Disclaimer:

I do not own anything from Love Hina or any copyrighted material. Any other characters used in this fic are mine, however.

Chapter 4 – Family

It was nighttime and all was still inside the old house. All sense of time had vanished ever since the fighting had died down – no one dared to make any noise that may draw too much attention. Jay crawled from the kitchen area trying to find the others; the moonlight gave enough light to show him where he was going. Soon enough, he made his way to the bathroom where Kitsune was.

"Kitsune," whispered Jay, "you okay?"

Kitsune was curled up on the floor with a worn expression on her face; her eyes were still red from crying earlier that day. What happened earlier took a lot out of her, causing Kitsune to enter a state of emotional fatigue. At first she didn't notice Jay until he shook her shoulder. This brought Kitsune out of her tired state of mind, though not fully, as she turned to face the young man.

"I'm alright…just a little tired."

"Come on Kitsune, we gotta find Sandy and Gus," said Jay.

Helping the fox girl to her feet, the two proceeded to search the house. It didn't take long to find them – Gus and Sandy were sitting in what used to be a bedroom. Both of them took a seat along side them, trading tired glances between one another. Gus reached inside his back pocket and pulled out a crumpled pack of cigarettes. Taking one out and tapping the end of it, he struck a match and lit it. Jay reached over and took one as well.

"Jay, I thought you didn't smoke?" asked Sandy.

He looked at her and gave her a small smile. "I don't…but if there's a time to start a bad habit, then this is it."

Normally Kitsune would find this amusing…usually adding a smart aleck comment around this time. But right now she didn't have the energy to even muster a small chuckle.

"So…now what do we do?" asked Kitsune.

Gus took a drag from his cigarette and stamped it out. "We stick to our original plan…get as close to the border as possible and hop across it."

"Provided that the car is still in once piece," added Sandy.

Kitsune leaned heavily on the wall. "When do we start off again?"

"First light," answered Jay. "For now, we should get some shuteye."

"Sound like a good idea," yawned Sandy.

"It is…we still have a long way to go," commented Gus.

~~

Jay, Sandy, Gus and Kitsune made themselves comfortable inside the living room area. Finding a small corner in the room, Kitsune curled up in a ball and used her coat as a blanket. Despite the fact that she was drained both physically and mentally, she couldn't sleep. For the past hour or so she moved and shifted her body trying to let sleep take hold of her, but eventually gave up. Sandy was awakened by Kitsune's constant tossing and turning. Looking over at Kitsune, she realized that something was bothering the fox girl. Sitting up, Sandy moved over to her.

"Can't sleep?"

"Yeah," said Kitsune solemnly. "I'm tired…but for some damn reason I can't sleep."

Sandy took a seat next to her and pulled out Gus' flask from his coat. Taking off the cap, she took a drink from it and offered to Kitsune. Instead of taking it, Kitsune pushed it away and shook her head. Sighing, Sandy took a small drink from it and made a face.

"Man…this shit Gus passes off as liquor is starting to taste better," she commented, placing the flask back.

Kitsune flashed a weary smile as Sandy – the first one she made in a long while. A few moments passed between them until Sandy began to strike up a conversation.

"Wonder if my folks and sister heard what happened to me yet back home," she said. "I bet they're worried sick."

"Where is home Sandy?" asked Kitsune.

"I live outside of Baltimore," she said. "My mom used to work as a pharmacist while my dad worked as a columnist until they both retired not long ago. My older sister Nikki is a pharmacist as well, taking over the family practice."

"Sounds like a nice family."

"Yeah, well mom worried about me being a photographer. My dad on the other hand was proud of me…following in his footsteps and such. He always told me that it's important to show the people back home what's happening in the world…but I guess that this line of work is starting to get to me a little."

Silence passed between the two once more as the sounds of the night droned on. A strange sense of security swept through the room, and at that moment all was once again peaceful.

"So…where exactly in Japan are you from?" asked Sandy.

Kitsune ran her hand through her hair. She sighed as she reached in her pocket and pulled out two folded pictures: one of the Hinata Sou, and the other a group shot of its tenants – everyone's faces showing telltale signs of happiness.

"I grew up in Osaka, but I've been living in Hinata in an all-girls' dorm for some time now," answered Kitsune, pointing at the first picture. "It's a really nice place…hot springs, good view of the city…just plain gorgeous all year round."

"It sound like its wonderful place to live," commented Sandy.

She handed both pictures to Sandy as she began to think about her friends. Kitsune wondered what they were doing right now at this very moment. Sandy gazed at both photos and tapped on the second one with her index finger.

"Is this your family?" she asked.

Kitsune looked at the faces in the picture and felt tears well in her eyes. Taking a moment to regain her composure she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to find the right words to say to her.

"Well…not really, but we all…uh… regard each other as family," answered Kitsune.

Kitsune went on to talk about everyone staying at the dorm, and their reasons why they're there. She also mentioned everyone's personality as well as the kinds of things that happens on a routine basis, ranging from one of Su's latest inventions to Naru's brief time in the spotlight…even to Keitaro's 'perverted tendencies' from time to time. Sandy sat there, listening intently to what she had to say. After Kitsune finished, she cracked a small smile.

"Hehe…from the way you tell it Kitsune, it sounds like something out of a sitcom," said Sandy. "But it sounds like you and your friends are a family – a very close one at that."

Sandy handed both pictures back to Kitsune. She looked at the group shot of everyone once again, remembering all the good times she's had.  A single tear ran down her cheek and onto the photograph. Noticing this, Sandy patted the fox girl's shoulder.

"You miss them don't you," Sandy said.

"Yeah…I spent the best years of my life with them," Kitsune replied. "You know…despite what's happened, I'm a little afraid to face them."

"Why? What's there to be afraid of?"

Kitsune gave a heavy sigh. "How can I tell them what I've been through here? I mean…I'm afraid that I've changed so much that…that they won't recognize me anymore."

Sandy looked at Kitsune. "I don't think you have to worry about that…from what you've told me, they're very understanding and supportive. I'm sure they'll stick by your side no matter what."

Sandy gave her a confident and reassuring squeeze on her shoulder to reinforce what she had said. She got up and moved back to her makeshift bed, leaving Kitsune by herself. Sandy's words rang loudly in her head, causing her to stare at the photograph intently.

Maybe Sandy's right. Everyone back at the Hinata Sou had always cared about her, despite anything that Kitsune had done for a cheap laugh. For most of her adult life, she never had to rely on anyone for anything; she had always considered herself to be somewhat of a free spirit, not bound by any emotional attachments. Now it seemed she needed them just for that purpose – more than she would've imagined.

Kitsune began to feel sleep finally taking hold of her. Taking one last look at her photos, she placed them with great care in her shirt pocket…close to her heart. Lying back down, she fell into an uneasy sleep.

***

A/N – That does it for chapter 4! I wanted to take this opportunity to expand on Kitsune's personality, so if my pacing seems to be a bit off, don't worry – it'll start picking up once again in later chapters.

My thanks go out to the following reviewers:

Gotenks01013  – Thanks for the compliments on my writing so far as well as your thoughts. Yes this fic does differ somewhat to Love Hina: Resistance. I'm trying to focus more on the physiological aspect of war as well as the physical scarring. I hope you'll continue to read my story.

i won't tell – Glad you're liking my story thus far! I wanted to expand on the last part a bit more, so I did here in chapter 4…hopefully I did a good job by doing so.

Well, that's enough from me! Read and send me your reviews/comments, and I'll update soon!     ^_^