Alternative Ending

Snafu's NOtes: Now what would happen if Hina and the Urashimas decided to scheme against Keitaro? How would that play out with Naru and Motoko's own plot?

Hinata House, three days earlier.

"WHAT?" Keitaro shouted as the news was dropped in his lap.

"You heard right, you pervert," Naru snapped, playing the role of the enraged tenant to the fullest. "You got Kitsune pregnant after you got her drunk!"

"Naru, calm down," Hina said, acting as the voice of reason. Turning to Keitaro, Hina looked at her grandson, disappointment evident on her face. "Keitaro...words cannot tell you about how disappointed I am. You abused your authority as the landlord." She looked at Kitsune, who was doing a very good job of acting as a woman under duress. "Miss Konno may have fallen on hard times, but that does not give you the right to force her to use her body to pay the rent."

"That's not true!" Keitaro objected. "SHE blackmails ME to keep from paying rent! On top of that she drained my life savings with her booze binges! I haven't even touched her!"

"Are you calling Hina a liar?" Motoko asked, her voice dangerous, her hand inching for the handle of her sword.

"Motoko, calm," Hina ordered. Once the kendoka backed off, Hina turned to her grandson. "There is only one way we can deal with this situation, Keitaro. You must marry Mitsune by the end of this week, and give her equal standing as landlord of the dorms."

"You're joking, right?" Keitaro replied. "If anything, she would make the dorms bankrupt with her drinking and gambling. I swear on the bones of Grandpa Urashima that I am innocent." He looked at the three elder girls of the dorm. "Ever since I showed up, they tried everything to run me out of the dorms. 'A male cannot run an all-girls dormitory,'" he said, mocking Motoko.

"Keitaro," Kitsune sobbed, "why are you doing this to me? I only want what's best for our child..."

"Nephew," Haruka drawled, "you need to do what's right and marry Kitsune."

"Haruka's right, Keitaro," Keitaro's mother said. "You have dishonored our family by not making it into Toudai not once, but three times. By refusing to take responsibility for your child - my grandchild - you are tarnishing our family name even more."

Keitaro's patience was wearing very thin. "Is anyone listening to me?" he half-shouted. "I did not get Kitsune drunk, nor did I take advantage of her! How many times do I have to spell it out for you people?"

"Just admit that you slept with Kitsune, Keitaro," Naru snapped. "Admit it and accept responsibility!"

Keitaro spun on the hyper-tempered redhead. "I wasn't speaking to you, Narusegawa," he replied, his voice taking on a steely hardness. "Do me a favor and shut up."

"YOU LITTLE - " Naru began, only to be restrained by Haruka and Motoko.

Hina sighed. "Keitaro, I love you as if you were my son," she said, "but you have to take responsibility for your actions. You took advantage of Mitsune while in her drunken state. She is pregnant with your child."

"But Granny - " Keitaro began.

"Do not interrupt me," Hina snapped. "You have two choices - either marry Mitsune...or surrender the deed to Hinata House and resign as manager."

Keitaro's blood was boiling. No one in his family believed him. Not even his parents or Haruka. The biggest betrayal was from Hina herself. Surely she would be the one to see reason, but it was no use. Keitaro had his back up against the wall.

He should have seen this sooner. None of the girls really cared for him. His Aunt had left him out to dry, as did his parents. And Hina...

"Keitaro, what is your decision?"

Hina's voice broke Keitaro out of his reverie. He leveled his gaze on his grandmother. The one person that he could count on to stand by his side, was siding with the girls.

"You can have this damned place for all I care," Keitaro stated flatly. "I quit. I would rather slit my own throat rather than be the whipping boy and scapegoat for a group of self-righteous, man-hating bitches for eternity." He glared at Kitusne, who squirmed under his glare. "And if you think I actually got that drunken, blackmailing whore pregnant, then all of you need to get your heads examined."

"Keitaro!" Hina admonished.

Naru and Kitsune both exchanged glances. This DEFINTELY was not part of the plan. By this time, Keitaro would have kowtowed to his family's demands. What they DID NOT know was that with every Naru-punch, Shimmeiryu ki-attack, and every con they had put Keitaro through, his trust towards the girls had went down to the point that he no longer trusted them.

And now, this little stunt of the three conspirators had pushed Keitaro over the edge, the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.

"How dare you, Urashima!" Motoko shouted, reaching for her sword. "Apologize to Kitsune if you know what's good for you!"

"Piss off, kendo girl," was Keitaro's reply. When it looked like Motoko was going to attack Keitaro, he pulled out his trump card. "I got your sister's number on speed dial on my cellphone. Don't give me a reason to use it," he threatened. "Unless you want your precious kendo school to lose face when I give Tsuruko all of the details on how you assaulted an innocent man, then you better sit down and shut up, you samurai wannabe."

Keitaro's threat had gotten through to Motoko, who backed off. The last thing she needed was her sister, the 'Demon Blade of Kyoto,' Tsuruko Aoyama, at the Hinata's doorstep.

"Keitaro Urashima!" his mother barked out. "You will marry this girl, whether you like it or not! If you don't then I will disown you where you stand!"

Naru and Kitsune both exchanged glances. This was getting out of hand. They wanted Keitaro gone, not this.

Hina tried to diffuse the explosive situation between her daughter-in-law and her grandson. "Now, wait a moment! Keitaro, everyone please calm down before someone says something that can't be taken back!"

Keitaro leveled a cold glare at his mother before turning on his heels and storming towards the front door.

Hina tried to stop him. "Keitaro, wait!"

Keitaro had reached the front door, Without turning around, he addressed his grandmother. "We have nothing else to discuss, Hinata Urashima." The cold formality that Keitaro used to address the matriarch of the Urashima family surprised even the three co-conspirators, as Hina stepped back as if she was slapped.

"I told you that I was innocent, that I did not have sex with Kitsune," Keitaro continued. "It's not my fault that she is an alcoholic sleaze who is one step away from spreading her legs to the first man who would pay her bar tab." He turned to the three girls. "My congratulations to the three of you. You got me out of the Hinata, but my resignation comes with a heavy price."

The ronin turned to his family, anger evident on his face. When he spoke, his voice was ice-cold. "You took their side over mine. In any case, that makes you no better than them."

"Keitaro..." Hina began.

"Save it," he snapped. "You just lost a grandson. I want nothing more to do with this place, I want nothing to do with the Urashima name, and I want nothing to do with you. As far as I'm concerned, I never want to see any of you ever again. I hate you all."

The tone was calm, but the anger in his voice was evident, as it chilled the offending party to the bone. Keitaro then departed from the house, slamming the door behind him, leaving his family and the three girls in a state of shock as what Keitaro had done finally settled in.

Keitaro had renounced his family name, effectively making himself ronin.

Hina managed to shake herself out of her stupor and ran after her grandson. "Keitaro! Keitaro, wait!"

"Keitaro!" Haruka shouted. "Keitaro, stop! Please!"

Keitaro ignored them as he continued to walk down the stairs, ignoring the calls and cries of his now-former grandmother and aunt.

Soon, he was gone.

Hina sank to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, while Haruka and her elder brother tried to console her, but with no success.

Naru, Kitsune and Motoko had watched the entire debacle play out. So far, everything had gone according to plan...until Keitaro renounced his family name and left the apartments in a rage.

All three girls were thinking the same thing, as their realized that their scheme had backfired in the most extreme way: 'What have we done?'

Keitaro continued to storm through the city streets. He suspected that Naru and the others would try something like this, but he never suspected that Hina and his family would betray him.

'No, wait...I knew that the old bag and my family wanted me out of the clan for some time now,' he thought. 'Thank god that Kanako is on my side.'

It was indeed true. Keitaro was already on thin ice with flunking the Toudai exams three times in a row. He knew that Hina never really cared for him, which explains why he was stuck with the Hinata. His family was deliberately waiting for him to screw up so that they could eject him from the clan roster.

'They are all going to pay,' Keitaro thought darkly as he pulled out his cellphone and dialed a number.

Unbeknownst to the girls, Keitaro had planned for something like this. And now, it was time to execute his plan.

"Suzuhara." The deep male voice spoke on the other end.

"It's time," Keitaro simply spoke into his cellphone. "Proceed with the plan."

"So those whores finally made their move, eh?"

"Yes. My family was even willing to disown me as well. All of them will pay for this treachery. Wait three days, then head for Hinata City."

"Understood," the older male replied before cutting the call.

Three days had passed since the explosive confrontation inside the Hinata Apartments.

Since then, Keitaro Urashima was not seen anywhere in the town or at the cram school where he was studying for the next entrance exams.

Hina and Haruka found out later that Keitaro had withdrew from the school. Haitani and Shirai, Keitaro's friends were of no help either. Keitaro had told them everything and that he was leaving Tokyo as a result of this betrayal, which explained their open hostility towards Haruka and Hina when they questioned the two ronins.

Haruka suspected that they knew where Keitaro was and threatened bodily harm if they did not tell her where her nephew was hiding. Haitani and Shirai raised Haruka's threat by threatening to call the police unless they left their apartment. Only when Shirai had the police on the line did the two Urashima women realized that the two were not bluffing and left without any further incident.

To make matters worse, Kanako had vanished following her release from the hospital. She had called once, berating her adopted family, telling them how disappointed she was in them, and that she renounced the Urashima name on the spot. Hina was beside herself with grief. She had lost both grandchildren within the week. It took the loss of both Keitaro and Kanako to realize that maybe her plans to eject her grandson from the clan for his shortcomings were coming back to haunt her.

Hinata House, later on...

Dinner was a strained affair. At least, for Hina, who had refused to leave her room following her and Haruka's return from Haitani and Shirai's apartment.

Naru and Motoko were pleased with their actions. Keitaro was gone. Kitsune was slightly worried that their scheme would become undone, should Haruka and Hina discover that she wasn't pregnant, and that they had driven Keitaro out of the Hinata soley on a lie.

Unfortunately, the elder tenants' satisfaction in driving off their landlord was not going to last.

Following dinner, Kitsune was lounging on the couch, watching the horse races when there was a knock at the door. It was Shinobu, who had brought Kitsune a cup of herbal tea to help with her 'pregnancy,' that answered the door.

The young girl took several steps back as the well-dressed man stepped into the common room, accompanied by two men and a woman. The first man looked to be in his early forties, looking like a Japanese version of the actor Kevin McKidd.

Kitsune felt a growing sense of dread creep into her gut as she assumed a sitting position. "Who are you?" she asked, sending Shinobu to fetch Hina, as well as Naru and Motoko, just in case.

"Tsukune Suzuhara," the man introduced himself. "Loan officer for the Kanagawa National Bank." He gestured to the three people accompanying him. "These three are with me." He looked around the place. "Nice place. I'm sure that this will fetch a nice price for the foreclosure auction."

"WHAT?" Kitsune yelled out, just as the rest of the Hinata honies came down the stairs, along with Haruka and Hina.

"What's going on?" Haruka demanded.

"Which one of you is Hinata Urashima?" Suzuhara asked, getting straight to the point.

Hina stepped forward. "I am."

Suzuhara pulled out a folded document from his jacket pocket. "Three months ago, the former kanrinrin – your former grandson – had taken out a 4,000,000 yen loan from Kanagawa National Bank, to pay for the damages and upkeep for this establishment. He placed not only this building as collateral, but the annex, as well as the Hinata Teahouse."

Hina swallowed audibly. "Keitaro did what?"

"That baka pervert did what?" Naru screeched.

Suzuhara ignored the outburst. "The loan was made under the condition that Keitaro would continue to act as kanrinrin to Hinata House. I have received word that he is no longer the owner and landlord of this establishment, which means his loans are now as of this moment, forfeit. As per to the conditions of the agreement, the properties in question are to be placed on the auction block three days from now in order to pay for the loan." He unfolded the sheet of paper. "The total, adding the interest, late fees, and not reimbursing the bank immediately...comes to 10.5 million yen."

Hina looked like she was about to have a coronary. "Oh, Gods..."

Motoko quickly sprang into action. She did not see the loan officer as a person of authority, as did Naru.

She only saw him as a man. A man flouting his authority over women, despite the fact that there was a woman as part of his entourage.

In a flash, Motoko had her sword drawn, while Naru balled her hands into fists. "You vile male! You are not welcome here! Leave this place now!"

"Yeah!" Naru added. "Get the hell out or else we'll throw you out!"

Suzuhara scoffed. "Please...like you two can do anything against me. Sit down and shut up."

Motoko charged, followed by Naru. "Shinmmei-ryuu...Hiken Zankuu –"

BLAM!

PING!

Motoko's blade was blasted cleanly in two, while Naru skidded to a halt. The reason being was the fact that the two men and the one woman that had accompanied Suzuhara had their guns drawn. Two red dots danced on Motoko's chest, while one rested over Naru's heart.

Suu, Sara and Shinobu were smart enough to get the Hell out of Dodge when they saw Motoko's blade shot in two. Haruka decided to stay put.

The woman who had her gun leveled at Naru spoke in a low, cold voice. "Don't move. Both of you. Don't even breathe."

Suzuhara chuckled softly, slightly amused at Motoko's and Naru's attempts to eject him from the dorm. "Object lesson: never bring a sword and your bare hands to a gun fight. Especially when facing off against three members of Japan's Special Assault Team," he remarked. "Oh, yes, Keitaro told me about your charges and their male complexes, as well as the repeated assaults on his person. Which is why these three are accompanying me." He gestured to the female SAT member. "She's my sister-in-law, by the way."

His pleasant expression then changed to that of being completely cold. "Elder Urashima," Suzuhara began, looking down at the distraught woman, "please get your two charges under control...because the next time they try to attack me, my friends here will shoot. Then you will have to explain to their family why they had to bury their loved ones."

Hina slowly nodded. "Naru...Motoko...sit down."

The hyper-tempered redhead and the kendoka did as they were told, anger still evident on Naru's face while shock reigned on Motoko's. A nod from Suzuhara, and the three agents lowered their weapons, but they did not holster them.

Suzuhara placed the documents on the table. "You have one week to settle your affairs. I am, however giving you a chance to save your home and business. If Keitaro decides to return as manager, then I will stop the foreclosure process. If not...then I suggest that all of you treasure these moments, because they will be your last. Do have a good day."

Suzuhara turned and departed the dorm without further incident, followed by the three SAT agents.

Later on that night, a emergency council meeting was held between the three elder tenants of Hinata House. Actually, it was between Naru and Kitsune, since Motoko sat in silence, still in shock in regards to her destroyed sword. Haruka was tending to Hina, while at the same time, telling her brother and sister-in-law about the recent developments.

"Naru, this scheme of yours has backfired!" Kitsune whispered harshly. "Please tell me you have something planned for this!"

Naru's expression remained firm. "Look, I don't know who that guy was, but he's bluffing. Keitaro's bluffing. There's no way that a spineless little pervert like him could have planned something this big! He's failed the Toudai entrance exam three times, Kitsune!"

Kitsune scoffed. "Pretty big talk for someone who flunked the exams herself," she snarled. "We just tore apart a close-knit family, Naru! All because of what, Hina placed her grandson as the kanrinrin? And even if we did tell them what happened, what then? The damage is too great, Naru. Keitaro will never trust Haruka or Granny Hina again! When and if they find out that we've screwed Keitaro over, Haruka's gonna kill us!"

"Kitsune, calm down," Naru said. "Look, we'll just say that you decided not to keep the baby, or that you decided to put it up for adoption. No harm, no foul. Keitaro's a perverted softie. The baka's so spineless it's a miracle in itself that he can walk upright everyday. Trust me, Kitsune. This was for the best."

Ring. Ring.

Naru's cellphone began to ring. Curious, she flipped it open and accepted the call. "Hello?"

Her eyes widened as she recognized the voice on the other end.

"The Swedish king Charles XII was once quoted by Voltaire as saying, 'I have resolved never to start an unjust war but never to end a legitimate one except by destroying my enemies,'" Keitaro's voice said from the other line. "To translate it into something that even you can understand, Narusegawa, 'I don't start shit. I end it.'"

"Keitaro," Naru hissed.

By this time, both Kitsune and Motoko had tried to listen in on the conversation.

"You started this, Narusegawa," Keitaro continued, his voice ice-cold. "You, that drunken bitch and that wannabe kendoka. And I will end it. It can end in two ways: the three of you confess your crimes to Haruka and Hina, and leave Hinata City for good. Or...I sell the Hinata and expose all of you as the bitches you truly are. Make your choice."

Click.

The line went dead.

An apartment, somewhere outside of Kanagawa Prefecture...

Keitaro flipped the cellphone closed, cutting off Naru's retort and placed it on the table. Or, rather, the man who was formerly known as Keitaro Urashima. That life was officially over.

Thanks to Shirai's connections within the Japanese government – the Ministry of Records, to be precise – he had a new life for himself, as Chris Kurata. It was well-worth the 200,000 yen he paid for to get some fresh records done up for him.

Unbeknownst to the Urashima family, as well as the girls of Hinata House, Keitaro had plenty of money stashed away under his alias, in case something like this had happened. Thanks to those excavations Seta had dragged him to, he had helped discovered the ancient Turtle Civilization on Molmol, which had earned him quite the finders' fee – 80 million yen, more than enough to buy the Hinata several times over.

Chris had his concerns in what the Hinata girls were scheming, and had planned accordingly once he was betrayed. He simply sold not only the Hinata, but Haruka's teahouse several days earlier as Keitaro Urashima, and had re-bought it as Chris Kurata for quite a steal.

Suzuhara was especially helpful, especially in managing Chris' finances. The loan officer's knowledge in the stock exchange. Chris' funds had all but multiplied.

With his cash reserves secure, Chris needed allies. Haitani and Shirai were a shoe-in. The next two were his stepsister and the busty Okinawan watermelon fanatic.

After his departure from Hinata City, Chris had contacted Mutsumi by cellphone and had given her the entire story. The following day, Mutsumi had returned to the Hinata, where she tendered her resignation to Haruka and terminated her lease at the dorm, much to Hina's ever-growing dismay. After leaving Kanagawa, Mutsumi had met up with Chris, and had been staying with him since then.

Of course, seeing that Naru was officially out of the race for Chris' affections, Mutsumi decided to make her move. She gave Chris a shoulder to lean on, and surprizingly, Chris had returned the feelings, promise girl be damned. Chris was more attracted to Mutsumi, but he wanted to give Naru a chance. Now that Naru had all but destroyed his love towards her, Mutsumi saw her chance and took it.

The second person was Kanako Urashima, now known as Kanako Kurata. She was the second person to be notified of the Hinata Incident, of her stepbrother's betrayal at the hands of her family and the tenants by Chris and Mutsumi. Kanako blamed herself for not being there for her brother, but Chris did not blame her for what had happened. In fact, Kanako herself had warned Keitaro of his former family's motives.

Kanako's reward for supporting her stepbrother was that she ended up sharing his bed. Mutsumi would be his wife, while Kanako would settle for being his mistress. Surprizingly enough, Mutsumi was open to the idea. Who'd have thought that the busty watermelon fanatic from Okinawa was bisexual?

At the moment, Mutsumi had exited the bedroom. Her hair was not in her usual braid, but rather it fell down her shoulders and back. Aside from the pair of panties, she wore one of Keitaro's dress shirts, two buttons done up in order to keep some sense of modesty. Kanako was inside their bedroom, fast asleep, still naked.

"So what happens now?" Mutsumi asked as she made herself some tea.

Chris grinned. "Easy. We simply watch as the girls and the Urashima clan dig their own graves."

Two days had passed, and the Hinata was in a state of great tension, as well as depression.

Keitaro was still nowhere to be seen in the city, let alone Kanagawa Prefecture. Naru and Motoko had even confronted Haitani and Shirai at Sagassi, with the intention of beating Keitaro's location out of them. However, the two had pulled out their trump cards: restraining orders. No one from the Hinata House, from its tenants to the Urashima clan themselves were not allowed within 500 feet of both Haitani and Shirai, on threat of being arrested, and their parents/guardians notified.

Faced with the threat of jail time, as well as their families losing face, Naru and Motoko backed down.

Dinnertime at the Hinata House.

Haruka had managed to get Hina out of her room and down to the dining room. Shinobu was placing the final touches on dinner as the tenants piled into the dining room.

All with the exception of Sara MacDougal.

Noriyasu Seta was notified of the goings on at the Hinata, as well as the Urashima clan's own plans to eject Keitaro. Suffice to say, Seta was furious not only at the abuse that Keitaro had endured while at the Hinata, but at Haruka and her family for trying to eject his favorite worker.

Seta had decided to cut off all ties with Haruka and her family in retaliation. As for Sara, he had promised her mother that he would take care of her shortly before she died. But seeing as how she had not only abused Keitaro, but had went on along with this cold and callous scheme, Seta had relinquished custody of Sara.

Sara was removed from the Hinata, kicking and screaming by two of the local police officers as Hina and the others watched helplessly. The American case worker had announced that Sara would be taken back to America and placed in an orphanage. Hina had offered to adopt Sara, but there was nothing that she could do. This was Seta's final request, and not even Hinata Urashima herself would override it.

It would be the last time anyone would see Sara again.

Of course, Haruka had confronted Seta down at Toudai, wanting to know why he had sent Sara away. Seta's response: "I don't associate myself with people who treat my favorite worker like trash. Get out."

Haruka had figured out that Seta had discovered her family's plan to eject Keitaro out of the clan. She left without further incident. It would be the last time that Haruka would see him again.

As the Urashima matriarch made her appearance, Shinobu had just finished placing the food on the table, just as the other tenants had sat down. However, as Shinobu made her way to her chair, she passed by Motoko's seat, the kendoka seated at the end of the table. However, Shinobu ended up tripping over a pair of chopsticks which had fallen from the table.

Shinobu's head had impacted against the corner of the table with a sickening CRACK before landing to the ground, her body twitching for several moments before lying still, eyes rolled into the back of her head.

Hina and Motoko watched in horror while Kitsune and Naru screamed in terror. Haruka, in the meantime, rushed to the phone and called for an ambulance.

Hinata City General Hospital.

Shinobu was rushed into surgery upon arrival. Haruka had also notified her parents, who had rushed to the hospital. Haruka had kept out the cause of Shinobu's accident, otherwise blame would be passed onto Motoko. Blame that Motoko felt which was rightfully deserved, as they were her pair of chopsticks that had fallen from the table.

The lead surgeon emerged from the operating room, his expression grim. He approached the party from the Hinata and Shinobu's parents.

"How is she?" Shinobu's father asked. "How is my little girl?"

"We did all that we could, Mr. Maehara," the surgeon replied. "I'm sorry, but...your daughter is gone."

At that sentence, Hinata Urashima's world crumbled even further.

The funeral was held several days later. Shinobu Maehara was laid to rest in a quiet ceremony, attended only by her family, the Urashima elder and Haruka, and the remaining tenants of Hinata House.

As the funeral concluded, Shinobu's parents had left in separate cars. As the Urashimas and the girls approached Haruka's van, they spotted a sedan parked nearby, along with the one person they did not want to see.

Tsukune Suzuhara, and his three armed bodyguards.

Motoko spoke up first. "Have you no shame? Showing up at a funeral? We just buried our best friend!"

Suzuhara sniffed. "Money and time is important to a man of my stature." He turned to Hina. "Your time has run out, Elder Urashima."

"What?" Naru screeched. "You said we had a week!"

"That I did," Szuhara replied, "but in some cases, money is a lot more important than time. The new owner paid up yesterday. I told him that you had until the end of the week...and he doubled the price, as well as ordered all of you to be evicted from the property in..." He paused to look at his watch. "...three hours. The new owner will arrive at that time to take ownership of the Hinata, the annex and the teahouse. Perhaps he will listen to your pleas...but I wouldn't bet my life on that."

That said, Suzuhara took his leave.

Keitaro Urashima, now Chris Kurata, has just got off the phone with Tsuruko Aoyama. In their conversation, Chris had told her everything that has transpired at the Hinata, from Motoko being a co-conspirator in Naru's scheme to get him removed as kanrinin to even his former family's plans to disown him.

Chris had correctly assumed that despite her 'samurai bravado bullshit,' that Motoko was the weak link, due to her fear of Tsuruko. Once Motoko caved in, then the girls' scheme would all but be exposed for all to see. To make his impending victory even sweeter, not only was Tsuruko and her husband will be there, but Amalla Suu – who was visiting the Momolian Embassy – would also be present for this occasion.

He looked at his watch. Less than three hours left to kill. And it was at least a thirty-minute drive from his apartment to the Hinata. Chris had heard about Shinobu's untimely death from Suzhara. He, along with Kanako and Mutsumi, had silently grieved for the young girl, as she was an innocent victim in this entire mess, having been corrupted by Naru and Kitsune.

A perverted grin spread across his face as he stood up and entered the bedroom, where Mutsumi and Kanako were still in the bed. How ironic was it that Naru and Motoko were right about Keitaro being a pervert. Then again, both Mutsumi and Kanako were just as perverted. And thanks to Chris having Mutsumi's anemia cured, her fainting spells were a thing of the past.

Hinata House.

The three hours following Shinobu's funeral was spent cleaning out their respective rooms. Haruka, her brother and his wife helped Hinata pack her belongings, as the Urashima matriarch was in no shape to pack her belongings. She just simply sat in a chair, eyes distant and empty.

'Am I being punished?' Hina thought. 'I lost my grandchildren...my home...I only wanted what was best for Keitaro...I thought that by throwing him out of the clan, that he would give up his dream of going to Tokyo University, and learn to stand on his own two feet. Oh, Gods...I am being punished. Keitaro is gone...Kanako is gone...I destroyed my family.'

At the base of the stairs, Chris Kurata stood with his newly-minted fiancee and his mistress. The former grandson of Hinata Urashima was dressed in a business suit, while Mutsumi and Kanako were dressed in summer dresses, green for Mutsumi and black for Kanako.

Also present were Tsuruko Aoyama, her husband Ryuji Watanabe, and Amalla Suu, who had just been notified of her younger sister's treachery. Amalla had contacted her father, the Emperor of Molmol and had reported to him the events that had transpired at the Hinata which led Keitaro down this path. Emperor Suu's reaction was instant: Kaolla Suu was stripped of her title of Princess of Molmol and was exiled for life from ever returning to Molmol. Amalla was there to deliver judgment once Kaolla confessed to her part in the Incident.

Speaking of Naru, Chris was also in possession of the one key item that would unravel Naru's scheme: her diary. Having arrived at the Hinata while the others were away at Shinobu's funeral, Chris had simply entered the Hinata, walked into Naru's room, and picked up her diary Sure enough, there were several journal entries detailing the plan to eject Keitaro as manager. That was all that Chris needed to proceed.

The only people that were left in the dark were Naru's parents and stepfather, also present. Chris had called them, saying that he had terminated Naru's lease and that all three were to be present to retrieve the scheming redhead. Last, was Tsukune Suzuhara and his S.A.T. escort.

Suzuhara looked at his watch. "It's time," he said, addressing Chris.

Chris nodded and after steeling himself for the trials to come, ascended the stairs, his entourage following behind.

Hinata Urashima, her family and her tenants were gathered in the common area for the last time. Their rooms had been packed and cleared, the moving men had since come and gone. Kitsune had secured a place in Kabukicho, and was allowing Naru to stay with her. Motoko, on the other hand, would have to return to Kyoko. Suu wasn't looking forward to returning to her home island.

The three hours were up and they were gathered together in order to try and convince the new owner to allow them to stay.

But as with all parties involved, they were in for a serious rude awakening.

The shoji door opened, and Tsukune Suzuhara entered first, along with his armed escort, followed by Tsuruko Aoyama and Ryuji Watanabe. Next was Amalla Suu and Naru's parents and stepfather.

The last three who had entered had shocked the soon-to-be former tenants of the Hinata, as well as the Urashimas themselves.

"Keitaro..." Hina gasped, thinking that Keitaro was going to return to the Hinata as the kanrinin.

She was sadly mistaken.

Motoko saw the look on her elder sister's face, and saw that she and her husband were very unhappy with her. "Aneue...what are you doing here? Why do you look so angry?"

Tsuruko's response was simple. Moving faster than anyone could see, Tsuruko's fist impacted against Motoko's jaw, causing the girl to cry out as she was knocked out of her chair.

Hina was shocked out of her stupor when she saw the elder Aoyama sister cold-cock the younger. "Tsuruko, what is the meaning of this?" she demanded.

Ignoring Hina for the moment, Tsuruko grabbed a handful of Motoko's hakama in one hand and pulled her up so that Motoko's face was merely an inch from Tsuruko's.

"Give me one good reason why I should not cut you into little pieces, Motoko," Tsuruko demanded. "One reason!"

"I...I don't know what you're talking about," Motoko whimpered.

Not pleased with that answer, Tsuruko tossed Motoko across the room, her body bouncing off the wall before falling to a heap as Naru and Kitsune watched, petrified.

Tsuruko drew her sword, as Naru and Kitsune attempted to sneak out. However, Kanako blocked their path. Cracking her knuckles, she pointed to the sofa. Knowing full well that Kanako would not hesitate to show the both of them their spines, the two chief conspirators returned to their seats, resigned to their fates.

Chris looked at the both of them and thought one thing: they're toast.

Motoko, in the meantime, found herself looking down at the business end of Tsuruko's katana. "Motoko Aoyama...you have only one chance. Just one chance, to confess your crimes to Hina and Haruka. If you lie to me..." she pulled out a hiltless tanto and showed it to Motoko. "...then you will commit seppuku for the dishonor you have brought upon yourself, our family and upon our school...and I will not be your second. You will bleed to death where you stand, a slow, painful death."

Faced with a death sentence over her head, Motoko confessed. "It's true. Urashima was innocent of the charges that Naru and Kitsune had brought against him. They both wanted him out of the Hinata and I was more than happy to help. I turned the young ones against him. Kitsune was never pregnant. The papers that showed that she was pregnant were falsified. Naru had Suu create several false documents saying that Kitsune was with child."

Hina was wide-eyed. Keitaro was driven away from his home solely on a lie. A lie that the entire family had believed.

"Naru and Kitsune's plan was simple," Motoko continued. "Elder Hina and Haruka would force Keitaro into marrying Kitsune. Then she would divorce him and demand the Hinata as part of the settlement. Naru would take control of the dorms and Urashima would be thrown out into the streets."

Hina turned towards Naru and Kitsune. "Is this true?" she demanded. "You lied to us?"

Naru's mother shook her head. "Naru...please tell me that this is not true," she pleaded. "Tell me that you didn't do this..."

Before Naru could say anything, Chris pulled out his trump card. He pulled out Naru's diary and placed it on the table, right in front of Hina. For Naru's family, he nodded to Mutsumi, who produced several photocopied pages from Naru's diary, detailing her plans to eject her former kanrinrin, as well as choice pieces of using him for her personal amusement.

Naru's eyes went wide. "You bastard! That's my diary!" she shouted as she lunged towards Chris...

...only to skid to a halt as Suzuhara's escort pulled out their firearms. They didn't point them at Naru, but better safe than sorry. Naru slowly backed up.

Tsuruko turned to Chris. "Kurata-san, I must apologize for the dishonor that my sister has brought upon you, and onto Hinata House. It appears that she has picked up many bad habits from Narusegawa and Konno." She looked at Motoko. "The elders have already been notified of your deeds, including the assaults on your former Kanrinrin. You have no idea what you have done, Motoko! You have attacked an innocent man on a whim!"

Ryuji placed a hand on Tsuruko's shoulder, which had the desired effect of calming her down.

Tsuruko took a deep breath before continuing. "You are no longer important, Motoko. I am reclaiming my birthright. You are hearby stripped of your sword and you will return to Kyoto immediately to face the council for judgment." Turning back to Chris, Tsuruko said, "The Shinmeiryu School will also reimburse you for the damages brought upon the apartments. I will see to it that Motoko will be punished for her crimes."

Chris nodded in understanding. "Thank you, Tsuruko."

After Tsuruko left with her husband and sister, Amalla Suu turned to her sister. "Kaolla, I am very disappointed in you, as is your father. Why would you do such a thing to such a kind man?"

Suu shuffled her feet. "Because Kitsune and Motoko said it would be fun," she whimpered.

Amalla looked at her sister. Then...

CRACK!

Suu cried out as her sister backhanded her. "Fun? FUN?" Amalla bellowed. "DO YOU THINK THAT THIS IS A GAME, KAOLLA? YOU DESTROYED A MAN WHO ONLY WANTED TO MAKE HIS DREAMS COME TRUE!"

"I'm...I'm sorry," Suu whispered.

Amalla shook her head. "No...you're not sorry," she snarled. "Father already know what has happened here. You are no longer the heir to the throne of Molmol. As per to Father's orders, you are striped of your title and honors. Furthermore, you are to be sent to a private school in Nagoya, far away from here. Be thankful that he did not disown you outright."

Kaolla sobbed as she followed her sister out of the Hinata, stopping only to offer apologies to Chris and to give him a check with a sizable amount of cash from the Suu royal family.

Hina was not listening. She was instead reading Naru's diary, particularly the last end entries in which Naru had gloated about Keitaro's expulsion. Naru's parents and stepfather were glowing with rage as they read the copied excerpts from her diary.

Seeing as how Hina and Haruka were about ready to kill her, Naru tried to appeal to her parents. "Mom, Dad..."

Her mother cut her off. "Don't, Naru. Just...don't. There is absolutely no excuse for your actions."

Her father was furious. "This is what you've been doing here instead of studying for Toudai? Beating up on your manager, stringing him along for your personal amusement? Sending you to the Hinata was the worst thing we did!"

Naru pointed to Chris. "But he shouldn't have been here to begin with! He should have no right to being here, even if he is the manager!"

SLAP.

Naru's head rocked to the side as her mother slapped her. "I...have...had...enough of you," she hissed. "I've had enough of your lies and of your deceit. If you think you will move back in with either myself or your father, then you are sadly mistaken."

"Mama, please, I..."

"Shut up, you lying bitch," her mother snarled. "You are no longer my daughter. I wash my hands clean of you."

Naru looked like she had taken a blow to the gut, while Chris and Kanako were grinning from ear-to-ear. Naru looked to her father and stepfather for any sympathy. There was none, as they both supported her mother's declaration. The former Narusegawa just stood there as her former parents left the Hinata, not before turning to Chris and offering him a settlement for repair bills and missed rent.

"Kanako...take out the trash," Chris calmly ordered.

Kanako grinned evilly. "With pleasure, Chris-kun," she replied before moving in on both Kitsune and Naru. Five seconds later, both girls were sent tumbling over the stairs.

Haruka, thinking that the situation had been defused, breathed out a sigh of relief. "Well, I'm glad that's over with," she said.

"No. It's not over yet," Chris said. Off their confused looks, Chris continued. "Don't look so surprised. Kanako told me everything." He turned to Hina. "You set me up from day one. You purposely sent me to the Hinata, knowing full well that you were housing psychotic, man-hating bitches in an attempt to get me kicked out of the family."

Keitaro's father turned to Kanako. "Kanako...you betrayed your family...after all we have done for you?"

Kanako shook her head. "I didn't betray the family. You betrayed Chris-kun."

Hina blinked. "Chris? That's Keitaro."

Chris shook his head. "Keitaro Urashima died that night when you sided with Kitsune and Naru. No, that's not true. He died when he found out that all of you were planning on betraying him."

"Keitaro, please," his father pleaded. "We only did what we thought was best for you, to try to have you stand on your own two feet."

"And how is disowning me helping me any?" Chris sneered. "When Kanako told me what you three had planned, I needed a fallback plan. Thankfully, those digs that Seta had dragged me to had netted me a lot of cash, more than enough to buy out the Hinata thrice over. So I sold it as Keitaro Urashima...and rebought it as Chris Kurata. Keitaro Urashima is gone. He is gone and is never coming back."

"And you are as of this moment, trespassing on his property," Suzuhara added.

Hina was now on her knees, begging for her livelihood. "Keitaro, please...don't do this to me," she said. "The Hinata has been in the family for many generations. Please..."

"And I am sure that the Kurata family will uphold that tradition," Chris replied, obviously not moved by Hina's pleas. "Get out."

To Hinata Urashima and her family, it would be the last time they would see Chris Kurata ever again.

Nine years had passed since that explosive confrontation inside the Hinata.

Motoko was brought back to the Shinmeiryu to face the council over her crimes. With the overwhelming evidence against her, Motoko had plead guilty. As a result, she was stripped of her sword – what was left of it, anyway – disowned from the clan, and sentenced to live out the rest of her life as a monk. Failure to comply or even showing her fact at the doorstep of the Shinmeiryu will result in Motoko committing seppuku. Motoko had no other choice but to accept the terms of her plea.

In the years following her exile, Motoko was the caretaker of a small Shinto temple in Hokkaido. Until one day, she would travel by foot to Kyoto and commit suicide inside the Shinmeiryu Dojo, in full view of Tsuruko and Ryuji. Motoko's final gesture did little to move her former sister, who had her buried in a graveyard reserved for the unclean and the burakumin.

Naru and Kitsune moved into an apartment in Kabukicho. There, Kitsune found a job working as a hostess at one of the red light district's many bars, while Naru attended Toudai. However, Naru's university career came to an abrupt end when she had shattered the jaw of a student she thought was Keitaro. As a result, she was expelled and blacklisted, forbidden to ever attend any university in the country.

By that time, she was quite infamous in the district, as well as throughout Tokyo as the 'psycho bitch with the right hook.' Not even Kentaro Sakata wanted nothing to do with her.

As Kitsune drank more, she found another crutch – men. Many a morning, did Kitsune find herself in bed with a different man. How ironic that Keitaro had called her a 'drunken, blackmailing whore,' only to find out that his words rang true. Kitsune Konno was a defeated woman.

"You can just see when a girl has been fucked in the ass," one of her one-night stands had said after having his fun with the former fox of Hinata. "It's not something about the way she walks. No. It's something in her eyes that tells you she admitted defeat once and that she'll do it again."

Sure enough, Kitsune did end up getting pregnant, not know who the father of her child was. After her baby was born, Kitsune gave it up for adoption, and went right back to what she was doing, forgetting about her bastard child.

Eight years after the Hinata Incident, Kitsune would be later found by Naru the following morning, along with the man she had snagged at the bar. Assuming that he had killed her best friend, Naru had attacked him savagely, beating him within an inch of his life. The man was sent to the hospital, while Naru was arrested for assault. Much to Naru's horror, the man did not kill Kitsune, as she had originally thought. Kitsune had simply choked on her vomit during sex.

This was revealed to Naru after she was charged with murder, upon finding out that the man she assaulted had died of his injuries.

Charges were filed, and after a high-profile case, Naru was found guilty. She would be later sentenced to fifty years at Tochigi Womens' Prison. During a massive prison riot, Naru would be killed by a rival inmate. She was buried in a grave which contained only her prison number in the prison graveyard, alone and forgotten.

Kaolla Suu was heartbroken to hear about the fates of her friends/former roommates. Deciding that Japan had too many bad memories for her, Suu moved from Japan to America, settling in Hawaii, where she lived as an exile for the remainder of her life.

Sara MacDougal was never heard from again.

In the nine years following the removal of the Urashima from the Hinata, the Urashima clan had fallen from grace, once their plans regarding Keitaro became known. Even worse, Keitaro's mother had filed for divorce from her whipped husband, after it became known that she had cheated on him throughout their marriage. The Urashimas was forced to sell their sweets shop to pay for the divorce settlement.

Haruka found work inside a teashop, while her brother worked inside a candy factory. Hinata Urashima was placed inside a seniors' retirement home, as the shock from losing her home and her plans backfiring on her were too great to bear.

Nine years later, Hinata found herself dying from terminal cancer. In a final attempt to reach out to her estranged family, she sent a letter to him at the Hinata. Several days later, Hinata received a reply. It was one sentence, consisting of four words.

You gave me nothing.

The following day, Hinata Urashima died. She was buried in the Urashima family plot in Hinata City, her funeral only attended by Haruka and her brother. Haruka left for parts unknown, while he brother worked to keep his home.

As for Chris, Mutsumi and Kanako...

A year after the Hinata Incident in where Chris seized control of the Hinata, Chris had married Mutsumi in a private ceremony. Kanako tagged along for the honeymoon in Hokkaido.

The Hinata Girls' Dormitory was closed down and Chris reopened it as the Hinata House Bed and Breakfast, while the Hinata Annex was purged and opened as a unisex dormitory. Chris and Mutsumi ran the Hinata, while Kanako operated the teahouse, whenever he was not working with Seta on his excavations. Seta, on the other hand, had met and married a rising manga artist by the name of Cailyn Hiroyuki.

Haitani and Shirai were the first full-time tenants to the dorm, as were Seta and Cailyn. Under the Kuratas, The Hinata Bed and Breakfast became one of the town's popular destinations.

Haitani and Shirai were shocked – as well as upset – that Chris had both a wife and a mistress, but quickly got over it. After all, it did provide them with nieces and nephews to spoil. Both Chris and Mutsumi graduated from Toudai – Chris majoring in archaeologist while Mutsumi majored in management.

Kanako would run the Hinata Teahouse in a way that not even Haruka herself could match. Money would be no problem for the Kurata clan for years to come.

As for Chris Kurata, formerly Keitaro Urashima, he finally put his past behind him and with his friends and family supporting him, was finally able to look forward to a prosperous and peaceful future.