Tainted Gestalt: Love Hina

How long had it been since he had last stood in this place? How long had it been since those carefree days? Too long by far. He stared up at the steps and took a deep breath. This was his only chance for a place to stay. His parents had kicked him out after his second failure, and now he had little chance for anything else but to stay in this place.

The memories were fond, if not entirely clear. He remembered playing with a girl, the two of them mucking about in the sandbox… But her face and her name had been eroded away by the cruel sands of time. He had simply been too young to form the memory properly and keep the most important points in mind.

Save one: The promise. If he kept his half of the promise, then he was sure he would meet her again. Someday. Somehow. He would meet her, and -

And something was falling down the steps, making tiny little noises as it went. Light bounced off it as though fleeing a mortal foe, and for some reason the “tink, tink, tink” it made sounded as loud as a brass band.

Keitaro Urashima stopped in his tracks out of pure and simple curiosity, and as if in response the item did much the same. He stared at it and could swear it stared back… And so, he picked it up and wondered idly to himself to whom it belonged and when he would have the best opportunity to return it.

And up the stairs he went into the Hinata House to meet his grandmother. The many, many steps.

• written by Lumitiel