Had another idea. Though I don't know what to do with it.
I could make this a dark tale of revenge that utilises the Death Note, I could make this a tale of BDSM.
I could even write nothing more on it.
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ôKeitaro-sempai missed dinner,ö Shinobu Maehara mused as she looked at the clock. ôItÆs nearly bedtime, but I suppose I could take him up something to eat.ö
As the blue haired girl carried the few snacks she had managed to whip up to her managerÆs room, she heard a soft sigh. Shinobu listened in to hear her sempai talk in a depressed tone.
ôDamn it all, why did they have all gang up on me like that? ItÆs not like I wanted to fall face first into Shinobu-chanÆs crotch,ö Keitaro complained. ôBesides, itÆs SuÆs fault for leaving that banana skin there.ö
The chef winced at that. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door.
ôKeitaro-sempai, are you in there?ö
ôWhat? Oh, hi, Shinobu-chan. What can I do for you?ö
ôI was wondering if youÆd like something to eat. You missed dinner earlier,ö the young girl asked.
There was a pause as Keitaro looked at his clock. ôDamn, I did miss dinner. I would, but I donÆt want to bother you, Shinobu-chan, IÆll get some cup ramen.ö
ôThereÆs no need, Sempai, IÆve brought you something.ö
ôOh, well let me get the door,ö the landlord smiled as he stood up. He opened the door and thanked his youngest tenant for the food. ôIÆll wash these up later, Shinobu-chan. I appreciate your kindness.ö
ôY-youÆre welcome, Sempai,ö Shinobu blushed before leaving for her own room.
Keitaro locked his door again and sat back down. He slowly ate the rice balls that heÆd been given, his appetite had still not returned.
ôWhat am I going to do? My parents think IÆm a failure, I have no idea who that promise girl is, most of my tenants hate me and my grades are stinking up the prep school. I might as well end it all now,ö the bespectacled young man sighed. ôI suppose that I should give it another day, see how tomorrow turns out. If it sucks like today, then IÆll jack it all in.ö
Noting that heÆd finished his food, Keitaro turned in for the night. ôIÆll deal with the plate tomorrow.ö
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ôURASHIMA!ö Naru and Motoko bellowed in unison as they banged on the locked door. ôGET UP YOU LAZY SWINE!ö
ôW-what? WhatÆs going on? Is there a problem?ö the sleepy ronin asked as he opened the door to reveal two irate teenagers.
ôYes thereÆs a problem,ö Motoko growled. ôThereÆs a perverted thief on the loose! Some of my clothes have been stolen!ö
ôMine too!ö Naru added. ôAnd we want something done about it. Unless youÆre the one whoÆs raiding the laundryàö
The auburn haired girl gave a subtle signal to her friend, who then pulled out a pair of panties from the inside of her gi and placed them on KeitaroÆs bed.
ôWhatÆs this here?!ö the kendoist demanded as she pointed to the plain white cotton undergarment on KeitaroÆs pillow. ôThat explains why you keep your door locked, you sick little deviant!ö
ôIÆm shocked and appalled,ö Naru said with self righteous indignation. ôI want you gone, you perverted freak.ö
ôHey! I didnÆt bring them in here!ö Keitaro protested, but his tenants wouldnÆt listen.
Instead the girls continued with their nefarious scheme to rid themselves of the young Urashima. ôHey Kitsune! We found the panty thief!ö
ôYou did?ö the voluptuous girl asked with a look of relief on her face. ôIÆm so glad, now I can get my clothes washed without fear of them being used as a trophy by some perv.ö
ôHey! It wasnÆt me, I havenÆt been out of here all night!ö the landlord insisted.
ôThen how do you explain this?ö Motoko asked suspiciously.
ôI never touched them!ö
ôAll in favour getting rid of the pervert raise your hand!ö Naru said, neatly ignoring the roninÆs denials. Her hand shot up as if it was spring loaded.
Motoko and Kitsune stuck their hands up.
Kaolla walked up to the group and asked what was going on.
ôWeÆre taking a vote, Su,ö Kitsune explained.
ôA vote? Are they tasty? I want one too!ö the blonde said as her hand went up.
ôSee, it seems that the majority have spoken. And we want you gone,ö the kendoist sneered.
ôFine,ö Keitaro sighed. ôIÆll be gone by the end of the day, just let me pack my stuff up.ö
The conspirators left, feeling rather smug about their victory.
The bespectacled young man felt like the gods had taken a crap right on his head. Again.
ôDamn it, itÆs not fair. ItÆs not like IÆm a terrible person,ö he muttered as he started to pack up his things. ôWell, I suppose that on the bright side, itÆs made my decision for me. Maybe Aunt Haruka has got some sleeping pills I can OD onàö
Shinobu was eavesdropping on the scene and gasped softly. æS-s-sempai is going to kill himself? I have to tell Haruka-san!Æ
The chef quickly left to use the phone.
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Keitaro slung his bags onto his shoulder and exited the Hinata Sou for what he and his former tenants thought was the last time.
As he slowly walked down the stairs, he was sure he could hear someone laughing at his misfortune, but decided to try to maintain some semblance of dignity by not turning back.
Continuing on his trek, the ronin noticed that there was a female figure standing outside near his auntÆs teashop.
ôI wonder if thatÆs Aunt Haruka,ö he mused. ôI wonder whose side sheÆs going to takeà No, I better not mention whatÆs happened, sheÆll only hit me for making a fuss about nothing.ö
Keitaro reached the teashop and paused when he saw that it was Haruka who was waiting there.
ôYou alright, Keitaro? You look a little tired,ö the smoker observed.
ôYeah, just got a little bit of a headache. You got some aspirin or something?ö the student asked with a weak smile.
ôYeah, come on in, IÆll get you something,ö Haruka smiled before disappearing to get some medication.
Keitaro nodded and took a seat at the counter. Pushing up his glasses, the ronin let out a tired sigh as he rubbed his face.
ôYou sure youÆre alright, Keitaro, you donÆt look so good,ö the teashop proprietor said as she handed some heavy duty over the counter painkillers and a glass of water to her nephew. ôThese are good, take two and you should be fine.ö
ôThanks, Aunt Haruka,ö the brown haired young man smiled. He was about to take the capsules when he noticed that his vision was blurring.
Blinking, Keitaro shook his head to clear the fog and swallowed his medication. ôThanks, Aunt Haruka.ö
ôSo then, what happened to bring you down here with all your stuff? You get a better offer elsewhere?ö
ôNo, Ià, itÆs nothing, just me being silly,ö the ronin smiled sadly. ôThanks for the help, IÆll be off now. See you around.ö
The younger Urashima leant down to pick up his bags but overreached and fell forward onto his face.
ôKEITARO!ö Haruka shouted as she rushed to her nephewÆs aid. ôKeitaro, can you hear me?ö
ôàpink elephantsà theyÆre eating the yellow blackbirds...ö Keitaro mumbled before he passed out.
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At the hospital, Haruka was talking with the doctors about the few minutes she saw Keitaro before he passed out.
ôWell, he has been under a lot of stress lately, a couple of months ago, he took over the Hinata Sou from his grandmother while he took his studies to get into Toudai,ö she explained as her hands inched towards her cigarettes.
ôI think something had happened today before I saw him. He came into my teashop complaining of a headache. HeÆs had two of these,ö Haruka said as she handed over her ibuprofen/codeine tablets. ôIs he going to be ok?ö
ôHe should be, but we need to do some more tests,ö the doctor explained. ôDo you have any idea what happened before he met you? HeÆs not been in any fights recently, well, as far as we can tell.ö
ôI donÆt think his been fighting, but heÆs not the type to throw a punch at anyone,ö Haruka explained. ôCan we continue this where I can smoke? I havenÆt had one in ages.ö
ôItÆs not really appropriate for you to smoke here, Ms Urashima, but weÆll continue this outside.
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Keitaro lay in his hospital bed wondering what was going on.
ôI donÆt remember being illà Nope, no new scars,ö he mused after giving himself a quick once over.
A young doctor approached him on the ward. ôHi there, IÆm Dr. Saotome, what seems to be the problem?ö
ôI donÆt think thereÆs a problem. I remember leaving the Hinata Sou and then it starts to go a bit fuzzy. Was I in an accident?ö the ronin looked up and asked.
ôNo, not according to your chart. But there is something interesting here. Follow my finger,ö the raven haired physician instructed.
As KeitaroÆs eyes tracked the moving digit, the blue eyed doctor made mental notes as to how they were performing. ôOk, then, could you try moving your toes for me?ö
The ronin did as he was asked.
ôOk, could you try your left big toe and work down to the pinkie for me?ö Dr. Saotome asked. He frowned when his patientÆs toes started to move in unison. ôOk, now can you lift your leg and hold it off the bed for me?ö
Keitaro shakily held his leg 20 centimetres off the bed.
ôPlease, hold it still for me.ö
ôIÆm trying,ö the bespectacled youth insisted. ôI donÆt know why itÆs shaking like this.ö
ôThatÆs ok, Mr. Urashima,ö the doctor smiled. ôHave you ever had this problem before? Blacking out, poor coordination?ö
ôI donÆt think so. Though I think that IÆve have been clumsier in the last few months and had more accidents. Slips, trips and falls, that sort of thing,ö Keitaro explained.
ôI see,ö the young doctor nodded. ôWell, I think that we need to do some more tests, but you should be ok if you get some rest.ö
ôThanks, Doctor Saotome.ö
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Dr. Saotome stepped outside to speak with his patientÆs relative. ôSo then, Ms. Urashima, do you know of what conditions yourà cousin lived in at the Inn?ö
ôCousin?ö
ôYes, IÆm pretty sure that youÆre cousins. Unless I read the wrong chart and you are his auntàö
æHeÆs trying to get on your good side, Haruka, donÆt be fooled by his charm, good looks or the fact that heÆs a doctor at such a young ageàÆ the smoker warned herself. ôIÆm his aunt, though it was nice of you to try to make me feel better, Doctor...?ö
ôYou got me there, Ms. Urashima,ö the raven haired doctor laughed. ôIÆm Dr. Saotome. But in all seriousness, does Keitaro suffer a lot of head trauma? I ask because until I get to see the results of the scans, it looks like heÆs suffered a brain injury.ö
ôWhat sort of brain injury?ö
ôThe sort of thing youÆd expect to see in an experienced heavyweight boxer or car crash victim. He doesnÆt look like the sort to box and there arenÆt any bruised or cuts that you get from being in an accident that would cause that sort of damage,ö Saotome explained.
ôI see, well, he has been under a lot of stress lately, and one of his tenants thinks that he might have been suicidal,ö Haruka explained in a low voice.
æSounds like domestic abuseà I need to do some more tests before I tell her what I think has been happening,Æ the doctor mused. ôThank you, Ms. Urashima, youÆve been a great help.ö
ôItÆs æMiss UrashimaÆ,ö the smoker explained to the bowing young man. ôIÆm not married.ö
ôThank you once again. Miss Haruka. HereÆs my card, call me if you have any questions.ö
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Over the course of the day, Keitaro was scanned, poked, prodded and generally tested by Dr. Saotome and his team.
ôSo then, can I go home soon?ö the ronin asked hopefully.
ôShould be ok to go back home in a day or two,ö the raven haired physician smiled. ôWhere is home for you?ö
ôItÆsà oh, now I remember, I kinda got kicked out of where I was staying,ö Keitaro explained with an embarrassed look on his face.
ôI see,ö the doctor mused. He turned to where Haruka was standing. ôWell, IÆm sure that your aunt will be able to help you out.ö
ôYeah, just let me make a phone call,ö said the smoker.
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ôMoshi-moshi, Hinata Sou,ö Shinobu spoke into the phone.
ô¼Hi Shinobu-chan, itÆs Haruka here. Are you free to talk for a few minutes?¼ö
ôYes, thereÆs something I wanted to tell you, Haruka-san, but I havenÆt had the chance. Keitaro-sempaiÆs been forced out,ö the chef explained in a low voice. ôI donÆt know what happened, but Naru-sempai and the others seem happy that heÆs gone. The only other one here thatÆs not is Kaolla. She says she misses her toy.ö
ô¼I see. Well, I need to have words with all of you there. IÆll be there at dinner time, ok?¼ö
ôYes, IÆll set you a place, Haruka-san.ö
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Dr. Saotome approached Haruka as she smoked outside the main hospital building.
ôUrashima-san, IÆve got some bad news for you.ö
ôWhat is it, Doctor?ö the smoking woman asked.
The black haired young man gestured to a more private spot. ôYour nephew, Keitaro, do you know if he was physically abused when he was a child?ö
ôNo, he wasnÆt,ö Haruka replied in a threatening tone.
ôI see, sorry about that, but the only other thing I can think of that would have caused his brain injury.ö
ôAnd that is?ö
ôHeÆs getting into an inordinate number of accidents over the last few months. IÆm told that Keitaro is also aspiring to attend Tokyo University, so that stress probably isnÆt helping him.ö
ôHe was also a little depressed,ö the smoker added as she exhaled a plume of smoke.
ôHe didnÆt mention that to me. What makes you think that heÆs depressed?ö Dr. Saotome asked.
ôOne of the tenants at the inn has a crush on him, and she told me that she overheard him say something along those lines,ö Haruka replied.
ôThese accidents could be a cry for help. Is there anything else I should know about?ö
ôThatÆs about it, I think,ö the brunette said apologetically.
ôItÆs not your fault heÆs been treated like this, but in order to aid his recovery, what we need to do is bring him out of his depression without artificially changing his brain chemistry,ö Dr. Saotome said as he scratched the back of his head.
ôWhat do you suggest, Doctor?ö
ôKeep him from drinking alcohol, try to reduce his stress, find someone to be nice to him in an adult manner.ö
ôæBe nice to him in an adult mannerÆ?ö Haruka repeated incredulously.
ôYes,ö the physician nodded. ôThe poor ladÆs clearly not getting any. Hell, heÆs probably got blue balls. IÆm not suggesting that you sleep with him, itÆs just something that you could look into arranging for him.ö
ôWell, I canÆt say that I ever thought that IÆd be arranging for Keitaro to visit the red light district,ö Haruka chuckled.
ôSorry that itÆs fallen on you, Urashima-san, but as the only member of his family that cares about him, youÆve drawn the short straw by default.ö
ôIÆm pretty sure that his little sister cares about himàö
ôIÆm sure that she does, but sheÆs not really in a position to help. Having his family around could make things stressful for him,ö Dr. Saotome explained. ôNot that IÆm suggesting that sympathy sex is the way forward for Keitaro, but having him feel good about something is the best option for helping him with his depression.ö
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The evening meal at the Hinata Sou was a completely different affair from lunch; gone was the semi-joyous atmosphere that resulted from the managerÆs exile.
ôSo then, why was Keitaro carrying all his stuff earlier?ö Haruka asked with neutral look on her face.
ôErràö
ôHe decided that he no longer wanted to manage the inn,ö Motoko answered. ôAnd quite frankly, we like it that way.ö
ôYes, we can go back to enjoying things how they were,ö a rosy-cheeked Kitsune smiled.
ôHave you been drinking, Kitsune?ö Haruka asked with a slight twitch in her left eye.
ôNo, not that muchà I was jusÆ celebrating the fact that weÆve got outta paying this monthÆs rent,ö the fox-eyed girl smirked. ôAnd maybe the next couple of monthsÆ, too.ö
ôWell, IÆm glad that itÆs all working out for you girls,ö the teashop proprietor smiled falsely.
ôIÆm not happy,ö Kaolla piped up. ôI wanted to play with Keitaro. I wouldnÆt have voted if I knew he was going away.ö
The ambient noise level dropped to nothing.
Haruka turned her head to where the blonde was sitting. ôVoted? What do you mean by ævotedÆ, Su-chan?ö
ôI only wanted to vote because I thought it would be tasty. I didnÆt know that Keitaro was being kicked out. He was fun to play with,ö the princess sighed in reminiscence.
ôI see. Well then, thanks for dinner, IÆve got to get back home. IÆll see you tomorrow,ö the smoker said in a sickly sweet tone.
After Kaolla bounced off to her room and Shinobu cleared the table, the older residents looked at each other.
ôIÆve got a bad feeling about this,ö Kitsune mused. ôI think we could be in serious trouble if Haruka finds out what we did.ö
ôWhat we did was for the harmony of the Inn,ö Motoko replied stoically. ôA male presence was a disruptive influence.ö
ôI canÆt say that IÆm sorry that the groping, peeping and grabbing is going to stop,ö Naru added. ôBut Haruka will understand, wonÆt she?ö
Unfortunately, no-one had an answer for her.
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Haruka was not pleased with what she had learned from visit to the inn. Sitting down at her desk with a bottle of sake, she lit up a cigarette and pondered her next course of action.
ôTheyÆre my friends, but damn, they shouldnÆt have hurt Keitaro like that. How could I have been so blind to what he was going through?ö
Stretching, the brunette continued her thoughts. ôI really need teach them a lesson about biting off more than they can chew. Perhaps I should contact MotokoÆs sister she would know how best to punish her and the others.ö
Haruka picked up her phone and dialled the number for the Aoyama clan.
ôHello, I would like to speak with Tsuruko Aoyama, please. ItÆs Haruka Urashima speaking.ö
ô¼One moment, please.¼ö
ô¼Tsuruko Aoyama speaking, how may I help you?¼ö
ôHello, IÆm calling to let you know about the behaviour of your sister, Motoko, towards my nephew, Keitaro Urashima,ö Haruka explained.
ô¼Keitaro Urashima? IÆm afraid IÆm not familiar with that name.¼ö
ôKeitaro is the manager and landlord of the Hinata Sou where your sister is staying.ö
ô¼Ah yes, now I remember. She mentioned that she wasnÆt happy with that arrangement. Has she decided that she wants to come home yet?¼ö
ôNot quite, Aoyama-san,ö Haruka said as she tapped some ash off her cigarette. ôI was wondering what the tenets of the Shinmeiryu School have to say about ganging up on victims of circumstances.ö
ô¼What do you mean?¼ö Tsuruko asked with a frown.
ôWell, my nephew is one of the unluckiest, clumsiest people youÆre likely to meet. When he first took over at the inn from his grandmother, he didnÆt know that it had been turned into an all girlsÆ dormitory.ö
ô¼Hmmm, while I can see why my sister might be a little upset with that development, I donÆt see what the change in management has to do with your call, Urashima-san.¼ö
Haruka steeled herself. ôIÆm not one to tell tales about people, and I do like your sister, but IÆm pretty sure that she had a part in hospitalising my nephew.ö
ô¼Go on,¼ö the married Aoyama sister said in an even tone. ô¼IÆm intrigued as to what my little sister has been getting up to.¼ö
ôIt seems that some of the residents decided that he should go as soon as possible. Though, that was after causing him sufficient harm to injure his brain and send him to the hospital,ö the smoker added angrily. She stubbed out her cigarette. ôAs you can imagine, IÆm not too happy about that.ö
ô¼No, I can see why. I think that itÆs time for me to visit my sister. I would like to have words with her about her treatment of non-martial artists,¼ö Tsuruko said with no hint of anger in her voice. ô¼I shall be there tomorrow, Urashima-san.¼ö
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What happens next? I cannot say, for I don't really know.
Do give your thoughts on the matter.