Author's Note: This is an AU Love Hina story. Bear in mind that there have been alterations to the
canon timeline of Love Hina. Because who a person is shaped by their past experiences, this means
that many characters have a slightly different personality or goals than they did in the original
series. Fair warning that though some characters may seem to be OOC, it's not without good reason.

This story was inspired by the opening of the Dreamcast Love Hina game, "Smile Again". I hope you
find this alternate universe interesting at the very least!

Special thanks to Meggo for moral support! You're the best!

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are property of Ken Akamatsu, and are used without
permission. Please do not sue me, I have no money.


HINATA GIRLS
Road to Stardom!
by TheArchimage

Kentaro Sakata was having a bad day. The new butler he had hired was incompetent, not only letting
him oversleep but also not having the paper and his coffee ready when he came down. His toast had
been burnt, and his maid had cooked his eggs sunny side up when she KNEW he always had them over-
easy on Thursdays. His father had called him on his way to work to argue with him about the latest
CD sales. It took him almost an hour to get to the studio from the hotel, since the roads of
Hinata Hot Springs Town were ridden with pedestrians that his chauffeur refused to run over.
Sakata Records was in a financial crisis, and in very real danger of losing its number one spot in
the industry to multiple competitors.

But all of that was nothing compared to this annoyance.

"We don't know where she is," the assistant huffed to him. "We've looked everywhere, but she's
vanished without a trace. She said she was going outside for a smoke..."

Kentaro felt a vein pop out on his forehead. He held the bridge of his small nose in his hand as
he seethed, "Since when has she ever smoked, you nitwit?"

The assistant thought on that for a moment and backed away sheepishly. Idiots. He was surrounded
by idiots. Kentaro turned away from him, making a mental note to fire whoever authorized her
leaving. He shouted, "Listen up, people! Search every record store, amusement park, coffee shop,
and movie theater in the city! There's only a week left until the concert, and our top star has to
make three visits and have two press conferences before then, not to mention be in her usual
commercial spots and record her new single! Find Naru Narusegawa NOW!"


-First Show-
An Idol's Dream

Hinata Tea House was a quiet establishment, but that's how the proprietor liked it. She was
quietly wealthy enough to live comfortably for the rest of her life, but there was something
incredibly boring about waiting around for thirty or forty years doing nothing. Her family owned
most of the land around the old inn nearby, so she just decided to set up shop there and build the
coffee house from scratch. Haruka Urashima may not have been a good conversationalist, but she
could make a mean cup of brew. Because of this, the shop attracted coffee connoisseurs who didn't
mind going out of their way for their caffeine buzz as well as people who wanted to be left alone.

The first customer of the afternoon looked like she fit into the latter category. She wore a
large green cloak with a hood, which she had draped over her head. Though you could only see
them if you tried to look up at her face, she was wearing sunglasses to conceal her eyes. Her
blouse and skirt were both very plain and non-descript... it was an attempt to look like an
ordinary person, an illusion betrayed by the designer logos on her gear. This person was the
daughter of an old friend of the Urashima family, and Haruka had talked to her a few times on
occasion. But not since...

The new arrival sat at a table near the corner, away from the window. Haruka teased, "Now why
would the famous idol Naru Narusegawa want to waste her time in a run down old coffee shop?" The
hooded figure raised it's head and glanced around the restaurant quickly. The woman chuckled,
"Relax. There's nobody else here, as usual. You're safe."

The figure removed its coat and sunglasses, revealing a young girl of 17 years. Her caramel brown
hair was tucked into the back of her coat and the bottom of it peeked out around her waist, two
strands of hair protruding off the top of her head like antenna. Her face was finely shaped, and
her large brown eyes were so captivating you could easily lose yourself in them. Even without
makeup she was a stunning sight, sure to turn heads if she hadn't taken such pains to hide herself.

Haruka greeted, "Sure has been a while. I heard you were coming back home for a concert... how
long's it been since you've been gone? You see your folks yet?"

Naru shrugged her shoulders tiredly. "I don't know... by the calendar only about two months, but
it feels like its been years. I haven't stopped by home yet... too many other things to figure
out before I deal with that."

"I don't see any camera crews following you... on the run?" Haruka asked with a smirk.

Naru threw up her hands as she began, "I have a month's worth of work in a week's time! I haven't
had a decent meal in days! I'm constantly being whisked off to one place or another with almost no
time to rehearse, no time to sightsee, and no time to just RELAX!" Naru concluded her rant by
laying her head on the table. "Being famous sucks. I should have listened to mom..."

"Are you starting to regret your decision?"

"I thought it would be nice to get recognition," Naru sighed, lifting her head. "But being an
idol is the pits! At the same time people are giving you attention, they're laughing at you behind
your back. I don't like being called a 'no-talent bimbo' or 'a pretty face with an empty head'..."

Haruka nodded. "They don't even know if you have talent, I bet."

"THAT'S the most annoying part! Even I don't know whether I'm any good or not, because the songs
those corporate goons give me take no talent to sing! I have no control over my life or my music!
They decide what I sing, where I appear, what I can do for hobbies... I can't even have a
boyfriend! Not like I really want one but it's the principle of the thing, damn it!" Naru
punctuated this last remark by slamming her fist on the table, causing the napkin holder on the
table to rattle.

Haruka had been listening intently. She tapped the ash off the end of her cigarette as she asked,
"So... you'd rather not be an idol?"

Naru grumbled in frustration. "I don't know... I mean, I like singing and getting up in front of
a crowd, but does it have to be like this? Why can't I write my own songs... have my own band...
be a REAL musician, instead of some face on a pop magazine that no one will remember or care about
in three months? I have a lot of trouble believing that people appreciate what I do when I can't
appreciate what I do..."

Naru straightened up on her stool, sighing heavily. She thought to herself a moment as she looked
up at the television. There her manager and the son of the CEO of Sakata Records, Kentaro Sakata,
was giving feeble excuses as to why Naru had not appeared for her commercial spot for Sukkon brand
canned tea. Kentaro presented himself as a kind, caring, competent businessman. Only one of the
above was actually true. He was more concerned about boosting his career than keeping his big
star from suffering from an ever-more-imminent physical and emotional breakdown.

"Hey, Haruka-san," Naru said wistfully. "If I had the chance to start over... I wouldn't have
signed that deal. I would have kept going to a normal high school like other kids, and tried to
find others with a passion for music. Start up a band... play at clubs and small parties... work
our way up the right way. No skipping steps, only surviving off of ourselves and our music..."
Naru sighed again as her head fell to the table to rest on top of her arms.

"That's what I really wanted, when I was looking for a way to break into singing. I know that now."

Haruka thought to herself for a moment, then spoke very slowly, "... If you're absolutely sure...
it might not be too late."

Naru looked up at her. "Huh?"

"There is one way... one person who can help. There's someone I know that tried to get me into
the singing business... I was too self-conscious to do much of anything, though. But maybe she
can get you started on the right track. Yeah..."
She paused to blow a puff of smoke into the air, then finished, "You ought to go see Grandma
Hina."

"Grandma... Hina?"

Haruka nodded. "She runs the inn just behind this coffee shop, but it's the off-season for her
right now. I bet if you asked, she could give you a hand."

Naru swallowed hard, looking out the window. The inn rested at the top of the long staircase
behind the tea house. It was a large Japanese style building, more like a mansion than an inn.
She had of course seen it many times; she had spent most of her youth in Hinata Hot Springs Town,
and the inn could be seen from practically anywhere in town. But she had never ventured up there,
or even paid it much mind.

Naru asked, "What kind of person is Grandma Hina?"

Haruka scratched the back of her head, wondering what she could get away with saying. "She really
cares for her family, but she's getting on in the years... sometimes she says really weird things
that don't make any sense. She's always embarking on one silly project after another... last year
she tried to make a movie. The year before that, she went on a trip to every hot natural hot
spring across Japan. The year before that, she tried to turn that flaky old inn into a girl's
dormitory."

Naru jaw dropped, though even she didn't know whether it was from awe or shock. "Wow... she's
really busy..."

Haruka sighed. "You're telling me. Half the reason I'm here is to make sure she doesn't do
anything really crazy."

Naru narrowed her eyes. "Hey... Are you just telling me to go talk to her so I'll keep her busy
and out of your hair?"

Haruka shrugged, a tiny smile on her face. "She can help you. If I get something out of it too,
so much the better. Don't worry about the small things... just trust me on this one, okay?"

Naru looked up at the mansion on the hill. She then laughed once to herself. "... I guess it's
worth a shot. What's the worst that could happen?"


"Who the heck puts a mansion on top of a mountain?" Naru grumbled as she trudged up the steps
leading to Hinata Inn. "I spent the last two days in dance lessons, my feet are already killing
me! Okay, first chance I get I'm going to suggest to this 'Grandma Hina' that she might get more
business if she installed an escalator. Geez, does this thing ever END?!"

She knew she was being whiny about the whole thing, but she didn't particularly care. She knew no
one was listening, so there was no harm in complaining. Besides, she got so few chances to blow
off steam because she had to maintain her public image... it felt good to scream for no good reason
every once in a while.

Finally she reached the top. She took a moment to straighten herself out, looking up at the inn.
"Okay, Naru, play it cool. Just introduce yourself and everything will work out fine. There's no
reason to be nervous, so stop talking to yourself!" She shook her head, taking a deep breath as
she smiled cordially. Time to put that polished image to work.

She walked up to the front door and knocked. After a brief moment the door opened slowly. The
problem was, there was no one standing on the other side of the door. Naru peered inside
quizzically, her face scrunching up in confusion.

"Down here," came a disembodied voice, startling Naru enough for her to shriek. She looked down
to see a tiny old woman, maybe only two feet tall, looking up at her.

Naru blinked, but quickly recovered her smile. "Oh, hi! I'm very sorry, I didn't see you."

"Are you here to rent a room?" the woman asked pleasantly.

"Um, no, I'm not. My name is Naru Narusegawa, and-"

Naru was interrupted suddenly as the door swung shut with a slam inches from her face.

The idol stared at the door for a second, mouth still open. Naru sucked in air, telling herself,
"Oooooookay... don't get upset. Stay calm, just try again. Don't let this get to you..."

Naru knocked on the door once more. After a short pause the door opened again, revealing the
short old woman. "You again?" she murmured.

Naru smiled. "Yes, me again, I was wondering..."

The door slammed in her face once more.

Naru stared at the door for a second, took a deep breath... and snapped. She balled up her fists
and beat against the door mercilessly with both hands. "Hey! Open up, you wrinkled old hag! I'm
trying to ask for a favor here!"

"You have a funny way of asking," came a voice from inside. "Whatever you're selling, I don't
want any."

"I'm not selling anything!" Naru shouted. "I'm here because that woman at the coffee shop told me
you could help me make a band!"

The door shot open so fast it startled her right out of her rage. The old woman stood in the
doorway, looking Naru up and down. "What did you say your name was?"

Naru blinked. "Um... it's Naru. Naru Narusegawa."

"... Narusegawa, you say? The way I hear things, you're a pretty popular singer already. What do
you need my help for?"

"Because I don't want to be an idol anymore. I want to be a singer! A real one, with a real
band, that sings real music!"

The old woman raised an eyebrow. "A real singer, eh? Alright, come in. But call me Grandma Hina
from now on; if I hear the words 'wrinkled old hag' again I'll toss you down the stairs faster than
you can say 'Two-Mix'. Got it?"

"Yes," Naru said sheepishly. "I'm very sorry about that... sometimes I get a little quick-
tempered..."

"Let's just get down to business," Grandma Hina said, motioning for her to come in. "Tea?"

Naru started to walk inside, saying, "Well, I just came from the teahouse, so..."

Hina gave her a wry grin. "A tip, little girl. Whenever an eccentric, crotchety old woman offers
you anything you never, ever refuse. Let's try it again. Candy?"

Naru laughed nervously. Just what had she gotten herself into?


"How's your tea?"

Naru sat at the small table, wringing her hands anxiously. So far this woman seemed completely
unpredictable, switching moods from one minute to the next; she was wondering how much longer it
would be until she got her head bitten off. "Um, it's very good, best I've ever tasted," Naru
lied. It was decent, but Hina's brewing couldn't hold a candle to the cigarette smoking matron at
the Tea House just down the stairs. "Anyway, I would really like to discuss making me a real
singer..."

Hina raised an eyebrow. "No small talk? That's the problem with kids these days, always in a
rush." She sipped her tea calmly, delaying until just before Naru's synapses burst. She then
said, "The first thing you need to do is break things off with your company. Judging by the sales
of your last single, they're not going to let you go easily."

Naru smirked, shrugging her shoulders. "It doesn't matter whether they want to let me go or not.
I'll make the phone call, say 'I'm gone,' and they're just going to have to deal with it."

Hina shrugged, sighing deeply. "Will it be that easy...? Well, I'm not going to stop you from
doing anything. Just be sure you know the consequences."

Naru gave her a sideways glance. "Consequences?"

Hina explained, "You'll have to give up all the special privileges of being an idol and start from
the bottom again; you will have to work for every show and every ounce of respect you get." She
sipped her tea with her eyes closed. She then opened them to stare at Naru. "Are you prepared
to stake everything on your will and talent alone?"

Naru nodded. "Yes. I might get privileges as an idol, but they're all false. People show up to
my shows because I'm popular, not because they want to hear me sing. They cheer because I'm pretty,
not because they enjoyed my performance. That hurts more than if they didn't cheer at all. I want
to be a real musician. I want to be known for my own talents. I'm scared to think I might not be
good enough or strong enough... but if I don't try, I'll regret it forever!"

Hina smiled as she set her tea down. "Very well. You and I... together, we are going to put
together the greatest band in the history of the world." She held her hand out towards Naru as
she concluded, "... Are you prepared?"

Naru clenched her fists, feeling adrenaline rush into her. She smiled with determination as she
nodded once more. "Yes!" Naru clasped Hina's hand in her own, and with a single solid shake
finalized her decision.

Hina released Naru's hand with a smile. "Well then, the first step would be to find band members.
No singer stands alone, after all. You're going to have to find the best band members in the city,
those talented musicians that have yet to make a name for themselves."

Naru nodded, feeling more and more excited with every passing minute. "Okay... where should I
start looking?"

Hina closed her eyes. "I can't help you with that. But... I know someone who can." She stood up
from the table, taking one last gulp of tea. "Follow me, Naru. We're taking a walk."


A few hours later Naru and Hina were in the downtown area of Hinata Hot Springs Town. It was mid-
afternoon and a gorgeous day, so there were many people walking around outside. Naru was keeping
most of her hair under a baseball cap, and wore sunglasses to hide her identity. She stayed a
step or two behind Hina, even though the woman's slow pace forced her to slowly inch along.

She finally asked, "Who are we going to see anyway?"

Hina explained, "Someone I know from a ways back... someone only a year or two older than you, so
don't worry about being saddled with an old crone. She has a few... emotional issues, but she's
well-versed in local music lore. She knows every band, every nightclub and bar, and every
performer that ever hits a note in the city. Not only that, but she's a very talented musician in
her own right. If anyone knows where to find talent, it's her."

Naru's eyes widened in awe. "Wow! How did you meet someone like that?"

Hina smiled tightly. "It's a long story, dear. Almost as long as the story of why I know she'll
be here." Hina turned suddenly, looking up at her destination. It was a fairly standard bar with
saloon-style swinging doors, the paint on the wooden walls beginning to show its age. There were
neon lights above the door, but it being the afternoon they weren't currently on. It was rare for
a bar to be serving customers this early in the day, but nonetheless there was a small black sign
on the window that assured that they were open for business.

Naru gritted her teeth, becoming less sure of this by the second. "Um... Grandma Hina, I can't go
in there, I'm underage! If I'm caught someplace like this, my reputation-!"

"I thought you were going to give up your reputation? But, no one's forcing you to," Hina said
unsympathetically as she walked through the doors, leaving Naru alone on the sidewalk.

Naru glanced around nervously, lamenting, "Damn it, you know if you go in there I have to too...!"
She pulled the cap's visor over her eyes before following Hina through the doors.

The bar was almost stereotypical in design; a single room with the bar along the left side, two
billiard tables in the far right corner, and small round tables interspersed everywhere else.
There were only about five people in the whole place, seven if you included Naru and Hina in that
total.

One of those people was a girl with short silver hair. She sat alone at one of the small round
tables, her head down and with her arms curled around her head like she was asleep. Hina walked
up to this girl slowly, and as Naru followed she noticed an opened but still full bottle of cheap
booze on the table in front of the girl.

Hina tapped the girl on the top of the head with her walking stick. "Feeling sorry for yourself
again?"

The gray-haired girl rustled slightly, groaning. She then looked up, squinting incredulously.
"Grandma Hina?" she said drowsily.

Naru blinked, turning her head to the side. She'd seen this person before... a long time ago.
It was just another face in the hall then, but...

The name came back to her slowly: "Mitsune... Konno-sempai?"

Hina looked at Naru. "You know her?"

Naru shrugged. "Well, sort of. She was a senior when I first entered high school. I saw her
around, but I didn't know her personally." She purposefully neglected to mention that there were
a number of rumors floating around about her in those years. A lot of it was the standard high-
school bantering, but Mitsune came off as the type of person you could actually see doing some of
those things.

Mitsune looked up, smiling sadly at Naru. "Bet you never thought you'd see a sempai end up like
this, huh? Well, that's life I guess..." She grabbed the bottle around the neck and twisted the
cap off dejectedly.

"Nuh-uh," Hina said, tearing the bottle from the girl's grasp. "None for you."

Mitsune gave her an annoyed look. "It won't be the first time I've fallen off the wagon. Just
leave me alone."

"It's too early in the day for a young girl to be drinking. Besides, you can't play smashed, can
you?"

"Play?" Kitsune asked, confused.

"Yes, play one of your songs. Show us what you can do. Do a good job, and I'll show you how to
get out of this rut you've found yourself in."

Mitsune sighed. "Why bother? This place is dead... nobody will be listening."

"We will," Hina said. "You should know not to keep an audience waiting."

The silver-haired girl stretched as she got up out of her seat. "Fine fine. There's probably a
point to this I don't get, so whatever. I need to get my stuff from the back... I'll be up on
stage in five minutes." She walked to the back of the bar and shared a few words with the
bartender. He looked over in their direction, then nodded as he turned back to Mitsune. Mitsune
sighed, then went through the door in the back.

"Pay attention to the stage, Naru," Hina warned. "You're going to have to decide whether she's
worth having around." Naru took a deep breath, not quite sure what to expect.

Mitsune pushed through the curtain and appeared on the stage, a saxophone slung on her shoulder
and carrying an empty beer mug. She put the mug down on the front of the stage, then stepped
back. She cleared her throat and looked out over the mostly inattentive crowd. "My name's Mitsune
Konno," she started. "I haven't got any words for this song yet, but even still I think it'll get
you all in a drinkin' mood. It's called, 'I Don't Have a Parasol'. And as always, tips're welcome."
With this last bit she motioned toward the beer mug on the stage. She brought the saxophone up near
her lips and closed her eyes. She tapped her foot a few times to set the beat, then put her lips
around the reed and began.

Music is a language all its own, using notes as words and emotions as sentences. Like any
language, it has multiple levels. On the base level, a song can change your immediate mood... a
happy song makes you happy, just like a sad song can make you sad. But at the deepest level it
can transcend everything: the listener's emotions, the notes and words, even the instrument and
the player themselves. A true musician is able to directly transmit their own emotions, their
own feelings through the music they play and into the audience.

It was with this thought that Naru fell to her knees, overcome by the raw power of Mitsune's
blues. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her heart started to ache terribly. She started to wish
she were over twenty, because she felt suddenly that she really wanted a drink. Hina stood straight,
eyes closed, but if Naru could have seen through her own tears she would have noticed Hina brushing
away a few stray drops from her face.

As the wail of the saxophone died down a few of the patrons walked up to put bills in the mug.
Some didn't bother to get out of their seats, tossing quarters at the mug from their tables.
After a few seconds the clamor died down and Mitsune sighed as she picked up her mug, picking up
some of the stray quarters that missed the mark. She turned and bid farewell to the audience with
a wave over her shoulder, then disappeared behind the small stage's curtains.

She appeared down by the floor within seconds, emptying the mug of change into her hand. "Barely
even enough for a drink," she mumbled as she walked up to Grandma Hina and Naru, half-throwing the
mug onto the table. "Like I thought, a waste of time."

Hina smiled. "You could do a lot better than this dump, you know. You've gotten better since the
last time I heard you."

Mitsune shook her head. "It's not because I've been practicing more. I've just got more on my
mind these days. The blues get better the more depressed you already are. Hey, you," she said,
turning to Naru. "It'd be better if you stopped crying. Your makeup's gonna run."

Naru shook her head as she recovered her legs, sniffling, "No need to worry. I'm... I'm not
wearing any."

Mitsune opened her eyes, looking at her intensely. "Seriously? Man, some girls have all the luck.
So who is this anyway, Grannie?"

"GRANDMA Hina," Hina corrected, tapping her lightly in the kneecap with her walking stick. "As
cheeky as ever, I see. Anyway, this is..." She stopped to look around carefully, then pulled
Mitsune down to her level. She then whispered something very softly in Mitsune's ear.

"WHAT?!" Mitsune yelled loudly, leaping backwards. "THE Naru Narusegawa? Famous Naru? Giant
billboards in Tokyo, all over TV, THAT Naru?"

All conversation in the bar stopped instantly. Everyone's head turned toward the three, most
particularly in the direction of the caramel-haired girl.

Naru put her sunglasses back on, too late. "Maybe they didn't get a good look at me..." she
whispered hopefully.


A half hour later Mitsune and Naru laid on the floor of Hinata Inn's living, faces flushed from
exertion and breathing heavily. Naru was laying on her side, and said in between gasps for air,
"We... finally... lost them..."

Mitsune was sprawled out on the floor, her body resembling a five-pointed star. She said haltingly,
"Naru-san... your fans are... a little crazy..."

Hina sat on the couch, peacefully sipping tea. "How long are you two going to lie there?"

Naru opened one eye to look at Hina. "We're... dying over here... and she's... having tea..."

Mitsune took a few more deep breaths before she pulled herself into a sitting position, though she
was hunched over a bit from exhaustion. She shook her head with exasperation as she marveled, "You
never change... you old bat."

Naru pulled herself up as well, asking, "How do... you two... know each other?"

Hina sighed. "A few years ago, I tried to convert this inn into a girl's dormitory. Mitsune was
the only person that signed up, and her rent alone couldn't keep up the whole place. It failed,
but I've been keeping watch on her ever since."

"More like interfering in my life," Mitsune sighed as she straightened herself out. "You always
make trouble for me."

Hina glared at her out of the corner of her eye. "Your life needs interfering with. Besides, I
think you'll appreciate it this time. Let me explain..."


Mitsune took a long sip from her tea, setting it down slowly. She raised her head to look at Naru
through half-closed eyes for a moment before saying, "Let me get this straight... You want to give
up fame, fortune, and popularity so you can practice with a bunch of teens in a garage? Um, no
offense, but..." She coughed as she finished, "You're kinda stupid, aren't you?"

"WHAT?!" Naru screeched. "How am I NOT supposed to take offense to that?"

"Hey, you got a lucky break. Most girls would kill to be in your shoes. You might not get this
lucky again... you really want to give it all up?"

"Whether other girls want to be in my position has nothing to do with whether I enjoy being an
idol. I don't like it, and there's no good reason why I have to suffer when I don't have to. I've
always done only what I wanted to do, and I'd rather start from the bottom and change my position
than whine about how much I dislike my life."

Mitsune cringed. "Kinda selfish, too..."

Naru retorted, "What's so selfish about wanting to be happy? Like you said, there's plenty of
girls who would rather have my position. They can have it. I want to do something different,
something more meaningful, with my music."

The silver-haired girl sighed long and loud, coming back up with a tiny smile. "Heh... I don't
get you. But you know, it might be fun to watch. Lord knows I've needed something interesting to
occupy me for a while. Alright, Naru-san." She held out her hand for a shake. "I'm with you...
for as long as your dream lasts."

Naru frowned, disappointed slightly. "Geez, don't go getting all overexcited or anything..."

Mitsune shrugged nonchalantly. "If you want me to be more energetic, show me something worth
getting all worked up for."

Naru smirked. "That sounds like a challenge... all right." She clasped Mitsune's hand in her
own tightly, her competitive side roaring to life. "Watch closely, Mitsune-san. I'll show you
something truly spectacular... the birth of a music legend."

Mitsune smirked back. "And a little full of yourself, to top it all off?"

Naru shook her head. "I didn't mean me. I meant us."


Naru stood on the roof of Hinata Inn, looking up into the sky wistfully. She sighed heavily,
weary beyond words. She had no idea anything like this would happen at the beginning of the day.
She knew she shouldn't complain, though... anything was better than spending another day making
that dork Kentaro rich off her looks.

A voice from behind startled her, "You've made the first step toward your dream, Naru. I would
expect you to be happier."

Naru turned toward Grandma Hina, the source of the voice, and explained, "I'm not unhappy... it's
just that Mitsune-san doesn't seem very enthusiastic. It's almost like she said 'yes' only because
she doesn't have anything better to do. I was sort of hoping for people with a little more...
passion."

Hina nodded. "She may be a little cynical and gloomy, but that's only because of her past. Don't
hold it against her."

"Her... past?"

Hina smiled. "Forget what an old coot like me says. More importantly, she's only the first
member of your band. You'll need more than just her."

"So, then who else...?"

Hina smiled. "That will be up to you. I can't do everything for you... you need to find band
members you can get along with, that share the same passion for music. Mitsune can help you with
that. By the way, Naru... where are you staying while you're in town?"

Naru cringed. Where COULD she go? She sure as heck couldn't go back to the hotel, even if she
wanted to. Kentaro would be waiting for her there. Her mother lived nearby, sure, but...

"Um... I haven't gotten that far yet. I guess I need to rent a room in some motel nearby..."

Grandma Hina eyes wandered around the room. "This building... it's an inn, you know..." Grandma
Hina sighed. "The Urashima family still owns it, but we haven't used it in a while. I'm afraid
you'll have to fix the place up a bit yourselves. But it's up in the hills, so you won't bother
anyone with the noise from rehearsals. Also, if you ever need to relax, there's a natural hot
spring in the back... I've been taking pretty good care of it, just in case a guest pops in."

Naru's jaw dropped. "This... Grandma Hina, this is too much! I can't accept a gift like
this...!"

"Who's giving you anything? This inn isn't making any money now, so I might as well let an
interesting freeloader stick around."

Naru's eyes widened in surprise. "Grannie..."

Hina raised an eyebrow. "Don't get too familiar, now. For the moment, I'm not only your boss but
your landlord too. Now then, don't you have other things to be doing?"

"Right!" Naru agreed quickly, skipping away to discuss prospective new members with Mitsune.

Hina shook her head as she watched her walk away. "Now... what kind of dream will take shape...?"

Mitsune Konno - Saxophone, Backup vocals


Next time: Way of the Samurai