Love Hina Fan Fiction ❯ Tales of a Ronin ❯ A Day in the Life ( Chapter 3 )

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A/N : It's been a while, huh? Well, I've been kind of busy lately. At least you guys are patient and aren't sending me hate mail or whatever (even though you should, considering how long I'm making you wait).

Blah, blah, blah... (I've just stopped trying to think of anything meaningful to say. -_-)

Thank you OmegaDragon, wynk, Baka-Alaskan, James Ray Edwards, Kippenberger, and jennyjennai for reviewing last chapter. Your comments are appreciated.

I do not own Love Hina.

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Tales of a Ronin: Chapter 03 - A Day in the Life...

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Keitaro drummed his fingers nervously on the handlebars of his motorcycle as he waited at a red light. It was after prep school and he was on his way to see his aunt about a job, but something still didn't feel right about the situation.

Sighing, he leaned back slightly, fanning himself with his sleeveless t-shirt. //I hate August...// he thought. The city heat was almost unbearable during the summer, but at least this area wasn't as bad as Tokyo where you couldn't even breathe most days. Still, Keitaro was a January baby, and preferred being cold to being hot.

The light turned green and Keitaro came down hard on the throttle passing a few of the slower motorists. //So, what does Aunt Haruka have planned for me?// Keitaro thought to himself. While he didn't know too much about his aunt, he knew that she is always there to help her friends and family when she is needed. But he ALSO knew that she is a very meticulous planner. Things like this were never spur-of-the-moment with her. He wouldn't put it past Haruka to use him for her own needs.

Keitaro shook his head, accidentally swerving into the wrong lane. Lazily, he swung back into the correct lane as the driver of an oncoming car shouted curses at him. //I can trust my own Aunt...// Keitaro reminded his self for about the tenth time in that day alone. Even after reaching this conclusion yet again, he still was unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong...

Looking around, Keitaro began to notice the area around him was oddly familiar. //Well, it IS near my grandmother's inn... And I used to come here often when I was little.// he thought. But even this explanation didn't seem to fit. While he knows he was in this area before, his memories seemed a bit more... recent.

Keitaro facefaulted. "...like I've just passed this place. Three times, now that I think about it..."

Cursing his non-existent sense of direction, Keitaro pulled out a map and began reading it. This might have been considered normal, except for the fact that Keitaro didn't actually stop the motorcycle and was still weaving through traffic, reading the map intently.

"Hm... Oh, I see... I should've taken a left there... no wait. Ah, damn it. Where's my compass..." Once again, passing motorists we're rolling down their windows to shout curses at the ronin. He paid them no mind--they were making so much noise that he could tell where they were without looking.

"See you later, Kitsune-sempai!" A voice called out. Konno Mitsune turned and waved to her friends as she left the park with a basketball tucked underneath her arm.

"Ah..." she sighed as she stretched as best she could. "That was pretty fun!"

Walking off, she pondered what she was going to do next. //Well... I could just go home, but... its always so boring there.// Dribbling the ball absently, she continued down the road. //I wish there was more excitement in my life. Everything is so normal and orderly all the time. But I'm broke, so it's not like I can go anywhere else... I wish I could just go out and have some fun today--//

*SCREEEECH!!!*

"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, ASSHOLE!!!"

Mitsune turned her head towards the commotion. There were a few people leaning out of their windows and pounding on their horns, but she couldn't quite make out what they were honking at...

Then she saw, if not a moment too late. Keitaro came past the crowd with the map still obscuring his view. Hitting the curb his bike stopped, roughly depositing him on the floor. He rolled along the floor and skidded to a stop right at Mitsune's feet.

"Ow..." Keitaro moaned, twitching on the floor. "THAT was why I stopped trying that..."

"Um... Urashima, right? Are you okay?" Mitsune asked, instantly realizing how absurd the question sounded. //He just fell off his bike and skidded about fifty feet on the pavement, and I ask him `Are you okay?'// she thought rolling her eyes.

To her surprise, Keitaro WAS relatively unhurt. He was bleeding a lot and complained bitterly about the pain, but he stood unaided and picked his bike up off the ground. Before he could leave, Mitsune put a hand on his shoulder. "Shouldn't you be going to a hospital?" she asked. "You may look okay now, but I don't think you'll be so lucky when you pass out on the road from all the blood loss."

"Eh?" Keitaro grunted, placing a hand to his forehead. His face contorted with shock when he saw his hand covered in blood. "AHH!! GET A DOCTER!! HEELLP!!"

Mitsune sweatdropped. //What is with this guy?// "Relax, Urashima. I'll take to the hospital," she said picking the bike up. //I think I've just found a way to get rid of my boredom...//

Mitsune grinned as she got on and started the ignition. //The engine is nice...// She revved the bike a few times, experimentally, then turned back to Keitaro with a grin. "Hop on, cutie."

Keitaro gaped at her, unable to shake the feeling that Mitsune might have slipped a little innuendo into that statement. He smashed the thought ruthlessly, but he still couldn't rid himself the feeling that something was wrong with his present situation. Never, in his life, had a girl offered to help him--or let him anywhere near her for that matter--but Mitsune was being rather inviting. //What does she have planned...?//

"Well, hurry up. I don't have all day," Kitsune said, impatiently. "What's the matter? You don't like girls with short hair?"

Moments later, Keitaro found himself behind Mitsune. He cursed his over-active hormones as she smoothly piloted the motorcycle through traffic. She handled the bike well, but too slowly for Keitaro's tastes.

"Aren't we supposed to be rushing me to the hospital?" Keitaro asked pointing to the speedometer.

"How often do you think I ride these things anyway?" Mitsune mumbled over her shoulder. "Besides, I thought you'd appreciate the chance to be so close to a pretty girl like me."

//This person obviously has no shortage of self-esteem...// Keitaro thought rolling his eyes. In all truth, he was rather far away from Mitsune. He kept his hands behind him and sat as far back on the seat as possible, even leaning his upper body back slightly. He hadn't dealt with girls often, but he knew that touching them--even when you couldn't avoid it--could be fatal.

Mitsune noticed his blushing face and grinned, her slanted eyes making Keitaro move a little farther back. "Sit any farther back, Urashima, and a gust of wind will send you flying off. Why don't you scoot up some?"

Keitaro shrugged uneasily, rubbing the back of his head. "I think I've lost enough blood already without more coming out of my nose, thank you."

Mitsune laughed in spite of herself. "Aww... Poor Urashima can't control his hormones. Don't worry, I won't hurt you. Unless you're in to that sort of thing, in which case I can hurt you good later..." She said giving him a wink. She laughed again at his blush.

They rode in relative silence, Mitsune humming to herself absently as she weaved through traffic. Keitaro took a good look at Mitsune's face. She was definitely the prettiest girl, save Naru, that he knew, and she was a great deal nicer to him. Though the way she smiled at him set him on edge.

The bike shook as it hit a pothole making Keitaro lose his grip on the back of the bike. Arms flailing, he reached out to grab something. He caught hold of Mitsune and steadied himself. Heaving a sigh of relief, Keitaro became aware that he was gripping something rather soft in both hands...

Realization struck him like a ton of bricks.

Backing away quicker than he thought was possible, Keitaro began blurting out apologies and trying hard to put more distance from the girl. Mitsune was bent over the handlebars, seemingly intent on the road, but Keitaro could see that telltale vein throbbing on the back of her head. Slowly, she began to turn and Keitaro braced his self for the onslaught.

Mitsune laughed, nearly making Keitaro leap from his seat on the bike. "What's wrong, Urashima? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I'm sorry, I…"

"I told you to grab on, but to your credit, I never said where," Mitsune said, turning back to the road. "Personally, I think you're moving a bit too fast, but-"

"NO! That's not it at all!!"

"Okay, fine, I'll call it a `mistake' this time, but next time you decide to have an `accident' could you please--"

"Konno-san!!"

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*Two Hours Later*

A shocked receptionist at the hospital is clearing Keitaro to leave the hospital. The bleeding had stopped, and only a bandage around his head would give any sign that there was an injury at all.

Keitaro turned and bowed to Mitsune. "Thank you very much, Konno-san."

"No problem, Urashima," Mitsune replied in an off-hand manner. "So… what do you wanna do next?"

"'Next'?" Keitaro asked, arching an eyebrow at her.

"Of course! You'd pass up your chance with a hot girl like myself?" Mitsune said, smiling.

"Well…"

The smile slipped from Mitsune's face. She put on a disappointed look and turned away. "I see… Well, nice meeting you, Urashima. Have fun with your girlfriend, Naru!"

Keitaro's eyebrows shot up. "What? What the hell are you talking about!?"

"It's obvious!" Mitsune shouted, feigning anger now. "I bet you've even…!"

"Look, I've never even seen Narusegawa outside of school, and the only times she talks to me there is to berate me. We're not a couple!" Keitaro explained.

"Oh!? Then you'll go out with me?" Mitsune said, dragging Keitaro towards the door. He noted that her mood immediately brightened, much to his annoyance. //Tch… I've been fooled again. I'm too nice…//

"Wait a minute! We're going out NOW!? Can't I just call you?"

Mitsune laughed. "Give me a break, Urashima. I've heard THAT one before…"

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*Character Bios*

~Urashima Haruka~ (Yeah, I didn't really introduce her in the story yet, but blah…)

-Is a single mother

-Attends classes (A/N: The manga ACTUALLY said she attended a graduate school, but I didn't think it'd really make sense for a single mother to be supporting a child without working, so… )

-Runs a Tea Shop right outside of the Hinata (A/N: Just like in the normal version)

A/N: Okay, who's missed me? Sorry, I'll try to be a bit more timely with my future updates.

So, you wonder what I've been doing during part of my long break? Well, I've been drawing mostly. Me and two of my friends have been working on comics and such for a little while now. It doesn't totally account for my absence, but it was a long time running. Check out this site: www.threekings.cjb.net to see if perhaps I've just been wasting my effort. Also, I'm planning on doing a Love Hina doujin based on one of my fics and I was wondering which one you guys would rather see in manga form?

Anyway, `till next time.

--Stizzo Out