Error in Calculation

    A Cabbit Chibi production.

    Notes: Divergence after volume nine of the manga. Which means... 
_*SPOILERS!*_ Read at your own risk. You have been warned.

    Spoiler warning: The last thing I need is to be yelled at for not 
making it clear enough. Here thar be _*SPOILERS!!!!*_

    Disclaimer: Love Hina belongs to TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu.

    ---------------------------

    The air was perfectly still, quiet, and for the moment, oddly heavy 
with purpose.

    Keitaro took a deep breath, staring at the door with some 
apprehension. "A job's a job," he told himself.

    But what a job... He hadn't realized that Seta's friend taught 
people... how to teach.

    Which meant that his job was assistant teacher, to a teacher who 
taught teaching. But it could have been far worse -- he might have 
gotten stuck inking prints on manga for a manga production department. 
Shuddering at the thought, he checked his watch.

    Still a few minutes early.

    Sighing, he leant against the wall next to the door, staring at the 
ceiling and losing himself in thought.

    Such a drastic change in his life... working to help Mitsune through 
college in favor of exploring America and studying with Seta. His brows 
furrowed, as he considered that. Was that something he was happy about? 
He'd committed himself, that was for certain. Backing out and trying to 
abandon Mitsune in favor of exploring archeology certainly didn't appeal 
to him.

    But he couldn't simply watch Mitsune struggle through such an effort 
entirely on her own, not after struggling for so many years on his own. 
Even beyond his responsibilities as Kanrinin to all of his tenants, he 
felt some kindred with Mitsune's efforts. Admittedly, it was always 
easier for him, because his parents funded his efforts... but even then, 
he now had to juggle working for a college professor in the mornings, 
running Hinata-Sou to the best of his abilities during the day, and 
helping Mitsune study every moment that they could spare.

    His course was decided; he wouldn't abandon her. Haruka seemed to 
think that it was feasible, even if it would be difficult, though he 
hadn't really gotten a chance to explain things to anyone yet... He 
dropped his gaze as he heard a pair of familiar voices, deep in 
conversation, "Ara, but Naru-chan, if Kei-kun gets Kitsune-san into 
Todai, won't they go together next year?"

    He raised an eyebrow, watching the women stride forward, weaving 
through the other students that dotted the hall, and apparently unaware 
of him. Mutsumi had addressed Naru, and waited patiently for her 
response. After a moment, the other woman answered hesitantly, "Well... 
I have to start trusting him somewhere, Mutsumi. I don't think he'd 
_really_ do something perverted with Kitsune." There was a hint of doubt 
in her voice, causing Keitaro to blink, and frown.

    Mutsumi continued, not minding what they were discussing in such a 
public place, "Are you sure, Naru-chan?"

    "Well..." Naru began, trailing off thoughtfully.

    Mutsumi stopped on the opposite side of the hall from Keitaro, 
glancing in his direction briefly, but apparently not seeing him -- much 
to Keitaro's relief. "Naru-chan?" she prompted.

    "Nn.... Let's talk about this later, okay, Mutsumi?"

    Mutsumi sighed, and nodded in understanding as they resumed their 
walk down the hallway, still evidently unaware of Keitaro.

    He scratched his head, wondering at the import of the event. He 
briefly considered trying to ask her out before dismissing the idea -- 
he had too much responsibility towards Mitsune at the moment. She could 
wait, after all. Mitsune needed his help.

    ***

    Keitaro left the college alone, not able to find either Mutsumi or 
Naru after his new employer had dismissed him -- thankfully the job 
wasn't difficult, simply mind-numbingly boring -- and decided that they 
had either already gone ahead, or were still in class.

    He would have preferred to travel with them, but he still needed to 
meet with Mitsune and study. Much studying was to be done.

    "Bleah," he muttered aloud, boarding a bus and dropping a handful of 
coins into the tray by the driver. The driver ignored him, and he 
quickly lost himself in thought again.

    Schedules would need to be worked out, money would need to be saved, 
chores would need to be done, and Sarah would need to be taken care of. 
"Ugh," he grumped. "What else could go wrong?"

    He absently got off the bus at his stop, walking back towards the 
dorm and still in deep thought.

    ***

    Koara finished the last adjustments to her machine, and grinned 
victoriously. "Suu's machine is finished!"

    Sarah stood to one side of the latest machination of demented 
genius, carrying a large monkey wrench and frowning dubiously. "What's 
it do?" she asked.

    Suu scrambled to the top of the monstrosity, looking at an array of 
dials closely. "Mitsune needs to talk to her parents, and this will make 
her pretty so they'll be nice to her!"

    "How does it work?" Sarah queried, cocking her head to one side and 
leaning forward to stare down one of the machine's gun-barrels.

    Suu leapt from the height of three meters to the ground, landing on 
a single bare toe and spinning to indicate one particular aspect of the 
machine. "This is the Mobile-Mitsune-Detainment-and-Makeup-Applicator, 
Mark One!" she exclaimed gleefully.

    Tapping a massive steel tread with her wrench, Sara asked, "What are 
these for?"

    "Enhanced mobility," Suu offered. "Now we just need to point it to 
Mitsune and fire!"

    Sarah stepped back, smiling, and produced a large remote control 
from her overalls. "Ready to start!" she enthused.

    Mitsune walked into the backyard, curious at the noise, and asked, 
"Have either of you seen Keitaro?"

    Suu pointed at Mitsune and caroled, "Launch!" Sarah grinned, 
gleefully punching a button on the remote.

    Mitsune dropped her question, staring in vague horror as the machine 
whirred to life, rising from its treads to level an array of gun barrels 
and sensors towards her. In a deeply ominous and robotic voice, it 
blared, "Target acquired."

    "Uh, I'll find him myself," she blurted, before spinning and running 
away at full speed.

    A volley of shots rang out, nets and hooks flying with seemingly 
reckless abandon towards Mitsune as she fled towards the dorm, 
screaming, "Aaaaah! Save me! I'm too young to die!" She fell to the 
ground as a wire net struck her, pinning her, and the robotic apparition 
drew close. "Aaaah! Suu! Shut it off, shut it off!"

    Suu shook her head quickly, as a metal arm emerged from the base of 
the machine, a multitude of sharp blades whirling about in a dangerous 
looking pattern at the end. "Suu built the machine to help make Mitsune 
look pretty for her parents," she explained.

    "Eeep!" Mitsune managed, as the whirling blades buzzed about her, 
cutting through the wire mesh, and most of her clothing. Rolling away, 
she momentarily evaded the machine, which couldn't turn as quickly. "I 
can look pretty without your help, Suu!" she yelled, diving across the 
bushes that separated the back yard from the baths.

    The sharp brambles and branches left her thankfully unharmed, taking 
her shirt and pants away as she splashed awkwardly into the water. 
Thrashing about for a wild moment, she righted herself, tearing across 
the currently deserted bath as the robot smashed through the hedges in 
its pursuit. "Shit!" she yelped, throwing herself to the water as 
another salvo of nets flew over her head. Rolling to the side once more, 
she made another detour -- if she could get to the front of the inn, 
maybe it would fall down the stairs. The water certainly didn't seem to 
be slowing it down much.

    ***

    Still distracted by his thoughts, Keitaro strode up the stairs 
towards Hinata-Sou, only one corner of his mind pausing to note that 
Mitsune was charging towards him full bore, wearing nothing more than a 
frilly white-lace bra and panties, glistening moisture covering every 
part of her body.

    Not paying attention, but aware in an abstract sense that a giant 
robot was chasing after her, Keitaro let his subconscious mind take 
over. Though he wasn't aware of it to know that he was capable of such a 
feat, he entered the state of mind that Zen masters and Taoist monks 
strive for years to reach.

    The Zen will call it 'zanshin', action without thought, and the 
Taoist will call it 'wu`wei', results without effort. However he reached 
that state of mind, Keitaro was, for one shining moment, a being of 
nearly singular perfection. Side-stepping a few feet, he hooked one arm 
out, catching Mitsune across the chest as she fled, and expertly 
spinning her about in such a manner that her inertia was arrested 
without sending the pair of them tumbling, or causing either undue harm.

    His touch did not slip against her water-slicked skin, and he calmly 
released her, taking a step back and turning to regard her. And noticed 
that he was staring at a dripping wet and mostly completely unclad 
Mitsune. Not to mention that what little she was wearing was all but 
invisible at the moment. And that his hand had found purchase on her 
chest before releasing her. "Urk?" he offered, his mind now completely 
focused.

    She stared at him, eyes wide, and face flushed. She opened her 
mouth, and the chilling, grating voice that he heard informed him, "New 
target acquired."

    ***

    Mitsune blinked, turning to look up the stairs, and flinching away 
as a gargantuan hunk of steel slammed into Keitaro, driving him to the 
bottom of the stairs leading to Hinata-Sou, and hiding his form in a 
mass of whirling blades and pained shrieks. "Suu!" she yelped, 
momentarily forgetting about Keitaro's expert rescue. "Turn it off! It 
got Keitaro!"

    "It's gone rogue!" Suu wailed. "I can't control it anymore!"

    "Quick -- get Motoko, she can stop it!"

    Sarah shook her head, staring at the writhing mass of robotics and 
the king of the roninsei. "Too late," she informed them sadly.

    Mitsune swallowed nervously, frightened of the aftermath. "Uh-oh," 
she whispered quietly, as the machine finished with Keitaro and dropped 
his limp, unresisting form to the ground, then trundled away.

    ***

    Shinobu sat at the central table, along with Keitaro, Suu, Sarah, 
Haruka, and Mitsune, though the last had needed to dress before she 
attended the impromptu meeting.

    Sarah and Suu both looked bored, though Suu wore the slightest 
traces of guilt on her expression. Haruka looked unabashedly amused, 
while Mitsune seemed upset.

    And, of course, Keitaro looked less than pleased.

    "Sempai?" Shinobu offered timidly.

    "Yes?" Keitaro asked with calm deliberation.

    "Um.... You're wearing a very stunning nightgown."

    Keitaro sighed, shaking his head prettily. His face was made-up 
nearly perfectly by Suu's machine, and his own clothing had been 
shredded in the process that had redressed him in the sleek black outfit.

    Haruka added, "Nice padding. Maybe a little more blush than I would 
have used, but you're a dead ringer for me when I was your age."

    Keitaro bit his tongue, shooting Haruka a cool glance, which somehow 
enhanced his seeming femininity. "Fine. Fine. Suu, I'm not mad that I'm 
stuck in this dress -- stupid hot glue guns -- but please be more 
careful next time!"

    "It was meant for Mitsune," Suu defended herself. "But you look 
pretty, too!"

    "Gee, thanks," he said dryly. "This will come off by tonight, won't it?"

    Suu nodded confirmation, exclaiming, "At midnight tonight!"

    "Lovely. I suppose I'll just have to deal with it while I'm working 
on repairing the fences your robot knocked down."

    Suu shook her head quickly, saying, "I'll fix them! You have to meet 
Mitsune's parents!"

    Mitsune winced at the reminder, and Keitaro merely looked confused. 
But prettily confused.

    "Uh, actually, Keitaro... sempai, I was going to ask if you could 
help me talk to my parents about seeing if we could get any more money 
from then," she explained meekly. "They, um.... They cut me off."

    The 'sempai' got Keitaro's attention, and he smiled -- prettily, of 
course -- at Mitsune, saying, "Well, I'd be glad to help you out!" He 
paused, remembering his current state of attire, and sighed, shaking his 
head. Prettily. "But I'm stuck in this outfit, so I don't know if I 
really can."

    Mitsune sighed, scratching her head, flushing slightly at some 
memory or another. "Um, well, we could say that you were your sister, 
come to vouch for you," she suggested.

    Keitaro crossed his hands beneath his chest, pouting (prettily), and 
mumbled, "Never mind. Do we have any solvent?"

    "Sempai?" Shinobu queried nervously, while Sarah and Suu stared at 
him in appraisal. "Are you sure that's safe? You could hurt yourself!"

    "I'll be fine," he said brusquely. "I don't want to try to help 
Mitsune while looking like Haruka."

    Leaning across the table far enough to slug Keitaro in the jaw, 
Haruka grumbled, "What's wrong with looking like me?"

    ***

    A few minutes later, Suu graciously agreed to douse Keitaro with a 
generous helping of solvent. He stood in the back yard, waiting 
patiently in the dress he was stuck in for the moment, until Suu emerged 
from Hinata-Sou, carefully dressed in a suit to protect her from the 
ravages of the 'Koara Special Solvent' she had prepared just for him.

    After being doused, he ran around the backyard like a maniac, 
screaming and tearing off the dress. It took a full minute for him to 
collapse on the ground, clad only in his boxers. "Almost all better," 
Suu chirped, hefting the lead-lined container to douse Keitaro yet again.

    "That's enough, Suu," Mitsune said sternly. The girl sighed, but 
backed off, and Haruka splashed him with a bucket of cold water.

    The cold water washed away the solvent, and Keitaro stood 
unsteadily, as Suu and Sarah wandered back to chat with Shinobu. Mitsune 
winced at the pink color his skin had taken. "I'm sorry, Keitaro. Um, 
Keitaro-sempai," she mumbled, bowing her head.

    "Ah, it probably would have happened anyway," he grumbled, grabbing 
the band of his boxers. "The solvent ate through the elastic," he 
observed, seconds before the cloth dissolved into nothingness.

    Haruka snorted, throwing a towel at the embarrassed Urashima, but 
not before Mitsune got a good eyeful. "Sorry," he managed. "Let's get 
ready, and meet your parents before anything _else_ goes wrong. That 
robot's still out there, isn't it?"

    Mitsune nodded, her face reddening at the memory of Keitaro's 
careful rescue of her -- he had subjected himself to the machine in the 
process of saving her, after all. "Okay, Sempai."

    Keitaro was silent for a moment, watching her, as a stray breeze 
wasted through the area, rustling his hair. Haruka watched silently, 
eyes flicking between the two, as Mitsune watched Keitaro. "Right," 
Keitaro said, breaking himself out of the reverie, and glancing at the 
swath of destruction that Suu's robot had described through the hedge. 
"I'm going to go get dressed now," he mumbled, marching into the inn.

    "Interesting," Haruka remarked, once Keitaro was out of earshot.

    Mitsune turned to regard the older woman, frowning. "Why do you say 
that?" she asked warily.

    Haruka dismissed her question, offering, "No reason. Isn't the 
weather lovely?"

    ***

    Dressed in his second most presentable outfit -- the first having 
been shredded by Suu's machine -- Keitaro double-checked his reflection 
in the mirror and straightened his tie, testing out a smile. His skin 
was still a little pink, but he expected that would fade shortly. "Good 
enough," he decided, striding out of his room and into the hall. 
"Mitsune?" he called cautiously.

    She wasn't immediately visible to him, nor did he hear her respond. 
Shrugging, he ambled along the corridor towards her room, glancing at 
the sky. The sun still hung in the sky, prompting him to wonder where 
Mutsumi and Naru were for a moment. Well, they had school to worry 
about, he reasoned. And with any luck, soon Mitsune would, too.

    He stopped before the door to her room, glancing out across the 
hallway. He could distantly hear Shinobu's humming across the rooftop, 
suggesting that the girl was already working on drying the laundry. 
Tapping on the door, he glanced to one side, a stray pattering of feet 
and a number of girlish giggles prompting him to shoot a glance towards 
Sarah and Suu as they scampered after Tamago.

    Mitsune's voice called to him through the doorway, "Sempai, is that 
you?"

    An eyebrow rose in consideration at his new title. "Yes, Mitsune. 
When do we have to leave to talk to your parents?"

    "Um, just a minute, Sempai."

    And why had she suddenly decided that he deserved that measure of 
respect? Usually it was Keitaro, if not Kei-kun, or at the most 
Kanrinin. He opened his mouth to ask, as the door to her room slid open.

    He'd seen Mitsune in various states of undress -- his first meeting 
with her was to fall face-first into her cleavage -- and more phases of 
fashion and attire than he could clearly remember, but seldom was she 
taken to dresses. She was wearing a simple white blouse, and a skirt 
that reached just above her knees. Her short hair boasted two 
hair-clips, a pair of silver foxes, and a delicately subtle touch of 
makeup had been applied. Her shoes were short heels, granting her a few 
additional centimeters of height, putting her just at a level with Keitaro.

    She seemed hesitant for a second, before smiling, and reaching a 
hand out, soft fingers stroking Keitaro's jaw, and forcefully shutting 
his mouth, causing him to bite his tongue. He bit back a yelp of pain, 
wincing, as she murmured, "And I still got it."

    "Ow," he noised. "So, where do your parents live, anyway?"

    "We'll need to take the bus to the C-line, but they're about four 
miles away."

    Keitaro nodded quickly, as Mitsune shut the door to her room. 
"Okay," he said agreeably. "Is there anything I should know about them, 
first?"

    "They can be a little odd," she warned, leading Keitaro towards the 
stairs. "Mom's husband is a businessman, but he's not a very good one, 
so she ends up having to lead him by the hand, mostly. He's kind of a 
bully, and he doesn't like people questioning his ability."

    "Oh?" Keitaro said curiously. "He's not your father?"

    "Not that I'll admit happily," she grumped. "I'm sorry, 
Keitaro-sempai. Um.... They might not be willing to help at all, and 
it's not that much." She hedged uncertainly at the bottom of the stairs, 
and turned to face Keitaro, a rare look of worry evident as she asked, 
"Maybe we shouldn't bother?"

    "Oh, you're giving up too easily," he chided her. "If they've 
already stopped sending you money, they can't do worse, can they?"

    "They could waste time when we could be studying," she said quietly.

    "Well, it's a matter of risk versus reward," Keitaro said. "Think of 
it like charting out a variable. See if there's a small chance--"

    She shushed him by placing her hand across his mouth. "I'll take 
your word for it," she mumbled. "I don't get any of that stuff, so 
you'll have to teach me later, Keitaro-sempai."

    "Oh, right. Well, anyway, we might as well get going, right?" She 
nodded, turning to the door. Keitaro smiled, shaking his head. "Things 
will work out, Mitsune. Now lets go explain the situation to your 
parents. Oh! Hello Narusegawa! Welcome back, Otohime-chan!"

    Naru and Mutsumi paused, the pair having just entered. Mutsumi 
frowned thoughtfully, her hands clasped under her chest, and glanced at 
Naru worriedly.

    For her part, Naru blinked, shook her head, blinked again, shook her 
head some more, and fixed Keitaro with an angry stare. "Do you mind 
explaining this to me?" she asked quietly, her voice carrying a promise 
of malice.

    Keitaro flinched back, surprised. What had he done to upset her so? 
"Narusegawa? I can explain this! You see--"

    She cut him off, grumbling, "Not you, Keitaro. Kitsune, did you 
forget the promise you made me?"

    ***

    Mitsune allowed Naru to lead her a short distance into the hall that 
led to Suu's room, while the girl muttered indignantly. "Kitsune," she 
accused, "you promised that this was over in high school! What are you 
doing?"

    "Hey!" she protested, shaking her head quickly. "It's not like that, 
Naru. Keitaro is helping me study for school, that's all."

    "I wish I could believe you, Kitsune, but how many times did you do 
this to me when we went to class together? Getting Keitaro all dressed 
up -- you were going to trick him into taking you on a date, weren't you?"

    "No! He's going to try and talk my father into giving me more money 
to go to school!"

    "And why do you want to go to Todai, anyway? You didn't score very 
well when we attended together, what's so different about now?" Naru 
shook her head, some of her anger dissipating. "Kitsune, you're my 
friend, or at least I want to think that you're my friend, but this 
looks an awful lot like it's just a trick to steal Keitaro away from me."

    "Naru, that's not fair!" Mitsune answered, staring at Naru 
unhappily. "Keitaro-sempai--"

    "'Sempai'," Naru muttered. "When did this start? You're acting 
_exactly_ like you did in high school."

    Mitsune felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment and shame. It was 
true, she had acted in such a manner in the past, but this was 
different. Still, Naru was being much more aggressive than she had any 
need to be, and Mitsune felt like she had been backed into a corner 
enough for one day. "In high school, I stole your boyfriends away from 
you," she stated. "Maybe I was jealous, but maybe it was just that you 
never realized what you had. I don't think that Keitaro-sempai is dating 
you right now, so I don't see what you have to complain about. Now if 
you don't mind, Keitaro-sempai and I have to go talk to my parents."

    Not waiting for Naru to reply, and angered from the accusations, she 
whirled away, stalking towards Keitaro.

    ***

    Keitaro fell silent, scratching his head in confusion, as Naru 
stalked towards Naru, and drew her aside to speak with her in terse, 
hushed tones. He moved to take a step forward, but found his elbow 
caught by Mutsumi. The former Okinawa resident smiled at him brightly, 
shaking her head. "Kei-kun," she chastised, "you must respect Naru-chan 
and Kitsune-san."

    He sighed, nodding as she released his elbow, and shook his head, 
searching for something to talk about. "So, how was school?" he managed, 
struggling.

    "It was wonderful, Kei-kun! I wish you could have been there."

    "I was there," he reminded her. "I'm an assistant to Takeshi-sensei. 
He's teaching advanced techniques for, um, teaching, so I take roll and 
record test scores for him."

    "Ara? Are you going to be a teacher, Kei-kun?" she asked, cocking 
her head to one side, and offering him a curious smile.

    Keitaro frowned, glancing upward for a heartbeat as Tamago landed 
atop his head. "I don't know," he admitted. "Originally I was going to 
study law, but then I decided that archeology was more interesting. I 
still really like archeology, and I think Takeshi-sensei's class is 
really boring." He shook his head, not dislodging Tamago, and asked, 
"What are you going to do, Otohime-chan?"

    "I'm going to be a statistician!" she declared brightly.

    Keitaro stared at her blankly. "A what?"

    "A statistician!"

    "Okay," Keitaro said evenly. "Mutsumi, what--"

    He was interrupted, as Mitsune grabbed his elbow, unceremoniously 
hauling him away, past a nearly fuming Naru. "Have fun meeting her 
parents!" Mutsumi encouraged, cheering.

    Tamago chirped softly, and flew free, leaving Keitaro to boggle at 
the situation.

    Not stopping until she had reached the top of the stairs, Mitsune 
growled, "That's so unfair."

    Keitaro nodded emphatically, asking, "Can you let go of me, Mitsune? 
I can walk on my own."

    Seeming to only just then notice that she had been hauling him 
along, Mitsune made an embarrassed noise, and dropped Keitaro's arm, 
allowing the man to fall to the stone steps and crack his head loudly 
against a sharp edge. "Ow," he groaned, rolling over to sit a few steps 
lower. "What was that all about?"

    Mitsune opened her mouth to explain, raising one hand for emphasis, 
but paused, heaving a sigh. Her hands fell to clasp together at her 
waist, and she looked away, eyes cast downward in shame. "I... I don't 
want to talk about it, Keitaro-sempai. I'm sorry."

    "Okay," Keitaro said quietly. A distant memory seemed to tug at the 
back of his mind for a moment, but it faded before he could grab onto 
it. If Naru wasn't mad at _him_, then it was a good thing, in his book. 
"Should we hurry to the bus stop?"

    Rousing herself from her depression, Mitsune nodded, raising her 
eyes and assuming her normal smiling demeanor. "Let's go!"

    ***

    The trip to her parents was luckily without event, Keitaro looking 
distant and mumbling about wild robots the majority of the time. Mitsune 
found herself with another unwanted period of contemplation, and fussed 
with her skirt, pondering her parent's reaction to her decision.

    "I almost wish I could just tell them that I was pregnant," she 
mumbled. "It would hurt less."

    Keitaro roused himself from some meditation of his own, and glanced 
at her in confusion. "What?"

    "Ah! Nothing, Keitaro-sempai," she said quickly. "Um, this is the stop."

    Keitaro nodded, and the pair disembarked the train, striding out 
onto the platform. Keitaro paused, and Mitsune instinctively, took his 
hand, leading the way through the thick crowds at the station -- getting 
separated would likely mean hours trying to find each other again.

    In due course, they escaped the station, and wended their way along 
to Mitsune's parents' home. She was so wrapped up in worry over them 
that she didn't notice she was still holding onto Keitaro's hand, until 
he asked her, "Mitsune? Is something wrong?"

    She dropped the hand as though burned, and laughed it off. "Just 
nervous about meeting my parents," she offered. "Sorry. Sorry."

    "I take it you don't talk to them much?" Keitaro asked quietly.

    "Um.... Yes. Well, hey, you don't talk to your family much, do you?"

    Keitaro looked away uncomfortably. "There's a good reason for that," 
he said in a very quiet voice.

    "What?" Mitsune asked, curious.

    Shrugging, Keitaro said, "I don't want to be a baker, and that's 
what they want me to do."

    "Oh?" Mitsune asked, intrigued. "What's wrong with being a baker?"

    "Er," Keitaro mumbled, looking evasive for the moment. "Nothing 
wrong with it, really, it's just not what I want to do. Hey, you don't 
want to work, either, that's why you're trying to get into college so 
hard, right?"

    Looking away, Mitsune bit her tongue sharply. "Right," she said. "I 
guess I understand."

    "Is something wrong, Mitsune?"

    She shook her head quickly, managing a weak smile. "Don't worry 
about it, Keitaro-sempai."

    "Why are you calling me Keitaro-sempai now, anyway?" he asked, 
falling behind a half-step in their walk to capture her attention.

    She bit her lip, staring at her feet, and clasping her hands 
together. "You.... Keitaro-sempai.... You're going very far out of your 
way to help me." She felt moisture rising to her eyes. "I.... Well, let 
me explain it later," she said, faking a laugh, and narrowing her eyes 
too much to allow her tears to become visible to him. "We're here, after 
all."

    ***

    Mitsune's parents were typical people, in Keitaro's estimation. Her 
father was in an immaculate business suit, obviously dressed up for the 
occasion, though likely he was trying to be subtle about it. His wife 
wore a slightly more reserved outfit, casual skirt and blouse, make-up 
subtle but not overdone.

    Keitaro bowed politely after Mitsune showed him through the door, 
and introduced himself. "Hello, Konno-san," he stated politely, offering 
what he hoped was a genial smile as he straightened.

    Mitsune's father was unimpressed, and grunted, not shifting from his 
seat by the kotatsu in the center of the main room. Mitsune's mother 
appeared willing to withhold her judgement for the time being. "Oh, 
boy," Keitaro thought loudly towards Mitsune.

    As she had before during a certain misadventure with Suu's 
invisibility suits, she picked up on the thought instantly, and 
returned, "I wish we hadn't come!"

    Mitsune's father coughed loudly, and gestured to the table, shooting 
Mitsune a sour grimace. Mitsune's mother stood attentively nearby, and 
waited until Keitaro and Mitsune were seated before speaking. "Would you 
like something to drink, Kitsune-chan? Or for your boyfriend?"

    "Er, would you like anything, Keitaro-sempai?" Mitsune asked, 
slightly flustered.

    "Uh, I'll have whatever Mitsune has," Keitaro said slowly, flashing 
Mitsune's parents a smile. "But, um, we aren't dating. We're just friends."

    "Water," Mitsune mumbled. "Keitaro-sempai is just tutoring me -- 
he's a genius at college placement tests."

    "Is that so?" Mitsune's father said, raising an eyebrow. "Just how 
many tests have you taken, eh?"

    "More than enough," Keitaro grumbled. Realizing his demeanor wasn't 
helpful, he quickly backpedaled, explaining, "Oh, well, you know how it 
is -- just getting into any college isn't good enough. I wanted to set 
my sights for Todai, and after struggling for, um, a while, I made it."

    "Uh-huh," the man grunted, unconvinced. Mitsune's mother returned, 
and set a glass down before each Mitsune and Keitaro. "So if you could 
make it, and Kitsune couldn't, what makes it any different now?"

    "She's got people to study with," Keitaro defended, unhappy with the 
man's demeanor already. "Mitsune's a good friend, Konno-san, and more 
than that, she wants to get into college. I think she can make it, but 
if she can, it's going to take help." Keitaro realized he was leaning 
towards Mitsune's father when she nudged him, and he sat back, trying to 
calm himself. "Maybe she can do it by herself, because I think she's 
pretty smart, but it's going to be hard enough to make it without help, 
and she can do it lots faster if you're willing to chip in."

    "And she failed the last time she took a test," the man countered, 
scowling. "I say her future is better off finding someone gullible and 
marrying into money."

    "That's not entirely a bad plan," Mitsune agreed quietly. "Maybe we 
should just go back to Hinata-Sou, Keitaro--"

    Mitsune's words washed over Keitaro without sinking in, and he bit 
his tongue, sipping at his water to hide his grimace. He nursed the 
drink for a minute, until he could recover his composure, and set the 
cup back on the table carefully. Overriding Mitsune's speech, he said, 
"Maybe that's why she never made it before -- no one learns anything 
without a base of confidence to learn it on." He blinked, wondering 
where the words came from, then offered a smile in memory of 
Takeshi-sensei, and the lessons that Keitaro had half-heartedly listened 
to throughout the day.

    "And if my good-for-nothing daughter was going to learn anything, 
she would have by now," the man grumped, crossing his arms over his chest.

    Keitaro blinked, a sudden cracking sound drawing his attention to 
the cup he had gripped while Mitsune's father spoke. He took a deep 
breath, and turned to look at Mitsune, who was studiously studying her 
hands. "Oh," he said quietly. "Well, if that's how it is, I guess we've 
just wasted your time, Konno. Mitsune, I think we should hurry back -- 
we've got lots of studying to do."

    Mitsune's eyes widened, and a flash of panic crossed her face. "But--"

    "No, no," Keitaro insisted, rising, and pointedly ignoring Mitsune's 
father. "We don't have much time to waste. Do you remember the trouble 
you were having with the equations I posed to you earlier?"

    "Um, I think so," Mitsune hedged, accepting Keitaro's hand and 
climbing to her feet nervously. "But--"

    "Well, let's go, then." Not releasing her hand, and still ignoring 
her father's protests, Keitaro marched out the door.

    The nerve! Keitaro knew his own parents gave him grief about his 
failure to get into Todai, but Mitsune's father wasn't even willing to 
let her try! "Unbelievable!" he grumbled. "Ugh. I'm sorry Mitsune -- you 
were right. We _did_ waste our time."

    "Keitaro-sempai? Your hand?" The woman's voice was very tremulous, 
quavering in uncertainty. The nervousness brought him back to the 
present, and he realized he was still hauling her along by the hand.

    He dropped it, scratching the back of his head nervously. "Sorry 
about that!" he apologized, sighing. "I don't know what came over me."

    "I meant, um, your other hand, Keitaro-sempai." He blinked, turning 
to look at his other hand, which had shattered the glass into fragments, 
which imbedded themselves firmly into the soft flesh. "Ow," he said 
distantly, scowling. "And the bloodstains are going to ruin my second 
best suit."

    Sighing, he plucked the shards from his hand, dropping them into a 
nearby trash can.

    "I'm.... I'm sorry, Keitaro-sempai," Mitsune mumbled, unable to 
raise her head.

    "Aw, don't be," Keitaro said, shaking his head, trying to pay more 
attention to his hand than her. "I didn't think your dad would be such 
an-- Ugh. Sorry. I thought he would be more helpful."

    "My mother's husband is an asshole," she grumbled. "Sorry again. I 
never should have bothered."

    "Don't worry about it," Keitaro repeated. "We'll just see about 
giving you credit at the inn, if we have to. Means more work for us, in 
the end, but we've come too far to back down now, right?" He offered her 
a smile, the last of the shards picked from his skin. "I guess I should 
send your mother a new glass to replace the one I broke."

    "She hated them anyway," Mitsune said dismissively. "Let's get back 
to the train, and you can catch me up on all that studying, okay, Kei-kun?"

    "Ah, that's more like it," Keitaro said, grinning. "I was wondering 
what came over you -- I'm glad you're back to normal."

    ***

    Mitsune cringed at her slip-up. "Um, no, you see, Keitaro-sempai, it 
was an accident -- I didn't mean it like that!"

    Keitaro frowned. "What do you mean?" he asked. "You've been acting 
strange for a while -- you never used to call me 'sempai'."

    Screwing her eyes shut, Mitsune shook her head. "It's.... I owe you 
too much, Keitaro-sempai, I.... I have to be respectful for everything 
you're doing for me!"

    "That's not the Mitsune I know," Keitaro assessed.

    "I don't want to be like that!" Mitsune opened her eyes, clenching 
her fists at her sides. "I learned that if I keep thinking of just 
myself and acted stupid, eventually something's going to go wrong! Maybe 
I'll get drunk and do something I'll regret -- hell, maybe I already 
have! Maybe I'll end up hurting someone I really... really... don't want 
to hurt," her energy left her with those words, and she slumped, staring 
at her feet. "I don't.... There's someone I want to do everything right 
for, and I don't want to screw it up. The best way to not screw up is 
not to be the person I was."

    Keitaro regarded her silently for a long minute, only the chill 
night breeze carrying the slight sound of his breathing. She dropped her 
eyes, staring at her feet, and covered her eyes with her hands, trying 
to hold her tears back. "Mitsune," he said quietly, one hand reaching 
out to rest gently against her shoulder. "Don't do that."

    Shocked at his advice, she staggered backwards, finding her progress 
halted by a brick wall. She looked up into his eyes, feeling oddly 
vulnerable for the moment. "Mitsune," he said again, voice grave. "If 
someone cares about you, don't change who you are. Be the person that 
you are, and if they care about you, that's the person they want to see. 
Don't change yourself for a reason like that."

    "Kei... Keitaro?" she squeaked out, eyes widening at the distance 
between them. He smiled, and reached out with his hand, gently brushing 
a tear from her cheek. "Do.... Do you really mean that?"

    "Absolutely," he said with complete conviction. "And whatever guy it 
is that you like, he probably thinks the same thing. So, who is it, anyway?"

    Mitsune suddenly found herself sitting on the sidewalk, staring at 
Keitaro's knees. "Uh, yeah," she chuckled nervously. "No, wait! That's 
not it at all! I don't like him, I mean, it's, uh..." she trailed off, 
dropping her face to her hands. "Oh, this is so embarrassing."

    "Mitsune?" Keitaro asked, crouching nearby, concern shining on his 
face. "Is something wrong?"

    "Nothing," she said dryly, accepting his hand to help her to her 
feet. "Nothing at all."

    "Okay," he said agreeably, smiling at her encouragingly again.

    The two fell into a companionable silence after that, Mitsune 
leading the way to the train station, and losing herself in her 
thoughts. Keitaro was right; trying to act differently was silly, but he 
suggested that she was acting differently because she was in love with 
him, and that couldn't be... right.... Or could it? If it was, that 
meant a substantial number of problems, the least of which would be the 
potentially burnt bridge with Naru. "Oh, crap," she mumbled quietly. 
Falling in love with Keitaro was the _last_ thing she needed.

    Though, what she could remember of her drunken fling with the 
delirious-- No, no. She couldn't afford to fall in love with him. No 
falling in love. Just good, clean, innocent study. With her best 
friend's pseudo-boyfriend. Who had a habit of turning amazingly handsome 
whenever he wasn't paying attention. That would work.

    She glanced sidelong at Keitaro, whose mind was obviously elsewhere. 
He was concentrating on something, and always seemed to look more... 
capable... when he was that distracted. "Keitaro?" she ventured, as the 
two boarded the mostly deserted car.

    He blinked, looking at her and raising an eyebrow. "Yes, Mitsune?"

    "Would... would you like me to explain what happened between me an 
Naru earlier today?"

    Keitaro blinked again, then furrowed his brow in thought, and 
nodded. "Otohime-chan thought I shouldn't pry, but if you want to tell 
me, I'm a bit curious."

    "Okay," Mitsune mumbled, thinking. "Um, when Naru and I went to the 
same high school, I would, um, steal whatever boy she dated away from 
her, because I was a little, um, petty." She had a hard time meeting 
Keitaro's eyes. "So, I guess it's my fault that she started on the whole 
'boys are perverts' thing. Because they'd all leave her for me." She 
shifted her feet uncomfortably. "Um, Seta-san was different for Naru, 
because I couldn't steal him away from her. Of course, she couldn't get 
him, either, but that didn't seem to matter so much, and Naru was a lot 
smarter than me, so she made her promise to go to Todai to be with him, 
because she knew I would never make it."

    "Oh," Keitaro said quietly. "But... but Seta-san likes the old la-- 
Er... likes Haruka-san."

    "That's not the point!" Mitsune protested. "The point is that she 
likes... likes...." She sighed, wishing it weren't so difficult to say. 
"She likes _you_, Keitaro, and she thinks I'm trying to steal you away 
from her."

    The explanation stuck Keitaro in the same manner that a ton of 
bricks would -- save that Keitaro would have rebounded from actual 
bricks much faster. "Two girls?" he said, drool collecting at one corner 
of his mouth as his eyes became exceptionally distant. "Fighting over me?"

    Mitsune rolled her eyes. "I'm not fighting over you, Kei-kun," she 
chastised him.

    "Oh, right." Keitaro collected himself, wiping the drool from his 
mouth. "You like someone else." He brightened instantly. "Oh, that's 
easy to fix, then! We'll just tell her it's not like that, and she'll 
understand. Maybe she can even help you figure things out with the guy 
you like."

    "Oh, sure," Mitsune mumbled. "That'll work."

    "What was that, Mitsune?" Keitaro asked absently.

    "Ah, um, sure! That'll work!"

    ***

    Narusegawa clutched a teacup in one hand nervously, sitting in the 
front room of the inn. The door was shut at the moment, against the 
chill of the air. Haruka sat nearby, the ever-present cigarette dangling 
as though it were about to fall as the older woman relaxed against a 
couch, Sarah asleep with her head in Haruka's lap.

    "What's worrying you?" she asked around her cigarette.

    "Just... just worried about Mitsune and Keitaro," Naru mumbled. 
"I.... I want to trust Keitaro, even though he is a bit of a pervert."

    Haruka nodded knowingly. "Oh, that old rivalry, hmm? I had thought 
that you two had gotten over that."

    "I thought so to," Naru grumbled, falling silent.

    The silence was broken by a pair of voices from the other side of 
the door. "You're worrying too much, Mitsune -- if you explain the truth 
to Naru, I'm sure that everything will be just fine."

    "Um.... I guess you're right, I just, uh, said something I kind of 
regret to her before we left."

    "Well, it can't be anything--"

    "Target acquired."

    "CRAP!"

    "H-- HEY! Kei-kun!" The voice that obviously belonged to Mitsune 
cried out in protest as a series of loud, metallic crunches and a low, 
grating grinding sound echoed. Naru and Haruka blinked, as a single 
moment of silence carried.

    "Insufficient reserves -- new apparel is required."

    Keitaro groaned loudly. "Lemme go you stupid robot, I don't-- WOAH! 
No! Stop! ACK!"

    Mitsune shrieked, and the sound of pattering footsteps filled Naru 
and Haruka's ears, followed closely by the sound of steel treads tearing 
up low foliage. Rending cloth and a shrill scream of, "Pervert robot! 
HELP!" followed.

    That was all that Motoko needed to hear, and the swordswoman flew 
down the stairs, leaping over Haruka and Naru, who remained transfixed 
on the couch, smashing through the door without pause. "Halt, vile...." 
She stopped on the porch, staring at something to one side that was just 
out of view. Her speech cut off, and dead silence carried again, though 
Naru and Haruka still couldn't see what was going on. "This is... new 
for you, Urashima," Motoko managed for a moment, her sword still sheathed.

    "Shut up and kill it!" Mitsune yelled from out of sight.

    "Of course," Motoko murmured. "For once, Urashima seems to be 
largely innocent. Don't move, sempai, this could sting a bit."

    The swordswoman smiled, drawing her sword, and advanced on something 
that was outside the doorway, as the sound of steel on steel sounded, 
and eventually, a monolithic robot flew down the stairs. Motoko stepped 
back into view and sheathed her sword, smirking slightly, her back to 
Keitaro and Mitsune.

    Keitaro trudged into sight, obviously unhappy, and wearing -- for 
some reason -- Mitsune's dress. Mitsune edged around the doorframe, 
holding Keitaro's shredded suit over herself in an attempt to provide a 
small modicum of decency. "Suu-chan's gone too far," Keitaro grumped, 
stalking directly towards the stairs without a backwards glance. "Suu? 
Where are you? I need to talk to you!"

    Mitsune offered an embarrassed smile before sprinting headlong 
towards her room.

    Naru turned to look at Haruka, blinking. "Did I just see what I 
thought I saw?" she asked.

    "It's a long story," Haruka mumbled. "What were you talking about?"

    "I think I need to lie down," Naru managed.

    Haruka nodded, while Haruka got up to leave, leaving her alone with 
the sleeping Sarah, and the somewhat bemused Motoko, as the stared off 
into the darkness. "Something on your mind, Motoko-chan?" she asked, 
raising her voice.

    "I sense that change is on the winds," the swordswoman replied 
cryptically. "Something is amiss. I can feel it."

    "You're probably right," Haruka mused. "Don't worry about it too 
much. What will happen, will happen."

    "Perhaps," Motoko said quietly. "I have a worry, and think that I 
should, perhaps, speak with someone more knowledgeable." She nodded 
decisively. "Yes, that is what I must do -- there is a shrine where I 
might find the answers I seek. I should go."

    "And the door you just broke?" Haruka asked.

    Wincing, Motoko bowed her head to Haruka. "Ah. Once the door is 
repaired."

    "That's better."

    ***

    Groaning as he carefully removed the makeup, Keitaro managed, "At 
least it ran out of hot glue. And Motoko-chan damaged it."

    Suu winced at that for some reason.

    Sighing, Keitaro asked, "What now?"

    "Um, if it got badly damaged, then it'll retreat to the repair and 
upgrade center."

    Keitaro stared at Suu blankly, still scrubbing rouge off of his 
cheeks. "You built it one? Why?"

    "Oh, and a satellite monitoring network, too!" Suu chirped. "Just, 
you know, in case it ever needed one."

    "Lovely," Keitaro grumped. "I really hope you have something to 
counter this problem, Suu-chan."

    ***

    Dragging its non-functioning treads across the deserted streets 
outside of the city, the bulk of the rouge robot managed -- by using its 
long arms -- to reach a building that was a combination of a large 
warehouse and a parking garage. Once it was inside, the steel door 
wheeled shut, a strange logo looking much like a face with three eyes 
prominent in the center of the structure.

    Numerous metal arms descended from the upper reaches of the 
building, carrying the robot aloft, and quickly removed the damaged 
sections. While the repairs were going on, the computer interfaced with 
a much larger terminal in the back of the ware-house, and a coldly 
calculating voice rang out, "Kei.... Ta.... Ro."

    The terminal quickly networked with the orbiting satellite defense 
system, tracking the robot's quarry, and plotting the next encounter out.

    ***

    "Well, if the robot gets you, the robot gets you, but this bracelet 
can automatically redress you in a spare suit!" Suu suggested, handing 
Keitaro what looked like an oversized wristwatch.

    He eyed it suspiciously, then nodded. "And what do I do if the robot 
decides to strip the nearest girl to put her clothes on me?"

    Suu looked thoughtful. "I didn't think of that," she admitted. "I 
guess you can put the bracelet on whoever else got hit, and press the 
button again, and then the clothes that were taken off of you would get 
put on the girl!"

    "Well, that's something," Keitaro admitted. He sighed, shaking his 
head. "I'm almost beginning to wish that I'd gone with Seta-san after all."

    "Why?" Suu asked innocently. "What could possibly go wrong?"

    Motoko answered before Keitaro could, stepping into his room, and 
ignoring the fact that Keitaro was wearing Mitsune's skirt and blouse 
while chatting with Suu. "Keitaro-sempai," she intoned.

    "Yes, Motoko-chan?" Keitaro replied absently, pulling off the wig 
that the robot had found somewhere.

    "I'm going to be leaving for a few days," the swordswoman explained.

    "Okay," Keitaro replied just as absently, reaching into his blouse 
to try and remove the padding. "Do you know how long?"

    "Not yet," she answered. "No more than a week. For that time, you 
will need to take care of Suu-chan for me, though."

    The man blinked, one hand in his shirt, and turned to stare at 
Motoko. "What?" he asked, blinking.

    "Suu can sleep with Keitaro!" the girl caroled happily, waving at 
Motoko. "It's okay!"

    "No it's not!" Keitaro and Motoko yelped in tandem.

    Motoko frowned, eyeing Keitaro suspiciously, as the boy pulled his 
hand from his shirt, and shook his head. "Anyway, I have to help take 
care of Sarah, already, and I'm very busy being the manager, trying to 
help Mitsune study, and working at Todai. I don't think it's a good 
idea. Do you _have_ to go?"

    "Well, who else could take care of Suu?" Motoko asked, frowning.

    Suu pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "Maybe Suu should go 
with Motoko?" she suggested.

    "Er...." Keitaro frowned. "While I guess that might work, you have 
school, and you still need to take care of that robot."

    "What robot?" she asked innocently.

    "The one that keeps putting dresses on me!" Keitaro yelled.

    Suu flinched away slightly, scratching the back of her head and 
offering a nervous giggle. "Oh, that robot. Well, Suu will sleep alone 
until Motoko comes back, then. Okay?"

    "Fine by me," Keitaro assessed.

    "A good plan," Motoko declared. "Nothing should go wrong." She 
paused, as though thinking of something, then shook her head. "I must 
depart. Take care, Urashima-sempai."

    He scratched his head, watching her leave, then shrugged. "Okay, 
Suu, I'm going to need some privacy while I change."

    ---------------------------
    Miyah?

    If you didn't get it, the robot is kinda based off of the robot from 
a Wind Called Amnesia. =^_^=


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