DISCLAIMER: Characters belong to their respective owners. This story however, belongs to me. Feel free to repost it anywhere, as long as you give due credit.

Author's Notes
Thank you very much for your kind reviews everyone! One reviewer mentioned that in the original Love Hina (LH), Motoko is about 5 years younger than Keitaro. Please remember that this is an Alternate Universe story. So, some of those elements will be different! Another point mentioned was that Tsuruko used the expression "Ara!" a bit too much (that and it's also Mutsumi's catch-phrase). I've edited some of it out.

We finally see Keitaro in this chapter! Please tell me what you think of him. My biggest worry is the fight scene (No, it's not the usual LH 'fight'). Any suggestions to improve on it will be greatly appreciated. And of course, any grammar/spelling mistakes pointed out will be fixed as soon as I can.

-chronodekar
(9/June/2012)

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Ronin & Sophomore
(chapter - 02)

The Sophomore


The next part of our story begins at the Tokyo International Airport, where we see a young 20-year old man getting off a plane that landed 30 minutes ago. His name is Keitaro Urashima and he's wearing blue jeans and a white T-shirt. A brown jacket, open at the front is kept over the T-shirt. He has dark brown hair and wears a pair of large rectangle-glasses that seem to cover a quarter of his face. He's wearing a pair of hiking shoes and as he turns to look towards the entrance terminal, the sunlight reflects off his glasses.

'Ah, Japan! It's good to be back home. The last time I was here was about a year ago, for Grandpa's funeral. Hmm... I guess the anniversary is coming up soon then, eh? Still, that was more of an emergency visit and I really couldn't enjoy myself. Before that, the last proper stay I had here was about two and a half years ago, when I was 17 years old. Those were good times, living with Grandpa, Grandma & Kanako. After that, it was a pleasant surprise to find that I got accepted into the University of London. Sure made a lot of my training easier. I wonder if Grandpa had a hand in that? Oh well, perhaps THIS time I'll get Grandma to spill the beans! Speaking of which, where is she? I know I told her that I would be coming back today and the plane wasn't late.'

A concerned Keitaro started looking around for his grandmother. After a few minutes of searching, one of the airport workers came over and told him to get off the runway. "Sir, you are supposed to go THERE!" the guy said, pointing to the Terminal. Embarrassed, Keitaro made his way over.

'Silly me! There I went, spacing out again. I'll need to collect my bags first, before they'll let me out of the airport. I guess Grandma's waiting outside. Oh well !'

Keitaro soon collected his bags from the airport baggage claim. All that was left, was to show some identification papers and leave. Unfortunately for him, there was a rather long line at the exit. It seemed that there was some delay in checking the passports. Being the curious type, Keitaro asked the airport security what the wait was for. He found out that as part of improving security since recent terrorist strikes at other international airports, a DNA scanner had been installed. It was new model, which, rather than needing the blood of a person, just needed the individual to exhale their breadth onto a glass panel. The system would recognize them from their saliva and do a cross-reference search with their database of known criminals. If a match was found, the individual would be detained for further questioning.

So, what was the current hold up? Well, other than the DNA scanner, every individual had to pass their luggage across the X-ray system that was placed alongside. Some people were asked to open up their baggage for cursory inspection and this was what was causing the current delay. Keitaro sighed on hearing that.

'Great, another delay! I like the idea of the DNA scanner, should make things proceed a lot faster, but what's the point if you counteract that and slow everyone down with an old-fashioned baggage check? Looks like someone in the upper bureaucracy screwed up! Damn. At least we can see some of the baggage they're opening with the large display placed in-front of the security guard there. Let's see, that old guy has lots of shirts, the teenager next has a lot of books – I wonder if he's a university student? Why's the lady there being slow? Looks like a pretty normal suitcase she has, and ... oh, it's full of panties! I guess, I'd be embarrassed about something like that too. And the short man after her has, … woah! It's full of money! Why's he carrying around so much raw cash? …'

Soon enough, it was Keitaro's turn. There wasn't anything unusual about his luggage, though the guards DID comment that he had an unusual amount of books. Still, once freed of the confines of airport security, our hero made his way across to the exit where he met up with his grandmother.

"Grandma! It's good to see you again! How've you been?" exclaimed Keitaro as he lifted up his grandmother and gave her a hug. In turn, she hugged him back. "Good to see you again grandson! Wonderful to have you back home at last" replied Grandmother Hina, a short old woman who rose up to Keitaro's chest in height and had her white hair tied behind her head in a small bun.

"I see that London's been treating you rather well. I was worried a bit, that you would stop training and become fat, but it seems to me that you've actually become a bit more muscular. Now let me take you back to the Hina Estate, there are things that I need to discuss with you -"

"HEEELLLP! Thief !" a shout came from their side. Both grandmother and grandson turned their heads to see a short man, wearing a green suit and tie, lying on the ground, obviously shoved there in a rough manner by the taller more mean-looking individual in front of him.

"Thanks for the donation, SUCKER!" shouted the thief, as he ran away from the victim, hopped onto his bike and began to drive away.

"Grandma, please take care of my luggage for me, I'm going to help that man!" said Keitaro, as he dropped his bags and began to run towards the bike.

'Oh, that boy! He hasn't changed a bit! Always thinking about helping others. It's a good trait and does the Urashima name proud, but I do wish he would give a moment's thought to those around him and NOT just throw his bags at me!' thought grandmother Hina who was currently struggling under a small mountain of bags that Keitaro had thrown at her. 'I should remind him to respect his elders …'


'Damn, that thief sure moves fast. He actually got his bike to accelerate to such a high speed! I wouldn't have thought it possible on such an old model, he must have a lot of experience using it! What should I do now? I can't just fire at him, that would attract too much attention to me, but I still need to slow him down. Ah, I got it!' thought Keitaro as he sprinted towards the escaping thief.

Keitaro muttered a phrase under his breath and put his hand inside his jacket to take out a small pin. 'I got this pin from one of the brochures at the airport. With a bit of modification, it should have enough strength to pierce his back tyre. Considering that he's coming to a rough spot on the road, no-one should suspect if I did anything. Here goes!' Keitaro then threw the pin with his right hand towards the thief's bike. It hit the back wheel and the bike went out of control, skidding and crashing into a tree nearby.

Our hero ran up to the wreckage and forcefully dragged the thief out by holding his collar and raising him up with his right hand. "What the HELL do you THINK you're doing! And that too in broad daylight! Think it's funny to throw a man to the ground? Well then how about if I do the same to YOU?" with that, Keitaro threw the thief to the floor.

THUD!

What followed was a happy reunion as the owner got reunited with his suitcase. Some of those on the sidelines, who had witnessed the whole thing came by and praised Keitaro for his selfless action. Our hero, good-naturedly put his left hand behind his head, nodded and blushed "It was the least I could do."

Smiling, Keitaro returned to his grandmother, his good deed for the day done. However, grandmother Hina was less than happy to see him.

"How DARE you bury me under a mountain of bags and run! Have you no consideration for the elderly! And your own Grandma too! What would Grandpa say if he saw this?" and as grandmother Hina ended her tirade, she demonstrated her mastery of the Urashima style of Jujutsu by jumping up and hitting Keitaro on the head with her left hand, resulting in said person plummeting face-first to the floor.

"Sorry, Grandma!" mumbled Keitaro from the asphalt.


"Umm… Grandma, I understand that you were in mourning over Grandpa's death, but was it really reason enough to close down the Inn and come live in the Tea-house? And what about aunt Haruka?" asked a puzzled Keitaro as he sat on one of the chairs in the tea-house where his grandmother had asked him to settle in.

Well, "settle" was a rather … firm word. What really happened was that as soon as they started walking up the steps to the Hinata Sou, grandmother Hina just turned and took the path to the Hinata Café without a word. When they got to the tea-house, all she said was "Throw your things into the spare room at the back and rest. We have work to do tomorrow!" There was nothing else, but get to sleep after that.

It was the next morning now and Keitaro just asked the question to his grandmother while she was preparing some pancakes from behind the counter.

"Hmm… Haruka didn't tell you? Well, it happened so fast, I guess they missed telling a lot of people. In fact, I think I might have been the only one they even bothered to tell. How do I put this? – Haruka got married." replied Grandmother Hina.

"SPPPPFFFTT!" Keitaro spit out the tea he was drinking. "WAIT! You mean to tell me that Christmas cake-san GOT married? After all the time I kept teasing her that she was well over 25, she FINALLY went and did it without telling me? Who was the guy?"

"An old sweetheart from her college days. I'm not sure on the details, but it turns out that he made some promise to propose to her after he turned 30. Rather idiotic if you ask me – but she was thrilled by it, so I let her go and enjoy her life."

"Amazing. I guess, she was lucky then? It's not easy for a woman to get married after they reach 25 years of age. Still, good for her! I'm glad to hear it. And my earlier question? Why did YOU come live down here, grandma?" asked Keitaro.

"Tell me, Keitaro, what you know about the history of the Inn?" replied back grandmother Hina.

Keitaro thought about it for a moment, furrowing his eyebrows in thought. "Well, let's see here, the Inn is officially called 'The Hinata Apartments'. We have a hot spring which is a reservoir of magical energy said to cure most sorrows. In fact, I have plenty of fond memories, feeling very refreshed after taking a bath there when I was younger. Apart from that, if you want to go with local folklore, it is also called 'Inn of Fateful Unions', where any couple that spent the night, always ended up together. Unfortunately, after the earthquake 6 months ago, most of the structure was lost and we've never regained the financial strength to repair the damage. At least, that's what we keep telling people. Did I miss anything?"

Hina grinned as she replied, "No, you seem to remember it well enough. Which means I can look forward to a productive day? Now, right after we are done with breakfast, please accompany me up the Inn for an inspection."

"Yes Grandma!"


There had been an earthquake about 6 months ago, but considering how strict Japan is with building regulations, most of the newer structures stayed stable. However, the Hinata Inn, which was a very old building wasn't constructed with earthquake-prevention in mind. So, it wasn't surprising to most people that it had to be closed down.

Therefore, Keitaro was very much shocked when he found the place standing tall and proud as ever. … with the exception of a layer of dust that had seemed to settle everywhere. In fact, the building looked more abandoned than 'damaged-beyond-repair'.

"What, … what is all this, Grandma? I was expecting a broken pile of rubble here, but apart from the dust, everything's just fine!" exclaimed Keitaro waving his right hand towards the building. "I know you told me that we'll need to restore this place, but … I expected to be doing more work than just clean-up. And besides, I don't clean-up that well myself anyway. Those jobs usually tire me out too easily!"

"Keitaro, I'm disappointed in you." Grandmother Hina replied with a frown. "Don't tell me you can't sense IT? What have all your magical studies been for all these years then?"

"Sensing? Grandma, what IS there to sense? Even if I extend my probes to the limits, I don't feel any danger here! About the only thing worthwhile is some kind of aura coming out from the hot-springs. Whatever it is, it's more peaceful than malignant!" Said Keitaro as he began to walk into the Inn, taking out a broom and pushing some of the cobwebs aside.

"And that is EXACTLY what I'm talking about! Is THIS all you've learned from London? I expected more from you! Can't you tell what kind of aura it is?" retorted grandmother Hina while coming up behind him holding a flashlight and shining it ahead for them.

Keitaro grimaced and twisted his mouth in something of cross between a frown and a snicker. "Gee Grandma, I'm SORRY to be such a disappointment to you. I spend more of my time on the lookout for hostile presences which might hurt us instead of this …. Pleasant feeling from the hot-spring?"

They had just arrived at the hot-spring and Keitaro was looking over it in awe. There was a bit of moss here and there, but the springs were still beautiful. You could see clear water with light steam coming out from them. There were a few rocks on the edges where one could sit on, but were in need of cleaning first.

'I know he's not an idiot, but is that all he feels? As the heir, he should be attuned to the harmony of the building just as Grandpa & I were … Oh! That's it! Looks like I'll need to inform him of things myself then. Sigh!' thought Grandmother Hina.

"Keitaro, please sit down there" Grandmother Hina said pointing to a rock nearby while she sat down on a comfortable looking one herself. "I'll need to explain a few things to and this might take some time."

After they were both settled, Grandmother Hina began her explanation,

"As you know, ours is a family of magi. Most of the power and knowledge we have accumulated over the years has been collected and stored here, in the Hinata Sou. Keitaro, you being my heir, will, in time inherit it all. You've been training yourself in the basic magic arts at various academies around the world, but it's time for you to start familiarizing yourself with our more advanced family arts. Before that, however, we will need to get the Hinata Sou to recognize you as the next heir. Traditionally, this would be done from parent to child, but, considering that your parents have passed on, that task falls to me. From where I sit, I can see the lines of magic that flow around the place, and you, bearing our blood-line resonate with it well. However, there is something you'll need to know first. Do you know WHY there is still a lot of power in this area? That is remains here, in spite of me not taking care of it since your Grandpa passed away?"

"I knew that it was both Grandpa and you who looked after this property. And I've suspected for some time now that you shared the responsibilities of keeping any hostile spirits and entities away from this area, but what I do not understand, is why you could not do so on your own? I can still feel some of the wards that are still active, but they are fading due to lack of upkeep. Is there some special skill that only Grandpa knew about?"

"Nice guess, but no Keitaro. The truth is much simpler than that. In order to prevent any single member of the family from going rogue and just abusing the power stored here, all the wards, ley-lines and magical pathways have been designed to answer to the couple who takes care of this residence. What that means, is since grandpa passed away, I have been losing my control over the place. Without any change, I will lose access to all our family knowledge and treasures within a year. Which is where YOU come in."

"Ah! You want Kanako and me to become caretakers here? Not an issue. In fact, I'm sure my sister would be delighted at the prospect!"

Hearing this, grandmother Hina smirked. "There are times when I wonder if you really are dense. I'll give you a hint - we once gained the reputation as 'Inn of Faithful Unions' because it was a by-product of the magical energies associated with this place."

"By-product? … But then, how will this work out Grandma? If that's so, then most certainly Kanako won't do! It will have to be a loving couple who runs this place! My sister's too young to be involved in a relationship and I'm still single. In fact, I still have 2 years for my course to finish. I cannot risk getting distracted with a relationship right now! You can't possibly expect me to go flirting around, now can you? So, what could you possibly expect me to do?" asked a confused and gob-smacked Keitaro.

"Of course I do not want you to go flirting around with random women! That would be too risky, and we can't afford to have those with bad intents to join our family. No, Keitaro, the solution is far simpler. I'll be doing the needed background checks and will arrange Omiai meetings. You just sit back and take your pick!"

Wide-eyed, Keitaro replied " Wait, wait, wait! Omiai meetings? Did you listen to a single word I said, grandma? I still have 2 years of my course to finish! There's NO way this is going to work out! We can surely think of something else!"

"I DO know that you have 2 years left. But, we can't afford to wait that long! NO Keitaro, this has to be started off immediately and you ARE going to co-operate! Do I make myself clear?" asked Grandmother Hina with a dark fire burning in the background as she looked at Keitaro with a piercing stare.

"Yes, Grandma…" whimpered Keitaro, shaking from his grandmother's aura.

"Wonderful to hear that you agree to get married! Now, we'll start making lists as soon as we return to the tea-shop"


Coming Up Next "First Meeting"

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