Love Hina Fan Fiction ❯ Great White Hunter: Keitaro ❯ GWH:K Fox Girl ( Chapter 9 )

GWH:K Chapter 9

Fox Girl

 

 

“Kitsune? Can I come in?” asked Keitaro. He waited, hearing a mumble before she slid the door open. Her room was lined with sake bottles of various vintage and smelled of her perfume and something else, which his recent experience told him was her own musk. Kitsune herself smiled warmly, if a little drunk.

 

“Why, Keitaro, is that for me?” she said cheefully. He held a large tray of tidbits he and Shinobu had prepared, and two bottles of good vintage sake which were a costly, but in this case worthy, expense.

 

“Yes, Mitsune, these are for you. May I join you?” he asked, pointing his chin at her room. She grinned widely and helped him in, leaving the door open. Keitaro noted the fact but carefully placed everything on her little table, littered with several empty bottles and saucers of sake cups waiting for another batch. She grabbed one of the bottles and oohed at the label.

 

“Wow, you went all out. Are you tryin to seduce me?” she teased, swinging her hip at him jiggling her cleavage suggestively, chuckling with mirth. Her eyes remained hidden but Keitaro considered they'd tell a different story than her lips. How to get that story out?

 

“Maybe,” he teased back, making a grab for her ass and wrapping his arms loosely around her. She pushed him away.

 

“Ahm not that easy, Keitaro,” she joked.

 

“I know Kitsune. Let's drink and talk. To health!” he said, pouring her a glass. She poured him one back.

 

“Kampai!” they said in unison. It was good, smooth, complex sake. The good stuff was. At 5000 yen, it should be. They poured another round and nibbled on the tray of food.

 

“How's your leg?” asked Kitsune, almost offhand.

 

“Better. I'm healing up pretty well,” he admitted.

 

“And how's Mutsumi?” she asked.

 

“Don't you know?” he teased. She froze, then blushed a glowing pink.

 

“You saw?” she asked.

 

“I heard you too. She's very generous. But then, so are you,” he said, watching her.

 

“Yeah… what do you mean?” she said, mind catching up to what he just implied. She looked a lot less drunk than she'd seemed a moment before. Keitaro remedied that with another pour of sake before answering.

 

“You've given up a lot for others happiness, Mitsune,” said Keitaro. She poured him one.

 

“Kampai!” And they drank together.

 

“It was all for a good cause. Besides…” and she lapsed into silence. Cicadas sang outside in the summer heat. It was strangely comforting to hear them.

 

“Things are different now, Kitsune,” reminded Keitaro.

 

“Are they? Just a different face occupies your thoughts, and a different woman in your bed,” she muttered blackly, thoughts dark. Keitaro touched her hand.

 

“Hey, I'm here with you, remember?” he reminded. She started at the touch, eyes flickered open a touch as she examined him, letting him in just a little.

 

“Who am I to you, Keitaro?” she pleaded. “I trick you, steal from you, and I've broken my promise from years ago.” Tears appeared and trembled before sliding down her cheeks unnoticed. Keitaro felt a surge of pain in her heart, seeing his Promise Girl cry. This was his fault. He felt a lot of guilt, and wondered if he had known, would things have come to this. Well, he was going to remedy it if he could.

 

“You're my Promise Girl, Kitsune,” he finally said. “And I love you.”

 

“Who do you love? A dream? A forgotten memory? I'm a person, not some childhood fantasy,” she snarled, another layer coming off. She removed her shirt, exposing her bra covered breasts to view.

 

“See? I'm a woman, not a fantasy,” she hefted her breasts at him. “Are you going to take advantage of me too?” she demanded, angry, the sake forgotten. She was beautiful, he realized.

 

“I don't want to hurt you anymore, Mitsune,” he said sadly. “I want to know the real you. The one you don't show the others. Does even Naru know the real you?” he asked. Kitsune's sharp laugh answered that question without further comment.

 

“At least you admit to hurting me,” she said, softening, hands falling away from her full breasts. It was a beautiful lacy bra and Keitaro admired how it showed her charms to full effect. “Though you can't seem to stop staring.”

 

His eyes shot up to meet hers. “Gomen, Kitsune-san,” he said, and bowed formally. She laughed.

 

“Ah well, at least you're honest about looking. If you want to know the real me, it will take a while. Nobody knows the real me. Sometimes I don't think I do either.”

 

“Does it hurt you to see me with the others?” he asked.

 

“Of course. I'm just as jealous as any woman, only I've known you longer than the others,” she said. He didn't know what to say to that. She poured him some sake, and he poured her one.

 

“Kampai!” and they drank.

 

“You never did say why you stayed away from college,” he finally said, smacking his lips. He was feeling a light buzz from the sake, but the food helped keep it under control.

 

“I didn't see the point. If I got in, I'd have to see Seta every day, and that hurt too much. Also, there was Naru to think about. She's always been emotionally fragile,” she said. Keitaro nodded in agreement at that, jaw clenching.

 

“Until I met you, I didn't even really remember our promise from when we were children. Since Haruka didn't tell you, I figured she never would. Haruka had a crush on my brother, though it went nowhere. She was 12, he was 20, it was doomed from the start. The lummox wasn't gentle about how he turned her down either, which is part of the reason she's always been so cold and bitter.”

 

“Withdrawn,” corrected Keitaro, thinking. “And there's Seta as well.”

 

“I know a bit more about that, actually. It seems Seta was involved with another woman also, Sara's mom. She was Haruka's best friend. It was in America that things got complicated. I don't know all the details, but Sara ended up with Seta looking after her, and Haruka with a broken heart,” said Kitsune, remembering.

 

“Seta and I have a lot in common, don't we?” said Keitaro, musing over his professor and mentor in archaeology. “He's going to be back soon. Probably tomorrow or the next day.”

 

“I suppose you could say that. Before Kenya you did. Now you're paying more attention, which is not Seta's strong suit. I like that you're paying attention, Keitaro. I'd given up hope you'd ever come out of your shell and be a man. Does it take killing a lion to be a man, Keitaro?” she asked, voice husky, as she crawled toward him, boobs hanging like ripe jiggling fruit. Keitaro felt his mouth water and LK harden before he reminded himself he wasn't to seduce her today. Kaolla Su was a smart girl and he'd not ignore her advice now that he knew just how smart she was.

 

“Maybe not kill one, but nearly getting eaten by one sure gives one perspective,” he said. She came closer. He could feel her heat, smell her sweat and the sake they'd drunk. She looked like she wanted to kiss him. He reached out and pulled her too him, putting his head alongside hers, just holding her.

 

“I want to spend more time with you, Mitsune. I can see being around the others makes it hard for you. You don't have a job right now. I think I can get the department to hire you as a photographer on our next trip. Would you like to come along?” he asked carefully. She stiffened and slid out of his grasp to eye him speculatively.

 

“Does it pay well?” she asked, a smirk on her lips.

 

“No,” he shook his head. “And its dirty smelly work. There's flies and snakes and lions and tigers and bears, oh my. And the worst part is Seta's driving,” he shuddered, then grinned.

 

“Don't get my hopes up for nothing, Keitaro,” she teased. “Show me a proper contract offer and I'll consider it,” she said. “So, shall we drink?” Keitaro nodded. That was fair. They poured each other tiny glasses of sake and drank until dinner, snuggling comfortably, content to merely hold each other rather than take it further.

 

Some time later Shinobu found them in each other's arms, still clothed, laughing and stinking of sake. Her delicate nose turned up at the smell but she smiled in spite of her mild jealousy in seeing him with another woman. Kitsune was so sad this was the first real smile she'd seen on the older woman in some time.

 

“Where's Keitaro and Kitsune?” asked Motoko at the dinner table.

 

“They're together, getting drunk,” said Shinobu. Kaolla's eyes sparkled.

 

“Ara ara!” giggled Mutsumi. “Do they want some company or do they need privacy?” she teased. Motoko flushed.

 

“That is hard to say,” said Shinobu carefully not answering the question. She smiled as one by one they snuck up the stairs and returned a few minutes later, looking confused and slightly disappointed.

 

“Shinobu!” barked an exasperated Motoko. “Don't tease me like that. They're fully clothed.”

 

“Not fully clothed,” reminded Shinobu. Motoko blushed, thinking of her latest romance novel.

 

“What if he falls for her?” asked Mutsumi gently. There was silence around the table.