209Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to Marvel Comics or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.
Chapter 1: Kaolla's Special Delivery
As Shinobu Maehara worked atop the Hinata Inn, hanging a load of freshly cleaned laundry up to dry, she paused to look out and take in the lovely day that she had been graced with. The sky was sunny with few clouds, warm breezes gently tossed the laundry she had already hung and would soon dry it, and as always, the area surrounding the Hinata Inn was absolutely gorgeous, and the terrace she was on afforded her a perfect view of it all. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, the wind carrying their fragrant aroma up to her, adding to her already buoyant mood.
I can hardly believe that my life wasn't always like this, Shinobu thought, her mood darkening somewhat when she thought about what things had been like before she had come to live there. When she had gone through the motions of life, but not truly feeling alive.
Shinobu considered herself to be a fairly average girl, if a bit shy; she had gone to school, taken her lessons. While the other girls frequently lost themselves in conversation during their break periods, she more often than not found herself standing off to the side, looking at them, envying their openness, and wishing that she could open up to them as easily. And while she did still go to school, was still shy, things were much worse back then. Every day, her inability to deal with people, to open up and talk had made her a target for the bullies that seemed to haunt the halls of every school there was. And when Shinobu had come home to tell her parents about her problems, it invariably backfired, with the only advice being to stay away from rowdy girls, to stay to herself and be safe, be a good, obedient girl.
Her parents. Shinobu winced at the thought of them. For while she was certain that they cared for her in her mind, her heart still ached at the hideous, angry bickering that so frequently filled their home. Her father was frequently accused of having affairs, her mother's seeming inadequacy to do well by Shinobu, and so many other arguments. Her parents always screaming at other, always justifying it by saying that they were trying to do what was best for her.
What's best for me, Shinobu thought, those painful memories still with her. It had gotten easier for her to leave them behind for the most part, they didn't haunt her the way they used to, but it wasn't until she had finally found the courage to put her foot down and make her own decisions that her parents had finally stopped to listen. And even then, they would have likely disregarded her wishes, if it weren't for a special someone helping her to make those wishes become reality...
As the face of that special someone floated in her mind, Shinobu felt her cheeks burn just the slightest bit as she negative memories faded. No longer was she allowing her parents and their arguments dictate her life for her. They had moved away from the hot spring laden town of Hinata, and they each had their own lives now. And while the young girl still loved them both, and occasionally missed them, she knew that she couldn't let them keep imposing their will on her. She had to live her own life, not them run it for her.
And it's times like this that I'm glad I did, Shinobu thought as she hung another piece of laundry from the line. She had truly found her niche in the Hinata Inn, earning her living as the resident chef, as well as other duties such as cleaning and laundry, all skills she had cultivated at her parents former restaurant. She had learned to open up, stand up for herself, make friends. And...it's all thanks to...
"Keitaro, you pervert!" came an earsplitting cry of sheer disgust and hatred, one that effortlessly shattered the peaceful day Shinobu had been enjoying and very nearly knocking her off the terrace. As it was, she crouched and braced herself for possible disaster as another familiar voice cried out in pain. A moment later, she spotted a human figure careening uncontrollably through the air. Crying out in dismay, Shinobu watched as the person that could only be Keitaro Urashima tumbled out of sight, becoming nothing more than a twinkle in the blue sky, leaving behind nothing but his cries of protest.
Staring after him for a moment, Shinobu felt her previously sunny mood crumble into nothingness. And it's times like this that I wonder what I was thinking, the young girl thought as she glanced over in the direction of the hot springs. They were on the far side of the Inn, so she couldn't see what had happened for herself. But she had a pretty good guess. The same thing that happened seemingly every single day; Naru Narusegawa taking a minor accident and blowing it completely out of proportion.
As much as Shinobu enjoyed her new life at the Hinata Inn, there were times when she was baffled by and had difficulties with the residents of what had slowly become known to the rest of the town as the 'craziest, freakiest, most utterly insane place that was ever built'. And by far the most difficult of them was Naru.
For the most part, Naru came off as a fairly normal girl. She had a full figure with long, light brown hair, and was very pleasant to be with most of the time. Except for the fact that she had issues, and each of those issues revolved around men.
To hear Naru talk, men were the root of all evil, perverted and lusting and scheming and would do anything to take advantage of beautiful women, who they would subsequently discard like a toy they were bored with. And while she did sometimes give indicators that there were men that were exceptions to this rule, the young male student that was the manager and owner of the Hinata Inn was unfortunately not one of them. Time after time, Keitaro would be doing something completely innocuous, such as making repairs to the Inn or tending to the grounds, and she would immediately interpret whatever he was doing as being perverted. To make matters worse, the aspiring student of Tokyo-U was something of a klutz, and with the number of females living at the Inn, that frequently put him in compromising situations that Naru would quickly declare to be all his fault, and would subsequently punch him with all her strength, with the result frequently being him being launched up and away, just like moments before.
Sometimes, I think 'you pervert' and 'it's all Keitaro's fault' are the only things she ever says, Shinobu thought wearily, wondering why someone would insist on tormenting someone who was blessed with such a good heart. A question made even more perplexing by the fact that Naru wasn't Keitaro's only tormentor. Far from it, in fact.
The second of Keitaro's tormentors was Motoko Aoyama, a raven-haired beauty of martial artist and a female swordsmen whose skill had made her a local legend. Unfortunately, her devotion to the perfection of her fighting skills had apparently come at expense of polishing her social skills. She had extreme difficulty in relating to others in general, and men and particular. And when she found herself confronted with an awkward or embarrassing situation, she would attempt to solve her dilemma with her blade. And once again, Keitaro's clumsiness meant that he had been on the receiving end of her formidable skills with unfortunate frequency.
The third of Shinobu's fellow residents was also the only one she had known before coming to live at the Hinata Inn. The exuberant Kaolla Su was a transfer student from the country of Molmol, of which she was the princess of, and attended the same school as Shinobu. But while the young cook didn't have a problem getting along with tanned blonde, she frequently found herself flummoxed by her hyperactive tendencies. She was a whirling dervish of activity, seeming to have no setting between off and overdrive, and was frequently expressing her affection of others by hugging them. Or in Keitaro's case, kicking him in the head.
Sighing somewhat ruefully as she thought of the antics of her fellow residents, Shinobu then found herself thinking of Mitsune Konno, who was quite likely the most approachable of the girls there. Unfortunately, Kitsune as she was often called had her own quirks. Like the mythical creature that was the source of her nickname, she had a foxy air to her, her eyes frequently narrowed to the point of seeming closed, and a love for playing tricks on others. Whenever things got quiet around the Hinata Inn, she would find a way of stirring up trouble with one of her practical jokes, the end result of which was Keitaro being placed in one of those unfortunately awkward positions, with the inevitable result of him again being launched into Low Earth Orbit.
And he doesn't deserve that, Shinobu morosely thought, all thoughts of continuing with the laundry forgotten as she continued to look out in the distance. Knowing that somewhere, Keitaro was picking himself out of some crater, possibly sending people screaming in astonishment and horror that anyone could survive such a crash landing, before making his way back here. The fact that he was incredibly resilient to injury the only reason he had survived the many, many attacks on his person. He's the only reason I'm here, that I have...anything!
With this thought, Shinobu flashed back to the day she had first met Keitaro. The aspiring student had been sitting nearby, sketching passerby, and found the young girl worthy of being inscribed in his sketchbook, which he had subsequently lost due to his own clumsiness. Before long, he and the other girls there had learned of her parents' divorce, their arguing over who got custody of her, as well as their intents to move away, which eventually ended up with him offering her the chance to make her choice, as well as her position at the Hinata Inn, a choice that freed her to make her own path in life, to do something with herself for the first time. It was because of him that she was able to smile once again, to escape all the pain and turmoil that her parents had brought into her life.
And I keep standing around, doing nothing while Naru punishes him for things that aren't his fault, Shinobu concluded, issuing a helpless sigh as she echoed this thought with the question she always asked after Keitaro was abused for no reason; what could she do to stop it? And it was a question that the young cook had no answer to.
Her attempts to protest Naru's, Motoko's, and Kaolla's assault had met in dismal failure. The older girls were quick and consistent in placing the blame for everything that happened squarely on Keitaro, and they were even quicker to punish him for it, never bothering to give him a chance to explain himself. Whenever Shinobu worked up the courage to tell them that what they were doing was wrong, her words were met by insane logic that cast the manager of the Inn of a deceitful monster, if not flat-out ignored. As for the Molmol princess, she didn't consider what she did to Keitaro to be abuse. It was all fun and games to her. Not to mention the fact that she was a notoriously bad at listening to reason to begin with, always ignoring things she didn't want to listen to, such as the principal's orders to not bring her inventions to school.
And...I'm the youngest, so...I guess it's no surprise that they don't listen to me, Shinobu thought woefully, frowning at this echo of her previous life. Wincing at the painful burning this started in her, a spark that could easily be fanned into anger.
Shinobu forced this spark down and extinguished it before it could spread. If there was anything she had learned in living with her parents, it's that anger never solved anything. All of their furious shouting and accusations had only served to make her parents and Shinobu herself miserable, and ultimately destroyed their lives with each other. Naru and Motoko always acted on anger, lashing out uncontrollably and making Keitaro's life miserable, when all they had to do was stop for a few moments and they would see it wasn't his fault. That he was a kind person, not a target to be abused at every opportunity.
Still...I wish I could do something. Something to make them all stop, Shinobu thought woefully as she continued to work. But even as she did so, she knew that wishing didn't make things happen. And that the only thing she could do was to be ready to greet Keitaro when he finally got back, smile and reassure him that there was at least one person at the Hinata Inn that was always happy to have him around.
Why me? Keitaro couldn't help but wonder as he made the long trek back to the Hinata Inn, the minor aches and pains riddling his body nothing compared to the memory of the look of pure poison Naru had shot at him before once again punching him into the air. Why I am always messing up? Why? Heaving a weary sigh, the bespectacled young man let his gaze fall down to his own feet as he continued onwards. As was usual, he couldn't understand what he had done wrong this time.
It had all started with Keitaro conducting his usual weekly inspection of the Hinata Inn, looking it over from the ground up, looking to see what needed to be repaired. He had gone through the empty Inn, making sure to avoid places such as the occupied rooms and the laboratory that Kaolla maintained beneath the building. But otherwise, he had made certain to conduct a thorough inspection, one that ended with the hot springs.
Of all the places at the Hinata Inn, the hot springs was at the top of the list of places Keitaro tried to steer clear of, but at the same time, it was someplace he frequently had to go in order to make repairs or clean up or conduct some form of basic maintenance. And it seems like every time I end up there, Naru or someone else is taking a bath or something, and- boom! More frequent flyer miles without even looking at an airplane!
Another weary sigh escaping his lips, Keitaro thought back to earlier, just before he had been launched into Low Earth Orbit. He had been very careful as he had approached the hot springs, pausing to make doubly and even triply sure that there was no sign up to indicate that any of the Inn's female residents were present. Then he had called out, speaking as loudly and clearly as he could as he asked if there was anyone in the hot springs. When these were met with silence, he worked up the courage to poke his head out into the hot springs area, quickly glancing about to see if anyone had fallen asleep in there. Again, there was no one. And with this final confirmation, he had set out a sign by the door, alerting everyone who might arrive that the springs area was temporarily closed for maintenance before setting to work, determined to get in and out of there as quickly as possible.
For ten minutes, Keitaro had been working hard mopping up the walkways and pounding fresh nails into loose boards. He had checked this and that, making sure that everything was in perfect condition. And he had just about been done with his labors when the outraged squawk caused him to look about to see Naru standing at the entrance, nude save for the towel she had wrapped about her full figure, and an angry scowl twisting her otherwise beautiful face.
"Why, you...!" Naru had started, her fist quaking in readiness.
A drop of sweat rolling down his head in anticipation of his apparent doom, Keitaro shot to his feet, waving his hands before him. "N-now wait a second! I was just making some repairs, that's all! Really, I -!"
"Shut up! Whatever it is, I don't want to hear it! Just stand right there and take your punishment!" Naru screeched, huge red veins bulging from her forehead as she raced up towards her, her fist cocked and at the ready. "Keitaro, you pervert!"
His ears filled with her deafening screech, Keitaro's gaze was filled with stars and comets as he felt himself lift up right towards them. When they cleared, the entire world was a crazy blur as he tumbled through the air at high speed, unable to make out in which direction he had been sent flying in or how much longer he hand until gravity reclaimed him. Which was quite frankly the only upside to his recent flight; there was nothing quite like being able to see that you were about crash headfirst into a building or a pile of rocks or into a passing airplane or whatever it was that he was going to smash into.
Even if you happen to be basically indestructible, Keitaro thought ruefully even as his aches and pains faded. Well aware that just about anything human would have been reduced to chunky salsa after this or any other time he was sent flying. A fact that he was reminded of not that long ago after his most recent flight was terminated when he crashed into the side of a building. As was usual for this sort of thing, it had taken him a couple seconds to recover from the impact enough to realize that, yes, he was still alive, and even longer for him to decide that it would be a good idea to get out of the pile of rubble he had found himself trapped in. Only to come to full awareness and see several people looking at him in astonishment before turning to run away from him in horror.
Oh, no! It's a zombie! echoed one of the cries of horror in his mind. Help! It's still alive! came another one. Leaving Keitaro to sigh once again, shaking his head wearily. I sure don't feel alive...why'd Naru attack me this time? I know I hung up the warning sign! I know I did! But even as he thought this, the bespectacled young man shook his head morosely. Then again...it's not like a sign would do me any good...not with Naru, anyway...
It never seemed to fail. No matter how careful Keitaro was, either something random would happen to put him in bad position, or he would slip and fall and wind up looking at a girl in a state of undress or have his hands where they ought not to be, and then the blows would be raining down on him. With Naru leading the assault almost every single time. It had gotten to the point where he barely even bothered to defend himself; he had a target on his back, and there was no getting rid of it.
Of course, I'm the manager, so I should be able to do something, Keitaro thought wearily. But what can I do, other than evict the girls? Even as he thought this, the aspiring college student knew this wasn't an option. Right now, the Hinata Inn had only four paying residents staying there, and three of them constantly assaulted him while the fourth was always milking him for money or stirring up some other form of trouble. He would be perfectly justified in booting them all out...but then they would be out of tenants, and he and the Inn would be out of business.
Not that it matters. The instant I tried something like that - boom! Shuddering at the thought of the savage beating such an action would earn him, Keitaro felt his heart sink that much more. And I can't just...give up being manager...I have nowhere else to go. And even if I did...I can't just...give up...I...
His thoughts breaking down, Keitaro just kept on walking, until at long last he arrived at a familiar flight of stairs. Coming to a halt, he slowly, reluctantly looked up the stone staircase, and the Inn that they led to. Naru...why? he thought woefully, as if he could see the cause of his torment, both physical and emotional. All I've ever done...I just wanted...and all you ever do... Again his chain of thought broke apart, leaving him with nothing but unanswered questions. And with nothing to do but accept his fate and start up the stairs, hoping that he wouldn't have to climb them again this day.
After a long climb, staring at nothing but his own feet, the bespectacled young man was brought back to the present when a young voice piped up and said, "Um...hello, sempai."
Starting at the sound of a female voice, his every instinct preparing him for doom, Keitaro flung up his arms in anticipation of a possible attack as he looked up at the speaker. Only for his heartbeat to settle down for what passed for normal for him before smiling sheepishly. "Oh, hi there, Shinobu," he greeted the young girl before lowering his arms. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."
"Well...I thought someone should be here. You know...for when you got back," Shinobu replied, bringing her hands together in expression of nervousness as she came up to him. "I mean...well..."
As the young cook trailed off, Keitaro smiled and nodded. "Ah, I see," he told her as he came up to her and bent down so as to look her in the face. "Well, I really do appreciate that, Shinobu. Thank you."
Issuing a tiny gasp, Shinobu's cheeks colored somewhat as she took a step back. "Uh, you're welcome," she replied, smiling cutely as he stood up straight. "So, uh...are you...okay?"
"Pretty much, yeah," Keitaro answered, not wanting to talk about his latest trip on Naru Knuckle Airlines. "So, uh...has anything happened while I was...?" Shinobu quickly shook her head to this, leaving the aspiring Tokyo-U student grateful that he wouldn't be confronted with some fresh hell so soon after his long trek back. "So, uh..." he started, trying to think of something else to say, "do you have anything special planned for dinner tonight?"
"Well, I was thinking about ell teiyaki tonight. I have everything I need for it," Shinobu quickly reported. "But, uh..."
Frowning somewhat, Keitaro cocked his head to the side before asking, "What is it, Shinobu? Is something wrong?"
"Well, no. Not exactly," Shinobu answered. "It's just...I've been meaning to tell you this, but we're running a bit low on food. I can get by for now, but..."
"I see," Keitaro understandingly. "Alright. I call the grocers and arrange for a delivery. Sound good?" Shinobu's answer was a bright smile and a cheerful nod. "Okay. How about we get inside then. Before anything else happens today?"
"Uh, okay!" Shinobu replied, and as easily as that, the young chef and the bespectacled young man started forward again, walking alongside each other.
Thanks, Shinobu, Keitaro thought, looking at the cute, cheerful girl that had come to stay with them. It's nice to know that there's at least one person I can be open with. With that thought, however, some of his earlier gloom returned, along with the face of another girl. It's too bad that...
Wishing he could be free of such thoughts, Keitaro continued forward with Shinobu as the two of them entered the Hinata Inn. Evening already falling, plunging the area into peace and quiet.
A couple days passed since his most recent flight, time which Keitaro spent doing his utmost to not wind up in a situation that would get him sent flying or smashed against a wall or some other disastrous mess. Instead, he spent the bulk of his time in his office, cooped up with books and studying his mind out for his next college admission. Let's see now...A equals X at the inverse of...or was that A equals Z at the... he thought, trying desperately to make sense of the techno babble that littered the pages.
"Hey, Keitaro!" came the voice of Naru, prompting the bespectacled young man to immediately panic. Initially wondering what he could have possibly done to incite her wrath while sitting quietly in his office, he turned to face her, a horde of apologies on his tongue when he realized that her face wasn't angry or dangerous or even slightly annoyed. "Listen, could you help me with something?"
"Huh? H-help?" Keitaro sputtered out as he slowly realized that he wasn't doomed to be sent rocketing through several walls. As his heart slowly settled down, he cleared his throat and asked, "Uh, what with? Has something happened?"
"There's a deliveryman outside, and he says he has a package for Kaolla," Naru explained, still speaking in that same polite, considerate voice.
"Another one?" Keitaro asked, his eyebrows raising at this. "That's, what, the fifth one in two weeks?"
"At least," Naru confirmed, her long, light brown hair seeming to dance as she nodded. "Anyway, Kaolla's not in her room, and we haven't been able to find her anywhere else."
"Have you checked her lab?" Keitaro wondered, thinking of the complex system of tunnels that were built beneath the Inn long before the Inn even existed. Tunnels that had since been modified and put to more current use, such as storage and the underground laboratory that Kaolla maintained. "She has been spending an awful lot of time down there lately."
"We already thought of that, but to be honest, I'd rather not go down there. Not unless I have to," Naru confessed with a worried frown. Keitaro honestly couldn't blame her for this; though a genius in her own right, Kaolla's inventions tended to be as unpredictable as she was. "Anyway, he says that if Kaolla isn't around to sign for it, he'll have to take the...whatever it is back to the office for storage. So I need you to come sign for it."
"Me?" Keitaro replied, hoping against hope that he had heard her wrong. "But...if this thing is for Kaolla, then what good can I do?"
"Well, you're supposed to be the manager here, aren't you?" Naru cried out, her voice a mix of pleading and annoyance. "Can't you just tell him that you'll sign for it and give it to Kaolla later?"
Heaving a tired breath, Keitaro was about to tell her that he really doubted that such delivery services operated that way, that they had to be responsible for the care and safe delivery of each and every package they delivered, and that meant getting that package safely from the sender to the intended receiver, not the receiver's landlord. But even as he considered this, he knew it would be of no use. It was clear that Naru wanted results, not excuses. Excuses would only serve to make her mad at him, and Naru mad at him equaled getting pummeled and punched through walls and other things that were not only unpleasant to endure, but were also quite difficult to clean up and repair. So he heaved a sigh that made it clear that he was resigned to his fate, and answered, "Well...I guess I could talk to him, see if I can arrange for something..."
"Okay," Naru replied with a satisfied smile on her face. "C'mon! I'll lead the way."
Taking in this smile, Keitaro again sighed and followed a polite distance behind. What can't she always be this easy to deal with? he found himself wondering, making certain that he didn't look he was staring at her posterior or doing anything that would earn him even more frequent flyer miles. Anything that turned the sunny, kind, friendly person Naru was with others into the snarling beast that she so easily became in his presence. What do I keep doing wrong? Why can't I just not be a klutz and stop screwing things up?
Unsurprisingly, the answers to Keitaro's questions eluded him, the same way they eluded him every single day. Leaving him with nothing to do save for following Naru outside the Hinata Inn, past the annex to where a white shipping truck marked with a logo saying "Worldwide Shipping" was parked. Standing nearby was a man in a light tan jumpsuit armed with a clipboard, as well as short-haired woman in an extremely formfitting pants and blue shirt. "Kitsune!" Naru called out as they approached. "Kitsune, I found him!"
Turning to face the newcomers, Kitsune smiled and rushed up to them. "Well, thank goodness y'all did!" she announced, speaking with her usual Kansai twang. Then she focused on the young college student and leaned in towards him. "Ya gotta talk some sense into this jarhead, Keitaro! He wants to take off without even bothering to give Kaolla her whatever-it-is he's supposed to be delivering!"
"Look, lady, it's like I've already told you. I can't just go around handing out stuff to just anybody," the deliveryman grumbled aloud, sounding more tired than anything else. Then he gestured towards the open back of his truck, which was dominated by a large wooden crate. "Ms. Kaolla Su paid in advance to have this delivered to her, which means that I either deliver it to Ms. Kaolla Su, or I don't deliver it, period!" Then he turned and glared at Keitaro before adding, "And your boyfriend over there sure isn't a Ms. Kaolla Su, so either she shows up in the next thirty seconds, or she can drive out to the home office and pick this thing up herself!"
"Look, first of all, this pervert isn't my boyfriend!" Naru immediately retorted, folding her arms across her chest as she marched up to the deliveryman. "He's the landlord of the Hinata Inn, and -!"
"And I don't care if he's the emperor himself! He still isn't Ms. Kaolla Su! Which mean he ain't signing for this here package, and I ain't leaving it with someone other than the intended recipient!" the deliveryman loudly snorted. "Now, if that will be all..."
"No, that will not be all!" Naru snarled wrathfully. Then she turned to Keitaro and growled, "Well, what are you waiting for? Talk some sense into this jerk already!"
Wincing at this, Keitaro sighed, already aware that he was effectively doomed. The fact of the matter was that the deliveryman was just following the standard operating rules of his company, and they were sensible ones, geared to protect the interests of both the people sending and receiving whatever packages he was charged with delivering. But at the same time, he knew that Naru wouldn't be satisfied with that, and with an unfortunately practical reason that he was painfully aware of. So, steeling himself for the disaster that seemed inevitable, the bespectacled young man stepped forward. "Look, sir, I realize that you're just trying to do your job, but the fact of the matter is that Kaolla can't drive herself out to your office! None of us can! I mean, look!" With that, Keitaro gestured at the parking lot, which was empty save for the deliveryman's own truck. "We don't have any cars. I have to have all our supplies delivered here. And it's not like we can take a cab to pick up something like that!"
Glancing at the empty parking lot, the deliveryman exhaled sharply before holding up his hands in placating fashion. "Eh, look, kid...I get that you've got difficulties. Believe me, I've got plenty of my own! But rules are rules! I try to bend them, I could wind up out of job! And believe me when I say I can't afford to lose this job!"
"Oh, I believe you!" Keitaro assured him. "But...do you have any more deliveries to make today?"
"Yeah, three more! Which is why I really have to get going!" the deliveryman replied with growing impatience.
Sensing a possible happy ending in sight, Keitaro carefully suggested, "Well, then, maybe after you make your other stops, you could come back here." The deliveryman furrowed his brows in consideration, something that gave the young landlord cause for hope. "That'll give us more time to track down Kaolla, and then -!"
"You don't have to track me down!" squealed an unusually accented voice, one that let out a whoop of delight. "I'm right here over here! Whee!"
Recognizing the voice, Keitaro let out a sigh of relief even as the girls turned about. "Kaolla!" Naru smiled as the bespectacled landlord started turning. "We were wondering where you were! This man says he has something for you, and -!"
"Yay! It's here it's here!" Kaolla cried out exuberantly just as Keitaro looked at her...his eyes going wide when he saw a tan foot flying straight at him. He barely had enough time to realize what was about to happen when the young foreigner's foot slammed into him at full speed, the sound of his nose crunching filling his ears as he was sent crashing down to the ground. The sudden meeting of his skull with concrete once again introducing him to the sight of stars and comets, the young manager could do nothing but stand there as Kaolla jumped off and came to stand before the deliveryman. "It's finally here!"
"Then I take it that you're Ms. Kaolla Su?" the deliveryman asked in a slightly more polite voice.
"Yup! That's me!" Kaolla grinned eagerly, pointing at her own face with both hands.
"Then you won't mind showing me some ID?" the deliveryman asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Not at all!" Kaolla promptly responded before she started rooting about the pockets of her school uniform. After a moment's searching, she grinned and pulled out her wallet. "There! That's me!" she announced, opening her wallet for the deliveryman. "Can I have my package now?"
"Hmm..." the deliveryman frowned slightly as he studied the ID card in question. "Well, everything seems to be in order." Sounding tired and relieved at once, he then brought forth his clipboard and held out a pen for her. "So if you'll just sign right here..."
"Okays!" Kaolla grinned eagerly, practically snatching both pen and clipboard out of the deliveryman's hand. Rapidly scrawling her name, she then handed it back to him. "There you go!"
Pausing to study the signature, the deliverymen nodded. "Thank you very much then, Ms. Kaolla Su," he smiled, speaking in a brisk, cheerful manner. "Now, will you be needing any help bringing this thing in?"
"Nope! I got all the help I need right here!" Kaolla announced, bringing forth a small remote control device. His eyes going wide at the sight of his, Keitaro realized that now might be a good idea to get up and get moving, lest he once again tempt fate into kicking him where it hurt. So he scrambled to his feet just as Kaolla hit a series of buttons and fiddled with the control stick.
"Say, what is that...huh?" the deliveryman asked, only to cut himself off when a mechanical whir was heard. A look of confusion appearing on his face, he craned his head over to the side, only for his eyes and mouth to pop open.
"That's right! Come this ways!" Kaolla crooned merrily as two of her turtle-shaped Mecha-Tama robots flew into view. "The new part just came, so get it down to the lab right now, okays?" Unsure if the robots were responding to her voice commands are she was just talking to them for the heck of it, Keitaro carefully distanced himself from the floating automatons as they made their way up to the truck. As he and everyone else there watched, the two robots each deployed a set of tentacles that ended in four-fingered hands. Moving with considerable dexterity, they grabbed hold of the crate, their engines whirring even more loudly as they lifted it off the truck and started carrying it away.
"Heh heh heh! I'm so close!" Kaolla grinned excitedly as she followed her robots a few steps before pausing to laugh in a way that made Keitaro's hair stand on end. "Just two more components, and it'll be ready! It'll finally be complete! Wa ha ha ha ha!"
Keitaro really didn't like the sound of the mad scientist's cackle that Kaolla was giving voice to, and from the looks of the other girls present, it was obvious they felt the same. The three of them glanced at each other before Kitsune focused on the young princess. "So, uh...Ah guess that means that you'll be getting a couple more packages pretty soon, huh?"
Starting at this, as if she had forgotten that anyone else was even there, Kaolla turned and looked them for a moment. "That's right!" she then replied exuberantly. "I've been working on a new project! A really big one!"
"Ah see!" Kitsune replied, sounding more nervous than she likely intended. "And this...project you're workin' on...Ah don't suppose ya could tell us what it is?
Kaolla seemed to consider this for a moment. "Of course I can!" she finally announced. Then she narrowed her eyes a grinned so broadly that it seemed inevitable that her face would split in half. "But it'll be much more fun if it's a surprise!" she announced, punctuating this declaration with a pronounced giggle. A giggle that seemed to graduate to an evil laugh as she turned and darted away, skipping merrily along.
As the other three residents of the Hinata stood there, staring stupidly at the door Kaolla had disappeared into, Kitsune cleared her throat nervously. "Am Ah the only getting a reeeeal bad feeling about this?"
"Nope," Keitaro despairingly, tears of doom running down his cheeks.
"I wish I could say you were," Naru seconded, a drop of sweat rolling down the side of her head.
"Ah was afraid of that," Kitsune muttered, chuckling nervously before, as if on cue, the three of them lowered their heads with a sense of impending doom.
"Boy. And here I was wondering why none of my buddies wanted to make a second run to this place," the deliveryman muttered, shaking his head in slow disbelief. "Well, if that'll be all for today, ladies and gent, I'd best get going. I've still got the rest of my deliveries to attend...and I get the feeling that the sooner I get outta here, the better!"
Not bothering to answer, Keitaro simply stood there as the deliveryman closed up the back of his truck and got back behind the wheel. Unable to disagree with him, and already wondering what catastrophe was about to land squarely upon his head.
Author's Notes: Well, this is my first venture in writing a Love Hina story. I hope everyone will treat it mercifully while they read and review. And maybe check out some of my other stories?
The idea for this story came to me as a result of my discussing certain projects with Emperor Nescaro. I won't give anything away right now, but I will say that the basis of this story involves Shinobu getting some serious payback. For those of you who have been following me on DeviantArt, you might already have a pretty good clue as to what I've got in mind. As for the rest of you, the next few chapters will prove most illuminating...
