3Quick Note: I have only fully seen the anime so far, but have read a couple chapters of the manga. I do know the two go in different directions, so I figured I should clarify here.
Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina. Also, stay indoors unless you have to go outside and make sure you wash your hands, everyone!
Keitaro stood in the hospital room with Naru, her lungs barely functioning, her eyes half-open with bruised half-moons under them. According to the doctors, she had signs of pneumonia and was running a fever of 101.7. The life support machine was beeping steadily, sounding like it was beginning to run out. Naru was barely able to move, and when she attempted to hit Keitaro yesterday for saying they'll go somewhere if she got better (rather than when she got better), she moved her fist so slowly he was able to get out of the way (good thing too, because according to the doctors, if she came into contact with him, he would probably catch it too). Keitaro had tears falling from his eyes onto his glasses' lenses. He took them off and dried them with a wipe on his golf shirt. He had a good idea where she would be soon.
It has been five years since Keitaro and Naru had ended up together. The two of them did at one point get engaged. Keitaro had taken many beatings, had been called mean names a lot, had been attacked by Motoko for supposedly perving on Naru (no, he wasn't perving on her for the record), but he knew she loved him as much as he'd loved her. The situation she was in was one that would kill her.
Naru coughed twice before tilting her head slightly, looking at her fiance. "Kei - Keita - ro…" she spoke weakly.
"Ye - Yes, Na - Naru?" Keitaro fought back the tears, not wanting her to realize he was crying. She could tell though. She could hear it in his voice.
"I - I know I've been… kind of abusive to - to you over the years…" she lamented.
Kind of? Keitaro thought.
"I want you to know that - that I still always cared for you deeply…" she hacked once more. Her voice sounded more feeble than Keitaro had ever heard anybody speak in his entire life.
"I - I know you did…" Keitaro's body began shaking. It was getting very difficult for him to hold back the tears.
Naru smiled fragilely. "You bak-" her eyes shut suddenly, as the machine had an endless still beep with a flat line showing on the monitor. She wasn't moving now.
All the tears he was fighting back suddenly shot from Keitaro's eyes like miniature waterfalls in a typical anime fashion with him screaming in misery: "NARU!"
The girls were all sitting outside, a bit of a distance away in the waiting room, heads bowed with depressed looks on their faces. Even Kaolla wasn't her usual cheerful self. The distance wasn't enough of one to prevent them from hearing Keitaro's loud shrieks and crying. They knew exactly what had happened.
Everyone was feeling the same gut-wrenching emotion from this, having lost Naru. None were more upset about her death than Keitaro was, and none were more upset about hearing his sorrow than Shinobu was. It was no secret that she had feelings for Keitaro. These feelings kept her from dating any of the boys that would ask her out. When Keitaro had proposed to Naru and she said "Yes," she knew Keitaro and Naru would be together and her chances were gone.
Would Shinobu have a chance with Keitaro? Probably. Would she want to take that chance after his girlfriend, and also her friend, had died? Most likely not. She was old enough now, but she didn't want to do something like that…
Keitaro entered the waiting room with teardrops still falling from his eyes. He walked over to the girls and they looked at him.
"Do - Do you need a minute, Keitaro?" Kitsune asked him.
"Yeah… I think I do…" Keitaro sat down next to Shinobu. Shinobu patted him on the shoulder, angry at herself for feeling the way she did, and miserable for Keitaro because he just lost the love of his life.
"Is there anything you need, Keitaro?" Mutsumi asked.
"I - I wanted to give Naru a hug before she died… but I couldn't touch her without… without getting sick too…"
Mutsumi put out her arms, ready to give Keitaro a hug, but she stopped herself, realizing Shinobu was right next to him, knowing that she probably needed a hug from him as much as he needed a hug from her. Mutsumi nodded yes once at Shinobu. Shinobu then embraced Keitaro tightly, both of them bawling their eyes out. Kaolla, Motoko, Mitsune, Sarah and Mutsumi all then joined in to give him a group hug. They all needed one after this…
Okay, so I considered having this end on a more Shinobu ending up with Keitaro note, but there was no way I could do that for this kind of story and not hate myself for it afterwards, so I just ended it with a hug followed by a group hug. It felt like the better way to do it. Hope you all felt something while reading this, and feel free to let me know what you think in a review. Mata ne, everyone.
