notes it (Aw, that's so sweet! He's so naïve, he still doesn't know what Ah'm talking about.) Gently reaching out, Kitsune takes his right hand in her hands, but notices how he stiffens.

Maintaining her resolve, she says "Keitaro-san, we'all thought Nora was your live-in girlfriend, and when Shinobu-chan showed up, and asked for you by name, we thought she was Nora, and, well, . . ." she sighs and takes a deep breath "Ah guess you might say we were a bit surprised, and maybe a little freaked out thinking ya'll was shacking up with a middle school student." Opening her eyes wide, she looks at him. "Keitaro-san, can ya'll forgive me for treating ya like that?" she asks, hope warring with rejection in her eyes.

After staring at the Fox for what seems like forever, a light bulb, dim, about 10 watts, and in serious need of replacement, goes off in Keitaro's head. "Oh!" He is silent for a second, and then starts chuckling slightly, his mirth threatening to burst out.

Kitsune looks at him like he is about to lose his mind. "Are, are ya'll okay, Keitaro-san?"

Keitaro gathers control of himself. "Haruka loves playing games. When you think about it, it was pretty funny, in spite of everything, Konno-san." Looking her in the eye, he finishes "Don't worry about it, no harm done, and you were just acting to protect Nora, uh, Maehara-san, ha ha."

Kitsune stares at him again. She sputters "Are, are ya'll saying ya forgive me, Keitaro-san?"

Keitaro rubs the back of his neck and looks at his feet, "I-I already did, for all of you, after I fell in the hot springs. I didn't need to know that Haruka had fooled you all to figure somehow it must have been a misunderstanding. I'm just sorry Nora attacked all of you; I should have been able to hold her back." Now Keitaro bows to Kitsune. "I just hope all of you can forgive me, Konno-san."

Kitsune is surprised. "We attack ya'll, and ya'll are asking US for forgiveness?" Seconds tick by as she stares at the kanrinin. Regaining her composure, she continues "Hey, ya'll are all right, Keitaro-san. And please, like Ah said yesterday, ya'll can just call me Kitsune. Konno-san makes me sound like Ah'm my mother." She holds out her hand.

Keitaro smiles as he takes her hand, his grin reappearing and going all the way to his eyes. "I'm honored, Kitsune. And please, just call me K-Keitaro."

(He's kinda cute when he smiles, the poor schmuck. It'll be a nice change from having to look at the others all day.) "Ya know, Ah don't get out of here much. Ah don't go to school, and the others never bring guests over. Ah'm happy to have a new face to look at." She says, patting him on the shoulder.

Keitaro looks compassionately at Kitsune. "I, uh, I kinda realized that after I read the folders Haruka gave me. The papers said that, except for attending school and school-related functions, work-release programs, or when buying things for general upkeep, you all aren't allowed to leave the grounds unless escorted by the manager."

Keitaro frowns sadly. "I kind of figured that since you are the only one that doesn't go to school or have a job, that you're stuck here almost all the time. I hope there's something I can do to help you get out a bit, if you will let me. As nice as the old place is, I wouldn't want to be stuck here all the time. And, I want to do my best to be the manager for everybody."

Kitsune's jaw threatens to hit the floor for the umpteenth time that day. Without having to try and wheedle some sort of deal with the new manager, Keitaro offers her, free of strings, exactly what she would have bargained almost anything for.

A tear threatens to fall from her eye as her throat tightens up again. Being treated with genuine human compassion by an almost perfect stranger for the first time she can remember in a long time is a new experience for her.

Reaching out quickly, Kitsune squeezes him in a rib-popping hug. Between his gurgled reactions, she whispers "Thank ya'll for coming here to us, Keitaro."

Surprised, Keitaro stands rigidly in place, having no idea how to respond to the, well, abundantly endowed girl hanging around his chest. A slight trickle of blood dripping from his nose, he says, "Uh, y-you're w-welcome, K-K-Kitsune."

At that moment, Naru steps into the room, looking for her friend. Seeing the two together, she reacts without thinking. "Keitaro-san! What the hell are you doing to Kitsune, you pervert?" Naru launches herself into the room and lands a spinning round-house kick to Keitaro's head, dislodging him from Kitsune's grasp. Keitaro soars through the open panels at the window, flips over the rail, and falls flat on his back onto the ground below. He rubs his head as he sits up, and looks at the window he just came out of, wondering (1) what the heck is wrong with that Naru, (2) how soft Kitsune felt, (3) how come he didn't break anything, (4) how soft Kitsune felt, let alone (5) why isn't he dead after a two-story fall like that. Realizing just how far he fell, he flops back to the ground, his glasses lying crooked across his nose, a trickle of blood still oozing from his nostrils.

Standing at the window, the two girls watch as Keitaro goes through his five-count. Kitsune turns to Naru, a bemused look on her blushing face. "What were ya'll thinking, launching Keitaro out the window like that? There wasn't anything going on! Ah was just apologizing to him for what happened earlier."

Naru, still looking at the young man as he gets up, dusts himself off and walks back inside, registers what Kitsune says without moving. In a small voice, she whispers "I'm sorry." And then, remembering what had happened earlier she spins around, fearfully expecting Nora to leap on her again. Not seeing the fur-ball of Hades, she relaxes.

Kitsune sees the look her face and giggles. "Ah guess it's a good thing Nora wasn't here to see ya'll do that to Keitaro . . again." Kitsune rubs her chin. " . . hmmm, Ah wonder just how much Ah can get away with on Keitaro before Ah trigger Nora's defensive reflex?" she says, winking slyly at Naru. "Ah mean, he is kinda cute, and Ah don't get outta here much."

"Eeww! Get your mind out of the gutter, Kitsune! Why would anyone want to do anything with that baka? He's perverted, idiotic, and he's only here because he's Granny's relative." Naru sputters.

Kitsune laughs, "Don't get yer knickers in a twist. Ah was just thinking out loud. Ya'll know me."

"Well, then," Naru continues, "I only came up her to let the two of you know that Shinobu-chan is insisting that she finish preparing lunch to make up for the misunderstanding her showing up caused. Motoko said she is going to stay in the kitchen in case she needs help getting anything else. Shinobu-chan says everything should be ready in about half an hour." Looking back at the window, she continues "I think we'd better get out of that baka's room before he gets back."

Naru heads for the door, reaching out to slide it open just as Keitaro opens the door. Their hands touch, and for a moment, Naru feels a shock go through her. Keitaro, seeing the violent girl in front of him again, freezes like a deer in headlights.

Naru jerks her hand back and stares at Keitaro. The young man backs up a step and moves out of her way, while avoiding eye contact. Naru, unsure whether to apologize or not, avoids his face as well as she says, "Lunch'll be ready in half an hour. Don't make us wait for you!" Grabbing Kitsune's hand, she drags to older girl out, and their footsteps fade away as she stomps down the stairs.

Rubbing his neck, Keitaro mutters "If the last two days are any indication, then there's no way I'd ever want to keep any of those girls waiting for anything if I want to survive! And I thought I was going to be the one in charge around here." Changing his shirt again, he looks at the window and shudders. "I definitely don't want to go through this every day!" Rather than tempt fate, Keitaro sets his clock to ring in twenty five minutes, and starts unpacking his things. Looking around, he wonders (Where's Nora at? I hope Su-chan was able to avoid her until she calms down.)