"Sempai's leaving…"
Sitting on a rock overlooking the hot springs, Maehara Shinobu was gazing nowhere in particular as her mind rolled through what had been said in the dining room over the last two hours and more. Fascinating things, things that were literally out of this world, things that threatened to overwhelm the poor thirteen year-old middle school student…and would probably overwhelm her if…
"Sempai's leaving…"
Oh, yes, at first, she had been shocked to learn that Urashima Hina had elected her grandson to take her place as kanrinin of Hinata-sou. And yes, at first, she had been angry and hurt whenever some weird, stupid thing had happened between herself and Keitarou. Yet unlike her housemates, she began to realise that despite all his horrible luck, despite his constant failures to try to get into Tokyo University, despite the several lies and exaggerations he had presented to the others in some hopes of making a good impression with them…
He was so…so…so wonderful underneath it all.
And now…
Now…
"Sempai's leaving…"
"Not forever, Shinobu-chan."
She jolted on hearing that voice, and then she turned to see Keitarou kneeling beside her, currently in the dungaree pants, button shirt and leather jacket of the Archaeologist, his fedora hat in hand and his bullwhip secured to one side of his hips. "Sempai…" she murmured as fresh tears appeared in her eyes.
Seeing that, he smiled as he leaned over to gently wipe her tears away. "Hey! Hey! Hey! That's enough of that, Shinobu-chan," he whispered. "Don't cry. I won't be gone forever, you know. I'll be back pretty soon."
"But you…"
"Will you miss me?"
She stopped, and then a shaky nod twitched her head. "Y-yes…"
He took a moment to think about that, and then he sighed. "I'm sorry about that. When the Crystal gave me this power, She warned me right from the start that the real pain of my Gifting would be felt by those around me, those who cared for me." He paused for a moment, and then he stared at her. "Thinking about you almost made me not want to do it in the first place."
Shinobu blinked. "Me?"
"Hai." A pause as he considered what to say, and then he sighed. "It's not that I hate any of you girls. Not at all. We were all brought together in quite less-than-proper circumstances. My frequent bouts of bad luck and my frustrations over not being able to get into Toodai certainly didn't help matters any bit."
"But what about Naru-sempai and Motoko-sempai…?"
Keitarou nodded. "Yes, their own problems certainly contributed to what happened between us. But think of the time before I came here. Weren't you happy then?"
"Well, y-yes, but s-still…!"
"But nothing, Shinobu-chan," Keitarou gently cut her off with a finger on her lips. "Look. The incidents between the others and me — even those between us — are in the past. It's time for all of you to look into the future. And it's time for me to look into the future. That's what the Crystal taught me most of all when I got the Gift. I've been effectively marking time since I failed my first college entrance test and became roonin after leaving high school. Driven by a fifteen year-old dream that effectively blinded me to a lot of things." He took a deep breath. "And hurt too many other people."
"Dream…?" Shinobu echoed him, and then her eyes widened. "Wait! You said something when you saw your aunt in the teashop about a 'promised one'…!"
"Hai, the promised one," Keitarou lamented with a tired nod. "Fifteen years ago, in a park close to here, I was playing with a girl in a sandbox. She told me something like this: 'Did you know that two people who love each other go to Tokyo University?'" A chuckle escaped him. "Well, we promised at that time that when we grew up, we'd go to Tokyo University together. And that…"
He shrugged. Shinobu stared at him, and then she breathed out as she looked nowhere in particular, "Fifteen years…"
"Yeah."
The younger girl took a moment to consider that, and then she stared at him. "Sempai, did you think Naru-sempai was the one…?"
"Hai, I did," he admitted with a nod. "But I was soon woken up to the fact that if this happened between Naru and I fifteen years ago, I would have been making a promise to a two year old!" Another chuckle, and then he shrugged. "Well, when I realised that, I began to seriously wonder if all of this was ultimately worth it in the long run. If all my searching, all my work…and yes, all my failures…was ultimately worth all the trouble. Not just for me, but for everyone I interacted with. Even Naru. Even you. Even all the others."
Shinobu sniffed again. "Sempai, you can't blame yourself…!"
"Maybe. Maybe not. But I can take responsibility for what I…by action or inaction…did to make matters worse. Naru was affected by my being here. You know that before I came here, she was first in rank in all pracice exam testers throughout the country? And look what happened? Two weeks ago, she took the entrance exam for Toodai…and she failed."
Another sniff. "Don't blame yourself, Sempai…!"
He paused as her tearful plea washed over him, and then he sighed. "I can't help it, Shinobu-chan. It's not my nature to ignore things like that. Not as Urashima Keitarou. Not as the Archaeologist." He held up his fedora hat. "This power didn't come without a price. Nor did it come without responsibilities, either. But don't worry." He took a deep breath. "I didn't forget my responsibilities here. That's why Taiko-chan's the landlady now. You'll be safe and comfortable. Even better, with the maintenance 'bots here, you won't have to slave yourself over a stove or do the laundry all the time. You finally got the chance to concentrate more on what you want to do with yourself, for yourself." He stared at her, and then he leaned over to tenderly kiss her cheek. "Go live your life."
Shinobu's face turned as red as a poppy as his touch seared through her, freezing her in place. With that, Keitarou stood up, placing his hat on his head. Once more the image of the Archaeologist, he reached to his belt buckle and tapped a button on top of it. Shinobu then gasped as a HOLE in the air appeared before her transformed ex-landlord, it revealing a long tunnel in the earth leading to some place that was lit up with bright lights. She then jolted on seeing the Archaeologist walk to the portal. "Sempai…?"
He stopped, looking back at her. A smile turned his lips as he winked at her, and then he turned to head into the tunnel.
Two hands grabbed his before he could take a step back home.
"Eh?"
He turned around to see Shinobu standing there, grasping his hand with both of hers, a frightened yet determined look on her face.
"I'm coming with you!" she declared.
He blinked as he took that in, and then he whispered, "Why…?"
She smiled. "You said 'Go live your life,' Sempai." A sniff. "My life's not worth living…not without you in it."
Panic then crossed his face as that statement struck home, and then he moved to shake his head. Before he could say anything more, she added, "Please?"
Silence.
The Archaeologist blinked several times, and then he warned, "It will change you."
"I'm not afraid!"
He blinked on hearing that, and then he grinned. "Yes, you are."
She jolted on hearing that, and then an embarrassed smile crossed her face. Seeing that she wasn't going to let him go, he then took a deep breath. "Okay, you can come," he stated. "But you will do everything I tell you. You will obey every rule I set in place, Shinobu-chan. It's for your safety most of all. Once you walk through this tunnel, you will be in danger. Understood?"
Her eyes widened on hearing that warning, and then she nodded. "H-hai!"
With that, he guided her through to another world…
"Did Archy leave already?"
"Yes, he just left now," the Matron replied as she began to work on a sweater. "By the sounds of it, Miss Shinobu went with him."
Hearing that, Courtesan blinked, and then her eyes widened. "She did?"
"Yes, her love for him is quite profound, even if it's still rather undefined," the older woman noted. "But it's certainly far more defined than the feelings of the other people Keitarou-kun was living with here."
The empath took a deep breath. "You know what happened to Archy's last incarnation," she warned.
The Matron nodded. "That's what will guarantee her safety."
"What's going on here?"
Both turned as Taiko walked into the room. "Your brother just returned to the History Cave," the Matron announced. "Miss Shinobu went with him."
The new landlady of Hinata-sou took that in, and then she hummed as she crossed her arms. "Well, if it was her choice…"
"It was," the other women chorused.
Taiko nodded, and then she clapped her hands once. A maintenance robot then raced up to float beside her. "By your command, Mistress?"
"Seal up Room 201 for the time being," Taiko ordered. "No one is allowed entrance into that room until such time as Maehara-san returns."
"Compliance, Mistress."
The robot raced off. A second later, a screaming Kaolla raced after it. "HEY! I WANNA KEEP PLAYING WITH YOU! COME BACK HERE!" she yelled.
The others watched her go, and then Courtesan and the Matron laughed. Taiko took that in, and then she sighed as she headed back to her own room. As she got to the hallway that led to where the second-floor apartments were located, she blinked on seeing a wide-eyed Naru race towards him. "Narusegawa-san, what is it?" Taiko asked as the Tokyo University aspirant stopped before her.
Naru panted for a moment before she asked, "Where's Keitarou?!"
"He's gone back to Yiziba," Taiko explained.
With that, she headed off. Naru watched her go, and then she breathed out. "Oh, it's just that Keitarou's gone off to Yiziba…!"
It hit her. "WHAT?! HE'S GONE BACK TO YIZIBA?!"
Taiko winced on hearing that scream, and then she shook her head. To believe Onii-chan actually developed feelings for that girl…!
So now that we've come to this point in the narrative…
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(Posted Fri, 09 Nov 2007 04:47)
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