Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Love Hina Fan Fiction ❯ Scarlet Fever ❯ Meeting! New Arrangements! ( Chapter 2 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Scarlet Fever
By Jaxxon

Episode Two - Meeting! New Arrangments!

"You are quite skilled, Tendo," Motoko smirked as she raised her bokken to eye level. Facing her, Akane held her weapon ready to counter Motoko's next strike.

Instantly, she rushed forward, but Akane raised her guard to block the attack. Akane grunted as the force of the blow pushed her back. Her experience with weapons was limited since the Anything-Goes style was primarily unarmed fighting.

Shoving Motoko back, Akane rolled away and quickly leapt off a tree toward her opponent. Motoko swept her bokken wide, knocking Akane's bokken from her hand and forcing her to the ground. Shocked, Akane felt Motoko's weapon rest upon her shoulder.

As Motoko asked for Akane's surrender, she was surprised as Akane grabbed her wrist and effortlessly disarmed her. Now holding Motoko's bokken against its owner's chest, Akane demanded Motoko's surrender.

"That was a dirty trick, Tendo," Motoko glared.

"But it might be used against you in a real fight," Akane replied as she handed the bokken back to her. "You assumed the fight was over too soon."

"It's still cheating," Motoko seethed. "Did your father teach you this?"

"Actually, it was Ranma," Akane replied. "He did it in a duel with the kendo club captain."

"Not very honorable is he, then?

"I wouldn't say that," Akane said. "A bit of a pervert and an idiot, but he at least has his honor."

Motoko smirked at Akane. For as often as she criticized her friend, she always thought highly of him. She sometimes wondered how much Akane thought about this Ranma Saotome.

Walking inside the Hinata-sou, they saw Su working on a new Mecha Tama model. This unit was much smaller than her latest models. Su had mentioned wanting to create compact components for a spy model, which caused Motoko to laugh nervously at the time.

Looking up at the two martial artists, Su smile grew wider. "I've almost finished Spy Tama-chan," she cheered. "Soon, I will know everything about Keitaro and Naru's secret rendezvous."

"Perhaps you should leave Urashima alone," Motoko said nervously. "That pervert needs to looked after, but he's always with Naru now. And you don't want to upset her, do you?"

"But I was planning on releasing the footage on my website," Su meekly replied as she held up a sheet of paper. "The administrator said he wanted as much recording as possible."

Reading over the sheet, Motoko's eye began to twitch. Looking at the paper in her shaking hand, Akane managed to see the site's title.

"Su, this is for a porn site!" Akane shouted.

"Yeah," Su smiled back. "I love porn ramen, porn with vegetables, and porn fried rice."

"No, that's pork," Akane corrected her. "Porn is very bad for you. It causes blindness."

"But does it taste good?"

"Depends on the kind," Motoko absently replied.

Akane stared at her fellow ronin. She did not know which of the two disturbed her more now.

"But shouldn't you be focusing on your studying instead of this little, uh, project?" Akane asked.

"I scored an A-rating on the last mock exam," Su brusquely replied. "I figured I could take some time off to relax."

Both Akane and Motoko groaned at the mention of her grade. Having only received B-ratings, they were slightly depressed by having a second-year high school student outperform them.

"Has Keitaro and Naru come back yet?" Akane asked.

"They called an hour ago," Su replied as she replaced a plate on the shell. "They won't be back until later tonight."

Akane noticed Motoko's sad sigh at the news. After spending a month in the Hinata-sou, she realized Motoko had a little crush for their landlord. It had been obvious after Motoko's study notes ended with a romance between a female samurai and a feudal lord. What disturbed Akane the most about the story had been the demoness that tormented the lord by punching him through the castle walls.

"Motoko how about we go see a movie tonight?" Akane suggested. "There's this new samurai movie I wanted to see."

"What about studying?"

"If we don't take some time to relax," Akane said as she quoted a line Keitaro had told her, "we'll be too stressed to perform well on the exam."

Motoko gave Akane a weak smile. Naru had used the same phrase after she failed her entrance exam.

"Okay," Motoko laughed. "What about it, Su?"

"Sure," Su said as she set down her mecha.

Motoko sniffed her clothes and wrinkled her nose at the smell of sweat. Akane did not look much better after their workout.

"How about a bath first?" Motoko suggested.

"Okay," Akane replied. "I'm going to invite Shinobu first, then I'll join you."

Motoko nodded and walked up to her room to gather her bathing bucket and a change of clothes. After stripping off in the changing room, she dropped her soiled clothes in the washing machine and opened the door to the hot springs.

Inside, Kitsune and Mutsumi were soaking in the warm water. Tama-chan was lying on a rock by the water while pouring sake into saucers for the two women.

"Hello, Motoko," Mutsumi greeted. "Have you and Akane been sparring again?"

"Yes," Motoko replied as she rinsed with the cold water. "She is a skilled martial artist."

"But you would prefer Keitaro, hmm?" Kitsune grinned.

"Well, um..." Motoko blushed.

Motoko was saved from further embarrassment by Akane's arrival. Motoko continued to blush as she submerged herself in the hot spring.

"Shinobu said she had school work to finish," Akane said as she entered the water. "Are you two staying for dinner?"

"We haven't made any plans," Kitsune replied. "You want us to keep her company?"

"A young girl should not be left alone," Motoko nodded.

"We could try that new import," Mutsumi replied.

"The pink or orange one?"

"Why not both?" Mutsumi replied.

Akane and Motoko both nervously laughed as Kitsune and Mutsumi continued their planning. Akane wondered if they were serious, but Motoko was worried they would drag poor Shinobu into their party.

"Hurry up!" Su called as she rushed into the bath. "I want to see the samurai destroy the evil space invaders."

The four older women stared blankly at the smiling girl.

"Su, this is a samurai film," Akane replied. "They are not fighting aliens."

"But who do they use their mecha against?"

Rising out of the water, Motoko grabbed her towel and dried herself. Akane followed shortly after. Under the constant chatter of Su, the two dressed in the changing room and waved goodbye to older women before leaving.

-_-

Keitaro's eyes watered as he stared down into his now empty wallet. Naru had insisted on something more expensive than a beef bowl, but the lack of funds had completely drained his on-hand cash. Even with a new tenant, who actually paid her rent, he was pouring most of the money back into maintaining the Hinata-sou. That only left him enough for basic essentials, but at least Shinobu had managed to keep the food budget low.

Naru glanced back at Keitaro, who had fallen behind her. She felt a bit guilty about draining his cash allowance for the week in just one meal, but they been to every beef bowl and okonomiyaki stand around Hinata. She had even offered to pay for her meal, but Keitaro insisted on picking up the tab.

"How about a walk around the park?" Naru suggested as she slowed to allow Keitaro to catch up to her. Taking his arm, she gently led him toward the park.

Coming out of his stupor, Keitaro blushed at the contact with Naru. Even after five months of officially dating his promised girl, he was still not completely comfortable with public displays of affection. Looking at her red cheeks, he smiled to see her as uncomfortable as himself.

"Sounds good," Keitaro replied.

Naru squeezed the arm of her boyfriend tighter as the two walked down the street. It had been a long road up to this point, but the last few months had been the happiest she had ever experienced. Keitaro may still be the clumsiest pervert she had ever known, but he loved her with all his heart.

The park was moderately crowded with families on evening walks. Keitaro noticed a few students studying on the park benches. Even with the entrance exam season months away, he could not help but feel the anxiety of each one. Memories of the lonely nights spent studying in his room began to surface. A slight shiver from Naru brought his thoughts back to the girl next to him.

"It's a bit chilly," Naru said as she hoped Keitaro would take the hint.

"It is November," Keitaro replied. "You should have brought a jacket."

Naru glared back at her clueless boyfriend. Fighting the temptation to subject him to her Naru punch, she rubbed her hands together for a little warmth. A moment latter, she felt something draped over her shoulders. Looking back, she saw Keitaro's smiling face as he left his jacket over her shoulders.

"I was getting a little too hot with it on," Keitaro lied. Looking down at his watch, Keitaro gave heavy sigh.

"We need to getting back," he told Naru. "I'm sure the others will be worried by now."

Naru looked up at the sky. The bright lights of nearby Tokyo concealed the stars, but the moon still hung overhead.

"How about we wait a little longer?" she asked. "The Hinata-sou is not that far away."

Keitaro smiled back at her and took her hand. Naru slightly blushed at the gesture. Keitaro led her to an empty park bench overlooking the lake.

"It's been almost like a dream lately," Keitaro said as he looked up at the sky. "Ever since Grandma left, things have been almost normal."

Naru smiled at the statement. Things had been anything but normal since Keitaro had become the landlord of the Hinata-sou, but it had quieted down since his grandmother's last visit. Even with a new tenant, the chaos around Hinata seemed to disappeared.

"Maybe it's karma," Naru replied. "Perhaps we are due for break."

"Or perhaps it's the calm before the storm," a new voice suggested.

Turning around, the young coupled gulped at the newcomer.

"Hello, oniichan," Kanako greeted.

-_-

"That was great!!" Su cheered as she danced before the two ronin. "But I bet he could not deflect a high powered laser blast like that bullet."

Akane and Motoko groaned as both walked arched forward. Su had managed to kick both several times in the theater.

"I think a nice bath is in order," Akane suggested. "We can study our kanji in the hot springs."

"I'll make some tea," Motoko agreed.

As they climbed the stairs to the Hinata-sou, Motoko began to sense a dark essence looming before them. The feeling of doom and torment laid about her; a feeling only one individual gave her.

"We must hurry," she snapped. Inwardly, she cursed herself for not having a sword at her side. It was careless of her, and now she would enter battle unarmed.

"Is something wrong?" Akane asked.

"I hope not," Motoko replied, "but a dark aura covers the Hinata-sou."

Su stopped at the top of the stairs, and fear began to cover her face. "She's back."

"As I feared," Motoko said as she stood next to her.

"Who is it?" Akane asked as she only saw a black cat.

"A demon," Motoko said between her gritted teeth. "A shapeshifting demon."

The door to the inn slid open to reveal a young woman dressed in black.

"Good evening, Motoko, Su," she coldly greeted. "You must be Akane Tendo. My brother was just telling me about the new tenant."

"Brother?"

"Yes, I am Keitaro's younger sister," Kanako replied.

"Adopted sister," Motoko corrected her. "Are you still trying live out your sick fantasies?"

"I am merely relaying a message from my parents to Keitaro," Kanako blandly answered. "They wish to meet my brother's..." Kanako paused as her face contorted as if a terrible taste filled her mouth. "My bother's promised girl."

Motoko glared back at the girl. "How long will you be staying?"

"Until we leave tomorrow," Kanako replied. "Grandma is waiting back home to see Keitaro too."

Su and Motoko glanced at each other. The three months that Kanako spent in the Hinata-sou had made them untrusting of the girl. Motoko doubted her purpose was as simple as she claimed.

"Hey, you guys," Keitaro said as he appeared behind his sister. "Shinobu has some tea ready. Come in while it's still warm."

Akane pushed her way pasted the stunned girls. She would have to get Motoko to explain the newcomer later, but for now, she would settle for a cup of tea and a rice ball for studying away the night.

-_-

Keitaro fidgeted as he sat between Naru and Kanako on the train into Tokyo. While the two may have resolved their differences, he could sense the tension in the air.

"Uh, Kanako, why are mom and dad so insistent on meeting Naru?"

Kanako gritted her teeth. When she last saw him, he was still calling her Narusegawa. Now, the two were starting to look like a real couple. Had she even hit him once since she arrived yesterday?

"They didn't tell me," she replied. "All I know is, Grandma decided to visit home. Since we've been back, I've been put to work in the bakery."

"They are real cruel taskmasters," Keitaro nervously laughed until Kanako's glare silenced him.

Naru tried not to laugh as she watched the two bicker. This one of few instances the two appeared liked siblings. They continued talking about working at the bakery until they arrived at their station.

Once they had walked out of the station, Kanako quickly spun around and glared at Naru.

"I should warn you, Narusegawa," she said with malice in her eyes, "our parents have something big planned. I overheard them talking to Grandma about having to make some special arrangements."

Naru gulped which gave Kanako cause to give a sickening smile. She enjoyed watching the girl in discomfort, but the situation displeased her as well. Neither her parents nor grandmother had given her any idea about this meeting.

"It'll be okay," Keitaro nervously replied to Naru hoping to cheer her up. "It's not like their monsters or anything."

Naru gave him a nervous smile as she followed behind the siblings. Haruka had rarely talked about her family. The one time she had broached the subject, Haruka quickly retreated into back of the café. Apparently, Keitaro had been the only one that had kept in contact once his family moved away.

"Here we are," Keitaro announced as they stood in front of a bakery. "Dragon Sweets."

"What an usual name," Naru replied.

"You would have to know our dad," Kanako replied. "He really liked the story about Taro Urashima."

Walking inside, Naru began to look at the display of sweets on the counter. Several were in the shapes of turtles and dragons.

"Mom, Dad," Keitaro called, "we're here."

"It's about time," a voice called from behind the counter. A little old woman soon walked out from behind.

"Grandma?" Keitaro surprisingly asked. "Where're Mom and Dad?"

"They have gone on a errand," she replied. "If would come upstairs, I have some tea ready. Kanako, would you mind the register until they return."

"Yes, Grandma," Kanako sighed.

"Come this way children," Grandma Urashima smiled as she led them up a set of stairs past the counter. At the top of the stair was a sitting room that encompassed most of the most upstairs apartment. To the left and right were smaller rooms that had been bedrooms of Keitaro and Kanako while they lived with their parents. Behind the stairs was another bedroom that their parents occupied.

Naru looked around the sitting room while Mrs. Urashima poured the tea. A family shrine was off in the corner while a shelf next to the window held pictures of the family. A few even had the Hinata-sou as a backdrop for a younger Keitaro and Kanako.

"I trust things at the inn are going smoothly," Keitaro's grandmother said as she offered Keitaro a cup of tea.

"Yes," Keitaro replied as he started to sip his tea. "A new resident arrived a few weeks ago."

"Akane Tendo," Grandma Hinata said as she sipped her own cup. "I had sent her an invitation during my last stay in Tokyo. I have known the father of her fiancé for quite some time."

At the news of Akane's engagement, both Keitaro and Naru choked on their tea.

"Fiancé?!" both exclaimed.

"Oh, she did not tell you," Grandma Hinata said slightly taken back. "Dear me, I suppose she meant to keep that a secret."

Before either could ask about it, the sound of footsteps alerted them to arrival of the Urashimas.

Naru gulped as the face of Keitaro's father began to rise from downstairs. He was about Keitaro's height but lacked glasses or the downtrodden look of his son. The man was scowling at Keitaro, who began to cower under his father's scrutiny. Behind him, a woman wearing a purple kimono followed. Keitaro favored his mother rather than his father in appearance. Like her son, she too wore glasses. The contrast of her husband, she smiled at the young couple.

"Mother, father," Keitaro said as he slowly raised to his feet, "I would like you to meet..."

"Daddy?!" Naru interrupted as her own father appeared Keitaro's mother.

"I believe you should calm yourself, daughter," Minoru Narusegawa replied. "You have a great deal to explain."

Naru now joined Keitaro in apprehension. The two had been playing down their relationship after his grandmother left, but now both families were together. She wondered how much the old woman had told them.

"Their actions require more than explaining," Amani Urashima nearly shouted. "Have you completely abandoned your family duties, Keitaro?"

"As did you, son?" Grandma Hinata replied. The older man grumbled at his mother's accusation. "I am sure this matter can be straightened out with a simple cup of tea."

"Let me help you, mother," Natsumi Urashima said as she sat down next to her husband. Her mother-in-law smiled as the younger woman began pouring tea for her husband and guest.

"Did mom and Mei come too?" Naru asked her father.

"No," her father replied. "Her parents arrived shortly before I received a call from Mrs. Urashima. I did not wish to tear her away from parents for the rash decisions of my daughter."

Naru squirmed at the harshness of his words. While she did not argue with her stepmother any more than with a real mother, they hardly had a mother-daughter relationship. Shortly after her sister started school, Naru made to decision to move into the Hinata-sou with Kitsune. She returned home for visits during the first few years, but they had become less frequent once she entered her second year in high school. She barely knew her now eleven-year-old sister.

"Please, allow them their youth," Grandma Hinata quietly calmed their parents. "Amani, I remembered when you first bought this bakery against your father's wishes. You had decided that being a baker brought you greater happiness than maintaining our family inn."

Keitaro's father stared down at his cup at the reminder of his own youth. His wife placed her hand on his. Looking up at her comforting smile, Amani gave a sad sigh. He had already lost the argument with his son.

"I suppose Kanako can inherit the bakery now," Amani gave a sad laugh. "She'll probably sell it in under week."

"At least she will not eat most of the inventory," Natsumi said with a slight glare at her son. Keitaro could not help but give a guilty grin to his mother.

Meanwhile, Minoru stilled quietly sipped his tea. He remembered younger Urashima during his stay at the Hinata-sou. A clumsy and often gullible child, he watched him tend to his sick daughter. It had been while staying at the inn that he met his wife, Kaede. She had been another guest at the inn, and he was still recovering from the recent lost of Naru's mother. Their marriage had been hasty, perhaps even a bit foolish, but they had found happiness.

"I suppose we should discuss the arrangement for the engagement now," Amani sighed.

"Engagement?" Keitaro nervously questioned.

"Your grandmother is not the only one with a say in this," Natsumi replied. "Your father and I have our own conditions as well."

"You have wasted enough of our money on entrance exams, testing materials, and living expenses trying to enter Tokyo University," his father continued. "I will not see it completely wasted."

"You must graduate before any wedding," Natsumi demanded. "Even if you must wait for ten years."

Keitaro sheepishly nodded in agreement.

"I expect the same from you as well," Minoru told his daughter. Minoru's stern face soon turned into a smile. "I also expect the first son to be named after me."

Amani's eye twitched at the request. 'If only I had thought of it first,' he thought as his anger rekindled.

"Anything else?" Keitaro nervously asked.

"Only that the wedding be held at the Hinata-sou," he grandmother replied. "It has been too long since it has seen such joy."

"Agreed," both Amani and Minoru chanted. Amani turned to Minoru and gave a grin. "Let's drink to the joining of our families, Narusegawa. There's bar just down the street."

"Do they have karaoke?"

"Yes, and all the latest western songs," Amani replied. "To the happiness of children!"

"And the promise of grandchildren!" Natsumi cheered as she clapped her hands.

Keitaro and Naru stared as their parents almost danced back downstairs. Grandma Hinata followed them singing about cradling her great-grandchildren. Once the adults had left, Kanako came upstairs to find the shocked college students still sitting with their cold tea.

"Idiots," she cursed as she went to her room.

-_-

The return train ride to Hinata was quiet, but the last train of the night rarely had many passengers. Keitaro would occasionally glance up at Naru, but once he had made eye contact, he had turn to away to keeping from blushing. They had only meant to tell his grandmother about an engagement to keep the Hinata-sou. Now, it was truly an engagement.

"I guess this doesn't change too much," Naru finally said after remaining quiet since leaving her father to sleep off the liquor with Keitaro's parents. "We don't have to tell the other just yet."

"I doubt that will help much," Keitaro sighed. "Grandma will just send a fax, then they'll think we've been lying to them again."

"I forgot about that," Naru laughed. She pictured Shinobu would cry while Motoko tried to kill Keitaro. Kitsune and Mitsumi would find this as an excuse to have party, and Su would be Su. She could only guess how Akane would react.

"Akane?" Naru said as once she remembered Grandma Hinata's comment from earlier. "She's engaged too."

"I almost forgot," Keitaro replied. "Maybe she could give us some advice about all this?"

Naru looked questioningly at her now fiancé. Akane had never mentioned an engagement during the weeks she had been a resident and always shied away from talking about dating.

"I doubt she would be of much help," Naru sighed.

"Why not?"

"Call it woman's intuition," Naru replied.

"Okay," Keitaro shrugged. "Maybe I should call Seta and ask for advice."

"Absolutely not!" Naru shouted as she punched Keitaro into the wall of the train. The car shook a bit from the impact. After a moment, the conductor came on the loudspeaker to apologize about the rough ride to the passengers.

Naru quickly returned to her seat while Keitaro limped back to her side. Being indestructible had its limits, but he had made a full recovery once they arrived at the Hinata station.

"So what should we tell the others?" Keitaro asked as the climbed the steps to the inn.

"The truth," Naru sighed. "Hopefully, we'll be able to make it to class tomorrow."

As the two reached the top, a banner morning the lost of Keitaro was hanging atop the main entrance. The sloppy handwriting suggested a foreigner had written it.

Naru was a bit aghast at the attempt of sympathy. She was even more surprised as Motoko and Su both came out in black.

"I see your parents did not require seppuku," Motoko greeted. "Shinobu kept some dinner warm for you."

"Motoko, how could you think that?!" Keitaro shouted.

"I merely assumed your parent's displeasure at you rejecting to inherit their bakery," Motoko replied. "Whatstheirname told us about it."

Keitaro remained stunned as Naru tried to keep from laughing.

"Actually, that was only one thing we discussed," Naru replied.

"What else?" Motoko asked as they walked back inside.

Naru lost her thought as she saw Akane helping Shinobu placing the leftovers on the table.

"An engagement," Naru absent-mindedly replied. Her statement almost caused Akane to drop the pot she was carrying. "They arranged an engagement for us."

Motoko gave a sad look back to the couple. She offered her congratulation while Shinobu fought back her tears. Su pouted about having lost her beloved test subject.

While the other crowded around the couple, Akane slipped upstairs to her room. After the weeks of living at the Hinata-sou, the room was beginning to take shape. While she had a bookcase full of textbooks, she had brought with her a few of her weights and a punching bag. Motoko usually commented that her room usually resembled a dojo rather than an bedroom, but Akane thought Motoko's room would be more suited for a samurai with the various swords and armor displays.

Pulling down a picture out of the cabinet. She had managed to keep it hidden during the raids by Su, but she knew she was pushing her luck. Inevitably, the others would about Ranma and their situation. She envied Naru for being to open about Keitaro, but the two had nothing to hide. For as clueless as her landlord could be, at least he did not string along the other girls.

"Oh, Ranma," she sighed. Smiling down at the picture, she placed it back in it hiding place and rejoined the others downstairs.

-_-

Suddenly, Ranma sneezed as he stared down at his vocabulary list from school. Blaming the cold night, he wrapped himself in his blanket.

"Maybe I should buy a kotatsu," Ranma sighed as went back to his study.