Love Hina Fan Fiction ❯ Book 2: Love faces many an obstacle ❯ Will you be my… ( Chapter 1 )

Please Note:

This is the second part of a series. I would strongly recommend you read Book 1: All it took was a little kindness before reading this. The link is at:

http://www.mediaminer.org/fanfic/view_st.php?id=29580

Or you can find it in my profile.

Thank you for reading this,

Regards,

Jason Dutta

Chapter 11

Will you be my…

From Motoko's eyes

And so it had finished. The tension that once existed in Hinata-sou had been eradicated, for now. From that day on Keitaro and Naru emerged from their rooms less and less as they studied harder for the exams that began on the 16th of January. The mood was brighter now, as they had put their past troubles behind them to attack the coming obstacles in front of them. Nearer the day, they became more serious as the sheer task of passing seemed to be impossible, even at one point, for Naru. Mitsune, for some indeterminable reason, decided to throw a party for them the night before the first day of exams. I asked her if this was necessary. She said it was to boost their spirits before they began the exams; I suspected she wanted another reason to get drunk.

So we prepared the living room, placing streamers up and making banners. They were very surprised when they returned home, and even more surprised by the amount of wine Mitsune forced down their throats. Suu-chan was excitable, jumping around the place, sometimes onto Keitaro, making him fall in Naru on a few occasions. Her response was typically violent, however she seemed to pull her punches at the last moment. Perhaps she was still worried at hurting him further, or offending Suu-chan. Everyone was having fun when Naru and Keitaro were beginning to test each other on certain topics. It became more ridiculous as Naru expected Keitaro to answer a complex maths equation in less than a minute. Mitsune, by now well into her drunken state, realised that she had to spice it up a bit, by forcing them to strip of one item of clothing after each incorrect answer.

Chaos ensued. Suu-chan thought that this was fun and began to join in. Shinobu-chan and I just stood aside and watched this all unfold in front of us. It finally ended with Keitaro being punched out of the door by Naru who had very little clothing left on. It wasn't until the next day that we found out that Naru and Keitaro woke up late for the first exams. We were quite worried for them as they ran out the door, struggling to put on their shoes. We wished them luck, since they obviously needed it at that time. We prepared ourselves for the worst during the day, Shinobu-chan making some of her best meals and preparing a fabulous dinner for the two examinees. They returned home explaining how they had run into the back of a truck that they thought was a bus. Keitaro looked off colour, that is to say, totally grey, he was drained of all life. This was understood by all as a bad day for him. He tried to brighten up, saying he would do better the next day.

Off he went, back to his room to study, and the next day they managed to get up at an early time and set off for the examination hall without any problems. Upon their return, they immediately went to their rooms to compute what scores they obtained. If they were high enough, then they would be able to apply for the entrance examination to Toudai. There were no problems regarding Naru's score, however there was a slight scare over Keitaro's. Once again, Mitsune suggested a party to make him happy and to not commit suicide, though I personally doubted that Keitaro would even consider suicide, since he didn't seem the type of person to do that. Nevertheless, it was done, in the hot spring, much to Keitaro's surprise and nosebleed. We later found out that he had in fact got a good mark, angering Mitsune. I smirked, knowing that we must have misconstrued his attempts to talk to us earlier, and I was happy for him to have passed.

The next few days passed by quietly. Study time returned to its normal schedule as Keitaro found out he did actually receive 600 points when he saw it on the bulletin board on the 20th. Keitaro caused fewer acts of perversion during this time, much to everyone's surprise… and my admiration. Yet, as the days pass, I see him look towards the calendar with more dread, as if an important event was about to come up. Looking at the calendar myself, I took it upon myself to find out what was going to happen. After asking Suu-chan to borrow the use of her laptop, which was connected to the Internet, I searched for information regarding the next few days, and found out about Valentine's Day. I realised that he was worried about not receiving any chocolate, so I decided that something had to be done about this.

February 14th

Valentine's Day

Keitaro was happy. He managed to complete his superb cake, his best yet (after many years of practise). Taking it with him to the study centre, he managed to convince Shirai and Haitani that a girl made it for him. They kept on at him, asking who made it for him, yet he wouldn't tell. For the first time in years, they were jealous of him; they had received some cards and a few chocolates, but nothing on the scale that Keitaro had received. He cherished this moment, for it was one of the few times he felt glad that he was the centre of attention for once, and not for being a sad loner, pining over the past. He returned home in high spirits, walking up the long climb to Hinata-sou.

He was surprised to meet with no one at the entrance. Mystified, he walked inside warily, but saw no one about. Walking sullenly to his room, clutching the box that contained the cake, he almost bumped into Naru as she was walking out of his room.

He was confused. "Naru? What's…"

"Nothing Keitaro… I… I was just looking for something." Naru interrupted him quickly. "It's not important… I didn't find it…"

"But…" Keitaro was left standing there as Naru walked off immediately, not allowing him any time to speak again.

Walking into his room he walked to his furnace table, still laid out, placed the cake on it, and noticed a small parcel already on it. Picking it up he noticed a note on it that said one word, or name to be precise. "Naru". Opening it slowly, he was shocked to find that it was a small box of chocolates. He smiled, glad that she remembered what day it was. He never for a moment suspected that someone from inside Hinata-sou would give him chocolate, believing that his acts of perversion against most of the residents might mean they don't want to even know him. Aah well, one chocolate for the day isn't too bad. Of course, it is the first chocolate I have ever received from a girl, and Naru at that… Keitaro was interrupted from his thoughts by a rapid series of knocks on his door. Standing up he opened the door, only to see no one there. Confused, he peeked his head out looking both left and right, no one in sight.

"Heeey Keitaro!"

Looking up suddenly, he saw Suu-chan balancing herself on the upper beam of his door. She began to fall elegantly and decided to flip herself into his room via the beam. Walking back a few steps, he tried to catch her, only to fail miserably as she aimed higher than usual, landing on his face. Keitaro fell backwards, landing on the floor with Suu-chan still on his face. She got up skipping over his prone body as he slowing sat up, blood pouring from his nose.

"Oneechan!? Why are you so excitable today?" He stemmed the flow of blood by putting bits if tissue paper into his nostrils.

"Oh… no reason…" She paused for a moment, placing her hands behind her back. Unexpected pouncing forwards, she launched onto Keitaro, gripping his back with her legs, and began to force a bar of chocolate down his throat.

"Gogikan!" [Oneechan when spoken through a ton of chocolate]

Keitaro was unable to clear his airways quickly enough to consume the large amount of chocolate Suu-chan 'gave' him. After jumping off, Suu-chan watched him curiously as he finished the chocolate leaving large messy marks on the front of his jumper and his mouth when he tried to protest. Why am I feeling hot all of a sudden? Is it because of the way oneechan is looking at me? No… that cannot be… well, what could it… Oh no…

"AAAGH! WATER! " Keitaro ran around his room in a panic, smoke billowing out of his mouth. Appearing instantly at different areas of his room, rummaging through his cupboards looking for something.

Finally opening the satchel he takes to the study centre every day, he finally found the water bottle he had bought a day ago, forgetting he had it in his bag this whole while. Cracking open the seal on his lid, he dropped the cap, finishing the entire bottle in a few gulps before the cap hit the floor. Finally having soothed his tongue and throat, which now were in a state of recovery from the burning sensation he experienced, he spoke.

"What was that oneechan?" He coughed; his throat was slightly raw. Maybe the heat of whatever I ate burned away a layer of my throat….

"It was Valentine's chocolate!" Suu-chan replied enthusiastically, walking over to him and holding out a hand to Keitaro, who accepted it demurely, was surprised by her strength when she pulled him up with no struggle.

Jumping up onto his back, she began to rub her face alongside his, making him squirm a little, but by now he was used to it. Not wanted her to ask about the box that contained the cake, Keitaro walked out of his room. He was about pass Mitsune's room when she beckoned for him to come into her room. Curious, he did so; Suu-chan also pondered over these events. Mitsune was sitting there reading one of her philosophical books again in her comfortable chair. Placing a bookmark on the selected page, a small figure of Katsuragi Misato jutting out of the book. Looking at him, she smiled and stood up, pulling her chest out further, causing him to begin to falter and sway.

"Do you want it?" She asked simply.

"Wh… WHAT?!" He was shocked. There were many images running through his head at that time of what she meant exactly.

"I think I'll give it to you." Mitsune began to walk over to Keitaro, who was now backing away from her, fearful in case Mitsune were to try anything.

"Keitaro! Be strong!" Suu-chan cheered him on, holding one arm up.

Deciding to not wimp out again, he stopped, and waited for whatever Mitsune was going to do to him. What is she going to do? I have a bad feeling about this…Mitsune took her time in walking, swaying her hips seductively, her top accentuating the sheer size and shape of her breasts. Opening her eyes, she looked straight into his eyes. Oh no… she's looking at me like that again… this can't be good. She thrust out a fist, and Keitaro shielded his eyes from her, hands up in front of him.

"Ooooh." Suu- chan cooed appreciatively, making Keitaro lower his guard. Looking at Mitsune, he saw in her now open palm, a minuscule present.

"Happy Valentines Day Keitaro." She spoke sincerely, and didn't take her eyes off him for a moment. Well he has been kind to me in past few months; I might as well give him something in return…

Keitaro meanwhile was stunned, accepting the gift in a stupor, Mitsune of all people he did not expect to receive anything from. He was touched by this act, opening the gift to find a very tiny amount of chocolate. Frowning as he saw her features resume their fox-like attributes, he reared back as she lurched forward, producing a catalogue of some kind.

"Well, now that you have the chocolate, on March 14th I would like this jacket, these shoes, all of these bottles of sake…"

"Hey! It doesn't work that way Kitsune!" Tears streamed out of Keitaro's eyes as he stopped her from continuing her list of demands. Nevertheless she ignored him and continued on. Keitaro took this chance to slip out of her room, Mitsune shouting down the corridor after him. Suu-chan turned her head towards the rapidly decreasing figure and waved goodbye to her.

Breaking off a little piece of the already tiny chocolate that Mitsune bought he chewed on it in thought. Sensing Suu-chan was hungry by the amount of saliva she was drooling on the back of his neck and shoulders, Keitaro handed her the remainder, which she wolfed down immediately. Sighing, he realised that he had nowhere to go at that moment, so he decided to wander around the grounds of Hinata-sou. Suu-chan jumped off his back, running about Keitaro. She watching the birds that scattered as she ran into them with fascination, as if she had never seen such things. In all the time that Keitaro had been at Hinata-sou, he had never had time to appreciate its location. Looking down the long staircase to the town, he saw the trees that usually sprouted sakura blossoms, still bare from the bitter winter. Thankfully, he noted that some of them were beginning to bloom. It's a bit early this year, but there's still much time until they all bloom. Walking around the side of Hinata-sou, he saw Suu-chan looking at the abandoned part of the inn with great curiosity. Turning, she saw Keitaro and started to skip towards him.

"Keitaro! What is that building there?" Her eyes were wide open, stars glittering inside them, as if she uncovered a hidden treasure.

"I'm not sure…" Keitaro strolled over to the bridge that connected the building to the back of Hinata-sou, Suu-chan following close behind.

The walkway was in a total state of disrepair; it had not been touched for many a year. Cobwebs were present on most of the hard to reach sections, some spiders flitting from one area to another. Keitaro grimaced, noticing one spider begin to consume some prey caught in its web. The walkway itself appeared to be fairly rickety, planks that were showing definite signs of wood rot and damp, their lamination having worn off a while back, when it was still in its prime. There was even some moss growing in one corner, by a puddle of what Keitaro assumed to be water, but couldn't tell by its colour. At the far end was the boarded-up entrance to the building. The wood here appeared to be sturdier than the one the walkway was made of. A sign with the universal sign for 'No Entry' was on it, the Kanji saying that the building was dangerous.

"Oneechan," Keitaro turned to Suu-chan, who looked up at him, slightly afraid, "all I know about this building is that Haruka-san said that we shouldn't enter it. It is very old inside, and could collapse any minute."

"But why was it closed in the first place, and why the increased fortifications?" Although replying innocently, Keitaro sweatdropped. Not much gets past this girl, especially when it comes to military style defences.

"I don't know, and I don't think we should pester Haruka-san about it too much." Of course Keitaro knew the full truth about why that particular part of the inn was shut away permanently, but he felt that by divulging that information to Suu-chan, she would go into overdrive and try anything to get in there.

"Suu-chan." He knelt down to her level and faced her, eye-to-eye. "Promise me that you won't go in there ever. Even if your curiosity about this place grows, do not try and get in. Do this for me, for I don't want you to get hurt."

The young princess stared into his brown eyes, recognising the seriousness in them, and that he wasn't joking this time. Smiling delicately, she nodded, bobbing her head up and down in small movements. Returning her smile, Keitaro patted her on her head, messing up her golden strands of hair.

"Come on, lets go back inside, there's still a lot I have to do today." Picking her up, hefting her onto his side, where she then took the initiative and held him herself, arms around his neck. Noticing that almost an hour had gone by on his watch, he was truly amazed by the power of the old inn, the way in which time seemed to speed up there when compared to the rest of Hinata-sou. He knew that he was right to keep Suu-chan away from there, mystical forces were at work here, and this was not a good sign. A lone figure watched the two walk around the front of Hinata-sou, standing in her favourite spot, the Shinkan, where one can dry their clothes in the open air. Seeing Keitaro walk down the short staircase to the entrance, Suu-chan dozing off on his shoulder, Shinobu-chan began to feel her heart break. I can't give this to him now, he is with Suu-chan. I know that he has received chocolate from at least Kitsune-san, so my chocolate won't be as special as his first chocolate. Clutching her gift tightly to her chest, she breathed in deeply, letting a single tear fall before turning around to resume hanging her towels. Once she had done so, and picked up the dry ones she had put up earlier in the day, she wrapped her present in it so that no one would notice, and went back inside.

Later that evening

Dinner was unusually tense. Although Keitaro had not managed to fondle any of the residents without their permission that day, the atmosphere was very hostile. It seemed to confuse everyone, eyes flitting from one person sitting at the table to the other. However, it was all due the unnatural quietness of one young girl, the self appointed chef of Hinata-sou, Shinobu-chan. Though no one thought that it could be her, no one asked her about what was troubling her, if they noticed at all. It was almost as if she expressed her sadness in her cooking, thus making the meal itself more depressing, which would then lead to hostility. After the meal Shinobu-chan quietly began to pick up the plates and cutlery to do the washing up. Suu-chan bounced up in front of her, wanting to help, but Shinobu-chan politely refused, which puzzled Suu-chan a little. Once she had finished washing up, she had finally picked up the courage to give Keitaro her gift, shaking her fists determinedly.

Walking to her room, she uncovered her gift from within her closet and began to walk to Keitaro's room. However, as fate would have it, the man in question had also decided to dispose of the cake that he made, and was planning on going down to Haruka-san's place to give it to her. Well, she might think that I made it for her, which should be a nice thing, seeing as she isn't with anyone at the moment. Come to think of it, she never told me anything about her past… Keitaro decided not to pry into his aunt's life just yet. He opened his door carrying the cake in his hands, and saw Shinobu-chan looking at him shocked, holding a gift in her hands. Blushing profusely at staring, she shut her eyes tightly and bowed to him, holding out her gift.

"S… Sempai," If only I had a minute or two to prepare myself in front of his door… "T… This is for…" She opened her eyes only to see her magnificent cake Keitaro was holding. Wh… Who made that for him? Whoever it was must truly love him to make such a beautiful cake. She turned around, tears welling up in her eyes. I can't possibly give this pathetic thing to him now that he has that one… Before Shinobu-chan knew it, she was running, where to she didn't know. Her tears fell as she ran, leaving behind a glistening trail momentarily suspended in the air. Her vision all blurry, she didn't notice as she ran by Motoko who was lying in wait around the corner. Turning quickly after Shinobu-chan passed her, she walked briskly towards Keitaro, still standing there looking at fleeing figure, and now focussing on the rapidly approaching one.

"Keitaro," She sighed, once she had reached him, "Shinobu-chan was trying to give you a gift, I noticed her preparing it today whilst you were at the study centre." Keitaro was about to reply when Motoko raised a hand to stop him. "I know that it was not your fault, but you must go to her quickly."

Nodding Keitaro walked back into his room and placed the cake on his furnace table, to dispose of it later. Leaving his room, he watched as Motoko vanished upstairs to her room he assumed. He began to think. I had no idea Shinobu-chan would do something so nice for me, I have to see her. Now where would she be…? Remembering her favourite place in Hinata-sou, he began to make his way up to the Shinkan. Climbing up the final staircase to the roof, he was not at all surprised to see Shinobu-chan standing on the edge of the roof, looking over the town, facing away from him.

"Shinobu-chan…" He spoke towards her, and noticed her shudder. Seeing more tears falling from her face, he knew that this meant a lot to her. "I'm climbing up there, don't move now…" Doing so, he began to walk the narrow ridge towards the junior high student, and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. She's shivering… I hope that it's due to the cold and not to me. "Please let me see your face…"

Turning slowly, she angled her head up towards the face of the man that she admires, to see that he was looking back at her with care. Keitaro could see the unshed tears in her eyes as she refused to let them fall in front of him at this time.

"Gomen Shinobu-chan, I did not mean to upset you. Please, let's go inside to sort this out…" H waited as she nodded quietly, making some of tears fall from their confinement.

They began to walk away from the edge of the roof. However, when trying to walk with her slippers, Shinobu-chan began to lose her balance. Placing one foot over the other, she began to fall, letting out a yelp. Catching Keitaro's attention he immediately lunged for her. Grabbing her arm he tried to bring her towards himself, but also lost balance. Falling forward, he managed to bear the brunt of the impact by twisting himself, hitting the roof first whilst Shinobu-chan fell on top of him. Her heartbeat began to rise as she noticed her awkward position, blushing profusely as she picked herself up. Keitaro also pushed himself up, wiping off the dirt that remained on his clothing.

He smiled at her, "Remind me to clean the roof once in a while, it seems to be dirty." He turned to walk on, but instead tripped over a loose tile, and began to freefall again, only this time over the edge of the roof.

"Sempai!" Dropping her gift to the ground Shinobu-chan ran over to the edge, crouched and gripped the edge of the tiling to peer over the edge.

"Waaah!" She was shocked backwards; Keitaro was still hanging there, clutching a lower portion of the tiling staring up at Shinobu-chan with a worried expression. "S… Sempai?" Her eyes were welling up again, "Do you need any h… help?" She yelped as his left hand suddenly broke a tile, sending it clattering to the ground, he quickly regained his posture on another tile.

"Erm… I'm not sure Shinobu-chan." He maintained a steady voice, but secretly was sweatdropping bucketloads.

How on Earth am I going to get out of this one alive? I don't think I ever fell from a height like this before. He could feel the tiles behind his fingers beginning to crumble away.

"I think I'll be fin-AAAAAH!" The tiles broke leaving Keitaro momentarily hanging in the air looking into Shinobu-chan's eyes.

"NO! SEMPAI!" She reached out a hand too late, never mind the fact that she would've been too weak to support his weight. Her tears fell as he began to dwindle into oblivion.

Keitaro knew he might not survive the fall as the ground hurtled before him. Well, okaasan, you were right after all; applying for Toudai would kill me in the end. Gomen everyone. Motoko-chan… He closed his eyes. He thought he heard someone shout out below him, but what shocked him was the sudden rush of wind around him. It impacted with a certain force, pushing him slightly upwards from the ground. Looking around he saw that he was now moving almost parallel to the ground, straight towards a tree. Striking it, he was cushioned by the amount of branches and leaves, and fell to the earth relatively lightly. Spitting out some dirt that got into his mouth, he fumbled around the ground for his glasses, which had fallen off. His eyesight was very bad, and in the dim light he was even more unlikely to find them. Seeing a bright object in front of him, he moved his hand to it and noticed that it was warm before it moved away. Could it be…? He looked up but could only see a blur that seemed to get consistently closer to him. Closing his eyes again, he felt the icy cold metal frame of his glasses press against the sides of his head, and once they were secure behind his ears and resting on his nose, he reopened his eyes.

"Motoko-chan…" She helped him up to his feet, brushing away more loose dirt on his shoulders. After seeing that he was reasonably presentable, they walked inside together, side-by-side.

Shinobu-chan was nowhere to be seen, but they could both hear the sounds of running and slippers padding softly down the stairs. Looking they saw the young girl sneak a coy look around the corner. Happy to see him unharmed, she ran to him, tears of joy in her arms.

"Sempai!" Before she knew it, she was hugging him close. Keitaro took this in his stride; he had noticed Shinobu-chan to get emotional over any event he does. Motoko watched the scene carefully, and sweatdropped as it lasted around five minutes. However, she was feeling envious of Shinobu-chan. Why is she showing such an obvious sign of emotion in front of others? Hugging him like that? If only I was her… She put a hand to her mouth without both of them noticing. What am I thinking? Am I jealous of Shinobu-chan? It is just a simple hug… Or do I want to be held close by Keitaro? To be loved by him…? I will have to meditate more over this. Shinobu-chan snapped her eyelids open, and knew that she had made a spectacle of herself, in front of Motoko and Keitaro no less. Stepping back, blushing so furiously that Keitaro thought he could feel the heat from it, she bowed three times, saying 'Gomen' each time. Looking up over to Motoko, he noticed her expression was warm. She glanced over in his direction and nodded. He walked over to Shinobu-chan and knelt down to her level. She was still bowed down.

"Arigatou Shinobu-chan. I… liked that hug." She looked up at him quickly as he continued, "For your information Motoko-chan broke my fall. It's her you should thank."

She looked over to Motoko, who shook her head, "There is no need to thank me Shinobu-chan, I did what had to be done."

"Shinobu-chan…" Keitaro caught her attention once again, "What was it you wanted to give me? I never did get it in the end."

"Umm," She lost her train of thought, but remembered that she was still holding it in her right hand, "Here it is sempai." She handed it over to him.

Keitaro got up and placed it on a nearby table, the two girls following him. He opened the gift, unwrapping the ribbon around it to reveal a large chocolate heart with 'Tokyo U acceptance' written in Kanji in white icing. The only problem was that the heart was now broken in two, straight down the middle. Shinobu-chan began to panic, her eyes swirling around losing focus as she moved her arms rapidly up and down. Keitaro put her worries at ease by beginning to eat some of it.

"Mmm, it's good Shinobu-chan!" He broke off another piece and handed it to her, watching her eat it quietly. He continued when she finished eating, "It's probably the best chocolate I've tasted all day." He smiled to reaffirm that statement, making her smile back in return only to make a puzzled look.

"But, whose cake was that that you…?"

"I made it." He replied shamefully, "I made it to show off to my friends because I never receive any genuine chocolates from a girl. If you won't mind, do you want to have it?" She seemed shocked. "I was going to throw it out now, but you caught me just as I was about to do that, so I think I should pay you back for helping out with the cooking at Hinata-sou by giving you my cake, as a Valentine."

She felt her body tingle. She had never been complimented by anyone like that, let alone Keitaro. She nodded after a moment, afraid to speak since her vocal chords tightened a notch. They walked up to his room, Keitaro continuing to nibble away at her chocolate. He opened the door and handed her the cake. He said that if she couldn't finish it, then she could do what she wanted with it. Wishing her a good night as she left, he was about to go to sleep when Motoko held his hand.

"Come with me Keitaro." She walked on upstairs to her room when she opened the door allowing him in before shutting it again. Kneeling at her shrine momentarily, she got up again and walked to Keitaro, who was standing around nervously.

"Motoko-chan, I can't stay up too late, if have to get up early to revise."

"I understand Keitaro, this will only take a moment." He nodded and waited for her to continue, "You must realise that there was very little time to prepare, and I'm not as accomplished a cook as Shinobu-chan, but…" She held out a gift that she was keeping behind her back, "this is for you."

Keitaro accepted it, stunned. She would do this for me? I had no idea of this, or her feelings… He opened it to find a conservative box of chocolates. Lifting up the lid he saw that they looked delicious, caramel-filled, milk, plain, white, all different types of chocolates. He looked up at her, mouth agape.

"You didn't have to do this for me you know Motoko-chan…"

"It was merely courteous of me, seeing as I live here with you…" She tried to wave it off unsuccessfully.

"I don't think so, you went over the mark for me here. Nevertheless, I am extremely happy that you have done this for me." He smiled.

Closing the lid, he walked towards her, noticing but choosing to ignore her face that was now becoming more panicked. What is he going to do? He seems very determined… She closed her eyes, half-fearful, half-anxious. Keitaro moved closer to her and held her left shoulder gently…

He kissed her lightly on her cheek.

He pulled back to see Motoko in shock; her heart seemed to stop for a short while. Her mind was racing. What did he do!? Did he kiss me? No it cannot be, he wouldn't do that… or would he? Does he love me? Do I love him?

"Till tomorrow Motoko-chan." She returned to reality to see Keitaro leave her room quietly. She couldn't even know how long she had been standing there for. Deciding that sleep was the only thing she should think about for now, she promptly undressed and crawled into her futon, ready for the next day. Keitaro… I wonder…

Keitaro meanwhile was facing a similar dilemma. Why did I kiss her? Do I love her? I have no idea as to her true feelings for me, if any exist. Why was she still in shock though and not shouting out? Was that good or bad? He returned to his room, still unsure as to their relationship now, would things be different the next day, or would they become a couple? He chose to not focus on that right now and gave in to the sleep he had been holding out on for a while for.