Ten-faced Paladin
Love Hina Redux
By Ten-Faced Paladin
Chapter 20: Oh Me Oh My! Otohime Appears!!
The sun was setting on a beautiful day for the four travellers. They were all seated at an outdoor table. Each of them were holding a drink of some kind and were just enjoying each other's company.
Motoko remained the quietest de to her lack of modern social skills. Kitsune was chatting with Naru about the trip and what they were going to do. Both girls seemed very excited about it. Only Keitaro seemed to be dreading something. You see, the four of them were currently on a large cruise ship with their drinks.
When they had all woken up that morning, after they all got ready for the day, the four of them had a small discussion on what they were going to do now that they had found Naru. Motoko had nominated that they go home. Naru wanted to continue with her vacation and Kitsune readily seconded that notion. Keitaro hadn't even got a vote before Kitsune dragged him out the door to go get tickets for the cruise Naru was sceduled for. Needless to say that Keitaro's savings were taking a mighy blow for this trip.
'I'll have to get a part-time job when I get back,' Keitaro sighed to himself.
"Hey, what'cha lookin' so glum about Stud?" Kistune asked Keitaro with a slight slurr in her voice.
Needless to say, Kitsune couldn't resist the liquor list the ship offered.
"Huh?" Keitaro asked. "What do you mean?"
"She means that you seem pretty down Keitaro," Naru spoke. "And we want to know why."
"Who said I was down about anything?" Keitaro laughed nervously.
"Do not lie Urashima," Motoko commented from her cup of tea. "Your attitude seems to be a bit more glum since we set sail."
"Exactly!" Kitsune exclaimed happily. "Come on! Let's live it up a little!"
"Remember who's paying for you and Motoko?" Keitaro asked. "I'm not made of money, remember?"
"Oh yeah," Kitsune nodded. "Fergot about that."
"Urashima is correct," Motoko spoke again. "It is with his generosity that we are here and I am not going to abuse it"
"Hmmm," Kitsune pondered. "You're right. Keitaro is being so nice by paying for us. I think we should pay him back somehow."
"You can do that on your own Kitsune," Naru sighed. "I payed for myself."
"Good," Kitsune laughed, a foxy smile growng on her face. "All the more for me."
She then stood up from her seat and began to walk over to Keitaro seductively. Keitaro's danger sense was beginning to go off as he saw her coming. Sadly though, he wasn't able to react to it in time. Kitsune stood right next to him before she took a comfy seat on Keitaro's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"There we go," she purred happily. "Comfy?"
"Kitsune!" Keitaro, Motoko, and Naru shouted at the same time.
"What?" asked Kitsune. "I can't think of a better way to pay back Keitaro for being such a sweetie."
Keitaro was now resembling a nice ripe tomato. It didn't help that Kitsune was nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck. He gulped at how strongly Kitsune was coming onto him. New Years was one thing, she sat still, but now she seemed pretty intent on getting a little more stimulation out of the contact. Keitaro knew that he had to get out of there before Keitaro Jr. stood to attention and either Naru or Motoko may remove himaltogether for his actions. Deciding to take action, Keitaro swiftly stood Kitsune up before standing up himself, albiet a little hunched over.
"Well, uh, I...have to go to the bathroom!" Keitaro spoke before taking off like a hunched over shot.
"Oh no you don't Stud," Kitsune grinned foxily, showing how much the alchohol had removed what little inhibition she had. "You're not getting away from me that easily!"
She then ran off after him. Intent on having some more fun teasing him. The way he panicked but tried to keep cool was just too cute and amusing. Naru sighed from her seat and looked to Motoko.
"I would have thought you would be going after them," she smiled. "You like Keitaro too don't you?"
Motoko's eyes opened wide and she did a spit-take, "How did you-? Um...I, I guess I do. However, acting in such a jealeous and immature way would be unbecoming of me."
Naru nodded as she handed a napkin to Motoko to wipe her face off. What Naru didn't know was that Motoko was just itching to get up and 'chastise' Kitsune for actions. What Motoko did know was that Kitsune was just being Kitsune and that Keitaro, knowing that she was under the influence wouldn't try anything.
'Not that he probably would if she wasn't,' Motoko thought to herself.
While the two other girls continued with their thoughts, Keitaro was still running with Kitsune following him. He had yet to 'settle down' so he couldn't go back yet.
"Why are you following me to the bathroom?" Keitaro shouted to Kitsune.
"So we can both take up a stall,"" Kitsune giggled. "Private enough for some fun. C'mon, you know you want to."
"Just how much did you drink?" Keitaro sighed. Kitsune was pretty forward today.
Just as he said that statement, he felt his elbow bump into something. He chance a glance and saw a young woman with long black hair tied in a braid waering a simple top and a skirt wobbling slightly. Stopping his running, Keitaro began to apologize.
"Sorry about that," Keitaro bowed. "Are you-?"
He was cut off as the girl fell onto the ground. Keitaro immediately knelt down to check on her. Kitsune managed to finally catch up at this time and her eyes widened slightly at the sight.
"She okay?" Kitsune asked in concern.
"Just a sec," Keitaro replied as he checked the girl's pulse. He then visibly paled. "No pulse...she's dead."
The two of them stared at the girl that was lying on the ground. It took a few moments for the apparent situation to really set in. Thenn the two of them promptly began to freak out on an epic level.
"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Keitaro cried in terror. "I've killed someone! I'm a murderer!"
"We gotta dump the body!" Kitsune shrieked. "Help me haul her over the side!"
"I have the blood of an innnocent on my hands!" Keitaro continued in his rant, not hearing the girl. "I'm going to hell!"
While the two of them were freaking out, the girl on the gound began to blink. She slowly sat up and yawned. She scratched her head and rubbed her eyes. Hearing some people shouting, she turned her gaze to them.
"Oh my, good morning," she smiled.
Cue massive facefault.
Later...
"I'm sorry for scaring you all," the girl smiled as she rubbed the back of her neck. "My name is Mutsumi Otohime. It's nice to meet you."
Mutsumi, Keitaro, and Kitsune had returned to their table where Naru and Motoko were seated. Naru wondered who the girl was while Motoko seemed to have a critical eye on her. As Keitaro explained what had happened, they settled. It wasn't everyday someone apparently came back from the dead. Truth be told, Keitaro just wanted to make sure that Mutsumi didn't pass out again.
"I'm anemic so I'm prone to fainting spells every now and then," she explained.
"You call not having a pulse a fainting spell?" Kitsune remarked. "Don't get me wrong, the dead trick is good. I've gotten out of many a bar tab with it."
Keitaro looked at Kitsune with a strange look. How big a tab do you have to have to pretend to be dead? Deciding to get that answered later, he turned back to Mutsumi, only to see that she had leaned in close to him. She reached up to his face and romoved his glasses before examining him some more.
"What are you doing?" Motoko asked tensely. She didn't like having to compete against another girl. Especially one who was so well endowed.
"Uh...do I have something on my face?" Keitaro asked, a little shocked at how she got so close to him so quickly.
"Such a cute face!" Mutsumi smiled in delight. "Are you in middle school? High school?"
"I'm twenty years old!" Keitaro shouted in annoyance while the other three girls facefaulted.
Mutsumi broke into a fit of giggles as she stood up, "I'm sorry about bumping into you. I must have been light-headed again. Goodnight."
"Hey, look out!" Naru shouted as Mutsumi began walking away.
BONK! Mutsumi had walked straight into a good fortune statue. The four Hinata Housers sweatdropped at the action. The sweatdrop just grew bigger when Mutsumi actually apologised to the statue for bumping into it. Mutsumi just continued to walk on her way but then slipped off what seemed to be a banana peel and managed to hit her head on a pan that had dropped out of the air. (Actually a chef was coming from the kitchen and slipped on another banna peel. Luckily nothing was in it.) Even considering all that, Mutsumi still managed to get out under her own power.
"Holy crap," Kitsune gaped. "Girl's a walking death trap."
"I sense a dark aura affecting her," Motoko remarked sagely. "Perhaps we should attempt an exorcism."
"I...don't think we should try that here," Keitaro emarked as he leaned back in his chair.
"You are right," Motoko nodded as she returned to her tea. "We should try to find a temple so the chances for sucess are higher."
Naru sighed as she feared for the future of one Mutsumi Otohime.
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Dinner had rolled around and Keitaro took another hit to his wallet to pay for Motoko and Kitsune. Naru bought her own meal as she watched Keitaro whimper at the quickly widening hole that was forming in his wallet. Motoko looked a little guilty for burdening Keitaro while Kitsune swore she would pay him back. Keitaro just shrugged it off as he picked at his meal.
"What's up Keitaro?" asked Naru. "You seem a little more spaced out than usual."
"Just thinking really," was his reply.
"About Mutsumi weren't you?" Naru smirked. She had some satisfaction in seeing Kitsune and Motoko both stiffen slightly.
"It's weird," Keitaro sighed, not noticing the two girls barely noticable displeasure. "I can't help but shake this feeling that I've seen her somewhere before. It's on the edge of my mind but I just can't get it."
Motoko relaxed, realising that there wouldn't be another rival in the near future, "Perhaps you went to school with her and saw her in the halls or had a class with her."
"Well," Keitaro froned as he stuffed some sushi into his mouth. "If she was as anemic then as she is now then I would have at least heard of or remembered her."
"Well speak of the devil!" Kitsune laughed as she spied a familiar face. "There she is now!"
Everyone at the table turned to see their spacey friend walking by with a plate of sushi. She seemed healthy for the moment but it didn't stop them from holding their breath, wondering if she was going to pass out again. When she passed by without incident, they allowed themselves to breath again.
"Man," Keitaro sighed. "I know we just met her but I can't help but feel worried about her."
"Well Stud," Kitsune smiled while opening her right eye slightly. "You wouldn't be you if you didn't care."
"It is one of the things that make you special Keitaro," Motoko smiled.
Keitaro turned slightly red and rubbed the back of his head, "Aw come on. I'm no one special."
Naru sighed while rubbing her temples, "Would you stop putting yourself down already?"
Keitaro laughed before staring intently on his meal. He just wanted to continue eating without another interruption. That or another embarrassing situation. Sadly, it was not to be. Something bumped into the back of his chair and then Keitaro found himself showered with squid.
"Whaaaag!" Keitaro shouted in terror as he felt the dried creatures
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" a familiar voice cried.
The girls looked to see Mutsumi apologising profusely as she began to pick the dried squids off Keitaro.
"Mutsumi?" Keitaro gasped, catching his breath. "Holy crap. You scared me."
"Oh I'm sorry," Mutsumi smiled as she apologised. "I'm just such a kluts you see."
"Told ya so," Kitsune smirked.
"The dark aura I sensed before has returned," Motoko announced while gripping her sword.
Keitaro shook his head and got to his knees to help Mutsumi pick up her squid. As he grabbed one that was under the table, he saw Mutsumi's bag. More specifically, he saw somethiing stcking out of it. It was an envelope with the words 'final testament; on it. Keitaro was so surprised by it that he actually tried to stand up but ended up smashing his head against the table.
"OW!" Keitaro cired in pain as he grippped his head in pain.
"Watch it there Stud," Kitsune laughed as the table shook. "I've got a drink here."
"Funny," Keitaro grimaced as he stood up, noticing that Mutsumi was gone. "Hey, where'd Mutsumi go?"
"Well," Naru began. "While you were giving yourself a concussion, she grabbed the squid you were going for and left. Why?"
"Well, I had seen her purse and actually saw her final will and testament there."
"WHAT?!" the three girls shrieked.
"Why would anyone carry their final will everywhere?" asked Naru incredeously.
"I think I know!" Kitsune replied while taking another drink. "She's probably planning suicide! No doubt because of some kind of personal tragedy."
"It must be because of that aura conflicting her," Motoko said gravely. "She must see taking her own life as the only way to be free of it."
"Going a little far with that idea aren't you?" Keitaro remarked with a sweatdrop.
"Then why don't we just settle this," Naru challenged. "Let's just find her and fins out for ourselves."
"Sounds good," Kitsune nodded while putting her cup down. "Let's go."
With their new resolve, the four friends set out to find the 'suicidal' girl. It really didn't take them that long in all honesty. They found her standing at the railing near the front of the ship. The four friends watched her just stand there as the wind caught her braided hair.
"She doesn't look suicidal to me," Naru remarked casually.
Murphy's law kind of kicked in just then. Not even two seconds after those words left Naru's mouth, Mutsumi began to fall forward. Keitaro leapped forward with a speed that impressed even Motoko and managed to grab Mutsumi's legs as she fell over the side. Sadly, he was getting a damn good view of her panties since she was wearing a skirt.
"A little help?!" Keitaro shouted to his friends.
Motoko and Kitsune immediatelly ran over to Keitaro. Naru was close behind, being the slowest, what with the shock of what was happening still affecting her. After a small stuggle, Mutsumi was back on board with the four catching their breath to calm their nerves. Mutsumi then blinked and looked up in surprise at her new friends.
"Oh my," she gasped. "Did I pass out again?"
Cue another massive facefault. Keitaro was the quickest to recover as he looked at Mutsumi incredeously.
"You almost fell into the ocean!" he shouted loudly.
"Oh goodness!" Mutsumi gasped. "That would have been quite dangerous."
It was too much for Keitaro. He heaved another sigh and fell on his back. At this point, with all the excitement abound, he was almost considering leaping over the side of the boat just to get some peace. Vacations were supposed to be relaxing!
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The friends had decided to walk Mutsumi back to her room so she wouldn't pass out and get hurt. They also took a moment to explain why they had been following her in the first place. When Mutsumi heard it she just broke out in a fit of giggles.
"Oh don't worry," she smiled. "I would never take my own life so please don't worry."
"Then what about this envalope we hear you're carrying?" asked Kitsune.
"Oh! Well, that's just in case I croak at any time. My body is just so weak," Mutsumi explained, causing another facefault. They were getting pretty good at it. Didn't even dent the floor.
"Then why do you travel if you're so sick?" Naru asked in growing concern.
"Yes," Motoko nodded. "You are taking a considerable risk by being out here."
"Well, you see," Mutsumi explained while rubbing the back of her neck. "I kind of failed to get into this school I wanted to go to. So now I'm on this journey of healing."
"Wow," Naru gasped. "You too? You seem a little too young to me."
"It's such a small world," Keitaro laughed. "The same thing happened to Naru and I."
"Hmph," Naru pouted. "Well it was my first time but Keitaro here is a third-year ronin."
Keitaro sweatdropped and glared at naru. Kitsune was snickering while Motoko decided not to take part in the conversation.
"You don't have to rub it in you know," Keitaro groaned.
"Oh me oh my!" Mutsumi gasped. "How dumb he must be!"
Keitaro groaned and Kitsune broke out into loud laughter. Motoko shook her head in silent disagreement in regards to his intelligence. There was more to know then just acedemics in life. She turned her gaze to Mutsumi to vocalize the point when she noticed something about Mutsumi. Her skirt was torn rather widely. Enough for any pervert who wanted to see her panties to get a very good view.
"Excuse me Otohime," Motoko spoke. "Your skirt had been torn."
"Oh my!" Mutsumi gasped. "So it has, and these were the only clothes I brought too."
"Don't worry about it," Naru smiled. "I've got some extra clothes that might fit you."
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Naru and Mutsumi were in the changing room switching pants with the other three standing outside, guarding the entrance. Keitaro idly wondered how Shirai and Haitani would react to this. Two beautiful women stripping just behind the curtain.
'They would so peek and get their heads caved in for it,' Keitaro laughed in thought. 'They'd think it was worth it though.'
Inside, Naru just handed her skirt to Mutsumi while pulling out a new one. Mutsumi was happily thanking her for the clothing.
"Oh dear," Mutsumi commented as she slipped on Naru's skirt. "It seems a little loose on me."
Naru twitched violently before bringing herself under control, "I...I guess I gained a little bit of weight during the studying right before the exams."
"Really?" Mutsumi asked innocently. "I wouldn't have guessed. Your legs don't look fat at all and your bottom is very cute."
"Why are you looking at my butt?!" Naru cried with a red face.
Outside, Keitaro, Motoko, and Kitsune were all having their own ideas about the conversation. Kitsune was on the verge of a berserk fit of laughter. Motoko was red faced, trying not to listen. Keitaro was also red-faced, but he was fighting off any and all dirty images that were trying to get into his mind.
"Are they changing or trying to feel each other up?" Kitsune snickered, having trouble breathing through it.
"I'm not even going to ask," Keitaro vowed.
"Do not involve me in this," Motoko said quietly.
Inside, Mutsumi and Naru continued with their conversation. Thankfully, for Naru anyway, it turned away from Naru's butt.
"I'm just so happy that there are other people in the same boat as me," Mutsumi smiled in relief and delight.
"Yeah, how about that?" Naru laughed.
"May I ask what school you were aiming for?" Mutsumi continued.
"Me?" asked Naru in surprise. " Well, I was actually Tokyo U actually. I failed gloriously too."
"Tokyo U?" Mutsumi gasped with a smile. "That's where I wanted to go!"
Naru and Keitaro both gasped at that little announcement. Kitsune and Motoko had their own little revealations of surprise.
"You were right Stud," Kitsune smiled. "It is a small woorld after all."
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The next day the boat pulled into the harbor and the four friends walked down the docks towards where they were heading next.
"Mutsumi was quite a character," Keitaro smiled. "Too bad we couldn't say goodbye."
"It is a shame I couldn't preform an exorcism," Motoko remarked. "She would have been in better health by now."
"Motoko," Kitsune remarked. "You've never done one before. Besides, we'd have probably broken something if we tried."
"True," Naru nodded in agreement with her best friend. Motoko slumped slightly with the sheer weight of the sweatdrop she produced.
"Excuse me!" a voice cried.
The friends turned around and saw the familiar sight of Mutsumi running towards them with a smile on her face. As she drew close, she stopped for a moment to catch her breath. Keitaro thought it strange that she was prone to fainting spells but she was strong enough to haul not only an armfull of dried squids, but also a watermelon she got from who knows where.
"Would you mind if I travelled with you a little longer?" Mutsumi asked willingly. "I'm perfectly willing to share my squid."
It was so quiet between Naru, Kitsune, Keitaro, and Motoko that a cricket could be clearly heard.
"Eh?" was the unanimous reply.
To Be Continued
A/N: Welcome to chapter 20! Yahoo! I'm still working on this story so don't think that I'm giving up. Here you go Mutsumi fans! She's here at long last. We'll have to see if she'll become a competetor for Keitaro's heart.