Love Hina Fan Fiction ❯ Picking Up the Pieces ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina. Ken Akamatsu and his affiliates do. This is a piece made purely for the love and enjoyment of the series.

 

Note: This story takes place after Keitaro is accepted to Tokyo University but before Kanako arrives in both anime and manga.

 

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The storm clouds had settled in over the Kanagawa prefecture with ease. It had started to rain early that morning and had yet to let up in any way. A lone figure stood out in this dreary weather, looking down at a puddle of water at his feet. Soaked to the bone and starting to develop a cold, he stared down at the broken mirror of his appearance. A sad smile on his face as he watched his tears mingle with the rainwater, “It's almost funny the things I go through.”

 

Keitaro stood there, musing sadly at the turn his life had taken in only a few short years. Only a year or so ago, he was well on his way to becoming a life long Ronin and never achieving his promise to his destined girl. Now he knew for certain whom she was and was enrolled in Tokyo University. To add a boost to any normal male his age, he also managed an all girls dormitory. However, he above all things was not normal. Putting aside his ungodly ability to sustain lethal damage with little more than a scratch, he would rather not have the responsibilities he had now.

 

 

He loved the girls at Hinata, some like sisters and friends, and one in particular with all his heart. He broke his back and worked his fingers to the bone just for them in everything he did just to see them happy. And to an extent they were. To most of them, it seemed everything he did though was just a fraction not enough. Try as he might, he just could not get through to some of them. And for all his hard work and long hours of studying, he always fell short.

 

He was tired. He was just so tired of everything around him being in some way against him from the start, no matter what he did to try to stay ahead of the game. Things were not helped by the news he had received just yesterday. His entire world had come in some measure crashing down around him as he had gotten that one cursed phone call. If anything could be done to change getting that call, he would have done so in a heartbeat. Yet he knew better. Wishing for something like that would not make anything change or better off. He knew, no felt, that he would be miserable and at this standstill at some point. It probably would not have been right now, but eventually the moment would have come.

 

 

He was at the point of wondering if it all really mattered in the end. He had put his heart and soul into everything he did for them, and his most common form of repayment was a one way flight over the prefecture. No preamble or just cause. Just a base assumption that he was by his very nature was perverse. Even this was something that he could handle for a time, but now standing in the rain courtesy of another of Naru's famous punch's, he honestly did not know where he stood or belonged in the world. He felt the urge to return as soon as he could to the inn, but he also felt the same strength of urge pushing him to turn the other direction and never return. So he stood, hesitant to return but unwilling to leave completely, in the rain and catching a cold. And there he had stood for nearly the entire afternoon, not caring how much time had passed by or even wondering what time it was.

 

“Keitaro?”

 

 

The question was just barely audible of the din of the rain for him to hear. He lazily turned his head to look at where the voice had sounded from to find he was staring at a pair of his residents. Shinobu and Mitsune stood there, their arms laden with groceries and goods that the inn needed to keep running day to day. Though Mitsune, or rather Kitsune, wore a slightly worried look on her face, Keitaro noticed that for a split second her eyes were opened to look at him. Shinobu looked at him with worry evident in her eyes and face, “Sempai? Are you alright?”

 

 

Keitaro bowed his head again to look at the puddle at his feet, not even bothering to hide the apathetic look on his face, “It doesn't matter if I'm fine, Shinobu. I guess it never did.”

 

Shinobu's worry grew deeper as she and Kitsune approached their manager, “Sempai?”

 

The lack of emotion in his voice spoke volumes to Kitsune, “Yeah, Keitaro. Are you sure you're alright?”

 

Shinobu reached out to grab his hand, shocked to find his hand was as cold as ice. She squealed in shock, “Sempai?! You're hands are as cold as ice? How long have you been out here?”

 

Even Kitsune was hard pressed to see the subtle shrug in his shoulders, “Not sure anymore.”

 

 

Kitsune took a good long look at their manager and was not happy by what she was seeing. His clothes were soaked through and his hands were cold, and if she missed her guess, he had been crying for almost an hour or so by the redness of his eyes. Immediately, she grabbed him by the arm and began to lead him, “Come on. Let's get you somewhere warm and get some food in you.”

 

 

Almost as soon as she had grabbed hold of him, she had to drop the sacks of groceries to catch him as he collapsed. Shinobu cried out as she watched him sag into Kitsune's arms, just barely able to hold up the young man. Looking around quickly, Kitsune pointed over to an awning not too far away and began to slowly drag the young man over to it. She looked at the manager and cringed at his appearance, “Shinobu, go inside and call Haruka and let her know that we need help. Tell her it's urgent.”

 

 

She got a quick response as the younger girl disappeared into the building they were in front of. Her eyes never left Keitaro as she tried to soothe him as best she could, “Come on, Keitaro. Say something.”

 

She sat there with him leaned up against her, trying to make sense of what had caused him to wind up like this. Soon, Shinobu arrived and told her that Haruka would be there shortly, but even that did little to belay the concern in Kitsune. In her mind, she kept replaying the image of Keitaro's blank stare and tear stricken eyes.

 

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The first thing he consciously became aware of was the smell of smoke and sake and the sounds of breathing from nearby. Opening his eyes slowly, he found himself in a room other than his own at the Inn. Gently and without a sound he sat up, letting some of the covers fall off of him. He slowly took in the room around him. What surprised him was to see Kitsune sitting there not to far from him, propped up against the wall. He looked at her quizzically for an unknown amount of time.

 

“You feelin' better now?”

 

Keitaro looked over to see Haruka standing in the door. Her usual cigarette nowhere to be see and a small worried look was etched on her face as she looked at him. Keitaro slowly looked away towards the ground. He was hesitant to talk to anyone right now, let alone to someone who was also a tenant in the room. He shook his head slowly, “I think so.”

 

Haruka watched her nephew, looking for anything that was not normally there. She noticed the sag in his shoulders and the look of emptiness in his eyes. A look of defeat, she thought sadly. She knew he would talk when he was ready to and not before. She stood slowly and looked at him again, “Alright, well you know where to find me if you want to talk. I'll make you some tea.”

 

Turning away from him, she pulled a cigarette out to light, “By the way, Mitsune wouldn't leave your side last night.”

 

Cautiously, Keitaro looked up at his Aunt's back, “She didn't?”

 

She shook her head as she inhaled deeply, “Nope. Said something about being worried about that `empty' look you gave her before you collapsed.”

 

He turned his gaze over to the young woman next to him, taking in more than just the form he knew. She had a troubled look on her face, compounded by the slight redness around her eyes. It honestly looked like she had cried herself to sleep. Keitaro sat there silently watching her sleep, not knowing what to think.

 

His aunt broke into the silence gently, “I'll be back with that tea.”

 

If he acknowledged her, she didn't hear. Keitaro listened as her footsteps disappeared into another part of the house as he looked at the sleeping fox. He sat there and watched her sleep, all the while feeling sadness and regret over having made one of his tenants cry because of something he did. He tore his eyes away from her as he looked back down at the floor. He closed his eyes, “I've hurt one of them again. Why do I always hurt those around me?”

 

A soft sigh to his left brought his eyes up in time to see the most beautiful pair of blue eyes he had ever seen looking at him. Just as quickly as he'd made eye contact, he broke away from it. Stretching, Kitsune looked over at him, “Morning, Keitaro. How ya feeling?”

 

When he did not immediately respond, Kitsune crawled closer towards him, “Hey, you okay? Come on and talk to me. I don't bite.” She then got the mischievous gleam in her eyes that he was used to seeing, “Unless you want me too?”

 

Keitaro sighed heavily, “Kitsune. Please. Don't. Not today.”

 

She settled back on her heels, a little shocked that his voice was just as emotionless as it had been the night before. This was unknown territory for her. Sure, in the past she had helped cheer him up, but never had she ever seen him this bad. And frankly, it was starting to scare her. She gently placed a hand on his arm, “Hon, are you okay? I've never heard you sound like this before. What's eating you?”

 

He looked up briefly to look around the room again, “Is Shinobu here?”

 

Kitsune shook her head, “No she went back up to the Inn last night. Figured she didn't need to stay to help you out. That me and Haruka would be enough for ya.”

 

He nodded slowly, almost dejectedly. When he looked at her, she recoiled slightly at the emptiness staring back at her from his eyes. At the corner of his eyes she saw what looked like the start of tears forming, “Does it matter? Does everything I've been through matter anymore?”

 

Kitsune was shocked. Normally he was a very upbeat and happy person. If she was not sure something was wrong, she was certain now. Something had happened in between breakfast yesterday morning and finding him in the streets like she did. Speechless, she sat there and looked at him, “Keitaro, did something happen to you yesterday?”

 

His eyes became pools of pain and sadness as she watched him. She saw the internal war raging in his eyes, and knew that something had most certainly occurred. He shuddered, the memory like a knife in his heart, “Naru…she…”

 

Understanding that much was not hard for her. Naru had done something to upset him horribly, but Kitsune did not get the chance to make more sense out of him as she was suddenly knocked down and held by the now sobbing man that was her manager, “This is definitely territory I've never been in with him.”

 

She slowly and calmly eased her arms around him and began to try her best to comfort him. She listened as he rambled, “I never wanted things to go like this. Everything was supposed to be happy after I got into Tokyo U. This wasn't supposed to happen.”

 

Kitsune looked down at his mop of brown hair, “What wasn't supposed to happen?”

 

He sobbed in her arms, “The University called me yesterday. They said…and then Naru…”

 

She held him as he collapsed into another uncontrolled surge of tears. Although she was trying her best to understand him, she was slowly beginning to see the picture somewhat. She gingerly tipped his head to look at her, “What did they say Keitaro?”

 

The pain in his eyes was almost unbearable to see, but she had to endure. Keitaro wiped away some of his tears, “They said that since I had been unable to attend classes for the first term, that they were withdrawing my place at the University. Regardless of if there was extenuating circumstances.”

 

Kitsune was by far as shocked about that as he was. At the moment she didn't care if they could legally do that or not, but it didn't matter. Right now, calming Keitaro was what was needed. She shushed him quietly and asked him to continue. He nodded shakily, “Then Naru found out. I don't know how, but she knew right after the call. She told me that she knew there was no way I could get into Tokyo U, even with her help the odds were astronomical.”

 

He buried his face into her shoulder again, “She said that an idiot and pervert like me would never get in no matter how hard I tried. Then I don't know what caused me to say it, but I told her to shut up. Then she…”

 

Kitsune finished his statement, “She told you to take it back and you wouldn't.”

 

He sobbed heavily as he nodded against her shoulder, “Then she said that now there was no more reason to believe in my promise girl and to stop following her around like a lost puppy. Then I told her that the reason I did was because…”

 

Somewhere in her hardened heart, Kitsune felt a heart string break for him. The rest of the situation was as clear to her as a fog light in the dead of a moonless night. He gave her his heart and she tore it into small pieces. Then when he tried to get her to listen to him, he had probably grabbed her shoulder which in the end wound him up outside in the rain right where she and Shinobu found him a few hours later. She hugged him tightly, hoping to ease some of his pain by taking it away, “Shh. Its okay, Hon. Just cry it out.”

 

So she sat there, not caring if she was drunk or sober at the moment, comforting her manager. At some point she was vaguely aware of Haruka in the door, but she did not say anything other than a silent thank you to her as she set down the two glasses of tea by the door. Eventually, his outburst and crying finally died down until he was fast asleep in her arms. With great care, she moved him back to the futon and covered him back up again, silently thanking Haruka for the foresight to have a set of sleeping clothes for him here just in case.

 

She silently crept from the room, grabbing a cup of tea on her way out and began to head to the kitchen of the teashop. When she walked in she saw Haruka standing staring blankly at a wall as she waited for a kettle of water to boil. Kitsune cleared her throat to alert Haruka to her presence. Haruka turned around to look at her, a pained expression on her face. Kitsune sighed deeply, “I suppose ya heard all that?”

 

A slight nod of her head gave Kitsune her answer. Propping herself up against a counter, she sipped absentmindedly at her tea, “I thought for sure once he got in his life would take an upswing. Guess my betting is still as stellar as ever, huh?”

 

Haruka turned towards her fully, “I guess so.”

 

The light brown haired woman stared silently into her mug for a few moments, “I never thought his would happen to him, Haruka. That boy has to have something coming back `round to him. When karma finally pays him back, I hope I'm alive to see it.”

The older woman nodded, checking the teapot on the stove, “I'm just curious how Naru is going to handle the inevitable bombshell she's set to go off.”

 

Kitsune shook her head, “Honestly? I don't think she even thought about what would happen if Keitaro went off. I'm not even sure if she believes he's capable of it.”

 

Haruka shuddered lightly, “I hope and pray he never does go off. Kami help everyone who gets in his way then.”

 

The younger woman sat there silently staring into her cup. After a few moments of the awkward silence, she rose to her feet, “I suppose I should go talk to Naru.”

 

“No.”

 

The coldness of Haruka's statement froze the blood in Kitsune's body. As she looked over at the older woman, she cringed in sympathy for Naru. Haruka's body was shaking with barely contained anger at what had occurred to her nephew. When she finally spoke, Kitsune felt the temperature in the room drop a few degrees, “I'll talk to her.”

 

Cautiously, Kitsune backed up out of the room, “Just don't hurt her too bad.”

 

As she walked back down the hall to where Keitaro was, she almost didn't catch Haruka say, “I'll try not to.”

 

With that small conversation over, Kitsune returned to where she had left Keitaro to slumber in peace. She heard the light rustling and small moans of help as she came closer, and she had to fight back the urge to cry. This was just too much for her to deal with. As she entered the room, she silently crept over to where he lay asleep. Kitsune gently cradled his head in her lap as she soothed him, “Hush now, Keitaro. You got a friend here for ya. Rest.”

 

He visibly calmed and stopped thrashing. Kitsune again fought the urge to cry for the umpteenth time since the night before. This young man she now held in her hands had given them so much and treated them with such kindness. And in return she had watched the majority of the Hinata household punish him for things he didn't do or verbally abuse him. She felt a twinge of anger at her housemates.

 

“Who are you kidding, Mitsune? You're no more innocent than they are when it comes to dealing with him. Just how much have you swindled from him over the entire time he's been here?”

 

She felt a wave of disgust at herself. Too much is how much she'd taken from him. So much that she had very nearly put him into bankruptcy on a few occasions. If it hadn't have been for her scheming and conniving ways, he would have been much better off financially than he was right now. No, she was just as bad as Naru and Motoko, but on an emotional level that they weren't. There were times that she wondered if he even trusted her for anything.

 

“Why should he trust you? You've nearly swindled him out of every yen to his name!”

 

The tears were back at the corners of her eyes again, but this time she did not hold them back. She had hurt him in the past, terribly so in some cases. She had strung him along just as bad as Naru had by using her body to affect him. She was ashamed of herself.

 

So now she sat, holding Keitaro's head in her lap crying. She was utterly ashamed of her behavior towards this saint of a man that had given them everything and asked for nothing. Deep inside of her she knew that there really was no way to be forgiven for her own crimes against him.

 

“Well then you know what you have to do, don't you?”

 

She cried a little harder at the voice in her head. Of course she knew. She had to find a way to repay him for his kindness that he's shown them. How she wasn't sure, but she would find a way.

 

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It was nearly lunch time, and the residents of Hinata Inn were getting anxious to see their manager return. Shinobu would every once in a while look at the clock, no matter what she was doing. She knew where he was, but was told by Haruka to not tell anyone until Keitaro was better. She had never seen her sempai like that before. The look that he had in his eyes made her shudder at the memory. She was sure that that one glance he gave her would haunt her till her dying day. Other than Su and possibly even Sarah commenting on the noticeable absence of Keitaro, Shinobu had not heard anything out of either Motoko or Naru, though the former she had noticed her look towards the door in expectation.

 

“He's better off where he is right now. At least he's safe with Kitsune and Haruka watching him.” She thought to herself. The only way she'd found to distract herself and prevent her from leaving to check on him herself was the fact that she had busied herself with cooking anything and everything she could think of. From the morning meal to cookies and pastries in between then and lunch, she had remained occupied. It didn't help her worry though.

 

As everyone was just beginning to sit down to lunch, Naru scoffed, “Figures the baka wouldn't show up for lunch either. Wonder where he is? Probably doing something perverted probably.”

 

Shinobu had to bite her tongue hard to keep from lashing out, surprising even herself. Not once had she ever raised her voice to defend Keitaro, but for some reason she felt the urge to stand up on the table and scold Naru like a child with their hand caught in the cookie jar. Almost.

 

Motoko nodded her head in agreement, “Yes, where is our Kanrinin? I do not believe he returned last night or this morning. Did you see him Su?”

 

The foreign girl shook her head enthusiastically, “Nope. Not since yesterday.”

 

“Interesting,” Motoko mused, also noticing the lack of Kitsune, “I also wonder where our resident fox is hiding today?”

 

Naru shrugged, “Don't know. Probably passed out from all that drinking she does.”

 

At this moment, the all heard the tell tale sound of the front door opening and closing. They were about to go and see who had just come in, when Haruka showed up in the doorway to the dining room. Her calm demeanor was almost non existent as she looked at those gathered around the table, her eyes finally settling on Naru. She placed her hands on her hips, “Naru, I need to speak to you. Now.”

 

The young woman stood slightly, “We were just about to sit down and eat, Haruka. Can this wait until…”

 

“Maybe you didn't hear me, Naru,” Haruka continued, overriding Naru's objection, “I believe that wasn't an `at your leisure'. Now. Outside.”

 

Not sure what was going on, the brunette obliged. When the others stood to follow, Haruka shot them all a cold glare, “Just her. The rest of you can eat.”

 

Unsure of herself, Naru stepped outside onto the front porch and waited. She did not have to wait long as Haruka exited, slamming the front door behind him. Looking at Naru, she fixed her cruelest glare on her making the younger girl visibly tremble, “Haruka, what's going on?”

 

She almost didn't see the slap as Haruka struck her across the face, “How dare you do that to my nephew.”

 

Almost immediately, Naru spun to look at Haruka. Nursing her sore cheek, she looked at Haruka questioningly, “Haruka?”

 

“Don't `Haruka' me,” she spat coldly at Naru, “You know good and well what you did to Keitaro yesterday. Even for you that was cold and heartless.”

 

Naru felt the tears welling up in her eyes as she remembered yesterday, “But, all of it was the truth. I…”

 

Her face jerked around as another slap found home on the other side of her face. By now Haruka was getting furious, “Truth be damned, Naru! You and I both know how hard he's worked to get to this point! Everything in his life has been to get to that one moment in life where he had achieved his dreams of getting into Tokyo U and finding his promise girl! His whole life he's chased this dream at the expense of everything else! He even put his heart on the line when he thought you were his promise girl!”

 

The tears were now streaming down Naru's face, “But…”

 

“Shut up! Just…” Haruka started to get to the point of throttling the girl, but held herself back. She took a few breaths to calm herself, “Naru, you broke my nephew's heart. He wanted nothing more than have a little happiness for himself and you broke that. Tell me truthfully, did you ever truly care for him? Ever?”

 

The ashamed look on her face spoke volumes. She stammered incoherently, “Y-yes…I…I did at the start.”

 

“Let me guess,” Haruka continued, now a little more relaxed but still just as angry as before she walked up here, “You got to the point where you liked that no matter what you did to him, and he would always come back begging for forgiveness?”

 

For a moment, the leaves rustling was the only sound heard around them. Naru sobbed quietly, only barely nodding her head in answer. Haruka shook her head in disgust, “Guess what Naru? You would be hard pressed to get him to come back now. As it is, he is staying down in the teahouse right now. And to top it all off, because of your aggression issues, he was found standing in the rain and is now the sickest I've seen him since we were kids. I hope you're satisfied with yourself, Naru.”

 

And with that said, Haruka turned and headed back down the staircase to her teashop, leaving Naru to stand there wallowing in her shame and pain.

 

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Kitsune sat there, looking down at the young manager in the dark. She was utterly at a loss for how to go about helping him in anyway. A little while ago she had heard Haruka leave to go up to the Inn, and shuddered at what would happen to Naru when Haruka got her fangs into that girl. But that was the farthest thing from her mind.

 

She looked at the relaxed look on Keitaro's face as he slept, unsure of just where to go from here. While on the one hand, she knew for a fact that one good way to start atoning for the wrongs she's caused him was to do anything she could to help him. It would at least be a start.

 

“Kitsune?”

 

Startled from her musings, she noticed his dark eyes staring up at her quizzically. She flashed a small smile, doing her best to hide her own pain, “Morning, Sunshine. Sleep well?”

 

He shrugged lethargically, “I suppose.”

 

“By the way, I meant to ask you before you nodded off,” she started picking her words carefully so as not to upset him again. Biting her lip, she continued, “What exactly are you going to do now or think you're going to do?”

 

He sat up slightly with a little help from Kitsune, “I-I…I don't know. I haven't really thought about it yet.”

 

The smile faded slightly from her face, “Is there anything I could help you with?”

 

A wary look in his eyes appeared after she spoke, not to her surprise. It hurt to see that look, especially after she realized just how much she had hurt him in the past. He looked at her with apprehension, “Why?”

 

She lowered her eyes from his, “Just wanted to know if there was anything I could help with.”

 

Kitsune heard him sigh as he sat completely upright, “How much are you wanting, Kitsune?”

 

A sob coursed through her uncontrolled, nearly scaring Keitaro. She looked up at him with the evidence of her own pain showing on her face, “I know I've hurt you so much in the past, Keitaro. I never realized how much it hurt you. I'm sorry. I-I never meant to…”

 

She trailed off as her own shame overcame her. Keitaro sat there stunned as he watched possibly one of the strongest women he knew broke down into tears. Unknowing of what else to do, he gently reached out to her hesitantly, “Kitsune?”

 

“Don't call me that,” She sobbed. Hiding her face from him, she pulled her arms around her, “Don't call me that name. It's been nothing but pain for you. I don't want that name anymore.”

 

Taken aback by this, Keitaro sat there staring at her. When he did speak again, it was very gentle, “Mitsune?”

 

She barely heard him call her name, but heard it none the less. Mitsune slowly looked up to look at him, only to find him looking at her with that reassuring gaze that he had given her every time she had done something to him, “It's okay, Mitsune. I forgive you.”

 

Past the point of words, she flung herself into his arms. Keitaro managed to remain in a sitting position, but never the less was shocked by her attitude towards him. With all his experience with women, this was new to him. Not once, not even when Naru was at her worst, did a girl throw themselves at him to comfort. The sensation was new and foreign to him. However, he did the only thing he could do and that was soothing her and calming her. For a few moments, she stayed there in his arms sobbing uncontrollably. The moment seemed to stretch forever, but eventually he had calmed her down. As she pulled back out of the embrace, she gave him a small smile, “Thanks, Keitaro. You've been one helluva a friend, even when I've treated you like my own personal bank.”

 

A small smile made its self known on his face as he looked at her, “Don't worry about it too much. Either way you look at it, I would still have given you all that money even if you'd just asked.”

 

Towards the front of the house, they both heard the tell tale signs of Haruka slamming the door shut behind her. Keitaro looked at Mitsune and noticed her visibly cringe when the door slammed. It wasn't long before they were met by Haruka standing in the doorway lighting another cigarette. She looked at her nephew as calmly as she could, “You're up. How are you doing?”

 

He rubbed the back of his head, “Well, I don't feel too bad. I still feel a little off, but other than that, I think I'm fine.”

 

Mitsune nodded in agreement, “Yeah, seems his fevers gone down, so he should be good to go.”

 

The heard Haruka grunt as she took a long heavy drag off her cigarette. Mitsune was almost too afraid to ask what happened with Naru, but she decided to press her luck, “Haruka? How did your talk with Naru go?”

 

She saw her jaw tense slightly and her fist flew a little, but did not drop her calm demeanor, “The way I expected it to go.”

 

The younger woman shivered a little at that statement, but left the rest alone. For a few moments, the three remained there in silence listening to the sounds around them. It was when Haruka spoke up that the silence ended, “So, where do you go from here, Keitaro?”

 

He focused on the floor in front of him, “Honestly Haruka, I haven't the faintest clue what to do.”

 

“Well,” Haruka started, pausing to take a drag off her cigarette, “You could always go full time to help Seta on his digs.”

 

For a time, Keitaro had thought about that prospect. All the wonderful and exciting places he would go and new sites he would discover was an amazing prospect. To boldly go forth and be a historian of sorts, unlocking the mysteries of old through digging and finding. He had entertained the idea, but now in hindsight, he wasn't so sure. He sighed gently, “I don't know Haruka. It sounded nice and Seta was a wonderful teacher and all, but I don't know if I could take the many hours away doing hard physical labor well.”

 

Mitsune smiled lightly at the mental picture of Keitaro wielding a pick and shovel out in the sun of the desert. She looked at him, “You might be right, Keitaro. But you'd definitely get buff fast.”

 

Haruka half smiled at Mitsune's comment. Then she focused on the things she knew her nephew could do. He didn't have the head for numbers. The entrance exams had proven that fact as plain as day. He was no good when it came to cars. About the only things she could come up with having the skill and expertise to pull off were managing the inn and his hidden talent for art. She looked over at him wondering if that would be what would salvage his life. She puffed out a held cloud of smoke, “You could try your hand at drawing. Ever consider that?”

 

Keitaro's already somewhat pale face grew whiter when he heard her say that. His eyes looked up at Haruka pleadingly, “H-Haruka! You know I'm no good at that! Why would you suggest that?”

 

“Wait,” Mitsune interrupted into the conversation, “You can draw, Keitaro?”

 

His pale face gained a bit of color back to his cheeks when she spoke, “Well, a little. Though I'm not very good at it.”

 

Haruka chuckled, “Not very good at it? That's not what that sketch book of yours says. I've seen some of those drawings, Keitaro. You'd put any professional artist to shame with some of `em.”

 

Keitaro tried to hide his face more, but was not really succeeding, “You're just trying to make me feel better.”

 

“Just telling the truth,” Haruka said, dropping the butt into a nearby ashtray. She looked over at him, still sure that he was more than just physically sick. She crossed her arms gently, “Though, I'm curious. What are you going to do about the Inn?”

 

His short burst of embarrassment gave way to a thick cloud of depression. Mitsune was certain now that he was unsure he wanted to return back up those stairs anytime soon. He took a few moments to think before he spoke, “I…I don't know if I can go back there. At least not right now. I just…”

 

Haruka nodded slowly, “It's alright, Keitaro. You can stay here as long as you want.”

 

Mitsune watched as his shoulders relaxed at that statement. She looked between him and Haruka, trying to find out where she could fit into this. She noticed Haruka motion with her head towards the kitchen, “Keitaro, if you need anything, just let me know. Alright?”

 

The only answer she got was the subtle shaking of his head. Following Haruka out of the room and into the kitchen, Mitsune leaned against the counter top. She watched absently as Haruka proceeded to make a call. After a moment or two the person on the other end picked up, “Shinobu, its Haruka…Sorry to worry everyone. Just needed to handle her alone…Yeah, she's still down here. She's been watching over Keitaro all morning since she woke up…That would be nice, but I need you to do me a favor…Could you go to Keitaro's and Mitsune's rooms and bring some of their clothes. I'd do it myself, but…And one more thing. Could you bring Keitaro's sketch pad?”

 

Mitsune looked up at Haruka, now interested to know about this sketchbook she'd heard about earlier. The older woman smiled a little, “Yes, I know you have one of them, but I need the one he keeps in his desk drawer. Think you can do that for me...Thanks Shinobu.”

 

As she hung up the phone, Haruka grabbed a nearby pad and pen and began scribbling something on it. After a moment or two, she looked over at Mitsune, “Mitsune, could you possibly go to this address and pick up a package that's supposed to be there with my name?”

 

The fox looked over at Haruka in bewilderment, “Haruka, what's going on?”

 

Haruka handed her the piece of paper and looked at her, “An old friend of mine owes me a favor and it requires that package you're going to go pick up.”

 

“Haruka,” Mitsune started, following behind Keitaro's aunt as she began to head back out of the room towards the front of the shop, “What are you planning?”

 

She stopped and looked back at Mitsune, her normal stoic attitude back in place, “Planning for Keitaro to spend a little time away. From the looks of things, he's spent far too much time here, and if I recall one of his previous trips helped him sort out his life. Maybe another vacation will do him some good.”

 

The younger of the two looked at her in confusion, “Vacation? Time away? Are you planning on sending him on a trip?”

 

Haruka nodded lightly, sweeping around the front of the teashop preparing for the normal day, “Trust me, Mitsune. That boy in there is broken. He needs to repair himself before he'll be any good at repairing his life.”

 

“I'm going with him, then.”

 

The older brunette stopped and looked over at the young woman, unsure of what she had heard. The stubborn set of her jaw and squared shoulders said enough, “You sure?”

 

Mitsune looked back in the direction of where Keitaro was resting, remembering her promise to herself to make amends. She nodded, “I haven't a doubt in my mind. I've done my fair share of making his life miserable. I ought to at least help put the pieces back together.”

 

The two stood there in silence as Haruka considered her words. For some reason, for one of the few times in her life, that Mitsune was sincere in her words. After considering the alternatives, she sighed, “Only if he lets you.”

 

Mitsune nodded as she looked back at Haruka, “I just hope that can undo the damage I've done.”

 

The older woman gently pulled out another cigarette, “Let's hope you can heal more than that. Other wise, I don't think there's going to be much more we can do.”