Love Hina Fan Fiction ❯ Tales of a Ronin ❯ Go For Broke! ( Chapter 1 )

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A/N: Okay, this is my second Love Hina fic (maybe I'm biting off more than I can chew...). I know, I haven't finished my first one yet, but I wanted to get this idea down before it left me forever. Also, I'm not sure if someone has done this yet, but I don't recall seeing this idea anywhere else so I guess I'm good.

Okay, on to business. I don't own Love Hina and I never will. I'll draw my OWN manga and it'll be a million times better! (...somebody kill me now...)

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Tales of a Ronin: Chapter 01 - Go For Broke!

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Somewhere in Japan, two children are playing in a sandbox, busily making a castle. One is a little boy, and across from him is a little girl. They smile happily as their little castle is completed.

The little girl giggled happily. "Good job, Kei-kun!"

The little boy smiled back. "You did a good job too."

"Yeah..." the little girl replied. "If I wasn't going to move away, we could do this forever..."

The boy looked down, not sure how to reply. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Did you know that if two people that love each other go to Tokyo University, they'll live happily ever after?" the girl said. Then she walked over and gave him a peck on the cheek. "When we grow up, let's go to Tokyo University together..."

"...time to leave!" a voice called out.

"Coming!" the little girl called back, getting into a car. As it was pulling away, she leaned out the window. Unsure of what to do, the boy ran after it. "Remember, Kei-kun, we got to meet at Tokyo University one day! Promise?"

And then she was gone. The boy collapsed on the floor, tired and heart- broken. Struggling to hold back tears, he made the declaration that would determine the course of his entire childhood.

"I... I promise! Tokyo University!"

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"Hey! Keitaro, watch out!"

Keitaro snapped back to attention, quickly realizing two things. 1) He was on his motorcycle and 2) he was currently on the wrong side of the road. He leaned left slightly, missing the car that would have killed him. Letting out a sigh of relief, Keitaro allowed himself to relax again.

"Man, what are you trying to do!? Kill yourself!?" Masayuki Haitani shouted at him from his left.

"Yeah, being a second-year ronin isn't THAT bad." Kimiaki Shirai quipped from his right. Haitani and Shirai had been Keitaro's best friends since high school. They had met each other because the three of them happened to be bike lovers. And while that had started their friendship, the three of them REMAINED friends because of one fact: they were losers.

You see, Keitaro had spent most of his life trying to fulfill the promise he had made years ago, so he never really had time for other people. He was always studying, tuning up his motorcycle, or riding the said motorcycle. He didn't join any clubs or sports, or go to any dances, or any of the other thing most normal people did for fun (well, he DID collect print booth pictures, but they were all by himself, save a few with Haitani and Shirai). Some girls thought he was cute enough, since he had sort of a baby face and possibly the motorcycle attracted a few girls, (A/N: Keitaro doesn't wear glasses in this timeline) but he was always so busy and didn't seem to know much about pop-culture. This led to Keitaro going 19 years and six months without a girlfriend. He was the scary loner of his school.

To make matters worse, Keitaro wasn't very good at school either. He studied hard, but he just couldn't manage to break free of the lower rankings in his class. His parents and Teachers were concerned for him as his self-esteem plummeted year after year. But he weathered the years of teasing and isolation and seemingly endless study...

...only to fail the Tokyo University entrance exams. Twice.

"Come on, let's just forget about that last test and have some fun!" Haitani whooped, increasing his speed. Keitaro sped up a little to keep up with his friend. Haitani was a semi-attractive boy with a fun-loving attitude. He had short hair and small glasses, and was probably the closest of the trio to a playboy. While his grades weren't too great, and he had a tendency to be a little insensitive, he was a good friend. He was the one that always kept their spirits up whenever the taunting and teasing became too much and the boys felt like they couldn't take anymore. He watched over Keitaro and Shirai as if they were his little brothers and stood up for them when the going got tough.

Shirai noticed Keitaro's expression darken as they weaved through a traffic jam. "Hey, are you okay?"

Keitaro stopped his train of thought and smiled at Shirai. "I'm fine. Just thinking..."

Shirai was the techie of their little group. While he wasn't very good at subjects like Biology and History, he was very good at Math and most types of Sciences and Engineering. He helped equip all of their bikes with the latest parts, and handled all things that required a pretty good handle with technology.

Keitaro suddenly felt a lot better. //THESE are my friends. They are the ones that help me through high school. And soon I'll make it into Tokyo University and meet up with my Promise girl...// Keitaro thought triumphantly. He increased his speed to catch up with Haitani. Weaving through the still backed-up traffic he spotted his friend. Feeling especially antsy at the moment, he decided to show off a little.

He accelerated rapidly, the area around him a blur. Doing a wheelie, he rode up the back of a stopped car and launched his bike high into the air. //I love this feeling...// Keitaro thought to himself as she was up in the air, oblivious to the blaring horns and swearing of the angry motorists. He flew straight over the wreck that had caused the traffic jam, and he saw his friends weaving through traffic behind him. Finally, his back wheel touched the floor and Keitaro landed easily. Then he looked back and waved at Haitani and Shirai who were struggling to keep pace.

While Haitani had the looks of the group and Shirai was the smartest, Keitaro was considered to be the best biker of their little group, much to their open astonishment. Keitaro was always so clumsy and uncoordinated, but it seemed he had a knack for controlling his motorcycle, although Keitaro always insisted that he wasn't anything special. Aside from that, he was also tougher than a tank, apparently, bouncing back from BRUTAL accidents relatively unhurt. No one could understand this phenomenon.

Just then, Keitaro heard police siren. //Oh shit...// he thought. //The officers at the scene of the accident!// Looking back, he confirmed his fears. One of the squad cars at the accident scene peeled away to chase them. Shirai and Haitani were already a good distance ahead of the cop car as was Keitaro. He slowed up a little to let them catch up. Already his eyes were scanning for an escape route. Once the three of them were together, Haitani motioned them to come closer. They huddled up and Haitani gave them a few, brief instructions. "Split up, it's only one car. Meet near the school."

They nodded to each other and separated. Haitani turned left at the fork while Shirai went right. Keitaro groaned as he increased his speed, going forward. //Great, now that cop is going to follow ME...//

Keitaro's heart started racing as he realized he was on his own. //Oh man, what do I do!?// looking back, he could see the squad car gaining on him. //Damn... I forgot how fast those things were...// Keitaro took a few deep breaths. //Okay, now is not the time to panic. I'd better get away...//

Keitaro turned right, heading into an alleyway suddenly. //I know where I can lose this guy...// He exited onto another road, driving onto the sidewalk and jumping down a flight of stairs leading to an old subway station. Driving through the angry crowd, he jumped down onto the area next to the tracks. The police car, still on the upper level was unable to follow and merely turned and left.

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*Several Hours Later*

Keitaro looked around nervously as exited the subway station with his bike. Seeing no police officers, he sighed with relief. //Better go... Shirai and Haitani are probably worried...//

Driving down the street casually, he reached the school about an hour later. //Hm... I guess they left...//

"Psst... Keitaro..." Haitani whispered. Keitaro wheeled his bike forward slowly into an alleyway. There Haitani and Shirai were waiting, eating ramen.

Shirai handed Keitaro a third cup. "We thought you were in jail. You missed cram school today."

Haitani laughed. "Yeah, you're really pushing it! At this rate you'll be a third year ronin for sure!" he shook his head, still chuckling. "Man, I wouldn't want to admit THAT rank."

Keitaro put his head down and let out a sigh. "You're right... the practice test is only a week away!"

Haitani patted Keitaro on the back. "Maybe you should forget about Tokyo University. With your motorcycling skills I'm sure you could find work doing stunts for an action movie!"

Keitaro gave him a level look.

"Don't worry, bro, you can look off of my notes when we get home," Shirai cut in, smiling.

"Yeah, let's go home. We need to study anyway..." Haitani said, putting his helmet on.

Keitaro watched them go. He had been staying at their apartment after his parent threw him out of his home after becoming a second-year ronin. He had left his little sister behind and it was becoming hard living without his family. And he knew he couldn't stay with Shirai and Haitani for long. They always juggled part-time jobs, but they were hard to keep while studying and none of their parents were willing to help support them. The recession wasn't helping their situation any either.

Keitaro was currently, the un-employed one of their group, but it would change eventually. It could be tomorrow or weeks from now, but either Shirai or Haitani would lose their jobs, and they'd have to resume the frantic job search again (and starve for a little while). Their apartment was also a mess and obviously lacking a feminine presence. Keitaro handled most of the cooking and cleaning, but he was too busy to worry about it all the time. //We can't keep living like this...// Keitaro thought as he sped after his friends.

Years of loneliness was beginning to wear on Keitaro. The only girls that ever liked him was his childhood friend and his adopted sister who he left back home. It's been too long with only Haitani and Shirai to lean on for support. But he knew they had their own lives. They couldn't support each other forever. Keitaro shook himself. //I need to prove myself, and get into Tokyo University first! Then I can think about getting a girlfriend...// he resolved. //Just you wait... I'll keep my promise and meet up with you at Tokyo University!//

Then Keitaro noticed his friends waving for him to hurry up. //Don't worry guys... I'll find a way to deal with our financial problems. And then I'll get into Tokyo U and we can make our mark in this world...//

//But for now... let's go home...//

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*Character Bios* (Before Ken Akamatsu decided to scrap these ideas and bring us the Love Hina we all cherish)

~Urashima Keitaro~

-Ronin student (studying to pass university entrance exam after high school)

-He inherits his Grandma's dormitory! It's so run-down that he tries to evict all the tenants and sell it, but...!? (A/N: I'm gonna alter this...)

-His grades and physical strength are below average, but he is somewhat innocent and a relatively sweet person. (A/N: I think I'll make him slightly bitter and not as innocent and trusting. Not too much, though, or it wouldn't be Keitaro anymore...)

-A common sense person; good at pointing out other people's stupidity. (A/N: But he's so clumsy and perverted that it won't matter in the end)

-He is surrounded by a bunch of weirdoes and has a difficult time with them, but gradually becomes a friend to each of them.

-He falls in love with Naru at first sight. (A/N: I don't believe in love at first sight. This'll change.)

-He owns a motorcycle.

-Years of teasing and isolation is taking it's toll on his self-esteem. (A/N: I added this)

A/N: Alright, well this is the first chapter. I'll have the second one done soon. I know it seems really odd right now, but I promise that this one start to seem a bit more familiar later on. And I know that Shirai and Haitani weren't really that good of friends with Keitaro, but I just thought that it would seem more normal if Keitaro had some people he could rely on when things got bad and I couldn't think of anyone else. Please review and tell me what you think, because I don't know what to think of this piece. My unofficial editor Ee-Zee is away to college and has been unavailable for the time being and I don't feel like waiting for his opinion. So I need yours (come on... Akamatsu-sama ditched these ideas for a reason...)

--Stizzo Out