Love Hina Café chapter 4

Saturday morning's sunlight broke into Keitaro's eyes. After blinking away the momentary blindness, Keitaro sat up and reached for his watch.

8:54 a.m.

Keitaro sighed and moved to lie back down and pull the covers over his head. Seven minutes later he heard the thumping of several foot steps move rapidly to his door. The door slammed opened and Keitaro felt the wind knocked out of his chest as two awkward shapes jumped on his bed.

"Ow." Motoko said flatly beside him. She pulled out from her own covers and looked at Haruhi and Hana . "What are you two ladies doing crushing my hip?"

Hana pouted at the younger girl. But both friends snuggled on top of the two children. "You didn't wake me last night to tell me we beat the 80 million yen mark."

Keitaro murmured something under his blankets. Haruhi looked to Motoko to translate. Motoko quickly sat up and gently pushed the girls off Keitaro. He popped out of the blankets breathing hard. His face was bright red, and he didn't look at either of the girls.

Motoko looked concerned for Keitaro who just nodded his head that he was ok. He coughed for a second. "I am going to take a shower." He hurriedly left the room. When the door closed Motoko gave the two older girls an exasperated look.

"Honestly you two. Did you realize how you were laying on him?" Both girls thought back to how they landed against the two covered forms. They both followed the imaginary lines from Keitaro's chest to Haruhi's chest and Hana's rear to Keitaro's thighs.

"Aww! He got so many feels off us! You sly dog!" Hana called after him. Haruhi laughed loudly.

Motoko gave the girls a confused look. "I have no idea what you mean, but Keitaro couldn't breathe while you had all your weight on his chest." Both girls paused long enough to take a breath before laughing harder.

"You are my favorite person Motoko-chan." Announced Haruhi. Both girls stood up and left stating they would be down stairs relaxing before work. Motoko still felt tired but was almost tempted to go down too. After a half second of consideration, she decided she would rather sleep after the long night. She covered her head with her bed sheets and was sleeping in moments.

-o-

Keitaro stood outside on the patio. He inhaled a deep breath of sea air before grinning at what he had done since he first arrived at the café. The work was hard, but extremely rewarding. After a few minutes of thinking, he could understand his parents' infatuation with their own store. Keitaro felt the eager excitement at his own business. But first there was today.

Haruhi walked next to him, her only noise being the sliding screen door behind her. "Congratulations, Keitaro-san."

"We all worked our asses off Haruhi. So thank you." Keitaro smiled at her before pulling down one of the stacked outdoor chairs. He handed her one and she sat at the table with him. "I was really surprised with just how everything clicked for all of us these past few days."

Haruhi laughed. "It really does feel different when we have a goal. But it was really fun. and! We got one more day of our drive!" Haruhi leaned back into her chair and stretched.

Keitaro smiled before he gave muffled snicker. Finally it broke into a hearty laugh. "I just realized we really do have a full day left. And this was supposed to be our big day to make sure we clear our goal."

"I wonder how high we can get our total income for the week."

Keitaro smiled before lying back in his chair. "I'll think about that in an hour. For now, I want enjoy this time off."

Hana joined the group and sat down. She leaned on her hands. Her elbows were resting on the table. Keitaro ignored her for a total of twenty seconds. He counted.

Finally unable to ignore the intense stare he finally looked up to her. "What's up Hana?"

"You. Motoko." Keitaro flushed. She kept going. "Anything? It's driving me nuts."

Keitaro covered his face with his booklet. "Hana? No? Please?"

Hana and Haruhi exchanged glances before looking around to see if Motoko-chan was nearby. She wasn't. "Keitaro. You know we think the world of you even before you did anything for us personally. But you and Motoko need to sort things out. You can't just leave it vague like it has been. I've seen amazing things happen before then nothing comes of it when neither side will take a step."

Keitaro set down the booklet but still did not look at her. "Haruhi a little help?"

"Sorry Keikei. I am on her side on this one. I had a first crush who had no idea what to do either and we both were beating around the bush for years before what ever interest we had fizzled out completely. And we waited for each other to make the move. Just try. It's not like it will really hurt anyone."

Keitaro blinked not really sure he was hearing this right. "She is still young. How are you guys encouraging this?"

Haruhi smiled and stuck her tongue at him. "Keitaro in the grand scheme of things, you two are not that far apart. And you two are already together even if you don't realize it."

Keitaro started to protest.

Hana took his booklet and smacked his head. "Keitaro go find her and think about it. You don't have to do anything now. Just think about it. We want you guys to be happy. And we've seen you happier together than most adults looking for someone."

Keitaro bit his tongue. He almost reminded them the only people they had seen lately had wanted to get drunk and make bad decisions.

-o-

The staff formed a plan when it was apparent that the crowd for Saturday would be far larger than the day before. Each person was taking a ten hour shift with a two hour break starting four hours in. It led enough so there were always four people present, and when one person started their break, another would be returning. Keitaro opened the patio by one in the afternoon and Motoko joined him in the kitchen during lunch to keep up with the demand. Keitaro sat upstairs drinking an ice tea while trying to keep is eyes close and maybe doze to recover for the long night.

A polite knock on his door interrupted him. He opened it to find Hana. "Sorry for interrupting boss, but Suki is here." Keitaro nodded and followed Hana down stairs. Suki was at a table with a finished plate and was currently drinking a cola. The woman looked at Hana in surprise. Hana simply waved back before going about her business. Suki blushed when she brought unintended attention.

"Sorry Keitaro, I was just going to eat and see how things were doing from the customer's end. You didn't need to come out." She had set down her utensils for her lunch that was freshly served, a salad with an apple vinaigrette.

Keitaro waved her off as he took a set and dropped his weight into it. "It's fine I am on my break." That earned him an even guiltier look from the woman. Keitaro laughed. "Don't worry about it. So as a customer how is it looking?"

Suki looked around and saw Angelo and Hana clean or take orders before moving to the next tables to greet people with smiles. "It seems very busy."

Keitaro looked around and realized he was on his second hour of his break. "Haruhi just started her two hour break, Motoko's starts in an hour when I get back into the kitchen."

Suki raised an eyebrow. "You are staggering them for that long of a period?"

Keitaro shrugged before yawning slightly. He was allowed to feel tired when he still had forty minutes to recover. "It's was the last few days of our team turn to run the cafe. There is no chance we would find extra hands for just one night. This is the best we can do what with the advertisement we set up for the day. We will have the band coming in, but they will be playing on the deck and only briefly taking off the load for us. We actually close the kitchen an hour early so we can all be out serving drinks."

Suki hmm'ed a bit. It did take the team some time to serve her food. And it was not for the lack of trying. That thought was reinforced when Angelo politely excused him self around her chair with plates of food stacked on his arms and hands.

"You can hire me for a day if you would like." She said, a slow grin spreading on her face even as she noted that Hana was doing the same with a single large serving tray and begging for a few moments as another group of customers were waiting at the entrance to be seated.

Keitaro looked at her in surprise. He grinned at the memory that she bartended. "That's right! you mentioned you waited tables at that one bar."

"Yes."

"You seen us mix our drinks, think you can learn them quick enough?"

"Positive."

With a partial smile Keitaro asked, "Do you have a bathing suit on you?"

Suki laughed. "I was here for a day on the beach." Suki pulled up a tote bag with her things and a beach towel sticking out the top.

"You are hired, go change in the back when you are ready." Suki laughed and finished the last of her drink in a single swig.

-o-

The crew immediately cheered at the new help. Hana showed Suki the menu before sending her off to wait tables with a small sketch of the table numbers on the last page of the ordering note pad. Suki quickly got into the groove of taking orders. She smiled at a group of men before dropping the order at the window for Motoko.

Motoko gave a nod before Keitaro reached over the younger girls head taking the order. "Take your break Motoko-chan. I am back on."

Motoko for her part gave a sigh of relief. She took off her apron and took her plate she cooked a half hour before to the back to reheat it and eat lunch. She waved a bye to Keitaro before taking a seat. Motoko ate her lunch in silence only looking around after she finished eating. The back room was a small table cramped into a large closet. It was the office and the only room behind the kitchen. The walls creaked from the ages of weathered hot and wet seasons.

Motoko felt surprised when she realized this was one of the few times she was by her self. The only other time was in the mornings when she would practice her Kendo and that in of itself was a rare chance as her mornings also were filled with teaching self defense to Haruhi and Hana. Motoko leaned back in her chair and smiled at the summer vacation she has had. It would be over soon. School would start up in two weeks, and she knew she would return to Hinata-sou in time for the final trip to the mountains with the Kendo Club.

Motoko laughed to her self. It was both reserved and honest. "The kendo team would have a panic attack seeing me like this." Motoko looked at her swim suit and realized she liked the freedom of wearing her own clothes beyond the uniforms and temple robes. Motoko gave a calm breath and felt her mind go into a meditative calm. It had been so long since she had sat still and let her mind focus on nothing. Thoughts filtered through her mind as she sat in her chair, her hair back and her neck slightly sore. Images of Keitaro constantly flowed into her mind. Motoko understood she was slightly naive for some things even if she did not know what exactly, but she did know she held… A certain amount of affection for Urashima Keitaro. It was felt every time they touched each others hands in the kitchen while they cooked, when they shared a smile, or when they reached for each other.

Tsuruko, Motoko's sister, said that when she finds someone everything will happen naturally.

Motoko wondered if Keita-

She abruptly cut off that thought unsure where it would go. Her eyes were open and she stilled the breath she had not known had sped with her heart beat. Eventually she thought it was enough that she was there and would still be by his side when the summer was over. She silently just enjoyed the time alone.

-o-

The band finished their final song to loud cheers. Kazuma, the lead singer motioned for Keitaro to come to the stage, the crowd parted for him. "Give a loud welcome for the Manager Keitaro Urashima for having such a success with Beach Cafe Hina!"

Keitaro laughed as the crowd cheered him. He took the microphone and got on the stage. "Thank you everyone for coming to the final night of Beach Café Hina's Summer Festival." There was a cheer and raised glasses to Keitaro. "I want to thank Fire Spirit for coming on such short notice!" the crowd cheered again. "And let's give a loud cheer for the amazing staff serving you your drinks. We could not have done all of this," Keitaro gestured to the whole party. "With out all of your participation. Thank you everyone."

The customers around the team smiled and raised their glasses to the girls and Angelo. "Starting tomorrow, we will be switching our staff for the theme change of Beach Café Hina." Keitaro motioned for a man who stood at the bottom of the stage to come on up.

The tall tanned man had long brown hair and smiling eyes. "Thank you Urashima-san. My name is Toki Hakama. My men and I will continue to serve in Urashima-san's place." Six men got on stage each as handsome as the previous. There were squeals in the crowd followed by laughter at the ladies reactions. In a single row, all the men bowed their heads. "Please continue to come to Beach Café Hina."

There was a round of clapping led by the women with the rest of the crowd following. The music started up with a DJ while the band started putting away their equipment.

Keitaro looked around and most people were more interested in dancing than they were in ordering drinks. Keitaro placed his cleaning rag in his back pocket and leaned against the wall. The café patio was packed and the fenced area was removed to allow more people to filter onto the sandy beach. Finally the bar was closed and people were slowly leaving the party.

"Keitaro!" called Haruhi over the music. Keitaro turned and saw Haruhi and Angelo walking towards him holding hands.

"Yes Haruhi?"

"Go get Motoko-chan! It's the last song of our season and you need a dance partner." Keitaro's ears perked at the order. He turned to Motoko across the room. It only took a moment but both of their eyes locked. Keitaro smiled at her before walking to her. He extended his hand to her. "Would you like to share the last dance with me?"

Motoko flushed at his smile and shyly took his hand. Keitaro gently pulled her close to him and the loud thumping music slowed. Keitaro ignored the quieting crowd and did not notice the people part for the two as Motoko slowly put her arms around Keitaro's neck and leaned against him.

"I feel like I should have asked you to dance earlier."

Motoko hid her face in his chest. "You will just have to make up for it next time."

Keitaro smiled and looked down his chest to see her eyes looking at him. For a few precious moments, the two didn't realize they were the only ones dancing and the music stopped long ago.

-o-

The sun was blazing on Keitaro's back while he walked the length of the beach. Occasionally someone would call out to him. The teen would stop and talk and inquire if they had seen Motoko before being on his way. He had not seen the girl this morning, or the past few weeks in the early morning once he really thought about it.

Another hour slowly past by during his walk. Keitaro tired himself out and moved to the shades of the trees on the hill that marked the end of the beach. He saw a few people cliff dive from this spot before and just shook his head as he looked down at the still water. It was faint, but Keitaro was positive he heard a shout from below him. He leaned over the edge of the cliff face and noticed to his right near the beach that water was pooling in and out of the wall. It took the teen a moment to realize he was staring at a cave entrance.

Keitaro walked around the hill and found a few solid rocks allowed him to see the cave was more of a tiny cove. "HAH!" Keitaro sighed at the familiar voice.

Motoko.

Keitaro was about to call out to her, but noticed that she was deliberately moving around the stones that were just above the water level. Keitaro looked around and found a dry heavy stone to sit on. He was content to watch her practice. He grew more confident that was what she was doing after seeing the girls hands set at specific angles. After watching for a few moments, Keitaro could even see the imaginary sword Motoko moved in her hands. Her right hand was in a loose grip and her left hand was being used to guide the imaginary weapon. It was a lot different than the movies where the good guys wielded swords. Motoko didn't swing her sword like it was just an extra length to her arm. The young girl used her whole body to guide the sword as if it was a living object.

Motoko returned her imaginary sword to its neutral position. "May I help you?"

Keitaro smiled at being caught. "It's me Motoko-chan."

Motoko turned and smiled at him. Keitaro slid down the rocks to the base rocks she stood on. "Be careful Keitaro, its slippery here."

Keitaro emphasized the warning by slipping before catching himself a stone and a half from her. He rubbed his aching knee before standing again. "Sorry I didn't mean to interrupt you. I just came looking for you."

"For what?" Motoko looked at him out of curiosity. There were no matters of the business to worry about anymore.

Keitaro felt his heart take a heavy beat in his chest. "Not sure actually. I just wanted to find you."

Motoko smiled. She knew the feeling. It was something she had done her self these past few days. It was always in the mornings when he had sneaked away to study. She found find him sitting on at a table or the back room's desk reading about English or History. She never did have the heart to interrupt him.

"Motoko, do you want to come with me into town today?" The question came out of his mouth before he even realized what he asked her. Motoko smiled wider before taking Keitaro's hand.

"Let's go Keitaro, the rocks are slippery here I'll show you how to get out."

Motoko had them nearly out of the cove when the first wave came that was followed by many. It signaled the tide surf was approaching. Motoko slipped slightly. Her bare feet glided into the water harmlessly. Keitaro automatically took her hand and pulled her to him. When she looked at him he smiled nervously. "I don't want to loose you."

To emphasis the point the surf started building speed flowing into the cave faster. Keitaro realized what he said and turned away. But he still let his hand guide her out of the cave and onto the beach.

Motoko squeezed his hand to say they were safe and on the beach. The pair exchanged looks. It was decided with out saying any words. They were not going to let go. Motoko squeezed Keitaro's hand. He immediately squeezed back.

Both Motoko and Keitaro stayed a little closer while walking down the beach towards town. Keitaro gently swayed their hands between them before Motoko giggled at the memory of their first dance. Motoko spun on the sand and pulled her self into his arm. Keitaro laughed with her when she looked up at him under her hair bangs. Motoko remembered the meditations the day before. Naturally.

Motoko leaned into him and Keitaro let his arm rest around her shoulder. The walk to the café slowed dramatically thanks to how close they kept each other but neither minded. Keitaro marveled at how empty the beach could be at some hours. This early the beach only had a few joggers but not this close to the cove they were walking from.

Keitaro rubbed Motoko's shoulders while looking to her. "Motoko-chan?"

Motoko looked up to him. Keitaro felt Motoko lean against him again. Keitaro looked down to her.

"I like you."

Keitaro didn't know how big her smile was. All he saw was her eyes and they smiled back at him.

"I think I like you too Keitaro."

Keitaro slid his hands from her shoulder to her waist and leaned in to her. She slowly raised her chin.

Keitaro moved back and smiled at the feeling that was just on his lips. He looked at Motoko and shared a nervous laugh with her before both laughed happily with each other.

They both leaned in and gave another soft kiss on the lips. When they pulled back again Keitaro finally added, "You never did tell me yes or no to that date."

Motoko smiled at him. Her eyes danced at him. "This smile means yes."

-o-

The town was quiet on a Sunday. The stores were open and the heat made everyone tired and lazy. Keitaro pointed out a few things he thought were cute. Motoko was not able to truly express her joy outside of a squeal of delight when Keitaro pointed at a display of zen calligraphy. There was a very detailed scroll of several phrases.

Keitaro did not know he had stumbled onto a hidden joy Motoko had for the art. There was even a kit for doing your own Calligraphy. The older teen smiled at her. "I am getting this!"

"Really?" Motoko laughed disbelievingly. "I have seen your hand writing Keitaro, it is atrocious."

Keitaro smiled. "Which is why I need to practice. I figured if we really get bored. We can do this together."

Motoko giggled. "I would not mind that. Although I would likely find my self in a teachers position to aid your own penmanship."

Keitaro stuck his tongue at her playfully. "Maybe not miss I am a proper lady." Keitaro winked at her as the set was bagged.

Keitaro took her hand in his and the two were off to the next shop. It took Motoko four shops and a circle around one particular item that made her realize Keitaro wanted a booth picture. It did not come to her suddenly either. Keitaro was unsubtle as anyone could be while talking to Motoko and sighing at the picture booth. Motoko thought he was getting bored of her until she found him staring at the stupid booth. Then it dawned on her why he was sighing. She blushed thinking about the two getting pictures together.

"Keitaro. We have a day left living here at the Cafe. Why haven't we taken any pictures?" She pulled him by the hand to the booth. She couldn't help it as she giggled at his protests.

"Kei-kun."

That stopped him. She pulled him in and kiss his cheek as the picture was taken. She snuggled against his shoulder as another picture was taken.

"Just enjoy the moment."

She giggled as the pair went through several frames and a whole string of pictures. First the pictures were reserved jumbled nervous pictures where they blushed. Then finally they started to get more fun as the frames got more ridiculous. There was one where a volcano erupted. Keitaro moved himself into frame as if he was the one that erupted from the volcano. Motoko feigned fear. They were able to keep the poses long enough to take the picture before they erupted into bouts of laughter.

Motoko took his arm and leaned against them as they walked home.

"I had a wonderful time Kei-kun." For the third time that day, Motoko leaned in and kissed him. The kiss was a chaste peck on the lips but Keitaro was more than happy.

-o-

Monday morning appeared quickly.

Motoko stirred from the bed and realized Keitaro was gone. She raised her head and noticed it was after seven in the morning. Motoko counted 5 hours of sleep. She was ready to fall asleep again before she realized Keitaro stayed up as late as she did. Motoko got out of bed intent on seeing why Keitaro was not sleeping.

Motoko resisted a sigh. Keitaro was at a table with a steaming tea and a towel around his neck. It looked like he just showered and was sitting in shorts and no shirt. Motoko didn't need to see what he was looking at to understand he was studying a todai practice entrance exam. "We have our meeting in five hours Keitaro. Why are you awake?"

Keitaro leaned back in his chair and stretched. "Sorry Motoko-chan. I woke up thinking of this problem in the math portion that had been bugging me. It just clicked. I am just going over the problems I answered to make sure they are all following the same rules."

Motoko looked over his shoulder and saw two separate scratch pieces of paper. Both were covered in lines and graphs he drew with several numbers written in as many angles as was needed to label all of it. Motoko reached out to touch Keitaro's shoulder but paused unsure about interrupting him further. At the same moment Keitaro leaned back to look at Motoko.

Keitaro felt her smooth hand touch his shoulder and he shivered at the new sensation. The young man tilted his head towards her, "Are you worried I will overwork my self again?"

Motoko gripped his shoulder and nodded. "Ok Motoko. I'll go back to sleep for a bit." The girl smiled at him and hugged his neck. "Get some sleep and I'll wake you in time to get going. It's an hour drive and Haruka-san will be picking us up."

-o-

"Granny Hina." Keitaro bowed in front of his matriarch.

"Hello Keitaro-chan. My you have done so much for us this summer. Thank you."

Keitaro rose from his bow and smiled at her. Next to Keitaro Motoko smiled with him. Granny Hina looked over the young woman. The difference between who she sent and who returned was the difference between night and day.

"You look well too Motoko-chan."

Motoko bowed as well but blushed at the praise. "Thank you Granny Hina. It was an enlightening and enjoyable experience."

"Come Keitaro, we have much to discuss. Excuse us Motoko-chan." Motoko bowed and left the room.

"You have two girls who need of a place to stay for sure then Keitaro?" Motoko closed the door behind her and sighed.

Motoko started walking down to her room. She still had a training trip she had to prepare for. It was the last one of the summer and one she would have to answer a lot of questions to her club. She suddenly found she did not mind if she had to give up her captaincy as a consequence. Her room had been kept clean and dusted. The decorations for the armor and the swords still stood pristine as the day she was called away to work with Keitaro.

She went and lifted up her sword.

She had missed it. She unsheathed her partner. "You feel really light today."

It was an observation. But it was true. There always was a hesitation when she drew her naked blade. She always had to draw on some kind of courage to draw it. But now her heart was content. Her mind was steady and at peace. "I think I am starting to understand Tsuruko. All those times you were telling me to open my self to others. It helps shoulder this responsibility." She moved the sword carefully inside the closed space of her room.

She sighed as she moved silently through several short ranged kata's designed for close quarters. The blade responded as she knew it would. But the time away did nothing to affect her memory of the balance.

Motoko sheathed her blade.

-o-

"I plan to commute Granny. Please stop trying get me to live here at the inn. Not with so many girls." Keitaro covered his face. The nonpulsed look his grandmother gave him about living in a dorm full of girls boarded on complete indifference.

"At least go talk to Haruka-chan. Her cafe is her home too."

Keitaro started laughing. "Granny I've done that for a summer. There is no way I will ever live in the same place I work at again. I'll just commute like I would have for the first month while I look for a place to live. It will still be in town. There is no reason for you to try and find me a home. The land is a done deal. I have a Angelo and the girls going through the property right now to list things I need to buy before the team gets to work renovating. I do not want a living quarters installed there."

Granny Hina sighed in defeat. "Very well Keitaro-chan. But the offer is always open."

"Thank you for offering Granny. I should get going. I want to view the site one more time before going back to my parents."

Granny smiled. "Actually talk to them this time. Please Keitaro? No shouting matches."

Keitaro sighed. "I will try Granny. But they were dead set against me trying for Todai again."

Granny shook her head. "Your father is as stubborn as you are Kei-chan. Just remember that when you talk to him."

Keitaro leaned over to give his grandmother a hug. "I'll try."

-o-

Keitaro found a young girl sitting on the couch. She was casually tinkering with some kind of metal box while watching TV. "Hello miss?"

The young tanned girl simply leaned back and looked at him upside down from the couch. "Hello! What can I do for you glasses wearing guy?"

Keitaro gave her an amused smile. "Can you get Motoko-chan for me? I think she was going to her room. I am not allowed beyond the office and this living room."

Su nodded. "Sure thing glasses guy! But if you are playing with Motoko you should play with me too some time OK?"

Keitaro raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't plan to be here very often kiddo. What is your name anyway?"

The girl ran down the hall way shouting "I'M SU!"

Keitaro jumped into the hall way as what ever was in the metal box exploded on the couch. Keitaro inspected the metal box for a few minutes but found it did not damage the couch. The teen sighed in relief. Small favors. That's when he found five other matching boxes on the floor behind the couch minus the exploding scorch marks.

"Keitaro-kun?"

Motoko walked down the steps with Su following close behind her. Keitaro waved for her to come down. The two joined hands and walked outside away from Su's curious gaze. "The girl blew something up in the metal box by the way. You can investigate it. I'm not going near it." There was a sudden explosion behind them. Keitaro and Motoko laughed as a pair of girls voices shouted at Su.

"It appears that Mitsune and Naru have it under control."

Kietaro smiled and agreed with her. Keitaro naturally rested his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "I'll be gone for the next few days to help Angelo pack up. The girls should be moving in tomorrow. Do you think you will be here when I come back in a few days?"

Motoko leaned into his chest. "No I will not. The last Kendo training camp is confirmed for tomorrow. I will leave in the morning." Motoko wrapped her arms around him and squeezed.

"We'll see each other soon enough. Go had fun Motoko. I'll keep the calligraphy until you come back." Motoko giggled into his chest.

"I look forward to what you would call art Kei-kun." The pair held each other for some time before Keitaro reluctantly let go. "I have to catch my train. I'll see you next week."

Motoko sighed. "It will feel strange not having you next to me when I go to sleep." A second passed before she blushed a crimson she was sure could be seen from orbit. She willed her self to be buried alive until Keitaro laughed and kissed her lips.

"You and me both. But I suppose its a good thing now that we are like this." He said vaguely.

"Like what Kei-kun?" Motoko and Keitaro never did say they were going to start being a couple. But it was something both had assumed with out confirming it with their partner.

Keitaro smiled and leaned into her ear. His whispers were only for her. She sighed and leaned into his voice. Finally, he pulled away and kissed her hand before letting go and walking away.

Motoko stood there for a moment before walking back inside. She was met just in side the door with Naru and Mistune.

Naru was blushing at the public display Motoko and Keitaro presented and asked, "Who was that?"

Motoko giggled. The butterflies in her chest did not go away. "That was my boyfriend."

-o-

Keitaro stood in front of his parents house. It really did not feel like his home after this summer. Keitaro smiled sadly and knocked on the door. It did not feel right to just walk in. Finally the door opened and his mother went to hug him. Keitaro sighed and hugged her back.

"Good afternoon Ka-san. Is Tou-san home?"

"Yes he is Kei-chan. Did you need anything before you talk to him." Keitaro let go of his mother to look at her.

"I just want to talk and we can figure out what we will do afterwards."

Keitaro walked to his father's study. Keitaro never liked entering this room. It was his fathers. It was a reminder of all of his fathers successes and his disappointment in his own son. Keitaro thought about his time at the cafe. It strengthened his mind and gave him confidence he did not know he could draw from.

"Tou-san. Good afternoon."

Keitaro's father had his brown hair that cut just above his eyes. His own square black framed glasses glinted when he raised his head in surprise at meeting his son. "Are you done running away?"

Keitaro swallowed his retort. "I have just come to say hello. I was working for Granny Hina at a cafe on the beach. My work there was done."

"I have heard you done well there. Congratulations Keitaro. It is good to see that you will be able to handle the shop. Let's get you set up and you can get some real hands on experience."

Keitaro shook his head. "I am sorry father. But I already know I am going in a different direction."

"Is that so?" Susuke looked at his son. He set his work aside and really looked at his normally dreamy eyed son. He liked what he saw. The dreamy look was gone. What ever happened at the beach cafe had changed him. It was for the better it seemed.

"I am going to start my own business. I wanted to ask if you would come see it when it is open." Keitaro bowed respectfully.

Susuke stood up and walked around the desk to his son. "What of this Todai tests?"

Keitaro smiled at his father. "That has not changed. But that does not mean my dream will only ever been Todai. It was only a means to an end. I just found another goal I want to work for."

Susuke looked over to his wife. They both exchanged looks of encouragement "If that is how you feel. I understand. Son."

Keitaro bowed to his father. The family moved closer and combined into a group hug. It was the first true family hug in years.

-o-

The next week flew by. Keitaro traveled to café often. The renovations were going much faster than he expected. Keitaro was by himself when he had to turn around a broken sea side shack. He had a whole staff to help him with the two floor building. The only real sticking issue was the tree out front. Hana and Angelo both thought it was a good idea to keep it out there. The other shops cut down the other foliage on their side walks to make it more open. But Hana and Angelo both thought it would be nice to have a land mark so people would know exactly where the cafe was. It was something Keitaro would need to think about. All he saw was the dying leaves on the ground in front of his door.

Much to Keitaro's chagrin, he also found himself as an impromptu handy man around the hotel itself. He constantly had to remind himself it was indeed a woman's dorm. Haruhi and Hana had moved in to the women's dorm and helped him with inspecting the dorm itself. It was in vast need of renovations as much as his cafe.

Granny was gracious enough to allow the girls a months rent free while the cafe was being completed. It was a moving incentive Keitaro could never afford himself for the girls. Keitaro never told the girls it was part of a deal in exchange for going through the Hinata dorm for repairs.

Angelo soon found himself an apartment. Haruhi and Hana took as much time visiting him as they did the cafe itself. It was something Keitaro was happy to see. The team had become close. And he was happy to see Haruhi and Angelo being a couple did not change that dynamic.

Keitaro and his team raised a toast as the empty building started to look like a real cafe.

"Great job guys!" Keitaro and Angelo clinked glasses before taking a drink.

"It's too bad Motoko could not make it." Haruhi added in disappointment.

"Motoko had sacrificed a lot to work with us at the beach. She needed to go to the final camp if she had any hope of retaining her captaincy."

"We took the pictures at least." Angelo added while looking at a blank walls. "Hey Keitaro. Why don't we make a picture wall from all the pictures we took when he started renovating the place."

"That sounds like a great idea." Haruhi said while bouncing to a wall near the entrance. "I vote here!"

Keitaro laughed with Hana. "I like the idea too. I'll want to get a few pictures of Motoko with us too to put up when she gets back."

The group looked around and grinned. Angelo looked at the balcony to the second floor "It's a lot bigger than the beach cafe."

"It will be just as busy. I talk to the local shops the students come in like a hide tide when they are on their way to and back from the train station."

Hana giggled. "That sounds encouraging."

-o-

Motoko raised her weapon and faced off her challenger. It was the third who challenged her captaincy since she had missed the first two training camps. Quite a number of people felt that she had either had fallen out of practice, lost interest, or had gained enough skill to challenger. It did not help that the normally pale girl came to the mountain camp with a healthy tan and a relaxed demenor. A few of the more aggressive members accused her of going on vacation.

Motoko glided through her steps in her sparing match. Her Shinai knocked her opponent's sword hard enough to break their stance before she took one hard step forward and made contact atop the opponents head. The match ended in three moves.

There was a round of applause from the kendo club. The opponents bowed before Motoko could politely step away and take off her mask. She gave a breath of relief. After being on the beach for so long the mask air felt stiff and claustrophobic. It was the first time she ever thought of it that way.

"That was great Motoko-san!" A few of the girls walked up to their captain.

"Thank you. I had practiced where I worked. However the lack of a practice weapon left me curious how well mental training would effect my ability in practice." The girls giggled at the formal speech.

The training camp had been a rough mash up of exorcises and match ups to find who is playing what order for the coming fall tournament. Their first school was last years number two seed and Motoko was happy to hear she would be final seat.

"What are you going to do now that the camp is over tomorrow Captain?"

Motoko looked over to a boy who seemed to be her age. After a moment Motoko recalled he was a first year who joined just as the summer break had started. Motoko smiled at him. It caught a few of her peers off guard. She rarely smiled.

Motoko took off her armor and loosened her hair. "Keitaro is showing me the renovations our team were working on for the new cafe he is opening in Hina."

It took them a few moments to understand what she said. She was smiling!

"Who's Keitaro?" Emi asked with a frown.

Motoko started walking away while she thought how to answer that question. The girls still seemed weary of boys. It had been so long since she had actually considered their thoughts on men. It was like a slap in the face when Emi and Kikuko said something demeaning about one of their male club members.

Even good examples like the boy infront of them did not deter the girls. In fact she had to stop them just that morning. The few boys on the team earlier that day were being challenged and harassed for attempting to gain captaincy. Motoko knew that talk regarding the girls behavior would not go over well.

Just because a woman was in charge of the club did not give the girls the right to lord it over the boys.

"Keitaro is a young man who just got out of highschool. He is starting his own business and he was my boss for the summer. The cafe I worked at was a test run for him to see if he could do it. With how successful he was with it, he got the backing to open his own cafe. If things go well for him he will go to Todai next year."

Motoko kept walking as she talked. She could not hide the blush that spread on her face while she omitted one fact. Thankfully all the girls were walking behind her.

A few of the boys that were lounging in the hall ahead of her had heard what she said and saw the blush. Their eyes went wide her look. She nervously moved her finger to her lips and mouthed out, 'It's a secret.'

The boys laughed but said nothing. Just behind Motoko, three girls glared at the boys.

"Whats so funny?" asked one of the girls threateningly. She had her Shinai ready at her side.

"It's nothing Sachiyo. The boys were just very observant. Leave them be." The girls followed Motoko to the baths.

As they walked by the boys greeted her with a tone of respect and reverence they did not have moments before.

-o-

"You know we still haven't decided on a name for the shop yet."

Keitaro set down the lacquer can he was using on the bar. "I have thought about it and am still coming up blank Hana."

Haruhi poked her head out from the balcony. "We finally naming the place?"

Angelo took a half step out of the basement. He had a heavy wrench in hand. "What now?"

Keitaro laughed. "We haven't thought of the name for the cafe."

The group came together and took a seat on the floor. Names were tossed out between the group from 'The great cafe from three girls and two guys' to 'Autumn'. They were all rejected.

Outside Motoko looked at the cafe and smiled. The building stood out from the rest of the street. The front face was mostly made of clear glass allowing a view both in and out of the cafe. The view from the balcony inside would allow customers to see the street just bast the tree out front. Motoko looked at the tree. The other trees on this street seemed to have been cut down in favor of more open signs in the neighborhood. A leaf fell from the tree and Motoko smiled at the entrance covered in leaves and shade. She played with the leaf as she walked in.

She could hear the team chatting up names. She waved at everyone as she walked in. "We finding names for the cafe?"

Hana laughed. "Trying to. No luck so far."

Motoko played with her leaf. "Why not try a symbol first. I kinda like this little guy."

She raised the brown maple leaf. Keitaro actually gave it a bit of thought. "How about we simply call it 'The Maple'?"

Motoko played with the leaf and the rest of the team looked at the leaf. Immediately Angelo and Hana exchanged looks. "We like it."

Haruhi humm'ed but eventually nodded. "Sure. It's simple and it's something we can just say really easily. Nothing like the long five word names we been throwing out there to make it sound fancy."

Hana laughed at her. "That was all you Haruhi."

Keitaro moved to take Motoko's hand. The couple exchanged quick pecks on the cheek. "The Maple it is."

"Oh my god!" Haruhi pointed at the two.

Hana was sitting there equally happy and shocked. "Since when!"

Keitaro and Motoko shared a rare look of surprise. They had completely forgotten that they had not told anyone. The couple pulled closer and just remained silent amid the girls excited chatter.

-o-

The Maple opened the following week as students were returning to school. Haruhi and Hana passed out flyers to the commuters at the train station. Keitaro and Angelo passed flyers out to on the street to the passers by as they made their way to the train station.

All the flyers were passed out in a matter of an hour. Keitaro was happy they had so many takers.

Opening day was slow for the first four hours. But it was to be expected. They would only know how well they did after the first return commuters pass by. Hana volunteered to be outside to welcome them. Angelo and Keitaro were on the balcony section of the cafe.

"Sorry Keitaro. It's just not ready."

Kietaro nodded. "I agree. Maybe next week we can get this section done and open it too. At least we will have a good barometer for the week before it is open."

The balcony had to have portions of wood replaced and was the last bit to not have been treated and dried. It was a little hiccup to an otherwise easy renovation.

Customers slowly came in thanks to Hana. Keitaro went back into a routine he had started back in the Beach Cafe. He went to greet and chat with the customers. The conversations were different. These were people not on vacation but tired from a long day of work. Or students who were very interested in themselves or their personal goals.

Keitaro did not have to work hard to get them to open up. "Here you go Sazan-san. And this is for you Miki-san. If you need anything just let us know."

The day passed by quickly. So fast in fact Keitaro was surprised when Motoko showed from her kendo club. It was well past seven in the evening. Motoko waded through the customer door with the aid of Angelo before walking into the back.

She did not even pause when she put on an apron. "Hi Kei-kun."

"I missed you too Motoko. I thought you were just going to drop by today."

Motoko laughed. "I saw you were busy. "

She finished washing her hands and pulled her hair back. "Besides. My friends don't believe I can cook. They are waiting in line right now."

Keitaro laughed and continued working. With the extra pair of hands the food was going out quicker. The speed alone helped out Haruhi and Hana. Both Motoko and Keitaro poked their heads out the door when Angelo gave a big belly laugh at something. It turns out Motoko's friends were a little intimidated by the large foreigner.

Motoko just waved at the girls and they relaxed enough to be escorted to a booth.

Motoko giggled. "Those are the girls I was talking about by the way."

Keitaro hummed. "The ones who don't think there are good male role models?"

"Yes. They are nice people. Well, they are friendly enough to me. But the fact I have to defend the boys on the team from their little hierarchy is wearing thin. I am tempted to see how they react to you."

Keitaro snorted. "And you are tell me this now when they are here."

Motoko laughed with him. "If anything it would be a rememberable opening night."

Keitaro wished he had another cook. He would have loved to have been there when Motoko explained to them who cooked what. The girls sounded as if they were a little spoiled.

Finally the cafe slowed for the night. And as luck would have it, Motoko's friends were still there. Keitaro wiped his hands dry and went out to the floor again. He took his time to introduce himself to the customers and shared a few stories at his time on the beach cafe. Finally he found himself in front of the girls.

"Good evening ladies. Is everything to your liking?"

The girls looked up at him and their looks ranged from a yes to a disdainful nod of approval. Keitaro laughed. "Motoko said you three would be hard to please. But you are a rough crowd." Keitaro smiled at them as they started to sputter out an apology. They had forgotten that they were in a cafe Motoko worked at.

Motoko spotted that Keitaro had managed to get over to the girls table before they left. She walked up beside him and took his arm and looked at her friends. Motoko smiled at them. It actually disarmed the explosion of yells the girls may have started. Motoko just does not smile.

"I hope Kei-kun isn't bothering you ladies. He actually has a habit to wander around and chat with everyone. It is how he remembers peoples names and faces."

The girls nodded mutedly. "Keitaro these girls are Emi Ichikawa, Kikuko Onoue and Sachiyo Matsumoto. They have been my sempai's since I joined the Kendo Club."

Keitaro smiled graciously at them and bowed. "Thank you for taking care of my girlfriend. It is a relief to see she is in such capable hands. Excuse me Motoko-chan, I should continue seeing customers. Good evening ladies. I hope to see you here again soon."

Motoko laughed at their stun expressions. She moved to sit next to them. "Keitaro is a good man. I've seen a lot of sides of him this summer. The girlfriend boyfriend thing is new though. That did not start until recently."

The girls nodded still trying to process it all.

-o-

Keitaro sighed at the doors closed. It was still too soon to be open past nine in the evening. Those later hours would come as their cafe becomes more popular. He was actually looking forward to it. Motoko had seen her friends out of the cafe and walked back to Keitaro and pulled him into a hug.

She looked up to see everyone gathering. "Congratulations everyone. It was a very successful first day."

Keitaro nodded. He already had a good idea on how many more he would need to hire. He would just want to interview everyone how they felt about the rush for the next few days. He did not plan on anyone burning out like they had to for the cafe. He even had a few more applicants ready to be interviewed next Tuesday. The response for new hires was encouraging as well.

"Kietaro! We are heading out to my place did you and Motoko want to come?" Angelo asked. Haruhi sat next to him with her head on his shoulder.

Motoko smiled but looked like she would have to pass. "It's fine I think we are both going to pass. Besides I wanted to show her what I got earlier today. Remember?"

The group oh'ed before they waved a good night and left.

Keitaro took Motoko's kendo bag for her. "What was this you were going to show me Keitaro-kun?"

Keitaro took her free hand in his and pulled her out of the cafe to lock up. Around the corner sat a four door sedan. "You got a car?"

Keitaro laughed. "More like loaned out a car. My father asked my uncle if I could use his old car. They had surprised me with it today. My father said he hated relying on the train to get him anywhere when he lived away from his shop."

Keitaro placed her bags in it and the couple got in. After a moment they both looked at each other.

"So this is us now." Motoko asked while leaning towards him.

Keitaro had not turned on the car. Instead he reached for her hand. "Yes it is. I'll run a shop."

"I'll have my Kendo Club."

Keitaro squeezed her hand. "I kind of like it. This is actually a pretty good place to be."

Motoko squeezed his hand back. The two shared a brief kiss. Keitaro let go of her hand to turn on the car and the pair drove off.

Motoko was impressed with how fast the trip to the Hinata was by car. Keitaro carried her bags to the top of the steps. The pair laughed as they could hear shouting and yelling going on in the various rooms. A minor thud exploded in one of the second level rooms.

"You certainly live in a lively place Motoko-chan."

Motoko laughed with him. "It has turned more lively since Su had moved in. Although that could have been you living here too if you had wanted to."

Keitaro smiled but shook his head. "I think anything to make sure we don't go too fast is good thing. I don't want to ruin us."

He looked at her and she nodded with a grin. She dropped her bags and wrapped her arms around him. "Go out with me this Sunday."

Keitaro smiled into her hair. "Of course Motoko-chan."

A/N: And that is the final Chapter for Beach Cafe Hina!

I have to thank Yorae Rasante for PM'ing me asking about this story. I was thinking to my self after reading it 'Why isn't that finished?' I have had half the chapter written for years. I looked back and remembered why. I kept finding weird spots where the Keitaro Motoko ending never felt right. I rewrote most of the chapter I had written before and finished this out. So thank you for the pm's and reviews everyone. I was really happy with this story and how it turned out. It leaves some opening if I ever feel a want to write any stand alone one shots for it.

*just a quick edit* 10/25/15

- z-ro