[FFML] [Love Hina] Foxheart: Chpt 1 pt1 "New Year, New Path"

Hey,

God help me, I've decided to wrote a romance. A
Keitaro/Kitsune romance to be exact. Do you see what
being around you people has done to me?

Foxheart
By
Skyrocket

Life is full of infinite possibilities. Nothing is
truly impossible. Every choice we make is like a
pebble cast into a stream. Each pebble slightly alters
the flow of the stream in ways human eyes rarely ever
see.
This idea is certainly true when it comes to affairs
of the heart. A stolen glance, a harsh word, a smile,
an impure though or a small act of kindness; any of
these things, if they should occur at a crucial
moment, can make or break the love between two people.
Such a fragile thing is love.
For an example of this let us turn our eyes to
Keitaro Urashima. This somewhat unremarkable young man
has found himself as the manager of the Hinata House,
an all-girls dormitory. If one were to think that
placing a clumsy and na�ve, albeit goodhearted, fellow
in a place where he could live with five very
attractive young women that hijinks of heart would
ensue, then you'd be right. The majority of said
hijinks involving a girl by the name of Naru
Narusegawa.
It is a strange bond indeed that unites Keitaro and
Naru. Promises made to beloved ones in their youth and
the dream of attending the prestigious Tokyo
University drive both of them. Though the relationship
between them is a tumultuous one, there is also an
undercurrent of attraction. A feeling Keitaro is more
willing to admit to than Naru.
Now let us drop a pebble into this stream. A pebble
by the name of Mitsune "Kitsune" Konno, also a Hinata
resident and Naru's best friend since her high school
days. Free-spirited, fun loving, uninhibited and a
natural-born instigator with a penchant for sake,
Kitsune is about as fine an example of a pebble as one
could ever hope for.
Now that the pebble has been cast into the stream let
us see where destiny flows.

~*~

January 1, New Year's Day
Hinata City, Japan

In Japan it is the tradition on New Year's Day to
visit a local temple to pray for good fortune in the
new year. Considering that if he didn't get into Tokyo
U this year it would mean facing a third year as a
ronin, Keitaro Urashima figured a little divine
assistance couldn't hurt. As he stood before the front
of the shrine he prayed to any deity that would listen
for their aid.
"Please, help a poor ronin out!" prayed Keitaro. "If
I don't get into Tokyo U I'll never be able to reunite
with the girl from my promise. Plus, the girls from
the house, especially Shinobu, will be disappointed in
me!"
After he felt he'd sufficiently petitioned the
gods for their help Keitaro turned back to his other
main reason for coming to the temple. Nearby at one of
the temple's other buildings were the girls of the
Hinata House.
Keitaro had originally planned to spent this
day, as he did most days, studying to get into Tokyo
U. But a little prodding from Kitsune and the promise
of seeing the girls in traditional New Year's kimonos
had convinced him that taking a break from studying
might not be so bad. Motoko had already left for the
temple by that time but the sight of Kitsune, Su and
Shinobu wearing kimonos had pretty much made up for
that.
As lovely as those three had looked it was the
possibility of seeing Naru in tradition dress that
made Keitaro's heart skip up beat. Sadly, just as
Keitaro was daydreaming about that image Naru had
shown up wearing a normal skirt, a worn orange
sweatshirt she was particularly fond of, and some very
think glasses she sometimes wore while studying.
Keitaro had been unable to hide his disappointment.
Naru had then proceeded to remind him or how important
it was that they study and that they couldn't waste
all day at the festival. She intended to only go to
the celebration for a short time and then return home
for some studying.
Pushing his disappointment aside Keitaro headed
down the temple steps to meet up with the girls.
Motoko had volunteered to work at the shrine selling
fortunes to visitors and now the other girls had gone
over there to get their fortunes. As he headed down
the stairs Keitaro glanced at each of the girls.
He was slightly surprised to see that Makoto was
giving small but genuine smiles to her customers.
She'd also swapped the kendo training uniform she
usually wore for a shrine maiden's outfit. Motoko is
certainly something of a traditional girl, thought
Keitaro. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that she'd
enjoy something like this. It's shame she doesn't
smile more often.
Not far from Motoko Su, Naru, Kitsune and Shinobu were
examining the fortunes they'd just bought.
"Wow, mine say I'm going to have the best luck!"
cheered Su.
"I got medium luck," said Naru, sounding fairly
satisfied. When one was aiming for Tokyo U a little
luck was always welcome.
"I got best luck too!" grinned Kitsune. "Now that's
the way to start off the new year."
"I only got a little luck," reported Shinobu, who felt
a bit let down.
"I wonder if that's lucky in cards or lucky in love,"
mused Su.
"Hope that it's lucky in cards," advised Kitsune.
"You've got a better chance of winning at cards than
you do at love. Trust me, I know."
Shinobu was about to reply to the older girl's comment
when she caught site of Keitaro approaching. Shinobu,
having just turned thirteen, was experiencing her
first crush with Keitaro as the unknowing recipient of
her feelings. Though terribly nervous when dealing
with these feelings Shinobu was doing the best she
could. The idea of getting to enjoy herself with him
at the New Year's festival was part of the reason
she'd come today. Since everyone seemed to be enjoying
getting their fortunes told the young girl plucked up
her courage and called out to Keitaro.
"Sempai! Why don't you come and get your fortune too?"
"I was just coming to do that," replied Keitaro.
"Thanks though, Shinobu."
Outwardly Shinobu blushed a bit and just nodded.
Inwardly she beamed.
As Keitaro approached where she was selling fortune
Motoko frowned. Keitaro completely failed to notice
this as he dug some money out from his pocket. "All
right, Motoko, I hope you've got a lucky one left for
me."
"Urashima, I feel it only fair to warn that the
fortunes from this shrine have long had a reputation
for coming true," said Motoko. "If you were to draw
ill luck it would be most unfortunate for you."
"Oh, come one, Motoko," dismissed Keitaro with a wave
of his hand. "I don't really believe in that
superstitious stuff. Drawing fortunes like this is
just meant for fun."
"Very well," shrugged Motoko as she handed Keitaro a
slip of folded paper with a fortune written on it. "On
your own head be it."
Keitaro felt a bit unnerved by the younger girl's
attitude but tried to push such thoughts from his mind
as he opened his fortune.

Strange Luck

This will be an unusual year for you.
A new path will present itself to you.
Tread carefully for this path will lead you to either
great happiness or disaster.
Dig below the surface of things, but be careful of
when and where you dig.

Travel broadens one's horizons both mental and
emotional.
Disaster will test the strength of your heart.
Deal honesty with those around you.
Their presence will affect you greatly this year.

In matters of the heart this year is crucial for you.
Remember that the eyes of others can see what you are
blind to.
The same is also true in reverse.
Follow your heart in all things and you will be
rewarded.

Keitaro read the fortune a second time and blinked.
What the heck kind of crazy fortune is this!? he
thought.
Seeing Keitaro reading his fortune Shinobu decided to
go and inquire as to what it said. It took some
courage but the young girl couldn't let this chance go
by. Shinobu headed toward Keitaro and was about to ask
about his fortune when she suddenly felt herself
grabbed.
"Shinobu! Look, Shinobu!" shouted Su. "There's a stall
selling mochi really cheap over there! Let's get
some!"
"Wait! Please, Su!" begged Shinobu as the foreign girl
dragged her away. Her protests were in vain and
Shinobu and Su were quickly lost in the crowd.
Keitaro was still so absorbed in looking at his
fortune that he failed to notice both Shinobu's
predicament and someone else coming up behind him.
"Hey, Keitaro. What's your fortune say?"
Keitaro gave a little shout and jumped a bit. He
turned to see Kitsune standing behind him smiling in a
bemused manner. "Man, you're wound awful tight. Was it
bad news or is seeing everyone but Naru in traditional
outfits getting you all hot and bothered?"
"No!" sputtered Keitaro. "I mean, no, there's nothing
wrong with my fortune or seeing you girls in kimonos!
Not that I noticed your kimonos. Well, I noticed them
but not in the way you're thinking about. I was just
thinking--"
"Relax," interrupted Kitsune. "You're normal young man
with a guy's urges. There's nothing wrong with you
enjoying the sight of four nice looking young women in
traditional clothes."
Kitsune then batted her eyes at Keitaro. "Personally,
I think this outfit makes me look damn sexy! Don't
you?"
Keitaro's face blushed pure crimson. "Uh?well?that
is?you?I think?"
Kitsune mentally grinned at Keitaro's embarrassment.
Poor Keitaro. He's got all those hormones swirling
around in him but the second a girl gets his juices
going he totally falls apart. If it wasn't so much fun
to watch I might actually feel bad about teasing him
like this.
As Keitaro continued to struggle for words Kitsune
gave him another sexy smile. "Feel free to look at me
all you want, Keitaro. I don't mind. Just don't let
Motoko or Naru catch you looking too long at Su or
Shinobu. They'd probably get the wrong idea and give
you a quick lesson in pain for those roving eyes."
That snapped Keitaro back to his senses. He gulped and
nodded. The wraths of Motoko and Naru were certainly
to be feared.
"Anyway, you gonna tell me what your fortune was or
not?" inquired the girl from Osaka.
"Oh, that. It just says a bunch of silly nonsense,"
dismissed Keitaro. "I really don't know who writes
these things."
"If it's just silly nonsense you won't mind if I have
a look then, will you?" said Kitsune. Before Keitaro
could react the girl's hand snaked out and grabbed the
fortune from his hand.
"Hey!" shouted the ronin.
But Kitsune ignored him as she read the fortune. She
then turned back to Keitaro with a bemused look on her
face. "Don't tell me this has you all bent out of
shape. I admit it's sorta odd as fortunes go, but it
doesn't seem that bad to me."
"It 'doesn't seem bad' to you?!" Keitaro repeated. "It
mentions disaster twice. Twice!"
"It also mentions happiness and being rewarded. You're
making it sound all bad."
"It sounds to me like this year everything will either
be one of the best of my life or a total disaster,"
said Keitaro nervously. "No middle ground. A weird
fortune like that isn't something I want to bet my
future happiness on."
"Ah ha! So you admit this fortune has you worried,"
replied Kitsune.
After a moment's hesitation Keitaro nodded. "I know it
sounds silly. But I've been really happy since moving
into the Hinata and I don't want anything rocking the
boat. Plus, the Tokyo U entrance exams are coming up
and I don't need any 'strange luck' when it comes to
them."
"If that's really what you want why don't you tie this
fortune to a branch on one of those trees over there,"
suggested Kitsune. "That's an old trick for getting
rid of bad fortunes, you know."
Keitaro turned and looked at the grove of trees his
housemate had indicated. "Yeah, you're right. I'd
forgotten about that. But the branches are pretty
high. I'm not sure if I can reach."
"No problemo," assured the light-haired girl as she
grabbed Keitaro's coat and dragged him over to the
trees. Once there Kitsune turned to face the her
companion. "If you really want to get rid of this
fortune squat down and let me climb on your shoulders.
Then you can boost me up and I'll tie it to a branch."
"Really!?" exclaimed Keitaro. "It'll be good to be rid
of this silly fortune. I'm feeling more happy
already."
"You should be happy," smirked Kitsune. "There are
loads of guys in this town who'd love to get their
head between my legs."
Keitaro gulped and felt his face turn bright red. He
also felt some blood start to trickle from his nose
which he quickly covered with his hands. "Kitsune!
Keep your voice down! If someone heard you say that
they might think--"
"That you were one hell of a lucky guy," finished the
girl. Kitsune then allowed herself another mental
grin. It really should be a crime to have this much
fun. Just to make things interesting I think I'll run
a little psychological test. Now we'll find out just
what Keitaro Urashima is really made out of.
While Kitsune had been thinking Keitaro hand managed
to get himself under control but still looked a bit
flush. "Are you ready, Kitsune? I'd really like to get
this over with. I'd still like to be able to enjoy the
goings on here with the others."
"Before we do that there's something I wanna ask you,"
said Kitsune. "You want to get rid of this fortune
because you think it means this new year will be bad
for you, even though it also talked about how very
good things could happen to you too, right?"
Keitaro nodded. "Right. I don't have a gambler's
spirit when it comes to my future happiness. The way
the fortune made it sound I'll either come out on top
or have everything go hell this year. No middle
ground. I'd rather take my chances then deal with
extremes like that."
"That's kinda funny that you say you don't have 'a
gambler's spirit when it comes to your future
happiness'. It seems to me the opposite is true."
"What do you mean?"
"Take this childhood sweetheart of yours," began
Kitsune. "I heard you mooning over her the day you
first came here. I bet you dream about finding her
someday and riding off on a white horse to live
happily ever after."
Keitaro gulped but then nodded. "Yeah, I know it
sounds silly but?I really think she's out there
somewhere. And we did promise to meet again someday."
"Really? Where and when?"
Keitaro turned a bit more red and fidgeted. "Uh,
actually, that's kinda personal. I'd rather keep that
to myself."
Kitsune arched her eyebrows. Now isn't that
interesting? she thought. Keitaro doesn't seem to want
to share on this topic so I'll let it drop for now. I
can always figure a way to get the whole story out of
him later anyway.
"Okay, the gal of your dreams aside, what about Tokyo
U?" continued the girl. "I know you're test scores
aren't the best, but you could probably get into a
decent second tier school if you wanted, right?"
Keitaro nodded.
"But you keep aiming for Tokyo U, the hardest school
in the whole country to get admitted to. For two solid
years you've tried and failed but you keep at it. Can
you honestly tell me that saying that it's Tokyo U or
nothing when it comes to college isn't a gamble on
your future happiness? And a longshot at that."
Keitaro was silent for several moments as he mulled
over Kitsune's words. "I guess if you put it that way
I am sorta gambling my future happiness on some pretty
long odds. But even so I'm not going to stop. I've had
this feeling that the girl from my memories and Tokyo
U are my destiny. I know that sounds a bit silly. But
I've felt that way since I was five years old and I'm
not going to give up on those dreams now no matter
what!"
Kitsune actually felt a bit taken aback. I never
thought Keitaro had that kind of determination in him.
I guess you really can't judge a book by its cover.
"Then if you're already playing the long odds why not
keep this fortune?" asked Kitsune. "One thing I know
about gambling is that the people who win big are the
ones that play the long odds. If you're already doing
that why stop? Ever think that maybe finding your
dream girl and getting into Tokyo U is the happiness
and reward the fortune mentions?"
Keitaro was again silent as he thought over what had
been said. "But what about the disaster the fortune
mentions? What if--"
Kitsune sighed and shook her head. "What if ants wore
hats? Every person in the world risks disaster just by
getting out of bed every morning. If you really
believe that that girl and Tokyo U are your destiny
are you really going to let a possibility from a
fortune stop you from a chance of having it all after
having come this far?"
Keitaro again considered Kitsune's words for several
moments before reaching out and taking his fortune
back. "You're right, Kitsune," he said, his voice
strengthening. "I have taken a lot of risks already.
If it means I can finally be with that girl again and
get into to Tokyo U, then in the end what's one more
risk matter?"
Kitsune smiled. Congratulations, Keitaro. You passed
the test. Hold on to that attitude and you just might
make those dreams come true.
"Good for you, Keitaro," said Kitsune happily. "See?
Not only am I sexy but I'm wise too. Just like any
good fox."
Keitaro nodded and tried to keep his thoughts from
going off in impure directions. He failed utterly.
"Uh, well, you'll get no argument from me. Now maybe
we should get back to the others. They must be
wondering where we went off to by now."
"Sounds good to me too. I wanna find someone selling
sake. All that doling out wisdom stuff makes a gal
thirsty."
"You don't need to look for someone selling sake,"
informed Keitaro. "There's an all-you-can-drink table
of sweet sake set up by the temple. I saw it on the
way in."
"What!?" squawked Kitsune. "How the hell did I miss
something like that?! Quick, show me where it is!"
Sighing, Keitaro complied. A few minutes later the
pair stood looking at the long table where the free
sweet sake was set out. All around the table people
stood drinking and chatting happily. More than a few
flushed faces could be seen.
"Oh, free booze," sighed Kitsune, tears almost forming
in her eyes. "This is as close to heaven on earth as
we humans can know."
Just then a loud growl could be heard coming from
behind the two. Startled, Keitaro and Kitsune whipped
around to see someone wearing a large lion mask that
was normally used in New Year's parades. Before either
could speak the mask lifted to show the face beneath
it.
"Hi, guys!" greeted Su in her most energetic voice.
"Su?!" gasped Keitaro. "What in the world are you
doing wearing that thing?"
"Motoko told me that when someone gets bitten by one
of these lions they get happiness for a whole year,"
informed the foreign girl. Su then gave Keitaro the
sort of grin she normally used for looking at a tasty
meal. "Since you've been so nice to me lately I'm
gonna bite you so you be happy all year, Keitaro!"
"Oohh, a biter. Why doesn't it surprise me that Su's
that type?" teased Kitsune.
"Kitsune! Don't say such things to Su!" flared Keitaro
in embarrassment. "She's only thirteen!"
"Are you ready for your good luck, Keitaro?" asked Su,
still grinning. "'Cause now it's Jaws time!"
Before the ronin could protest Su and her mask leapt
toward him. Keitaro gave a yelp and dashed toward the
sake table.
"Resistance is futile!" called Su as she gave chase.
"Sez you and the Borg!" retorted Keitaro as he ran.
Kitsune just stood back and watched in amusement. But
that amusement quickly faded as she realized that her
housemates where barreling toward the sake table with
no signs of stopping. "Stop, you two! You're gonna
wreak the drinks!"
If either of the duo heard they gave no notice. Su was
closing on Keitaro so in moment of desperation the
ronin hurled himself forward and managed to dive under
the table. The ever-nimble Su leapt into the air
planning to sail over the table cut her prey off on
the other side. Sadly she forgot to factor in the
weight of the heavy lion mask when making her jump. As
such, Su fell sort of her goal and ended up having her
left foot catch the edge of the table. The force was
enough to send Su and the table tumbling over.
"No! The sake!" shouted Kitsune as she ran over.
Once there she could see that Su and her mask had
tumbled a few feet away from the table but were
unhurt. The junior high girl stood and began to rub
her rear. "Ow, now I'm gonna get a bruise on my butt."
Keitaro, on the other hand, hadn't faired as well. The
table had pinned him from the waste down and the top
half of his body was soaked with sake. "Jeez, I think
I landed on a rock," complained Keitaro.
"Aw, Keitaro, you spilled all the sake," whined
Kitsune.
It was at that moment that an elderly man dressed in
the robes of one of the temple keepers appeared from
the crowd that had been watching what was going on.
"Oh dear," he said. "Has anyone been hurt?"
"No, we're fine," assured Keitaro having just finished
getting back to his feet. He than gave the temple
keeper a very deep bow. "I've very sorry for causing
so much trouble."
Su trod over also looking remorseful. "Sorry about
your booze. I didn't mean to wreak it. We were just
playing."
Keitaro, who was still bowed, reached out with his
right hand, placed on the back of Su's head and gently
but forcefully made her bow as well. Once that was
done they both stood back up. Keitaro looked mortified
while Su seemed a tad confused.
The temple keeper smiled and nodded. "Think nothing of
it. I can see that this was an accident and that
you're both very sorry. I must say, it's nice to see
such well mannered young people these days."
"Hey, mister, what about the sake?" called Kitsune.
"Don't worry, young miss," replied the old man. "This
temple is fortunate to have a local brewery owner as a
patron. He donated all the sake we had today and said
to call him should we need more. I'll just let him
know what happened and ask that he send some more
over. However, since today is New Year's Day, I fear
that it will take several hours to get things taken
care of. But I'm sure we'll be able to get things in
order for the fireworks show tonight.
"Now if you've excuse me I'll go make that call." The
temple keeper then bowed and headed off.
"Fireworks show?" blinked Keitaro. "Yesterday was the
new year and there were fireworks then. Why would they
have more tonight?"
Kitsune and Su shrugged.
"You mean you didn't know?" said a voice from behind
the trio.
The three turned to see Naru, Shinobu and Motoko
standing behind them. "This temple first opened its
doors seventy five years ago today," informed Motoko.
"As such, the temple has secured permission from the
city to have fireworks show tonight starting at
midnight."
"Assuming you don't wreck anything else in the
meantime," grumbled Naru while giving Keitaro an
annoyed look. "As much fun as coming to the temple
was, I need to be getting back to study. It'd be a
good idea if you came to, Keitaro. And not just
because you need to study to, Mr. Second Year Ronin.
You also need a change of clothes. I can smell the
sake on you from over here."
Keitaro sniffed several times. Naru was right. He
smelled like a distillery. "Uh, yeah, those both sound
like good ideas," nodded Keitaro as he scratched the
back of his head nervously.
"Sempai, does this mean you're not going to be here
for the fireworks show?" asked Shinobu.
"Uh?well," stammered Keitaro. He cast a quick glance
at the girls to try and judge what they were feeling.
Shinobu seemed focused on him and looked concerned.
Naru looked to be getting impatient. Motoko's
expression was neutral. Su wasn't even paying
attention. She was walking round Keitaro in a circle
sniffing. He did his best to ignore her. Lastly,
Kitsune was looking at him with mild interest at what
his answer would be.
"Of course I'll be back in time," Keitaro answered.
"I can go home, change, do some studying and then come
back in time for the show."
"That'll be wonderful, Sempai!" said Shinobu elated.
"What you, Naru? You gonna come back for the show?"
asked Kitsune.
Naru thought about it for a few moments before
nodding. "I suppose being at home alone wouldn't be
much fun. But, Keitaro, when we get back to the house
you better not goof off when we're studying or else!
If we don't get some real studying in before the show
starts you're staying with me and studying math while
everyone else enjoys the show. Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am," gulped Keitaro.
"Are you sure you two just don't want a little alone
time?" grinned Kitsune in innuendo.
Naru and Keitaro both blushed.
"Don't say things like that," said Naru. "You'll just
give him filthy ideas. Besides, having someone to
study with helps both of us learn better. It's as
simple as that."
Kitsune was about to reply when Naru grabbed
Keitaro by the arm of his coat and started to lead him
any. "Come on, pervert. We need to study our
geography."
"We'll see you all in a couple of hours," called
Keitaro as he and Naru headed into the crowd.

~*~

=====
"..and Harry Potter and all his little wizard friends went straight to HELL for practicing witchcraft :: Ned Flanders

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