Divided Attentions
A Love Hina fanfic
By Exar

***

Love Hina belongs to Ken Akamatsu, not me. I'm just
playing around with his characters a bit. I promise
I'll take care of them and put them back when I'm
done.

***

Chapter Five

***

The door opened, shining all-too bright sunlight onto the
face of the sleeping girl.

Naru sat up blinking, her jaw working stiffly as she tried
to stretch it around the bruise that colored a third of her
face. She squinted into the light and tried to see who was
silhouetted in the door frame. It swung shut and she could
see it was her lover, Seta. He had drying scabs in long
lines across his arms and a large purple bruise swelling
his forehead comically large. His shirt hung in tatters.

"Where have you been all night? And what happened to you?"

"I got caught up in some work and lost track of time, and
Haruka happened."

He took a pointed look at her.

"What happened to you?"

"Keitaro."

"Oh. Want some breakfast? I think I can find some porridge
somewhere."

She flopped her head back down on the pillow.

"I want to sleep for a million years."

"What, and let some other archaeologist dig you up then? I
don't think so."

He rattled around in the kitchen for a moment, eventually
finding a pair of brown packets. He tore one open and poured
it into a bowl.

Naru laid on the futon, listening to the crinkle of the paper
wrapper, the clink of bowls being taken out of a cupboard,
the sound of water pouring, and finally the low hum of the
microwave.

"Fine! I'm getting up."

"Good. It's morning, after all."

"So what work were you doing that kept you out all night?"

"Well, after the meeting, I went back to my office to check
on the deliveries. You know, all the artifacts we sent back
from Okinawa?"

She stood and walked to the couch, curling up on it comfortably.

"Yeah, what about them?"

"Well, that turtle shaped ocarina was right on top. I just
couldn't resist looking at it, and when I had it out, with all
my notes right there, I just naturally started translating it."

"So you spent all night lost in contemplation of a turtle?"

"I guess you could say that."

The timer on the microwave went off with a quiet 'ding', and
Seta pulled one bowl out and put another in. The microwave's
gentle hum resumed. He grabbed a spoon and stirred up the hot
mixture and brought it out to Naru.

She looked at it dubiously, but tried some.

"This is pretty good. What is it?"

"Instant oatmeal. Maple and brown sugar flavor. I brought it
back from America with me."

"Mmmm. It's tasty. Okay. so you were geeking out over your
artifacts. I guess I can understand that, even though I really
could have used you here."

"Keitaro came here and hit you? I assumed you went back to
Hinata House."

Seta puttered around the kitchen, pouring a couple glasses of
juice for the two of them and grabbing his own oatmeal from the
thermonuclear food box.

"No, I went there, I just wanted someone to talk to last night.
I was so upset when I got back."

He sat down on the couch, handing her a glass.

"It's lychee juice, hope you like it. I'm sorry I wasn't here
for you Naru. But I'm here now. Do you want to talk about it?"

She took a sip of her juice and said, "Maybe, but only after
you tell me what Haruka did to you."

Seta looked sheepish.

"Nothing terribly unusual. She shot at me again."

Naru spit juice at him.

"She shot at you? Oh my god! Are you okay?"

He wiped the juice from his face.

"Sure, sure. I'm fine. She missed, like she always does when
she's mad. She's much scarier when she's only annoyed. When
she's mad enough to kill, her aim goes right to hell. Besides,
I think she just wanted to vent a little and get a straight
answer out of me."

"So what answer did you give her?"

He looked her right in the eye.

"That I love you, and that you make me happy. And that's all
that matters."

Naru leaned into him.

"I love you too."

"So you gonna spill your story now?"

"What? We were having a touching moment there."

"We were, it was nice, now it's gone. I'm curious how you
managed to rile up the part-timer enough to hit you. When we
were in America, I couldn't get him to shoot back at the
bandits who attacked us until two of our porters went down.
He hates violence."

She swallowed noisily, then flinched from the pain it caused
her swollen jaw.

"I went back there to get some things from my room. Some of
my books and some clothes I didn't take on the dig. When I
left, I found him and Kitsune making out on the bench across
the street from Hinata House. They were pretty hot and heavy."

She turned her head to look Seta in the face.

"I'm sorry, but I got so jealous. I love you, but I still feel
a lot for Keitaro. As much as I want him to be happy, when I
saw him like that, I just forgot and went back to my old pervert
bashing routine."

"So he hit you back?"

"No, that's the weird part. Kitsune jumped in front of him and
wouldn't let me hit him. When I asked her why, she said I didn't
have the right. I shouted something back at her, I don't really
remember what, but it wasn't nice. Then Keitaro was yelling and
running at me and next thing I knew I was on the ground."

"Hunh. I must say I'm disappointed in him. I didn't teach him
Jeet Kune Do to use it on you, Naru. Though you were kind of
asking for it."

"How can you say that? How could I have been asking for my jaw
to be swollen like this?"

"You've been hitting him for years, now. I've noticed. And last
night, he apparently no longer felt compelled to let you."

"But it's not right for him to hit me! I'm a girl!"

"It's not right for him to hit you. You're a person. What does
your gender have to do with it? What a horrifically misogynistic
society we would have if we said it was okay for women to hit men,
but not the other way around, because women are weaker and less
able to control their emotions."

Naru turned scarlet.

"It's not like that! That's not the reason I hit him, It was
because he was a pervert!"

"Oh, so you were jealous over a pervert? I feel bad, knowing
your standards are so low. So what perverted things did he want
to do?"

"You know, sex and touching girls in private spots! And seeing
them naked."

"So, totally normal things. Things we have done. Are we perverts,
Naru?"

"Why are you doings this Seta? Why are you being so mean to me?"

His features softened a bit.

"I'm just trying to help you see your blind spot. You've been
hurting someone close to you for a long time due to your own
self-deceptions. You will lose him as a friend if you don't do
something about it."

"God, you're an asshole."

"Maybe, but I love you. I want you to be happy living with me,
and I don't think burning your bridges at Hinata House will
accomplish that."

"You're right, I just don't know how to face them. I don't trust
myself to handle it if Keitaro and Kitsune are dating now."

"Just learn to distance yourself from your feelings a little bit.
Still allow ourself to be aware of them, but don't let them dictate
your actions."

"Is that what you do, Seta?"

"All the time."

***

Kitsune's head popped into the hot springs where the rest of
the girls were soaking.

"Oi, Shinobu! Don't worry about making breakfast for the manager
and me! We're heading out to eat!"

"Okay, Mitsune. Thank you for letting me know."

The shorthaired girl sat back down in the water, then turned to
Motoko.

"Mitsune's been spending a lot of time with Sempai the last few
days. Do you think she's trying to replace Naru for him? Is that
even a good idea?"

The kendoka spoke up.

"Shinobu, I spoke with her last night about her closeness with
him, and I can assure you, she is just trying, in her own way, to
cheer him up. Just as you have been."

The chef broke into a sunny smile.

"Oh, good. I'm happy that she's being a good friend to him."

Motoko chose to keep silent on what lengths Kitsune was prepared
to go to to cheer up the Todai student. Some things Shinobu didn't
need to know.

Mustsumi cheerily said, "Oh, I hope they have a good time.
Keitaro needs it."

Motoko turned to the Okinawan girl and fixed her with a puzzled
gaze.

"Mutsumi? May I ask a personal question?"

"Sure, Motoko."

"You have claimed to have strong feeling for Urashima for some
time, yet you seem perfectly fine with him spending time with
Kitsune. You also tried to push him and Narusegawa together in
the past. I don't understand why you would do that instead of
trying for your own happiness with him."

Mutsumi giggled, and smiled at Motoko.

"While I don't mind answering that, it might embarrass Shinobu
to hear my answer. Shall we go inside and discuss this in private?"

"Very well."

As the raven haired girl followed the Okinawan woman, she pondered
what her answer could possibly be. What explanation for her
behavior would embarrass Shinobu?

They relocated to Motoko's room. An old suit of samurai armor
loomed over Mutsumi's shoulder as she began. They both knelt
comfortably at Motoko's small table.

"The simple explanation is that I want Keitaro to be happy. I
hoped that by showing him my love, I would present an option to
him and help him grow in confidence. By being his friend, I hoped
to steer him towards another woman whom we could both love."

"I'm sorry, did you say, 'You could both love'?"

Mutsumi nodded.

"Yes. I did say that. My tastes in relationships are rather
different than what most people consider normal, Motoko. I'm poly."

"Poly?"

"It's short for polyamorous. It means I prefer having more than
two people involved in a relationship. I like women as well as men,
and would really like to someday have a stable relationship with
Keitaro and another woman."

Motoko's brow furrowed in confusion.

"I don't understand. You mean you want him to cheat on you?"

"It wouldn't be cheating. We would all know about everyone involved
and all be in love."

Motoko's face took on a disgusted air as she thought she understood.

"So you would be giving him permission to two-time you."

"Not exactly. That's more like a hinge trio. I want a triangle. That's
where I love Keitaro, he loves me, the other woman loves Keitaro, he
loves her, she loves me, and I love her. We all share each other."

Motoko blushed a brilliant red as she finally understood what Mutsumi
was driving at. She looked down at her lap and noticed her hands
carefully straightening almost nonexistent wrinkles in her hakama.
'Such a thing is indecent, isn't it? Three people can't love each
other the way she says.'

"I've never heard of such an arrangement before. How could it possibly
work?"

Mutsumi sighed.

"It's very hard. It requires a lot of trust and communication. You
have to be totally committed to the others and balance your affections
so no one feels neglected. It can be really hard to not feel jealous
from time to time. You have to be actively loving the other people,
working to understand their feelings, not just wondering how they feel
and not talking about your own feelings."

The anemic girl's eyes grew misty.

"But when it does work, it's so wonderful. You have two people to share
with, and two hearts to love, and two people to support you when you are
hurting, or down. It can be heaven."

Motoko looks at the other girl, slightly dazed.

"I never dreamed of such an idea. But it sounds almost... nice."

A heavy blush riding her cheeks, the kendoka continued.

"I love Urashima, and I had planned to confess to him soon, perhaps
within the week. I don't know what to do, in light of what you have told
me."

Mutsumi smiled a gentle smile and leaned forward. Motoko knew what was
coming but did nothing to stop it.

The watermelon-obsessed girl's lips touched Motoko's softly, almost
gingerly finding their way there. They lingered there a moment, not
moving, before she grew bolder and began kissing the raven haired girl
in earnest. Motoko sat perfectly still, not reacting to the kiss whatsoever,
but studiously experiencing it, cataloging how it felt and what it made her
feel. Just as she could feel Mutsumi was about to disengage, Motoko leaned
into the kiss ever so slightly, moving her lips just a bit. Motoko grabbed
Mutsumi by the shoulders, holding her in place a second longer, then
pushing her away firmly but gently.

They separated, a light blush riding Mutsumi's cheeks, Motoko's face
seemingly aflame.

"Tell him. you are a beautiful woman, Motoko. He would be a fool to refuse
you."

Motoko took a deep, cleansing breath. She held Mutsumi at arms length,
not wanting the other girl to try kissing her again and distracting her.

"You should not do that, Mutsumi. I just told you I love Keitaro."

The older girl smiled brightly and chirped. "Yes! And so do I. That's
what is so nice about it. Why should we fight over him, when we could
make him happier together?"

Motoko shook her head. "I don't think I could do that. I have trouble
trusting Keitaro anyway. He's always doing things that seem perverted.
How could I trust him to not abandon me for you? How could I compare
to you?"

"You trusted him this morning. You've been trusting him more and more
as time goes by. You know he's just clumsy, like me! And he would never
abandon any of his friends, you know that. How much more would he be
true to his love?"

The kendoka shook her head, unable to deny the other woman's claim.

"And you? What about you, Mutsumi? Could you trust me with the man
you love?"

The Okinawan favored her with a sweet smile.

"Of course. You are honorable and strong. I could trust you with my
life. It's one of the things I like about you, Motoko."

A fresh influx of blood rushed to Motoko's face.

"Y-you like me?"

"Of course. Why else would we be talking about this?"

"I don't know. I just wanted to know something, now I feel like I know
too much."

"Well, if you decide that what I talked about sounds like a good idea,
we can talk to Keitaro together. If not, I wish you every happiness
with him."

"Mutsumi, this is too new. I don't know what I think about it. Or
what I think about you."

"I like you Motoko. I think we would make good bookends for Keitaro."

"Please, I need some time to think about this."

"Of course, I'll let myself out."

Motoko assumed a meditative posture and began contemplating herself,
her love, and much more.

***

Later that afternoon, the phone rang at Hinata House.

"Hinata House, Urashima speaking."

"Part-timer."

Keitaro stared at the receiver for a moment, contemplating just
hanging up. He decided to give Seta the benefit of the doubt.

"Seta? What do you want?"

"Heh. I see you are finally angry, Keitaro. Good. Maybe you'll get
through this after all. I wasn't too happy with what you did to Naru,
but I can understand how easy it would be. That's not what I trained
you for, Keitaro."

"I really don't want to hear that from you right now Seta. I'm not
proud of what I did, but you've got no right to lecture me."

"Fine, fine. Just trying to be your teacher one last time. I did you
a favor, Keitaro. For old times sake."

Keitaro's fingers curled tightly around the phone, gripping it
like it was someone's neck.

"What's that? Steal another of my girlfriends? Oh, wait. I never had
one before Naru, so that's out."

"Don't waste my time being bitter, Urashima. It's beneath you. You
are taking the next quarter off. On hiatus. I figured you wouldn't be
looking forward to seeing me every day. You can take the time to get
sorted and decide what you want to do. You can transfer to another
department, getting elective and science credit for all the work you've
done with me, or if you want to stick to archeology, I've spoken with
some of my peers at other universities, and they will accept you as a
full transfer student. You won't lose a credit."

Shocked, Keitaro's grip on the phone loosened, and it nearly fell
to the floor before he caught it on his shoulder.

"Wow, Seta. I never expected... Uh, thanks. I don't know what to say."

"Thanks is more than I expected. You're a good man, Keitaro. You know
if you can find it in your heart to forgive me, there will always be a
place for you in my department. I know I still have a lot to make up to
you. This is just the start."

"I don't know, Seta. It's all been too sudden. I'll get back to you
before the registration starts, okay?"

"That'd be great, part-timer. Take care of yourself."

A single tear ran down Keitaro's cheek as he hung up the phone. Seta
went to bat for him. Set things up to help his dream go forward. Right
after taking away another dream. Was the man friend or enemy? Time would
tell, Keitaro decided. Time would tell.

***

End Chapter 5

***

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