Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, it is the property of Ken Akamatsu. This fic however is mine. To produce the desired effect, I have moved up the Love Hina timeline to the present day yet again (sigh). Please R&R, and enjoy! As a side note, the small paragraphs at the beginning of each divided story segment (that show the date, location, status, and alert level) are crucial to the story, so please don't skip over them. I will be re-releasing the chapters as soon as possible, depending on how much editing I do.

"abc"-speech

"abc"-speech over radio/TV

abc-thought

"abc"-English speech


Initiating Combat Log Alpha.

Uploading Mission File Love and War

Upload Complete.

Preparing File For Secure Network Feed…

Network Secured. Execute?

YES / NO

Initializing…


Date: November 19, 2007; 1437 hours

Location: Hinata Sou. Hinata City, Kanagawa Prefecture; Japan.

Status: Normal

Alert Level: None

It was yet another peaceful day at Hinata Sou. The sun was shining without a cloud in the sky and there was a light breeze blowing. At the top of the steps leading towards the front entrance, Naru Narusegawa was taking a well deserved break from her daily chores. Now that Keitaro was studying abroad in America, she had to fill in as the landlord and do most of the housework.

"Phew, now I know what Keitaro feels like," she said, wiping her brow.

Naru's smile faded a sudden feeling of depression and loneliness hit her. Naru couldn't deny the fact that she missed him a lot, but she knew that it wouldn't be a good idea to keep thinking about him. After all, she had a dorm to run, her studies to attend to, and a part-time job teaching.

"Thinking about him again?"

Naru jumped in surprise and turned around to see her friend Mitsune "Kitsune" Konno. She stood there with her usual fox-like grin that she always wore when plotting something, with an open can of beer in her left hand. Surprisingly, she seemed to be sober (alert the media).

"Aack! Kitsune, don't scare me like that!" Naru said in annoyance. "And no! I'm not thinking about that perverted loser again!"

Kitsune's grin, if possible, grew wider. "Oh come on Naru. You know that you love the guy, so why do you keep denying your feelings? You were never like this when you had that crush on Seta."

That little tidbit of truth shot through Naru like an icy dagger. Naru bit her lip, trying to come up with a good excuse. Truth be told, Naru could never understand why she denied her feelings. Although she never felt like she was ready to start a more intimate relationship with Keitaro, she really, really wanted to. But she couldn't bring herself to do so, especially after all those years of turning down men, proclaiming that as an exam student, she didn't have time for relationships, except that now she was already enrolled at Tokyo U, so that excuse was void.

"I don't know," was all she could say to Kitsune. Tears started to form in her eyes as her emotions took over. She tried to wipe them away, but Kitsune had already seen them.

"Come here," she said softly. Naru went over and started to sob softly into her friend's shoulder. "It's okay Naru, just let it out," Kitsune said, as she patted Naru's back reassuringly.

Naru continued to cry for a good seven minutes. After a while, she managed to regain her composure. She lifted her head to look at Kitsune, her eyes slightly bloodshot. "I'm just so lonely without him. What if he finds another girl in America? I don't think I could live without him."

"Don't worry Naru. I'm sure that he won't forget you. As clumsy and forgetful as he is, I know that he is probably thinking about you right now. He will only be gone for another five months, right?"

"I guess so."


Date: April 1, 2008; 1800 hours

Location: Hinata Sou, Hinata City.

Status: As of April 3, 2007; Hinata Sou is under new management, by one Kanako Urashima.

Alert Level: None

It was six in the afternoon. The sun was just starting to touch horizon as evening took over. Naru, Kitsune, Motoko, Shinobu, Sarah, Su, Kanako, Mutsumi, and Haruka were all in the living room watching TV. Everybody was on edge, expecting Keitaro to walk through the door at any moment. Naru was deep in thought, Kitsune was wondering how she should "welcome" Keitaro back home (wink, wink), Su was thinking bananas and what new invention she should test on Keitaro (lately she was thinking that the Mecha Tama X prototype might be a good choice), Shinobu was thinking about what to cook for Keitaro when he arrived, Motoko didn't really give a damn about Keitaro at the moment (at this point she still has complete control over her emotions), blah blah blah, you get the idea.

So, while they were watching TV, a news brief came up, interrupting the overly dramatic soap opera that was on.

"Hey, those two were just about to get it on!" Kitsune whined.

"Shut up!" Kanako yelled. "I want to hear this!"

Kitsune shot her a nasty look before returning her attention to the TV.

"After two weeks of extensive investigating, it has been concluded by the International Liaison Department of the General Political Department, of the People's Republic of China, that Yoshi Tanaka, a business representative of the Sony Corporation, is actually an undercover agent of Japan's Defense Intelligence Headquarters. Earlier reports have indicated that he is responsible for the leak in the Weapons and Tactics Department of the People's Liberation Army," the reporter said. "It is reported that the department has had about forty percent of its blueprints and data files compromised, and most of its experimental weapons programs have been sabotaged. Chinese President Hu Jintao and State Council Premier Wen Jiabao both made statements this morning, saying that 'the Japanese have disgraced, defiled, and desecrated the entire nation of China through the illegal use of espionage agents, despite the numerous treaties that have been set in place for years.' President Jintao went so far as to say that if the Japanese refuse to compensate for this incident in the upcoming negotiations, war can and will break out. We will be frequently updating on the situation. Up next, ways to save big on car insurance, and-"

The TV snapped off as Haruka hit the power button. She had a look of exhaustion on her face, or it could have been that her last smoke was about twenty minutes ago (is that a record for her? I'm not quite sure).

"I think that it's time to call it a day," she said. Everybody got up without another word and headed to their rooms. Except for Naru, who went to the window and looked up at the sky.

"Keitaro, please come home."


Date: April 1, 2008; 0500 hours

Location: Somewhere in the United States

Status: Suspected Japanese spies in custody. Awaiting authorization from department head to begin interrogation.

Alert Level: Defcon 4

FBI Detective Alan Hartford let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. He knew that this investigation was a bunch of bullshit, born and bred by paranoid politicians who would rather focus on international issues that don't pertain to the U.S., rather than try to sort out the domestic issues that were more important. As he looked into the interrogation room through the one-way glass, he could honestly say that there was no way in hell that these guys were spying for Japan.

The first one, Alan fumbled with the case file, pulling out his glasses (he hated getting old), was Seta Noriyasu, in his mid thirties, an archeology professor for Tokyo University. His driver's license has been suspended…holy crap, 145 times before Japan's police branches stopped recording the suspensions. Hundreds of reported automobile accidents, with practically no follow up reports from hospitals, leading to believe that this guy has survived major shit through some unknown means. Five second attention span, unaware of environmental hazards, this guy was a danger to himself and everyone around him.

The second one was Keitaro Urashima, age twenty-one, attending Tokyo University for a major in archeology. Recently received his driver's license, no accidents reported yet. Reacted negatively when introduced to female colleagues, apparently "waving his arms like a maniac, shaking his head and screaming 'It was an accident, I swear!,'" on three separate occasions. Once over his initial panic, any attempt at communication was hindered by constant stuttering, furious blushing, and trying to escape to safety, only to trip over his own two feet.

What the fuck? Where in the hell did the FBI come up with these guys?

"This world has really gone to crap," Alan sighed, closing the case folder.

"Yo Al!" a man walked into the room. "The boss has given us the green light. Time to start the circus show."

"Hey Leonard. You think so too, huh?"

"Damn straight. There is no way these guys can be spies. I mean, that kid over there tripped over a fucking fold in the hallway's carpet, and somehow managed to grab onto Brandy's skirt as she came out of her office. She's never in the building this early in the morning! How the hell did that happen? That poor guy is a magnet for bad luck!"

"However, there is enough circumstantial evidence to warrant an interrogation at this point in time," Al pointed out.

"Yeah, and every politician in town is going to vote for their incarceration, unless we can somehow convince them otherwise," Leonard replied. "You got any ideas?"

"Yeah, one. But it's sure to bring Armageddon upon us."

"I'm willing to take the punishment. These guys don't deserve to go to prison."

"Okay then, let's do this."

They both headed for the interrogation room's door.


Why is this happening, Keitaro thought. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

As he sat there with his head in his hands, elbows propped up on the table, he went through everything that had occurred since he had arrived. The luggage mishap at the airport, arriving at the lecture hall, the numerous seminars, the few digs that took place. No matter how he looked at it, neither he nor Seta had done anything during the past six months to warrant this. One moment, they were leaving for the airport, and then a black van had cut off their taxi. Several men jumped out, weapons drawn, demanding that they exit the car with their hands up. No explanations were given, no words were said, they just slapped on the cuffs and threw them into the van. Now, they were sitting in a gray room with a huge mirror and one door.

All I ever wanted to do was make it into Tokyo University and meet my promise girl. Is that too much to ask?

As Keitaro continued to mope, Seta was doing something completely out of character: deep thinking. He knew that he had taken all the necessary steps for their trip to America; validated their visas, booked the flights ahead of time, followed airport security procedures to the letter. Hell, he had even quit driving during their entire stay, opting to instead take a taxi. What could they possibly be in trouble for?

The sound of door opening caused the two of them to draw their attention to the two men who had just walked in. As one of them sat down, the other closed the door behind him. One man had dirty blonde hair, the other had jet black hair, and both sets of hair were disheveled. They had been without sleep for quite a while.

"Hello, I'm FBI Detective Alan Hartford," said the man with the dirty blonde hair. "This is my partner, Detective Leonard Fuller. We're the men running this investigation."

Seta sat up in his chair, an angry look in his eyes. "Then maybe you would like to explain what the hell this is all about!"

"Thank God you speak English," Leonard sighed in relief. "This will make things a lot easier."

"The reason that you are hear," Alan explained, "is because the United States Government believes that Japan may have sent you two as spies."

"That's bullshit!" Seta roared. "Why the hell would Japan send spies to the United States? We're allies and trade partners!"

Both men had puzzled looks on their faces after that statement. They looked at each other, clearly showing that they were confused as hell.

"Wait a sec, let's back it up," Leonard said calmly. "Have you been watching the news lately?"

"No," Seta replied cautiously. "Our schedule never really allowed us any free time. Why do you ask?"

Both men now wore "Christmas Day" faces, their smiles wide. Had this been a less serious situation, Keitaro would've compared their looks to that of his friends Shirai and Haitani when they found potential girlfriends walking by.

"I think we got our first big break Alan," Leonard said happily.

"Damn straight," Alan replied. "Let's get the tapes in here."

A TV monitor and DVD player were brought into the room and hooked up. Alan took a disk out of its sleeve and popped it into the player. As the video booted up, Leonard explained what they were about to watch.

"This is CNN's coverage of the story that originally aired at two o'clock this morning."

As the video played, the security camera in the corner of the room was watching both Keitaro's and Seta's faces, recording their reactions. The video lasted less than five minutes, and when it ended, Alan turned the television off.

"So, do you guys understand what's going on now?" Alan asked, turning towards the two.

"That still doesn't justify arresting us," Seta said, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Actually, it kinda does," Leonard said sadly. "Not five minutes after this story aired, you made a call to reserve seats on the next flight to Japan."

"I had made those reservations months ago!" Seta shot back. "I was just confirming that the flight was still on schedule."

"Ah, but unfortunately, the airport's recording of the call was lost due to a computer error," Alan said. "The person that took the call says that all he remembers was a call 'reserving seats on the next flight leaving for Tokyo, Japan.'"

"It's still only circumstantial evidence at best, completely based off of human error," Leonard added. "But there are several federal lawyers that can make even the most logical and kind hearted jury into biased, political puppets."

"We know that you two cannot possibly be spies," Alan said. "But our word means jack shit in court. This situation is almost completely out of our hands."

Keitaro's head perked up. "Wait, did you say, 'Almost?'"

"Yes, I did. I have an idea that may keep the two of you out of prison, work off the 'debt' that you owe Uncle Sam, and perhaps even strengthen ties between Japan and the United States."

"What debt?!" Seta asked angrily.

"Well, as you can imagine, a Federal investigation isn't cheap."

"I'm going to forget that you even said that," Seta said, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Whoa there, buddy," Alan raised his hands up in defense. "I'm just trying to help. If my tax dollars are going into this investigation, I want something good to come out of it."

"Uhh, I don't want to make the situation any worse," Keitaro said meekly. "But isn't this whole thing being recorded by that camera up there? Couldn't this video be used against us, maybe even get you guys in trouble?"

"Oh, not to worry. Recordings of interrogations are strictly for security purposes," Leonard reassured. "Only in the most extreme cases can the courts request a copy, and even then, the cameras don't record audio."

"Oh, well that's good," Keitaro smiled.

"Anyway, although the repercussions that may occur will most likely be career destroying for us, the plan is relatively simple, and stands a good chance of keeping the two of you out of prison," Alan said. "So here's the deal: over the past few years, in order to strengthen international bonds, military information has been traded between several nations. This has resulted in an almost completely even playing field between nations on the military scale, which further more has reduced the incentive of anyone wanting to make a move on their neighbors. However, there is one thing that can't simply be traded."

"And what might that be?" Seta asked.

"Training," Alan smiled. "Every military branch of every nation on this planet has a level of training required. Although many practices are commonly used, the methods behind how they are enforced aren't."

"In order to solve this little dilemma, governments have been authorizing their military branches to send fresh recruits to train in neighboring nations," Leonard said. "The knowledge and experience the recruits gain is then brought back and shared with their country's military forces."

"Here's where things get interesting," Alan took over. "Japan and the United States have yet to complete the selection process and send their candidates. So what we are going to do, is take this up to the executive level, straight to the President, and get him to approve of the idea. Contrary to popular belief, he doesn't believe that Japan would intentionally spy on us. That is reserved to the Defense Department, who are worried about their closely held military secrets. Once we get his approval, we fill out the necessary forms, get you two instant citizenship, and assign you to one of our armed forces, where you will complete the training they demand of you, and then you will be shipped back to Japan."

The silence that followed last for several minutes. Both Seta and Keitaro were screaming inside their heads at the absurdity of this plan. They did not want to go to prison, but this was just plain crazy. The pros and cons of this situation were many. Military training gave one an exceptional advantage dealing with day to day tasks, especially where discipline was concerned. Valuable skills would be gained, as well as the stamina and strength needed to utilize those skills. However, being kept from loved ones, friends and family for such a long period of time was unnerving. Not to mention their previous and still on going careers that needed to be attended to.

"So?" Leonard asked. "What do you guys think? If we pull it off, can you endure what will come next?"

Seta and Keitaro looked at each other, communicating without a word. They knew what the answer had to be, regardless of the ramifications it might have on their lives.

"We'll do it," Seta said.

"We've been through worse," Keitaro added. "We can survive this."

"Well gentleman," Alan and Leonard both got up. "There's much to do, so let's get started."