Love Hina Fan Fiction ❯ Great White Hunter: Keitaro ❯ GWH:K Ripples ( Chapter 6 )

GWH: K Chapter 6

Ripples

 

 

Keitaro limped along, using his cane as he climbed the steps back to the Hinata Sou. He was still mulling her reaction to his declaration and trying to figure out where he went wrong. There were assumptions made on both sides that resulted in this confounding problem. Would she be back at her room? Was she already packed up and gone? He didn't want to lose her from his life. But then there was Motoko. He loved her and she was his lover now. How would she feel if he pursued his Promised Girl after taking her virtue… well it was taken so much as given but how would she feel about it if he left chasing another woman? Keitaro considered all he'd learned about women over the last four years.

 

“I'd better tell her what happened and ask for her help,” he admitted, breathing hard as he crested the steps. And what of Naru? She would want to help, but how would she feel once she knew Kitsune was his promised girl? And wouldn't she ask why she ran away, thus exposing his affair with Motoko? That would turn ugly fast. Again, he needed to talk to Motoko about this first. This concerned more than his own feelings.

 

Arriving at her room he found her gone, as expected. Her closet was open. He checked his room, finding nothing. Too angry to write him a note, he suspected. Keitaro felt a doubt enter him. She'd probably left a note for Naru. There was a tiny temptation to take it, but his better nature vetoed it. Attempts to lie in Hinata Sou always ended in disaster. He was better off admitting what had happened when the time came. He really needed to talk to Motoko. She was better at this sort of thing, probably one reason she was going into Pre-Law. He'd have to wait for her to return from class that afternoon. Today was her morning lectures, if he remembered correctly. It would be two more hours before she returned home. His leg ached. May as well soak a while and think a bit more. Keitaro drank some water and headed to the onsen. A quick scrub to remove his sweat and a soothing soak in the hot water really helped clear his head. The stress of the day wrecked him so he allowed himself to close his eyes a few minutes.

 

“Hiya Keitaro! How long have you been in there?” asked Kaolla Su. He looked for the clock under one of the overhangs and found he'd been there almost 2 hours.

 

“A bit too long. Are any of the others home yet?” he asked, rising from the water and wading to the edge. He noticed her watching him a little too carefully.

 

“Don't you want to hang out with me, Keitaro?” she asked.

 

“I do, but right now there's a bit of an emergency,” he admitted.

 

“Did you hurt Naru's feelings again?” she asked, grinning widely. The grin failed when he shook his head no.

 

“No, something worse. I hurt Kitsune's feelings and she's run away, I'm not sure how far. I hope its just to get a little drunk but I'm worried she's run a lot farther.” Su looked thoughtful and somewhat disappointed.

 

“You told her didn't you?” she asked, dropping the façade of innocence she hid behind most of the time.

 

“Told her what?” he asked very carefully.

 

“I know she saw you with Motoko this morning,” she said very quietly. I was in the hot springs when she came in looking very distressed.

 

“What do you mean? It was you down here? How did you know it was us?” he asked.

 

“I could hear you. Its only 50 feet away, just on a rooftop. Did you like the towel and blanket?” she asked, grinning sagely.

 

“Yes… thank you. How can you be so blasé about this?” he asked the blonde princess.

 

“I told you a woman my age is normally married for several years by this point. I understand the facts of love,” she stated.

 

“Great. So you and Kitsune both know about Motoko and I,” he stated, repeating it to be sure.

 

“And Mutsumi. She looked a little disappointed but I think she's still holding out hope,” added Su. Keitaro gulped.

 

“She saw us too?”

 

“Well you WERE kind of loud. I think Shinobu is the most upset of all of us. She wanted to be your first, after all.”

 

“But…but…but…Shinobu is…,” he sputtered.

 

“A young woman who's been in love with you since she first saw you four years ago, yes,” summarized Su. Keitaro looked aghast. Su smirked.

 

“What? Just because you don't return her feelings doesn't mean she doesn't have the right to have them herself. Try to think about what she wants,” suggested Kaolla, looking strangely adult as she talked this way.

 

“I try not to. It keeps me out of prison,” he muttered. She grinned again, wiggling her eyebrows at his unconscious examination of her almost nude form.

 

“Like what you see?” she teased. Keitaro's nose suddenly erupted in a fountain of blood.

 

“Ah, now that's the Keitaro I know,” cheered Su. “Now that's my favorite pervert.” A rumbling could be heard. “Speaking of which, I have a sense you should be ducking right about...NOW!" and she backflipped away from the entrance, leaving Keitaro to sense the deep red aura from a furious Naru.

 

“KEITARO!!” she shouted, cocking back her arm for an infamous Naru Punch. His life flashed before his eyes. He wasn't immortal again, yet. He recognized this feeling from before. Everything slowed down as another figure blurred from behind her, inserting a brown strip of wood along her moving forearm, firmly pressing it. As her fist moved, it found itself misdirected, energy failing to connect with Keitaro's face and she ended up into a high speed spin that landed her in the onsen. Time returned to normal, Motoko standing before him, concern showing on her face. She turned to regard Naru, rising from the water like a kappa.

 

“Remember your promise, Naru. No hitting Keitaro,” scolded Motoko. Naru turned an angry eye on him.

 

“What did you say to Kitsune, Keitaro?” accused Naru.

 

“Dry off and come to the dinner table. Everybody deserves to know. And I need your help,” he sighed. Motoko looked disturbed. He clasped her hand. Naru looked hurt at the gesture.

 

“Aww! I haven't even bathed yet,” sighed Suu from the background.

 

He quickly washed himself off and went to his room to dress. His leg throbbed. He hoped he hadn't hurt it. Motoko came with him.

 

“What are you going to tell them?” she asked, nervous.

 

“The truth,” he stated simply. “If I've learned anything from living here, it is pointless to lie.”

 

“How will Naru react?” she asked, wringing her hands around the bokken.

 

“I don't think that's as important as finding Kitsune. In her state of mind she might hurt herself,” he admitted his fear.

 

“What did you say?” she asked. He stopped what he was doing and wrapped his arms around his lover gently.

 

“I love you Motoko. She saw us together. But there's something else. I found out she's my promise girl,” he explained. Motoko looked shocked, then fear seized her and she struggled to get away. “STOP!” he finally yelled as her struggles increased to the limit of his strength. “I love you, Motoko. Don't leave me. She's our friend. Help me save her.” She shook in his arms, sobbing.

 

“Don't reject me Keitaro. I couldn't stand that,” she chattered, spasming in his arms.

 

“I won't leave you, Motoko,” he said. “I promise.”

 

She looked into his eyes at that. “You mean it?” she asked, knowing it was unnecessary. She could feel its truth. A thought wormed in.

 

“She knew this too. You're too honorable to play us. That's why she left. We have to find her. Keitaro, you can let me go now,” she stated, back under control and eyes in the distance, thinking. He released her finally, feeling aches in his wounded shoulder.

 

“You're really not fit for travel. How long ago did she run off?” she asked.

 

“Uh, around 10:30 AM. I think she left the Hinata an hour after that,” he estimated.

 

“That's unfortunate. She could be in Hokkaido or Kyoto by now, if she took the train.”

 

“Or the corner bar to drink her sorrows,” suggested Naru from the doorway, looking pissed but under control. “Maybe I should join her? When were you planning to tell me?” she asked.

 

“Uh, in about five minutes with the others. Where are they?” asked Keitaro.

 

“Downstairs, waiting for your announcement,” said Naru.

 

“Naru, I'd discuss this with you, but our concern should be for Kitsune right now,” stated Motoko.

 

“Oh sure, right. Steal my boyfriend, chase away my best friend, leave me all alone. Maybe I SHOULD get drunk. Did she take her sake collection with her?” asked Naru, with a dangerously self destructive gleam in her eye.

 

“Sure, drinking till she vomited helped Kitsune solve her problems. It should work just as well for you,” snarled Keitaro sarcastically, fed up with her selfishness. “She's missing and upset and you just want to make this about you. Life isn't all about you, Naru. There are other people living in this household and they're all my responsibility, as their manager and as their friend. And for your information, I love Mitsune. She's my promise girl from when we were children. However, I'm with Motoko now so that's why she ran away. She didn't even give me a chance to explain that I value her friendship and enjoy her cheerful company. That may be less than she wants from me, but it's more than you've given me in the last 4 years. More than anything, Kitsune needs us as her friends, to save her from the loneliness she hides from in a bottle of sake. You of all people should know that,” Keitaro ranted. Naru stared. Motoko stared.

 

“Sorry. I still have a lot of unresolved anger towards your abuse of me. I don't hate you. I want you to help us bring her back. Help us protect our family, Naru,” he pleaded quietly. That worked. She nodded, heading downstairs to start shouting orders to the girls. When Keitaro managed to hobble down the stairs (so many stairs in this place, he thought), he found Su fiddling with a scanner gizmo like the one she'd used to find him months before.

 

“Yes, I put a tracker on Kitsune. Don't ask me where. You don't want to know,” she said quietly in her adult voice. Motoko looked a little shocked, seeing her own tag on the small computer, along with all the other residents. Su stepped out the image, showing larger areas.

 

“How does it work?” asked Keitaro, somewhat afraid of the answer.

 

“They're like RFID chips, only they can communicate with a burst transmission on multiple frequencies, and they're capable of working with internet protocol. I got the idea when Kitsune left her purse at a bar and the thief took it on the Kanzaki line. The best part is it needs no batteries and only responds to the correct code so you won't be bothered by strange people following you around,” she finished. Motoko looked queasy.

 

“So, have you found her yet,” asked Naru, returning to Su's side. Su changed back to her singsong voice for Naru's benefit.

 

“Nope-ies. But she might be in a basement or subway tunnel. I'll keep watching it,” she said, cheerfully watching the screen.

 

“Good, let us know if anything changes,” said Naru. Keitaro and Motoko observed her businesslike approach. Shinobu was making sandwiches. Mutsumi was calling various bars to see if Kitsune was there. And since they'd had good luck in the past, the TV set was on, in case she showed up there. Ironically, that's where they found her, standing drunk outside a bar that was on fire. It wasn't a very big fire, or a very big bar, but it was a slow news day with stories about kittens and sea lions.

 

“Thank you, we found her,” finished Mutsumi, hanging up the phone and observing their friend. She wandered off the screen.

 

“Su, you're with me, the rest of you stay here,” ordered Naru. Keitaro moved to follow.

 

“Stay here, Keitaro. You're the reason she ran off. Let me talk to her first. See if I can get her to come home. Though I wouldn't blame her if she refused,” said Naru darkly, staring daggers at Motoko. For her part, Motoko held her ground. She stormed off, Su in chase with her scanner cradled in her arms.

 

“Well,” said Keitaro after a long pause. “That could have gone better. I hurt. I'm going to the hot spring. Anybody else?” he asked. The others nodded. Mutsumi carried a portable phone with her, in case anyone called. They filed out, one after another, washing, rinsing and soaking in the hot water. He felt his muscles relax once more. Motoko sat near him.

 

“Aren't you going to say anything, Sempai?” asked Shinobu somewhat crossly.

 

“Today has been complicated,” he admitted. She didn't look satisfied so turned her attention to Motoko.

 

“Well?” she asked, not too kindly.

 

“How can you ask me that when you read all my books. You know how I feel about him,” answered Motoko. “Today I was given the chance to fulfill my love. I don't regret it.”

 

“And what about my chance?” asked Shinobu.

 

“We're together now. End of conversation,” stated Keitaro. Motoko looked like she wanted to say something.

 

“No, it isn't the end of conversation,” insisted Shinobu. “We made a promise to each other.”

 

“Promise? What promise?” asked Keitaro suspiciously.

 

“A sisterhood promise,” answered Mutsumi. “And it concerns… you.” The hackles on the back of his neck stood up then and Keitaro found himself staring down three hungry sets of eyes, only one of which had been satisfied. The towels dropped, his nose sprayed blood and passerby outside the inn could swear they heard male screams for the next hour, distantly echoing.

 

END PART 6