13Author's Notes
Sorry it's been so long! Two years, dear lord. School and stuff, and executive dysfunction. I am a wreck, I swear. (Plus, I'm twenty now, whoa!) Anyhow, meat time! Shinji and Misato's true debut, as well as more worldbuilding, and suspicion! Stay tuned!
Also, yes, Eva fans, I ship KawoShin. They make for a positively Angelic pair. ;)
Fun Fact: Rachel Platten's "Fight Song" is amazing motivational music for just about anything.
Love Hina: Aozuki-hen
Act 2: Keitaro's First Day
Part 2: Sullen Boy, Enraged Girl
-Hinata House [Common Room], Late Morning-
A very unusual circle of five people gathered in the center of the room- Keitaro (who looked surprised), Haruka (who looked thoughtful), Misato (who looked bright), Shinji (who looked glum), and Kitsune (who looked perplexed).
The last of the aforementioned rubbed the back of her head. "So, uh, recap what's going on?"
Keitaro sighed. "Right... Mitsune-san, these are two of my friends, Misato Katsuragi and Shinji Ikari. They're in town on a paid vacation from their workplace in Hakone, and heard I was staying here as Kanrinin. Misato, Shinji, this is Mitsune, one of my tenants."
"Hakone, huh?" Kitsune whistled. "Nice." She cupped her chin with one hand and eyed Shinji, who flinched slightly. "This li'l bean sprout has a full-time job at the tender age of what, sixteen? I find that hard to believe."
"It's the truth," chirped Misato. "Shinji-kun here is my ward while he helps out at NERV."
"Uh, that's where we work," Shinji clarified. "Anyway, uh, we heard about Keitaro-san becoming the Kanrinin of Hinata House, and Misato-san decided we should vacation here with him."
"Interesting..." Haruka pursed her lips. "You do know that Hinata House is a girls-only facility currently?"
"W-Wait, wha?!" Misato's jaw dropped. "You're not serious, are you?" At Haruka's nod, she groaned. "Oh my god, what prude decided that?"
Keitaro snorted at "prude". "It was my grandmother's decision, actually. She left me the place and a truckload of paperwork." He chuckled a little bit, flexing the fingers of his right hand- there was still a hint of a cramp in them. "I think I could technically return the House to being co-ed, though..."
"That would be great of you," Misato said with a relieved sigh. "So, tell me more about yourself, uh... Konno-san?"
"Mitsune," Kitsune clarified, "though I prefer Kitsune, sugar. I'm what you might call a freelance writer, and I love a good bottle of sake!"
"Sake? Blegh." Misato stuck her tongue out playfully. "Yebisu or nothing."
"Ew! That stuff's swill," Kitsune laughed, and to Keitaro and Haruka's bemusement and Shinji's amusement, the two proceeded to get into a playful argument about alcohol.
Shinji allowed himself a small, restrained chuckle. "They certainly get along..."
"Yup," Keitaro agreed. "So, Shinji-kun, how's life in Hakone? It's been a while, and we haven't really gotten the chance to talk."
"Oh, life is... okay." Shinji shrugged. "I have friends at NERV, and school, and..."
"And?" Haruka cocked an eyebrow.
"Uh..." Shinji blushed deep red. "I met a boy named Kaworu and, uh... we've been dating for a while..."
"That's great!" Keitaro beamed. "I wish you two happiness."
"Shucks..." Shinji's blush grew even more intense as he rubbed the back of his head. However, he soon grew serious. "Um, aside from mundane life, Keitaro-san..." He leaned closer to Keitaro, and whispered, "Don't you think we and Misato-san should talk about what happened last night?"
Keitaro's face became grave as well. "I know," he murmured back, "but I can't let the tenants know about it. It's too risky."
"I get what you mean..." Shinji bit his lower lip. "Sorry, I'm kind of used to it being a public thing in NERV." He shrugged.
"Mm. We'll talk tonight, once everyone else is asleep. Did you or Misato get any visions today?" When Shinji shook his head, Keitaro sighed in relief. "That's one weight off my chest. Here, I'll show you and Misato around if you want."
-Azabu-Juuban Cram School [Hallway], Noon-
"PERVERT!"
KRACK.
Naru, hunched over and nostrils flaring, glared down at the boy she had just punched, who was lying on the linoleum floor, bleeding from a broken nose. Everyone around her was giving her a seriously wide berth, all staring in shock either at the enraged girl or the punched boy.
"And don't you DARE look up my skirt like that EVER again, GOT IT!?" Naru shouted at her victim, whose only response was a frightened whimper. She kicked him in the side, then stormed off down the halls, whispers trailing after her like storm clouds following a cartoon character.
"Did you see that punch?!"
"I never thought Narusegawa would knock someone's teeth out..."
"And he didn't even do anything either..."
The redhead heard none of this. She was too busy revelling privately in her own righteous fury. She had just defeated a pervert who had been peeking up her skirt! That ought to teach him a lesson about victimizing girls.
In this self-congratulatory reverie, Naru didn't notice that the only looks she was recieving from the other students were ones of fear and disgust.
-Hinata House [Hot Spring], Early Evening-
Motoko sighed as she laid back in the hot spring's water, hair drifting around her head like a dark halo.
The teenage samurai's thoughts were all over the place, as they had been since she awoke. First her grievous altercations with Keitaro, then the bizarre ocurrence of Keitaro's... she still couldn't figure out if it was a ki attack or something similar. It had behaved much like one, but the aura signature on it felt... alien, somehow. In fact, now that Motoko had the ability to devote her attention to it, rather than having her thoughts scattered by cleaning, school, or kendo, she now recognized with a chill down her spine that somehow, some way, there had been another presence inside the hot spring that fateful evening.
Motoko was, like all warriors of the Shinmei-ryu, trained in the art of sensing people's auras. She knew the aura signatures of every resident of the Hinata House like the back of her hand. Subconsciously, she associated them with "flavors". Su's was like the top of a root beer float, foamy, sweet, and bubbly with mischief. Kitsune's was champagne- also effervescent, but fruity rather than rooty, with the slightest fiery bite to it. (Motoko inwardly smirked whenever she pondered it: ironic that the sake-loving party girl would have an aura that "tasted" like a much more elegant drink.) Shinobu's was lavender. A pure and clean, if understated taste. Naru's, Motoko likened to a pot of spicy soup coming to a boil: pleasantly piquant and exciting when allowed the chance to cool off, but dangerous when roiling. Haruka's aura was a much more sedate licorice, a mature and earthy taste.
But Keitaro's aura defied quick description. Earlier that day, when she returned to Hinata House from school, Motoko had taken a quick look at him using her ability to sense aura. She was nearly sent reeling when it detected two "flavors" intertwined, so closely Motoko could not easily separate them into two separate auric signatures. One was a standard "vanilla" that Motoko found was common- the hallmark of a mild, soothing and goodnatured personality. The other, she had never encountered before. If she had to put words to it, it would be something like an extremely juicy cherry - overpowering in its simultaneous blend of sweet and sour, almost electric. The two aura signatures seemed to complement one another perfectly, the "vanilla" providing a refreshing and calming counterpoint to the whirlwind of intensity that was the "cherry", and the "cherry" breathing new life into the "vanilla" and making it stand out. No doubt Keitaro was the source of the vanilla aura- he was certainly milquetoast enough- but the presence of the cherry aura made Motoko wonder...
The swordfighter snapped out of her woolgathering and sat up. There had been other issues that day, too: two other newcomers had apparently shown up at the doorstep while she was out, having come to visit Keitaro. This was surprising in and of itself. Indeed, Motoko was astounded Urashima even [i]had[/i] anyone so chummy with him as Misato. But when they had announced their intent to stay at Hinata House while on sabbatical, Motoko had tentatively prodded at them with her aura sense.
It had been all she could do to refrain from collapsing in total synesthetic shock. They had the same exact auric anomaly about themselves that Urashima did! Different flavors, of course (the young boy had been rain and orange, the woman an odd mix of beer and beef stew), but the same phenomenon of entwinement was there. Did it have something to do with why they knew one another?
Motoko would have to investigate into this, and if need be, dispense justice with her blade.
She sighed and sat up in the water, brushing her hair back with both hands, then got up out of it. Time to dry off, wait for dinner, and amuse herself for the evening. The mystery of Keitaro Urashima, Misato Katsuragi, and Shinji Ikari could wait.
-Hinata House [Hot Spring], Late Night-
Keitaro had locked the door leading to the hot spring earlier that evening, but now, it was time again to open it up; it was the only one of two places in Hinata House that the girls wouldn't hear him and the two from Hakone discussing their dark dealings, and the other one...
...well, the less said about the other location, the better.
Locking the door once more behind him, he bade Shinji and Misato sit with him to talk.
"We'll be safe from prying ears here, hopefully," he said as he lowered himself into a sitting position by the baths, glancing around as if expecting Naru to pop out from underwater with scuba gear on. "Now... we need to talk about last night."
Misato nodded, her previous joviality tucked away. "I agree," she said in an undertone. "How on Earth were there so many of those damn things last night?"
Shinji tapped his fingers together. "Maybe... The Apostles have something to do with it?" he offered tentatively, before shivering.
"I wouldn't think so," replied Keitaro. "You said the last appearance of an Apostle was a month ago, and these waves of Spindles have been popping up at least once a week. Besides, the Apostles are in the Hakone area, not Tokyo." He pursed his lips. "Thank goodness you guys were in town, though. Otherwise I'd have been mincemeat, even with Saku by my side."
"Thank god for Saku!" laughed Misato. "Seahawk is nowhere near as fun."
"Try Shogouki," Shinji chuckled. "Total killjoy..." He sobered up soon, though. "Keitaro-san, how are you going to keep this secret? Especially from Aoyama-san... She kept looking at Misato-san and I like there was something weird about us."
Keitaro had noticed. Motoko, for all her polite and introverted behavior, was not subtle when something was bothering her. She had been casting furtive glances at the NERV employees as though attempting to learn hidden information about them just from looking, and would occasionally get a wide-eyed expression on her face, before hastening to cover it up and act as though nothing had happened.
"Pfft, she's all bark and no bite." Misato rolled her eyes. "Worse than Asuka-chan. Acts like she's all that when she hasn't got a clue. I'm more worried about Narusegawa. You saw the way she snapped at our dear Shinji here! She's like a rabid dog or something."
Keitaro nodded solemnly, remembering the events of the afternoon.
-Flashback: Hinata House [Dining Room], Afternoon-
"Another man in Hinata House," Naru muttered resentfully, glaring daggers at Shinji. Another meeting had been called, to get everyone up to speed with the situation. They'd all taken it fairly reasonably: Haruka nodded and offered her help in sorting out the paperwork to return Hinata House to a co-ed dorm, Su had greeted Misato and Shinji with enthusiasm before scuttling away to her dorm room, and Kitsune, Shinobu, and Motoko had all extended polite greetings while sticking around.
Naru was the only holdout. Men seemed determined to thread their slimy little way into her life lately- first Urashima, the big jerk, then that perv at cram school, and now this wimpy little shortstack, who cowered away from her cold frown. She hated this type of guy- the ones that seemed so weak and vulnerable. They couldn't even be forthright with how much they wanted to stare and ogle and grab- no, they hid it behind a mild-mannered, nonthreatening facade, shying away and playing coy before striking when you least expected it.
Fortunately for shy, easily-cowed Shinji, Misato would not let Naru give him any flak. "Hey, lay off my ward, girlie," she said, putting a hand on the table and narrowing her eyes at Naru.
The cram school student hastened to defend herself. "I'm just saying, this is an all-girls' dorm," she replied defensively.
"Naru has a point," Motoko added. Naru was grateful- Motoko was always ready to help her out when it came to guys and how perverted they were. "This is a drastic upset of our status quo."
"Aw, lighten up, you two," snorted Kitsune. "These two are fun! Surely you can tolerate a teeny-bopper and a lady who likes the worst beer known to mankind while they're on vacation."
That got Misato to laugh, surprising the two girls who were against Shinji's arrival. "Oh, don't you start again," she commented, prompting Kitsune to chuckle as well.
"Do you two know each other?" Shinobu ventured shyly.
"Nope, we just met this morning!" Kitsune chirped. "And I gotta say, these two are my kind of people! Hey, Shinobu, whatcha think of Shinji-kun here, eh?" she teased, grinning brightly. "Cutie, isn't he? Seems like he's just your type."
The mischievous woman giggled at the sight of Shinji and Shinobu simultaneously going red and averting their gazes, stuttering incoherently. This, however, only stoked the fire of Naru's distrustful anger.
"Don't you even try it, Ikari," Naru threatened. "Got it? I won't let you have your way with Shinobu, so you better keep away!"
The red in Shinji's face traded itself for stark white, and he squeaked out a "yes ma'am sorry ma'am" that made Kitsune quickly reconsider teasing the sensitive young man.
Keitaro, watching all this, just sighed. He wondered briefly if he would survive the next few days without getting a stress ulcer. Or if Shinji would survive period.
"She scares me," Shinji admitted. "Asuka-san back at NERV is a little mean sometimes, but I can tolerate her. Narusegawa-san feels like... like..."
"Like a time bomb ready to blow?" Keitaro asked, chuckling. He put a comforting hand on Shinji's shoulder. "I understand- though Kitsune-san and her teasing didn't help. Naru attacked me last night, actually. I was so spaced out that I accidentally walked in on her in the nude, and she pummelled me to a pulp."
Misato chuckled. "Whoa-ho! Keitaro the pervert! I thought you weren't that kind of guy. Or are you finally releasing the beast?" she said, wiggling her eyebrows mischievously.
"The only beast in my vicinity is Saku," Keitaro snorted. "And he behaves himself. Unlike a certain Captain I could mention."
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up ya prude." The purple haired woman pouted, and turned a betrayed look on Shinji when he giggled.
"How are you not hurt, though?" Shinji asked. "By rights, you should still be injured."
"About that..." Keitaro adjusted his glasses and groaned. "Naru wasn't the only one that attacked me. I called for help, but when Motoko came rushing in, she saw Naru on the offensive, and assumed I was being a creep. Not an unreasonable guess, but she can do ki attacks, apparently. I ended up even more beaten than I would have if it were just Naru."
"Damn, I thought that stuff went out with the Dark Ages," Misato commented, eyes widening. "But that doesn't answer what Shinji asked."
"Two words. Ouka Gen'ei."
Both of the NERV duo winced.
"Your most powerful healing spell?" Shinji asked, reeling backwards. "What did they DO to you?"
"A mean right hook and ki-infused sword techniques do a number on the human body, surprisingly," Keitaro said. "Motoko was about to fry me with some kind of lightning slash, and I just went on autopilot. I cast Ouka Gen'ei to drain the attack power and heal me up, then sorted the situation out with words."
"Oof." Misato fiddled with a cross-shaped charm on her necklace. "At least you got out of it unscathed. But how many witnesses were there?"
"All five tenants," Keitaro confirmed with a nod. "I'm hoping they'll write it off as a ki thing, since nobody is apparently surprised at Motoko's abilities."
"With luck," Shinji sighed. "Still, that must have been awful, Keitaro-san. I know you're a pacifist."
"Mmmm. I'm gonna have a few talks with everyone tomorrow, methinks," Keitaro said with a nod. He let his shoulders sag, then sighed deeply. "Stuff like last night, I can handle. Dealing with temperamental people who're as likely to fly off the handle as not? Send help..."
The three of them managed another laugh again, before Shinji yawned. "Not to end the conversation," he said, "but I'm really tired. I need to get to bed..."
"No trouble," Keitaro promised. "We all should. We can keep talking about this another time." He stood up, then helped Misato and Shinji up.
It was nice, Keitaro thought as they all said their goodnights and left, to have friends he could talk to, friends that understood him. Certainly, he felt a lot less alone than he had recently.
Carrying the weight of a world on your shoulders was easier when you weren't the only one doing it.
-?, Late Night-
"...What luck... That I was able to come back here so quickly."
"I missed you so much... the old bat should've known I couldn't be restrained by her for long."
"It wasn't like she would have understood anyway. Nobody does, except Horobi-chan."
"You were so brave out there, with the two from NERV. They weren't nearly as strong as you... or as beautiful. Oh, you were poetry in motion, a dance of destruction and rebirth under the moonlight. How I longed to see that sight just one more time, and I finally got to."
"I'll be by your side soon..."
"...big brother."
Glossary
NERV (German, pronounced "Nehrf"): A Japanese paramilitary organization from the renowned mecha anime "Neon Genesis Evangelion", by Hideaki Anno and Studio Gainax. In the original "Eva" canon, NERV is based in Tokyo-3, a replacement for the original Tokyo after it was destroyed in the apocalyptic Second Impact. In "Love Hina: Aozuki-hen", NERV is based in the real-life site of Tokyo-3: Hakone, a town in the Kanagawa prefecture known for its hot springs and its picturesque view of Mount Fuji.
Yebisu: A brand of beer brewed by the Sapporo Brewery. Misato's preferred drink, as well as that of her pet penguin, Pen-Pen. (How she got a penguin to drink alcohol is anyone's guess.)
Azabu-Juuban: A section of the Minato ward in Tokyo. This is roughly where Usagi Tsukino and her friends from "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon" live.
