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 9: Keitaro's Deal
"Hello? Granny Hina?" Haraku began, unable to believe that she was actually doing this.
"Why, hello, Haruka dear!" Hina happily replied. "I have to admit, I wasn't expecting to hear from you!"
"To be honest…I wasn't expecting to be calling you, either," Haruka solemnly replied. "I have to be honest here; we've had a problem at the Inn."
"Is it Kaolla or one of her inventions again?" Hina asked in a dismissive. "Oh, she's just so exuberant! It's -!"
"Uh, no. It's not Kaolla. Well…not exactly," Haruka started, doing her best to choose words carefully in order to get just the result she wanted. "There was a…an incident here. And…well, Naru, Motoko, and Kaolla were all injured."
"Oh, my!" Granny Hina gasped in clear surprise. "I hope it wasn't serious!"
"No, they…should be sent back to the Inn soon. Within the next day or so," Haruka assured the older woman, caught between wanting the situation to seem serious enough to get what she wanted, but not so serious that it caused her further problems in the long run. "However…we could use some extra help here. Both to take care of the girls while they're all recovering, and…well, to implement some safety precautions. Just to make sure that they don't get hurt again. So…that's why I'm calling."
A few seconds passed before Granny Hina replied, "Are you saying…you need me to come back?"
"No, no! Of course not!" Haruka hurriedly replied, not even wanting to think of the unholy host of things that could and would go horribly wrong if the old woman were to find out about Shinobu and her condition. Then she took a deep breath, fought the urge to bite down on her own tongue, and said, "However…if you could send Kanako to help run things…help the girls while they're recovering, things like that…it really would be a big help!"
"Hmm…I see…" Granny Hina muttered. A few seconds passed in uncomfortable silence before the old woman added, "Well, I'll have to ask Kanako first, but…I don't think she'll have any objections."
Of course, she won't, Haruka thought with a roll of her eyes, painfully aware of the can of worms she was opening up. "Please ask her as soon as you can. And let me know what she says, alright?"
"Of course, dear!" Granny Hina jovially replied. "So, besides the trouble…how are things going? And how about Keitaro? Are he and Naru still getting along? I sure hope so!"
Rolling her eyes again, Haruka proceeded to waste the next several minutes holding a non-conversation with Granny Hina, engaging in idle chitchat about things that really didn't matter. As a result, she was at her wits' end when she finally announced, "Look, I – I really need to get going. I have to look in on Shinobu – you know, our resident cook?"
"Oh, yes, yes, of course, my dear! You told me about her," Granny Hina confirmed. A second later, she asked, "Was she hurt as well?"
"Yes, but – well, not as bad as the other girls. But enough that I want to check on her," Haruka confirmed. "Anyway, please talk to Kanako as soon as you can. Hope to hear from you soon!"
As soon as Granny Hina said her goodbyes, Haruka gladly hung up. "Well, that's that," the café matron sighed heavily. "With any luck, Kanako will be on her way soon. Then we can brief her on the situation, and…ugh…"
Feeling a tremendous headache coming on, Haruka paused and massaged her forehead for a brief time. Prompting Shinobu to look worriedly and asked, "Uh…Haruka? Is something wrong?"
"Hmm?" Haruka started, turning to look at the bluenette in surprise. Then she forced a smile onto her face and waved. "Oh, I – it's no…big problem, really. I…it's just…"
Haruka then groaned, once again faced with the situation she had just put herself into. All the while painfully aware that she was left with little in the way of viable alternatives. And so she leaned back against a convenient wall and groaned. Which clearly didn't inspire confidence in Shinobu. "Sempai…what's wrong with Haraku-san? Does it have to do with…this Kanako?"
"Well...actually, yes," Keitaro hesitantly admitted. "You see, Au- I mean, Haruka…she really doesn't like Kanako much. I was actually surprised when she decided to ask for her help."
"Believe me, Kei-kun; if the situation was different, I wouldn't be doing it now," Haruka declared with a scowl. "But unfortunately, we don't have any choice. Kanako's Shinobu's only real chance of getting out of this mess with her secret – and her life – intact."
Shinobu just frowned some more, clearly confused. Something that prompted Keitaro to explain, "Kanako's a master at both ventriloquism and disguise. She can make herself up to look like pretty much anyone. Even sound and act just like them."
"A master of disguise?" Shinobu repeated blankly. "Really?"
"Which is exactly why she's our only chance," Haruka confirmed. "As we've all agreed, as long as things remain as they are, it's only a matter of time before Naru and the others put the pieces together and figure out that Shinobu and Jade are one and the same. Especially if Shinobu keeps disappearing every time Jade shows up wearing ripped up versions of Shinobu's clothing." The blue-haired girl groaned in dismay at this thought. "But like Keitaro said; Kanako has the ability to disguise herself as anyone. That, plus her ventriloquism, means she's the perfect person to help you keep your secret."
At this, Shinobu's eyes widened in realization. "So – wait! You mean you're going to have Kanako disguise herself as Jade?!"
Giving a muted chuckle, Haruka replied, "More or less. Though we'd have to be careful. Kanako's a great impersonator, but there's no way she could fool anybody into thinking she's as strong or durable as Jade." Pausing to envision the shapeshifting girl getting subjected to any of the abuses Jade had shrugged off and getting a slight chuckle from it, the café matron went on to say, "But still, it seems like our best chance. As long as we can convince the girls that they've seen both you and Jade at the same time, they should be convinced that you're two completely different people."
Shinobu gave a heavy sigh of relief at this. "And even better!" Keitaro chimed in. "Kanako knows her way around the Hinata Inn! She and I used to come here all the time, and she's always wanted to help run it!"
"Meaning that she'll be perfect to take over Keitaro's duties while I see that he gets trained up in self-defense," Haruka confirmed. As Shinobu smiled, the café matron then sighed and inwardly added, And if not for the fact that Kanako's about as mentally stable as…well, most of the other girls here, she'd be perfect! Unfortunately, she isn't!
Haruka then sighed, for there was quite a bit else that she knew about Kanako. Like how she was enamored with Keitaro. That, coupled with her somewhat lacking moral standards made throwing Kanako into the situation a high-risk proposition.
But she's the only chance we've got! We have no idea how to even start trying to cure Shinobu, and helping her get in control of her transformations is bound to take time! Time that we won't have unless we have Kanako to buy us more by throwing Naru and the police off until we can figure this mess out! Haruka thought miserably. Which adds another problem onto the pile we already have; namely, how can I keep Kanako in check once she gets here?! And that's a problem I better find a solution to! And fast!
Painfully aware that this was just one of the many dilemmas that required her attention, Haruka decided to move on to the next issue requiring her attention. "Now, the next order of business is to arrange for both some additional help, as well as starting to rein in the girls here. And I think the best way we can do both would be to recruit Motoko's sister Tsuruko."
"Motoko's sister?!" Keitaro gasped while Shinobu sucked in a surprised breath. "But – why?! And how?!"
"The reason why we want her is that, from what I've heard, she's an incredibly honorable woman and a skilled martial artist. Someone who could either help get you trained or find us someone who could," Haruka informed them both. "As for how we get her to help…as I understand it, honor is a big thing for the Aoyama family and the Shinmei-Ryu school. And I think we can all agree that Motoko has been acting in an extremely dishonorable manner. So I'm willing to bet that Tsuruko would rather deal with that in a way that doesn't involve the heads of her school finding out about Motoko's antics. If we can put Motoko in check, we should be able to get her to help get the other girls here in line."
Keitaro groaned, probably unhappy about employing what he considered to be an underhanded tactic. "Remember, this is not an ideal situation, Kei-kun," Haruka stated in a firm manner. "We just have to do our best to deal with it. Before Shinobu or anyone else gets hurt. Or at least…hurt worse than they already have been."
The unhappy face Keitaro wore made it clear he wasn't satisfied, but he offered no objections. As for Shinobu, she shifted about a bit before asking, "Uh, Haruka…you're not planning on telling Tsuruko about Jade…are you?"
Smiling as she was now on more certain ground, Haruka replied, "Not unless I absolutely have to, Shinobu. As far as I'm concerned, Jade is a secret that we give out on a strictly need-to-know basis. And right now, Tsuroko has no need to know."
Shinobu heaved a deep sigh of relief at this. As for Keitaro, he frowned and asked, "But…we still need to find out what happened to make Shinobu turn into Jade, and -!"
"I'm well aware of that, you two," Haruka assured them both. "And we will do that once we've got things stable enough around here so that we don't have to panic every other second about the possibility of Shinobu's little secret being discovered." Pausing to heave a deep breath, the café matron focused on another matter that demanded her attention. "But there's one other issue that we have to take care of. Shinobu?"
"Huh?" Shinobu started, her eyes wide. "What is it, Haruka-san?"
"I have a spare room at the café. So I want you to move your things over to my place," Haruka informed her.
This garnered a look of surprise from both Shinobu and Keitaro. "You want her to move?!" Keitaro demanded, his eyes wide with shock. "But why?!"
"It'll only be temporary, you two," Haruka assured them both. "For one thing, Naru and the others know that Shinobu was seriously injured, but they don't know about how changing into Jade healed her wounds. So the next time they see Shinobu, they'll expect her to still injured. At least until a girl her age would have normally recovered from such injuries. So until then, I think its best that we limit her contact with them. Just to make sure that they don't get suspicious."
Keitaro blinked a few times before sighing. "I guess that makes sense," he finally admitted. "Still…I really don't like this."
"Hmph. Neither do I, Kei-kun," Haruka assured him. "But the fact remains that we have to get all of this done. And we have to do it as soon as possible." Giving this a moment to sink in, the café matron went on to say, "Now, Shinobu? Kitsune's still here, so I'm going to have to bandage you up so that you can fake being injured. Then you can help us get whatever you need for while you're staying at my place. We don't dare do anything that would result in your secret getting out."
"I – understand, Haruka-san," Shinobu muttered solemnly. Clearly unhappy about any of this.
I still can't believe that Jade told sempai about that! Shinobu thought, her cheeks burning mildly as she went about removing some of her things from her apartment for her temporary move to Haruka's place.
Despite the time that had passed, despite doing everything she could to act as if nothing had happened, Shinobu couldn't help but replay what had happened the last time she had been Jade over and over again. How she had not only confessed her longstanding crush to Keitaro, but then shed her bathrobe and showed off her transformed figure. As well as what she had done next.
She – I – she really kissed him! Shinobu thought, conflicted as to whether she could really think of herself being the same person as Jade. There was just such a world of difference between the shy, socially awkward girl and the confident, fiery musclewoman that the bluenette could barely believe that Jade had come from somewhere within her. She told sempai – and she kissed him?! She -?!
Feeling her cheeks burning even harder, Shinobu thought of her various efforts to get closer to Keitaro, all of which had ended in utter and complete disaster. Wincing as memories of Kaolla's kissing robot came to her, she felt her heart beginning to pound a bit harder as her memories shifted to the previous night. To when Jade had taken the shy girl's place…and had gone places Shinobu would never have dared.
I still can't believe she took her – my bathrobe off in front of sempai! Shinobu thought, her heart pounding that much harder at the thought. Then she looked down at herself and frowned at her non-existent figure. Of course…if I looked like Jade…maybe I'd…
"Shinobu?"
Jumping at the sound of her name, Shinobu looked over at Keitaro. "Uh…what is it, sempai?"
Giving her a sheepish look, Keitaro cleared his throat before asking, "I – I was just asking if…you have everything you needed?"
"Huh?" Shinobu blankly replied even as she looked blankly around the interior of her apartment. Her overwrought brain requiring a few seconds to remember why they were there. And as the bluenette looked down at the small case full of a few belongings and so on, she then did a small jump. "Oh, um – right, sempai! I – well, I guess I have everything I need!"
A thoughtful chuckle sounded. "You don't need to panic, Shinobu. It's not like you're going to be traveling to the other side of the planet," Haruka reminded her. "This will just be a few days or so. Just long enough to trick the girls into thinking that your wounds have healed by normal, human means."
"Uh – right, of course!" Shinobu nervously nodded, still distracted by her memories as Jade. She had managed to keep herself from dwelling on what her other self had done when she was distracted by important matters, such as Haruka's plans. But now that her mind was being given a chance to wander…
"Still, I'd better make sure I have everything!" Shinobu insisted, doing her best to come off as being normal, in control and not thinking of things she ought not be. "I don't want to take any chances once the others come back home!"
"And on that, you'll get no arguments from me," Haruka assured her. "Still, I don't want to put too much pressure on you."
It's kinda too late for that… Shinobu meekly thought. Then she frowned and asked, "But…Haruka-san, why didn't you want me to pack any of my pajamas?"
"Because you're not going to be using them," Haruka flatly explained. "We've already learned that your change is triggered by anger, and possibly other forms of stress. So – say, for instance, you were to have a nightmare…well, I don't want you ruining even more of your clothes if we can help it."
As this thought settled into Shinobu's mind, she groaned unhappily. "Oh…I hadn't…thought of that…"
Groaning in her throat at the many changes she was going to have to make in her life, Shinobu was brought back to the moment when Keitaro assured her, "C'mon, Shinobu! This – it's not like this is permanent! Just until we – figure this all out!"
"Right. As soon as you've 'recovered' from your injuries, you'll be back in here. And by then, we'll have made some progress on reining in the other girls," Haruka declared under no uncertain terms. Pausing to dart a look at Keitaro, she then added, "Now let's get moving. The last time I saw Kitsune, she was hiding away in her apartment. So let's get moving before she decides to come out and make things more complicated."
Unable to argue with that, Shinobu started forward, only for Keitaro to hold out his hands to her. "Shinobu, wait. You're pretending to be injured, remember?"
Blinking a few times at this, Shinobu groaned. "Uh, sorry! I'm – not used to this!"
"Hmph. Neither am I. And let's hope that we don't have to get used to it!" Haruka muttered sourly. "Alright. Shinobu, I'll carry you back to my place. Keitaro? You can carry her things."
Both Shinobu and Keitaro quickly agreed to this. And before long, the bluenette was clinging to Haruka's back as the café matron carried her through the hallways of the Hinata Inn, the perpetual ronin a short distance behind them.
Just as they were halfway to being out of the Inn and Shinobu was making the foolish mistake of thinking that they might get out of this without anything going wrong, fate decided to prove her wrong. "Hey, Haruka! Keitaro! Shinobu!" came Kitsune's voice even as the foxy woman approached. "Say, I was just – what the heck are you doing? I figured you'd be letting Shinobu rest after everything's that been happening!"
"And that's precisely what I intended on letting her do, Kitsune," Haruka sternly replied. "With Shinobu hurt, I decided to temporarily move her over to the café. At least until she's recovered from her injuries."
This seemed to give Kitsune pause. "You're…moving her to your place?" she frowned uncertainly. "Well…I guess it makes sense, but…well, I'd've been happy to help her out! And when Naru and the others get back –!"
"Which is another reason why I decided to move her," Haruka flatly stated. "Shinobu needs time to rest and recover. And that won't happen with all of you causing your usual chaos."
Kitsune groaned at this, and she shifted nervously about for a few seconds before managing to recover. "Well…if you think that's best," she reluctantly muttered. Then she forced a smile onto her face once more and focused on the Inn's resident cook. "Hey, Shinobu? How're you feeling today? Any better?"
Making a noise of hesitation in her throat, Shinobu considered how to respond. Not being experienced in lying and not wanting to do anything that would betray her condition, she meekly replied, "I'm… a bit better today…thanks…"
Kitsune gave the bluenette a look. But before Shinobu was forced to field any further questions, Haruka cleared her throat. "Look, Kitsune, I have a lot to get done today. So if you'll excuse me –"
"Uh, actually – there was one other thing I wanted to talk to you about, Haruka!" Kitsune urgently informed her. "It's about that big green gal that thrashed Naru and the others!"
Shinobu instantly cringed in fear, immediately panicking as she envisioned Kitsune declaring that she had somehow figured out who Jade truly was. But before the bluenette's heart could jump out of her chest, Haruka muttered, "And what about her?"
"Well…me, Naru and the others…we all agreed that Mean Green knew us. She had it in for us. And…I think we can pretty safely say that she knows where we live," Kitsune humorlessly remarked, gesturing at a nearby wall. Which had a very large hole in it. "And to be honest, we're all worried about what happens when she decided to drop on by to finish what she started."
Haruka seemed to consider this for a moment before sighing. "Kitsune, I under why you and the others would be worried about that. And I will be considering that issue. But right now -!"
"Look, I get that you've got a lot on your plate! But we might not have much time before that walking temper tantrum shows up again! And after what she did to Naru and the others, well…I sure ain't keen on the prospect of her getting her hands on me! Or doing something even worse to me or them!" Kitsune pleaded desperately. "So like I was saying, me and Naru got to talking, and she suggested we let Kaolla make some upgrades to the Inn. You know, for added security!"
The very instant that this was said, Shinobu felt like she was about to faint. Added security?! she thought, recalling all of the bombs and missiles and laser and who-knew-what-else that she saw in the Molmol girl's lab. But Kaolla thinks that missiles and killer robots are toys! What's she going to put together for security to use against me – Jade?!
As Shinobu thought of the giant-sized Mecha-Tama Kaolla had accidentally made that had subsequently gone on a kaiju-style rampage and imagined her being confronted by such a behemoth, Haruka coughed and choked for a bit. "What the – are you asking me permission to let Kaolla flood this place with weapons of mass destruction?!"
"Believe me, I'm not exactly fond of the idea, either! But I like the idea of Big Green turning me into a pretzel a whole lot less!" Kitsune declared feverishly. "Now you saw what she's capable of! And who knows how long we have until she pops up again! So the sooner Kaolla can get started -!"
"Kaolla's not starting anything," Haruka declared with a note of finality. Something that caused Kitsune's jaw to plummet as the café matron started forward again. "So call the hospital and tell Naru and the others to drop whatever plans they might have. Or better yet, I'll do it myself."
"Wha- Haruka, are you kidding me?!" Kitsune cried out in horrified disbelief. "That thing tried to kill Naru and the others! And what's to stop her if she decides to come here and finish what she started?! A few cops?! That thing shrugged off missiles and more! We're gonna need to some major artillery to keep her away from here!"
"And if this green girl can shrug off 'missiles and more', then what would you suggest that Kaolla could build that would do better?" Haruka asked in a pointed manner. "And what do you think that the Inn and the surrounding area will look like after she's done unleashing it on her?"
"I get that you're worried about Kaolla!" Kitsune pleaded of Haruka. "But I'm a heck of a lot more worried about Mean Green showing up in the middle of the night to kill us all!"
"Really? I'm not," Haruka stated flatly. And when Kitsune's jaw fell in horror, the café matron went on to say, "Kitsune, I saw what that green girl did. So yes, I realize that she's dangerous. But I don't think she's nearly as bad as you make her out to be."
"Not as bad as – did you even see what she did to Naru and the others?!" Kitsune howled, her eyes opening in outrage. "Or how she almost skewered me with a tree?!"
"I saw. I saw enough to make it clear that if she had wanted to kill you girls, she could have done it easily," Haruka stated firmly. "But instead, she was satisfied to humiliate Naru and the others and then took off. She didn't break their necks or anything like that. She simply left them in embarrassing predicaments that were ultimately harmless."
"But not before she beat them half to death!" Kitsune pointed out.
"Considering what they were doing at the time? I'd call it karma," Haruka declared. Kitsune opened her mouth to counter, but the café matron held up her hand to their resident freeloader. "This conversation is over, Kitsune. And you can tell Naru and the others that Kaolla is not to make any modifications to the Inn. We will be dealing with this green girl, but it'll be done on mine and Keitaro's terms."
Without another word, Haruka started forward again. And Shinobu couldn't help but look back and see Kitsune standing there, sputtering in disbelief for a time. Only for the foxy woman to finally turn towards their hapless landlord and plead, "C'mon, Keitaro! You saw Mean Green in action! You have to know how dangerous she is!"
Keitaro's eyes went wide behind his glasses and a series of discomforted noises began issuing from his throat. "Well…I got knocked out shortly after she, uh…showed up. So…I didn't really see anything," he hesitantly informed her. "And – well, think about it! Say we go ahead and let Kaolla fill the place with missiles and whatever she wants! What happens when she decides she's bored and decided to launch them at me?!"
"But it ain't a big deal when bad stuff happens to you!" Kitsune hurriedly countered. "It's me and the other girls that I'm worried about!"
Keitaro opened his mouth to say something in response. But before he could, he seemed to freeze up, like something was clicking in his mind. "Wait…what did you just say, Kitsune?"
"I said that it's me and the other girls I'm worried about! It don't matter when bad stuff happens to -!" Kitsune started to respond. Only for her own eyes to open in surprise, as if she had just realized what she was saying. "Well, what I meant was that…well, you're indestructible! You and I both know that!"
"Uh…yeah," Keitaro nodded, his voice faded. Sullen and hurt.
"It doesn't matter what hits you! You just…bounce back like it was nothing!" Kitsune continued, sounding more urgent as she spoke. "So of course it wouldn't be as big deal if something were to – well, what I'm saying is -!"
"Kitsune, I…I need to get going," Keitaro interrupted as he started forward. His eyes falling to the floor.
"Look, seriously! I didn't mean it like – well, how it sounded!" Kitsune pleaded of Keitaro.
But as Shinobu allowed herself to be carried by Haruka, she looked back at the begging freeloader. And as she did so, thought back to how Kitsune had been gleefully watching as Naru, Motoko, and Kaolla pummeled Keitaro, treating it like it was an old-time cartoon. And as she did so, a powerful, angry voice from the back of her mind growled.
Yeah, you did mean it exactly the way you said it, that voice declared. As long as the bad stuff happens to Keitaro, you couldn't care less. It's only when it's your own ass that's on the line that you start worrying…
"Well…it isn't much, but it should do for now," Haruka proclaimed as she took in the room that would be Shinobu's temporary lodgings. It was smaller than her own apartment, and lacked the independent utilities, but was otherwise comfortable.
"It will. Thank you, Haruka-san. You too, sempai," Shinobu assured them, giving the both of them a polite bow of her head. "I'm just sorry that – well, you had to go through all the trouble."
"Hmph. It's not like you asked for any of this to happen," Haruka assured her. Then she couldn't help but smirk. "Besides, if I'm being completely honest, it was a treat to see Naru and the others get some of the same medicine that they dish out on a daily basis!"
"Oh. Um…okay," Shinobu muttered nervously. As Haruka was wondering if she had said the wrong thing, the bluenette nervously asked, "So…what next?"
Issuing a sigh at this, Haruka replied, "Well, I still have to arrange for repairs to the café. And I need to contact Tsuroko, make arrangements to meet with her…ugh, there's a lot that needs to be done."
"But – what about me, Haruka-san?" Shinobu tried again. "I – is there anything that you need me to do?"
Making a noise of comprehension, Haruka nodded before replying, "Right now, the only thing I need you to do is take it easy. You've already had a rough time lately. The last thing you need is to get even more stressed out."
"I – well, okay," Shinobu nodded in understanding. "But – so what should I do? And – what about my chores at the Inn?"
"You're not going to be doing any chores. Not until your 'injuries' have had enough time to fully heal. And I don't want you going outside unless it's absolutely necessary," Haruka declared in a no-nonsense fashion. Then she gave the young girl a sympathetic look before adding, "I know that won't be any fun. But we have to keep your condition a secret from the others. And –"
"I know, I know. You're right, Haruka-san," Shinobu muttered unhappily. "But – wait! What about school?"
"I'll call you in sick for the foreseeable future. You'll have to keep up with your classes here, at least for the time being," Haruka stated. When Shinobu lowered her gaze, the café matron sighed once more. "Like I said, I know this isn't ideal. But it's the only way we can keep your little secret under wraps long enough to find a more…permanent solution."
Several seconds passed in complete silence before Shinobu nodded. "I…I understand, Haruka-san."
When another oppressive silence fell upon them, Keitaro knelt down next to the bluenette. "Look, I know this can't be easy! But – Haruka and I – we're gonna be here! So if you need anything at all, all you have to do is let us know. Okay?"
As the clumsy student placed a comforting hand on Shinobu's shoulder, the younger girl met his gaze. "I – oh, um…thanks, sempai," she told him, her cheeks burning. "I…really appreciate that…"
"Not a problem!" Keitaro smiled in reassurance. "So, uh…I guess we better…get to work, huh? I mean…I have to see about repairing the Inn. Or at least…as much as I can. You know, with all of the areas the police have taped off."
"Right, good thinking. Might as well get done what you can before the rest of the crazies get back," Haruka muttered, painfully aware of just how much trouble they could cause when the mood took them. "I just hope that they won't be in the mood to cause any trouble until they're also finished healing." Then she turned to the bluenette at the center of this mess and sighed, "Anyway, why don't you…spend some time getting settled? You know, make yourself comfortable why we get things taken care of."
Shinobu didn't say anything to this, only offering a slight nod in response. Deciding to take this to mean that she had said everything that needed to be said, Haruka heaved a deep breath. "Well, Kei-kun, we better get going."
"Right," Keitaro nodded and slowly turned on his heel.
"Uh – wait!" Shinobu suddenly cried out. As Haruka was wondering why couldn't anything be simple, she and Keitaro turned towards the bluenette, who was visibly fidgeting. "Actually…there is something else I – I wanted to talk to you about…"
Getting that sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Haruka watched as Keitaro gave an uncertain smile before asking, "Well, okay. So…what is it?"
Shifting about uneasily on her feet, Shinobu made various noises of hesitation. "It's…about last night," she finally managed to get out. "About what happened when…Jade was out."
Aw, shit, Haruka groaned inwardly. I should've seen this one coming…
"I – I mean…Haruka-san," Shinobu hesitantly fumbled and bumbled, unable to meet anyone's eyes. "I – I'm sorry I hit you when I started to change. I mean – I guess Jade didn't actually do that, but still -!"
"Relax, Shinobu. I kind of expected that that might happen when you started changing," Haruka stated, hoping that that was all she had to say despite knowing that it was far from that. "I was trying to make you angry. Not your fault I succeeded."
"I – I know. Still…I feel bad about…well…" Shinobu sputtered out even as she squirmed uneasily. "Also…sempai? About what…Jade did…"
Aw, damn. Here it comes… Haruka groaned again, wishing she could smash her head against something while being discrete about it.
As for Keitaro, he looked like a deer caught in a car's headlights as Shinobu spoke those words. "Oh…right. That."
The silence that fell in the wake of these words was about as heavy and uncomfortable as a winter coat that had been soaked in ice water before being put on. Haruka didn't want to say a thing, and both Keitaro and Shinobu looked like they would both rather be anywhere else. Both shrinking violet and clumsy manager shifted about for several seconds, making several attempts to start a conversation that rapidly degraded into uncertain noises and bungled utterances.
Then finally, when Haruka was on the verge of throwing up her arms in defeat, Shinobu opened her mouth once more. "Sempai…do you…hate me?"
If the silence that had preceded those words had been oppressive, the one that followed was absolutely deafening. "W-wait – what?!" Keitaro cried out in absolute disbelief. "Shinobu, wha- why would you think that I'd ever hate you?!"
"I – well, it's just that – I'm scared, sempai!" Shinobu blurted out fearfully. "You – you gave me the chance to choose what I wanted! You helped me escape from my parents constant fighting! And I – that means more to me than – then you could ever imagine! And you've been really nice to me, and – I really do – well, that is, um…!"
As Shinobu trailed off, sputtering and fumbling for words, Keitaro blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, I – it wasn't a big deal, Shinobu! I just – wanted to give you a chance to make your own choice! That's all, and -!"
"I know! But that's something that nobody had ever done for me before!" Shinobu cried out. "You have no idea how much I – I appreciate everything you've done for me, sempai! And -!" The bluenette cut herself off, a wad of bile forming in her throat. Pausing just long enough to choke that wad down, Shinobu's gaze once again fell. "I…I wanted to tell you how I felt, but…I know I…that I'm just a little girl. And…I was scared that you'd – about how you'd react if I…I told you…how I felt…"
Blinking a few times at this, Keitaro frowned in a thoughtful manner. "Shinobu…I…"
"And then – when Jade came out -!" Shinobu continued, sounding almost panicked. "You don't know what – when she's out, there's no fear! She's not afraid to say or do whatever she wants! So she just – she just -!"
Just ditched her robe and showed off everything she had to Kei-kun without a second thought! Haruka groaned in memory. Ugh…and it looks like Shinobu wishes she didn't have to deal with fear either right now!
'
As Haruka filed this away under potential problems that would have to be dealt with, Keitaro sighed and knelt down to the nearly hysterical girl. "Shinobu, please! I don't blame you for any of what Jade did! I – we already know how much – whatever that green stuff of Kaolla's affected you! I mean…it's sort of like you were drunk, right? I mean, I guess? After all, people say all kinds of things that they normally wouldn't say when they're drunk, so…!"
Now it was Keitaro's turn to fumble and bumble in search of the right words to say. But even as he bunged a few half-sentences, Shinobu forced out, "I – I know that, sempai! But – I – Jade – shouldn't have done what she – I did! And – if you're – upset about what I did, what I – I – but do you – are you mad at me? Do you…I…"
Once more, words failed little Shinobu, who lowered her eyes to the floor as she fidgeted helplessly. And once more, an uncomfortable silence fell in the wake of her words. But just when Haruka thought it would be on her to end that silence, Keitaro smiled in reassurance. "Shinobu, I – you think I'd be angry at you about something like that?!"
Shinobu's eyes went wide right before she looked up at the hapless ronin in clear shock. "Uh – wha-?!"
"Shinobu, you have feelings! You can't help having those or – feel whatever way you happen to feel!" Keitaro assured her even as he continued to gently massage her shoulder. "And to be honest…I'm actually flattered that you…think of me that way!"
Haruka was certain that Shinobu's eyes would explode right of her sockets at these words. "Really?!" she squealed, a smile erupting on her face that threatened to outgrow said face. A smile that the little girl quickly reined in before she added, "I mean…you're really not…upset about it?"
"No, of course not!" Keitaro quickly assured her. "Seriously, what could possibly make you think I'd be mad at you about something like that?!"
"I – I didn't know!" Shinobu sputtered out, looking like she was caught between astonished delight and delirious relief. "I – I was just – I didn't know how you'd react if I –! So I – I was scared to say or do anything!"
Still smiling, Keitaro just looked her in the eye and admitted her, "I know…how that feels, Shinobu. To…be afraid of confessing…how you feel. But…I'm not going to hate you for feeling that way. Like I said; I'm…actually flattered that someone like you thinks so highly of me."
Shinobu looked like she was about to pass out from sheer delight. But before she could do that or either of them could say anything further, Haruka sighed, "Well, if that's out of the way…Kei-kun? We still have a lot of work to do."
"Huh? Oh, right. Yeah, I…okay," Keitaro sputtered out, clearly surprised and confused at being pulled out of whatever little moment he and Shinobu were sharing. Glancing from his cousin to the bluenette and back again, he finally said, "Well…anyway, I – you be sure to let us know if you need anything, okay?"
"Um…okay, sure," Shinobu finally replied, sounding somewhat disconcerted herself.
When it became clear that neither party was particularly willing to part company, Haruka sighed and grabbed
Keitaro by the shoulder. "C'mon, Kei-kun, let's let Shinobu get settled."
As Haruka unceremoniously half-pulled, half-dragged Keitaro out of Shinobu's room, the perpetual ronin made several bungled attempts at a response. But the café matron wasn't paying attention any to this. Rather, she was more concerned about another problem that she was seeing on the horizon.
I always thought that Shinobu's crush on Keitaro was harmless. After all, girls grow out of this sort of thing – well, most of them do, she thought, pausing to think evil things about Naru and her own crush on an older man. Then Haruka frowned, But while Shinobu…she's far too shy and not mature enough mentally or physically to even try…I'm still worried that Jade might not see things that way…
There was hope.
Despite several hours having passed since Keitaro and Haruka had left, but that didn't matter to Shinobu. She had spent that time settling into her temporary abode, but that didn't matter, either. And night had long since fallen and she was presently lying in her cot, staring at the ceiling, and that didn't matter at all.
All that mattered was…that there was hope.
Sempai said…he was flattered that I loved him! He wasn't mad or anything! Shinobu happily thought as she flopped around in her cot. And – okay, I know that doesn't mean that he loves me or anything like that! At least not yet! But still…!
As various possibilities danced around in her mind, Shinobu found herself unable to remain lying down. Instead, she finally got out of her simple foldaway bed and made her way over to a small table that held a few of her things. One of which happened to be a mirror, and as she looked at her reflection, the youthful chef smiled broadly. "Maybe…things aren't so bad after all! I mean, I know he's older than me, and…I'll have to work really hard to really win him over!" she muttered as she studied her image in the glass. "But…still…maybe now I'll be able to get him to stop thinking about Naru…and start looking at me differently!"
As Shinobu began to ponder the various ways that she might go about doing so, her reflection smiled that much more deeply at her.
Right before it said, "As if you could ever pull that off."
Shinobu's eyes went wide at these words. Because it hadn't been her that had voiced them.
It has been her reflection.
"Huh?!" Shinobu squeaked out, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
"You've been trying to get Keitaro's attention pretty much since the day you moved in here, you spineless wimp!" Shinobu's reflection taunted the real bluenette. The reflection's features twisting. becoming more confident and condescending. "And all of you've been able to do is sputter and stammer and do nothing while he's killing himself over Naru-slut and those other bitches!" Then the reflection's smile turned into a cocky grin as she added, "He never even really looked at you as anything other than a little child who needed protection…until I showed up!"
These words caused Shinobu's eyes to bulge with realization. "J-Jade?!"
Chuckling at this, the reflection nodded in confirmation. "The one and only!"
Shaking her head in confusion, Shinobu looked hard at the mirror that apparently contained her other self. "B-but – how -?!"
"I'm in your head, you spineless coward…though I'd much rather not be. It's not like it'd be hard for me to talk to you," Jade shot back even as her eyes shifted from blue to green. "Seriously, though, how does a complete wimp have someone like me inside of you?"
As Shinobu looked on in horrified amazement as her reflection began to change. Her short blue hair turned to a dark green as it grew longer, curlier and more bountiful. Her body was becoming increasingly curvy as her bathrobe was increasingly hard-pressed to constrain the rise of her growing breasts. "So you think that you can get Keitaro to look at you differently? Keep dreaming, stupid! All you ever do is stand around while Naru-slut and the rest of those lunatics torture him for their own sick pleasure! You whine and cry and moan, and you never lift a damned finger to help him out!" Then Jade cocked her head to the side before adding, "Well, there was the one time that you ventured into Kaolla's lab instead of him…but I personally think that was me already trying to claw my way out of your pathetic little head!"
Without another word, Jade tore off her own bathrobe. But instead of bare skin, Shinobu was shocked to see the green Amazon wearing a slinky red outfit. "So do us both a favor; get out of my way, you useless waste of space. And let a real woman win her man!"
And so, Jade turned about and marched away. And as Shinobu watched, she realized that she wasn't seeing her current surroundings in the mirror, but rather what looked like a dance club. And to her further surprise, a well-dressed Keitaro moved to join her.
"What the – sempai?!" Shinobu gasped in disbelief. Watching as her crush lost himself in the arms of the green woman. Of Shinobu's other self.
"Sempai's all mine, Shinobu!" Jade countered with a cold grin as she turned towards the bluenette. "Now sit back…and enjoy being stuck in the back of my mind from here on out!"
"Wha-?!" Shinobu started, only to find herself suddenly falling through darkness. The room she had been suddenly disappearing, leaving her trapped in nothing but an empty void.
Utterly helpless to do anything but plummet deeper and deeper into the darkness. Both Jade and Keitaro completely uncaring as she disappeared forever.
"Gyaaaaggghh!" Shinobu cried out as she catapulted into a seated position. Her heart pounding a mile a minute as she heaved in breath after desperate breath, looking wildly about her surroundings. And found herself again in the room Haruka had set aside for her. Surrounded by the familiar things she had brought with her from the Inn.
Several seconds passed as Shinobu took it all in, at which realization hit. "A-a dream…not real!" she panted even as she rose from her bed. She spent a few seconds running her hands over the walls and so on before exiting her tiny room. "J-just a r-really bad dream…that's all!"
Her entire body shaking like a leaf, Shinobu clumsily made her way to the bathroom. She then flipped the lights on and made her way to the sink. "Not real…just a nightmare…!" she panted even as she ran the water. Feeling the cold, soothing sensation of water running through her fingers, she then splashed it into her face. "Not real…not real…!"
Still panting and heaving in breath after haggard breath, Shinobu reached into the water, intent on splashing more of it into her face. But as she did so, her body shuddered, as if jolted with electricity. The little girl could only watch her hands spasming for a time…before she looked up at the mirror.
And sucked in a horrified breath when she saw her eyes glowing a baleful green.
"Oh, no…not ag-gyaaaaggh!" Shinobu cried out even as a fog rushed through her brain even as her body began to throb. Bones snapped and cracked before growing larger, muscles bulged and swelled, and her pale skin gave way to a deep emerald hue.
Finally, with a large, firm set of breasts bulging beneath her now and a deep, throaty growl, Jade gave a toss of her long, thick tresses. "Ohh, yeah! That dream might have sucked, but it was just the thing to let me out of that wimpy little girl!" she declared, giving a quick twirl before studying herself in the mirror. "Hmm…Naru-slut doesn't have anything on this body! And since I've just changed…I'm betting I'll have plenty of time to have some fun…and make Keitaro all mine!"
And without another thought, Jade started out of the café. Already intent on advancing her relationship with her crush.
"I still can't believe that Haruka would do something like this…!" Kitsune fretted as she sat in her apartment, the pleasant buzz of alcohol not quite drowning out the sheer terror she presently felt. "Don't she get that our lives are stake here?!"
The green girl would be coming after them again. Kitsune had no doubts of that. She had already lashed out without reason at the foxy woman and had nearly killed her. And with Naru, Motoko, and Kaolla all still in the hospital, Kitsune had no protection from the monstrous beast that could snap her like a twig.
She could be out there right this very second! Kitsune thought fearfully, picturing the hulking emerald horror stomping around the Hinata Inn, looking for her next victim. She could just march right in and break every bone in my body and there wouldn't be anything anybody could do to stop it!
Heaving a boozy sigh, Kitsune shook her head, "I sure did blow it when I tried to convince Keitaro to help us out," she muttered sourly. "I didn't mean that – okay, watching him get blown up and knocked around is about the funniest thing there is! But he shouldn't take it so personally! It's not like anybody's actually getting hurt!"
The more she thought about, the more Kitsune realized she needed to win Keitaro over to their side. "I've just got to convince him to let Kaolla trick this place out! It's the only chance we have of keeping that big green monster out of here and us in one piece!" she declared as she unsteadily made her way back up to her feet. "A little sweet talk, a quick apology for how things went earlier…I should be able to persuade him!"
Bolstered by booze and her own confidence in her ability to sway a horny male, Kitsune opened the door to her apartment.
And found the green girl that she had been dreading walking right in front of it.
"Gyah-?!" Kitsune squawked in astonished horror at the sight of the green fiend. A squawk that didn't go unheard.
"Huh?" the emerald Amazon frowned, pausing in mid-step to look Kitsune's way. And as the Hinata Inn's resident freeloading drunk found herself frozen like a deer in headlights, a horrifying grin spread across the green woman's face. "Well, well…look what we have here…!"
Unintelligible noises of pure terror escaped Kitsune's lips the blood drained from her head. All she could do was quake in terror as her doom slowly marched towards her. The green-skinned brute laughing coldly and cruelly as she drove her fist into her free hand over and over again.
Finally, overwhelmed by sheer terror, Kitsune escaped in the only way she could.
She passed out. Collapsing into a heap on the floor.
"Wha-?! That's not fair!" Jade growled irritably. "What's the point of beating the crap out of you if you're not awake for it?!"
As Jade continued to glare disbelievingly at the passed-out drunk, her annoyance increased. Not only had she been denied the opportunity to pay Kitsune back for making Keitaro suffer through her perpetual selfishness and laziness, but the air was currently filling with the stench of both booze and the contents of Kitsune's bowels leaking out onto the floor. "Ugh…forget about you! I'll pay you back for being a worthless slut later!"
With that said, Jade resumed her original course. "Now…to get in close with Keitaro! Before Shinobu shows up to ruin things again!"
"It doesn't matter what happens to me…" Keitaro muttered glumly as he sat in his apartment, numbly studying for his next entrance exam for Tokyo U. The text in the book a meaningless blob as he rubbed his forehead, thinking back to the conversations of the day.
Kitsune said it herself; It doesn't matter when bad things happen to me, Keitaro thought with a sense of palpable bitterness. It didn't matter to anyone when they wanted to send me down into Kaolla's lab. It doesn't matter when they blame me for…everything…and it doesn't matter to them. Then he sighed and slammed his book shut, right before resting his head in his hands. Except for one…or maybe...it's two…?
Which brought Keitaro to the other major headache he had been coping with since Jade's appearance, and especially since her confession. Those things that Jade said to me, how nice and caring she was…that's everything I've ever wanted from – from Naru and the others! Just to be…be treated like they actually cared about me! Heaving a deep sigh, he then frowned, And Shinobu…she's a great cook, she's very nice. She works hard, does her best…and if how she looks like as Jade is any clue, I'm betting she'll be gorgeous when she grows up.
Then Keitaro flopped back in his seat before muttering, "But Jade is Shinobu! She's a little girl in a grown woman's body! And I – I can't do – I'm years older than her! And – and – argh!"
Keitaro spent the next several minutes studying his ceiling, including the section with the hole that led to Naru's room. And as he did so, his thoughts became increasingly dismal. The way Jade treated me after she saved me…that's basically everything I could have ever asked for in a relationship. Heck, Naru wouldn't even have to be half as nice as she was to win me over. And Jade – she's gorgeous and – but it's still Shinobu in there! A girl who's barely in her teens! I can't – I just -!
Continuing to groan pitifully, Keitaro stared helplessly at the ceiling. "I think I've got a migraine coming on…"
"Aw, are you hurting?" came an already familiar and flirtatious voice. A voice that Keitaro immediately recognized as his eyes went wide. "Would you like me to make you feel better?"
Sitting up straight and whirling about, Keitaro looked to see Jade standing a short distance away. A skimpy bathrobe tightly hugging her muscular emerald frame and a smile like that of a cat that had eaten several canaries plastered on her face. "Shi- Jade?!" he sputtered out, not having seen this coming. "But – wha- how?! I-?!"
"Little Shinobu had a bad dream. And the result was her waking up and me coming out to play," Jade smiled broadly as she sauntered over. "And if you're wondering how I got in…you left the door unlocked. Guess you're more distracted than usual, sempai."
Keitaro was at an utter loss as to what he should do. Haruka had suggested the possibility that Shinobu might transform in her sleep, but he had never even considered the possibility that she would do so this very night. And as he sat there, flustered and flummoxed and uncertain as to what he should do, Jade sauntered over in a manner that had his eyes glued to her shapely hips. "So I was thinking…the last time I was out and about, I had just given you my very first kiss. And we both know what happens after that!" she cooed as she crouched over the flustered ronin. With absolute confidence, she spread her legs over his lower body, placed her left hand on his shoulder and her right hand behind his head. "So what say we...just pick up where we -?"
"No."
Jade, moving in to deliver a kiss, froze in place. An expression of utter shock on her face. Shock that mirrored Keitaro's own when he realized what he had just said.
Shock that faded into something else when he realized why he had done so.
"What?" Jade got out, still completely thrown as she gave a shake of her head. "Keitaro, did you -?"
"No. I said no," Keitaro told her, feeling a bit more confident and certain now. "Jade, I – I'm sorry, but…I can't let you do this."
"But –wha-?!" Jade spat out, even more astonished. "Wh-why not?!"
"Because I know who you really are inside now. I know that, no matter what you call yourself, you're still Shinobu inside," Keitaro clearly stated. "And that you'll go right back to being her when your transformation…wears off, I guess."
Groaning as she stepped back a bit, Jade rolled her eyes before grumbling, "Believe me, I am painfully aware that I'm stuck degenerating into that worthless scrap of fluff, Keitaro! Which is why I want to -!"
"To do something that Shinobu's not ready for yet?" Keitaro asked in a pointed manner. "Jade, whether you like it or not, you – Shinobu – you're not ready for that kind of relationship! She could barely handle telling me about her feelings, or kissing me, or – or any of that!"
"Which is precisely why I hate being stuck in that worthless little girl!" Jade shot back.
"But you are that girl! And she's not worthless!" Keitaro countered. "Shinobu's shy, and she doesn't have the same confidence as she does as you all of the time! But that doesn't make her worthless!" Then he rose to his feet and looked Jade hard in the eyes. "And just because she can transform into you doesn't mean that she's ready for what you want!"
"But – but, Keitaro -!" Jade sputtered out helplessly. "I – she – I love you!"
Feeling like those last three words had been plunged into his heart, Keitaro grimaced at the difficult task that he had been presented with. "And – I appreciate that. I…really can't tell you how much it means to me to…have you say that. To have someone who – honestly feels that way about me," he eventually managed to get out. "But – I still can't do that. Because you're still Shinobu, and Shinobu isn't ready for that kind of relationship."
For several seconds, Jade just looked that in absolute shock at Keitaro. Realizing that he had the upper hand in their argument, he decided to finish up with a closing argument. "Jade, I – think about it this way. Let's say that there was a girl that I really liked, but she didn't want to do – the things that you want to. She wasn't ready for that," he carefully began. "Now let's say one day I found her one night and she…well, let's just say that she was drunk or something like that. She wasn't able to give proper consent. And I still took advantage of her, knowing full well that she would wake up the next morning, be back to herself, and possibly be horrified at what I and she had done." Giving this all a brief time to sink in, the perpetual ronin looked Jade hard in the face before concluding, "Now is that the sort of thing that you would respect, or accept?"
Several seconds passed as Jade visibly considered this, and the longer she stood there, the more visibly frustrated she became. For a moment, Keitaro began to dread that he'd made a mistake and was about to become a stain on her fists. But just before he could start looking for the nearest exit, Jade growled in frustrated defeat before turning about and stamping her foot. "Dammit straight to hell!" she roared while Keitaro was reeling from the small earthquake she had just set off. "Why do you have to be right about this?"
For the next few seconds, Jade stomped about Keitaro's apartment, setting off additional small tremors. She would go way one then the other, her hands clenching and unclenching like she was desperately fighting the urge to rip the entire building to pieces. "Why did it have to be like this?! For the first time in my life, I've finally been able to do everything I've dreamed of doing! I can finally protect you, I can say the things I've always wanted to say…and it's all ruined by Shinobu! That stupid little – grraarrgghh!:
As Keitaro continued to stand there, he worriedly considered what he should do next. As Jade grumbled and paced, he couldn't help but also see Shinobu as well, crying miserably. The idea that he had hurt both aspects of the girl who loved him was making him feel like he had guzzled down spoiled milk. And the possibility of Jade venting her frustrations seemed dangerously real.
So I've got to do something to make her feel better. Before she rips the entire Inn apart! Keitaro thought frantically. But how do I -?!
Just then, a bright, beautiful light bulb of an idea exploded into existence in his mind. The perfect solution to his dilemma and it was so simple that he couldn't help but smile.
"Uh, Jade…I have an idea. I'll make…a deal with you," Keitaro began, hesitating slightly when a set of burning green irises focused on him. "Like I said, there's a bunch of stuff that you're not ready for. However…I would be willing to go out on a date with you."
This instantly erased the anger and frustration from Jade's face, prompting her to gasp in surprise. "Really?!"
"That's right," Keitaro nodded certainly. "But…I'll only go out with you on one condition."
"Name it!" Jade eagerly declared, all smiles again as she rushed up to Keitaro.
"Alright," Keitaro nodded. "I'll only agree to go out on a date with you if you ask me out a-"
"That's it?! That's all I have to do?!" Jade grinned feverishly. "Well, then, Keitaro would you do me the honor of being my -!"
"As Shinobu," Keitaro concluded, something that caused Jade's smile to fade almost instantly. "I promise that I'll go out on a date with you, but only if you can ask me out as Shinobu."
"Wha-?!" Jade squawked in dismay. "But – Shinobu'd never have the spine to do anything like that! She never told you how she felt or stood up for you! I had to do all that for her!"
"I'm sorry, Jade, but that's the condition. The only way I can be sure that you're ready as Shinobu for that kind of relationship is for you to ask to go out with me as Shinobu," Keitaro stated firmly. Then he gave her a heartening smile and added, "Besides, you've already stood up for yourself and me. Remember how Shinobu told her parents that she had decided to live here at the Hinata Inn? And remember how you volunteered to go down into Kaolla's lab? Again, as Shinobu?"
Groaning in her throat, Jade muttered, "But – Keitaro, she barely managed even that! That spineless…do you have any idea how long it'll take for that pathetic little scrap to work up the courage to ask you out?!"
"I don't know. For all I know, she might ask me out tomorrow," Keitaro stated firmly. "But like I said; this is the only way I can know for sure that you're really ready for this sort of thing. Both as Jade and as Shinobu."
Jade frowned so intently that her face was one great big mass of annoyance and frustration, and she continued to frown in this manner for the better part of a minute. But eventually, she looked intently at Keitaro and said, "Promise me."
"Huh?" Keitaro got out, not sure what she meant.
"Promise me that, if Shinobu actually does manage to ask you out, that you will go out with her," Jade elaborated. "I know how seriously you take keeping your promises, Keitaro. So I want you to promise me that you'll go out with Shinobu if she actually manages to grow enough of a spine to ask you out."
Keitaro was initially uncertain as to what he should do. He had mainly been focusing on buying himself some graceful way out of this situation without hurting Jade, Shinobu, or himself in the process. And while he had succeeded in doing so, he was uncertain about actually dating a girl of Shinobu's age.
Especially if Naru or the others were to see us! Keitaro thought, envisioning how that would play out. But even as he stood there, he once again became aware of Jade's expression. And it was not a happy one. Of course…that wouldn't be even close to what would happen if she gets mad at me!
And with that, Keitaro quickly made his decision. "Shinobu…when she confronted her parents about her decision, they agreed to let her do what she wanted. She was brave, and…she earned her chance here. So…if she's brave enough to…ask me out, then…she deserves to get what she wants," he finally said. Then looked Jade in the eyes and nodded. "I promise, Jade. If Shinobu can ask me out, then I promise to take her on a date."
A few seconds passed as Jade considered this. "Alright," she finally nodded. "If you say you promise, then that's good enough for me." Then she folded her muscular arms across her chest and grumbled, "Now if only Shinobu would grow a spine…"
Hopefully, she takes her time in finding a way to ask me out! Keitaro thought worriedly. Things are complicated enough without me having to deal with this as well.
What Keitaro actually said, mainly because he wasn't suicidal enough to give voice to his thoughts, was, "Personally, I think Shinobu – you – have a lot more courage than you might realize. You becoming Jade might make it easier to say stuff like that, but that doesn't mean you can't say it as Shinobu."
"Hmph. Wish I was that certain," Jade grumbled sourly. "Well…this sure didn't go the way I'd expected. But…well, I guess it's a start."
Nodding, Keitaro shifted about on his feet as he looked at the unforgivably gorgeous mutant woman. "So…do you want to…sit down and talk for a while, or…?"
"I…think we've already talked enough for one night. Especially since talk wasn't what I wanted in the first place," Jade muttered. "Besides, there's something I want to get done before I wind up degenerating into that pathetic little girl."
"Oh," Keitaro got out, not sure he even wanted to know what it was Jade had in mind. "Well…good night, then?"
"Yeah, good night," Jade muttered even as she turned to leave. But even as she was turning about, she paused in mid-step. And while Keitaro couldn't see her face at that moment, he did sense a shift in her mood. "Actually, make it two things I wanted to do…"
"Oh? Well, okay, then –" Keitaro started to reply. Right before Jade whirled about, wrapped her powerful arms around him, and pressed her lips squarely down upon his own.
Keitaro felt like his head would explode into plumes of fluffy clouds as he felt his body reacting to Jade's twin, large, firm breasts being pressed against him, all of her magnificent curves massaging his frame. In fact, it was all too soon that the green Amazon broke the kiss and smiled. "Think of that as some added incentive to keep your word, Keitaro," she confidently stated. "And just remember that, if dating Shinobu gets really dull, you know who to call to help spice things up!"
Without another word, Jade released Keitaro and started out of his apartment. Allowing the perpetual ronin to flail his arms about momentarily before finally falling to the floor in a heap.
It took several seconds for Keitaro to recover from the sheer force of Jade's kiss. And when he did, all he could do was say, "I'm starting to think that Jade can be a bit…too spicy…"
"Ugh…what hit me…?" Kitsune groaned miserably as she slowly slogged her way back to the waking world. As the foxy woman slowly pushed herself up into a seated position, she paused to massage her aching temples. "And for that matter…huh?"
As the fog slowly cleared from Kitsune's still-sloshed mind, she realized several things. The first was that she wasn't in her apartment, but was instead sprawled out on the floor. The second was that her clothes were presently soaked with a foul-smelling substance that she soon recognized. "Wha- oh, great!" the foxy woman groaned, feeling utterly humiliated even as she forced herself to her feet. "What the heck happened to me?! How'd I wind up like -?!"
A small tremor shook the floor Kitsune was standing on.
"Wha-?!" Kitsune frowned, her mind still foggy as she looked about in confusion. Confusion that soon turned to fear as the tremor repeated itself, again and again. With each tremor growing in intensity.
Tremors that felt like…footsteps.
Footsteps…wait! Kitsune thought, her eyes widening as her mind cleared and recent memories returned to the fore. Then – that wasn't some crazy nightmare?! She's really -?!
Then a particularly loud footstep was felt through the floor, along with some angry mutterings. And as Kitsune felt her heart momentarily stop, she whirled towards the source. And very nearly died of pure fright.
The green-skinned horror was stomping down the hall, her hands balled up into fists and her eyes narrowed. She was stomping through the halls, muttering to herself. And though her eyes were focused on the floor, Kitsune could still see the baleful pupils burning a deadly green.
Without so much as a single thought, Kitsune practically flew into her apartment. She hastily flung the door closed and locked it before jumping beneath the covers of her cot.
And there she remained for the rest of the night. Trembling fearfully as she eyed the door, awaiting her doom at the green fiend that now haunted the halls of her home.
It was with a tremendous yawn that Shinobu awoke the next morning. And to her astonishment, she found herself well rested and relaxed. Ready to face the day.
Or…at least I will be, Shinobu thought as she gave a shake of her head. I'm…still feeling kind of off from changing into Jade again…
Deciding that a slight sense of disorientation was to be expected, given that she had effectively transformed into an entirely different person, Shinobu sighed. "It's still so…hard to believe," she muttered as she got out of her cot. "It barely seems…huh?"
There was a piece of paper taped to the wall. And as Shinobu looked at it, she realized that it had writing on it.
"Huh? A note?" Shinobu wondered, her mind not yet running on all cylinders. But then her eyes went wide as memories from last night began trickling into her thoughts. "Wait! That's -!"
Rushing up to the note, Shinobu yanked it off the wall and began reading. "'Alright, little girl. I've handed you the perfect chance to get closer to Keitaro. So get to work on growing a spine, and don't screw this up'," she concluded, each word she read causing the memories from last night to return with greater force. "Th-then…that was real! And sempai – he promised to go out on a date with me! And all I have to do is -!"
That very instant, Shinobu developed a catch in her voice and was unable to finish her sentence. The very thought of her doing something of that magnitude causing her usual shrinking violet tendencies to kick in. All of the fears and concerns she still held about her feelings for Keitaro still there.
But even as those fears reared their ugly heads, Shinobu frowned fiercely. "No…I can do this! I just have…practice! Build up my courage!" she declared, drawing upon all of her resolve. "I've never been this close to getting sempai! Getting him away from Naru! I – I have to do this!" Glancing at a nearby window, almost seeing Jade reflected in the glass, she clenched her fist and declared, "And no matter what…I will get sempai to go out with me!"
Author's Notes: Looks like Shinobu just got that much closer to wining Keitaro over. But of course, there's no way that it'll be easy for her to ask him out. There's always going to be something that gets in the way at the Hinata Inn. Still, please read and review! And maybe check out my other stories?
With this chapter, I tried to set up a situation in which Keitaro and Shinobu could proceed with building a relationship without it coming off as creepy. Keitaro's demand that Shinobu ask him out as herself seemed like the best way of handling it. What do you all think?
Guest, hmm, both are interesting possibilities. I'll keep them in mind.
Shin, hope this update pleases you. I also like Shinobu. Unlike the other girls, she comes from a legitimately bad situation that she didn't make herself, and she does genuinely care for Keitaro. Well, I'm not planning on Shinobu/Jade killing anybody, so I hope that reassures you. Yeah, I have a pretty good idea what happened to Kaolla in that story you mentioned. Indeed, Shinobu strikes me as that kind of pressure cooker. And it was only a matter of time before she popped her top.
DarkKing666, I'll do my best!
abuselje100smith, yeah, sorry for the delays. Life is not being good to me. At all. And I do agree that Shinobu deserves to be loved, certainly more than the rest of the Hinata girls.
Tiedwithribbons, because Kaolla's completely insane with no sense of reality. And of course Shinobu/Jade is going to butt heads with Kanako!
mnementh2000, well, it just came to me. Like I've said elsewhere, with the way Shinobu represses her emotions, she's a pressure cooker. The kind that would easily hulk out under the right circumstances. Plus, I liked the idea of her giving the other girls some long-overdue payback. I do agree that, while Shinobu has hurt Keitaro, there was never any malice or selfishness in her actions, unlike the others. And I am aware that the age of consent is much lower in Japan than it is here, but I still wanted to address the situation regarding Shinobu's readiness for such a relationship, especially since her transformation could be seen as rendering any consent she might give as being meaningless. I'm glad that Haruka's actions here made sense, as they made sense to me when I wrote that scene. You are correct in that Naru and the other girls are not so stupid that they wouldn't be able to figure out Jade's true identity with enough time. And you can expect for them to be up to their old tricks as soon as they get the chance. My current plans are for Shinobu to spend most of her time as herself, simply because of her…situation. But as she gains better control of herself, she'll be spending more time as Jade.
MKanagawa, does this answer your question as to how Keitaro deals with Jade's confession.
Blakemitch1696, believe me, you're not the only one nauseated by the proliferation of abuse in Love Hina. Especially how Keitaro never deserved any of it. And I've also been turned off this series on multiple occasions. Hence why I started this story.
Gijinka Renamon, you have no idea how complicated things are about to get!
Hektols, well, I think that Keitaro has been giving some added incentive to stop tolerating Naru and the others' abuse, as well as realize just how little they really think of him. And as you can see in this chapter, the girls are going to be facing some very heavy consequences.
Rialga, as you can see, Naru and the others are going to be taking some nasty actions that could very easily cause trouble. Not to mention what Kanako will be getting up to.
The Sinful, hmph, sounds like an interesting story, if only because it would be nice to demonstrate just how horrible these abuses actually are. And I won't argue about the quality of most of the girls in Love Hina. And expect for Keitaro to start standing up for himself and Shinobu in the future. And for Jade to show up when she needs to put her foot down.
J4RRE77, I did want to address the consequences of the age gap between Shinobu and Keitaro, and this seemed to be the best way.
And once again, I'm bitten in the butt by fanon. Sorry, but I generally enjoy Love Hina fanfictions much more than the actual source material.
Lazruth, heh heh, hope you enjoy! And yes, Keitaro is already wrestling with the implications of Jade's confession, as well as his situation with Shinobu.
