Disclaimer:

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

Chapter 7 – A Sister's Arrival

Early the next morning, Keitaro and Naru stood in the doorway of the changing room surveying the damage. It was fortunate that the damage was only superficial and posed no real threat to the structural integrity of the inn – the walls were blackened and several cracks were clearly visible. Given how loud the explosion was, the young manager would've expected something more devastating.

"So…what was Su's invention suppose to do again Naru?" asked Keitaro.

Naru sighed and sipped her coffee. "No clue. Su wanted to give a demonstration rather than going into the whole technical stuff."

"Is it just me or is Su starting to lose her touch?" asked Keitaro, rubbing the back of his head. "Nowadays, everything she makes either blows up, breaks down, or flips out and goes berserk."

"Maybe she's just trying too hard," she answered. "Her best ones were things that she made for no particular reason, like that Virtua-kun."

"Where is Su anyway? I thought she'd be at the table this morning as usual."

Naru shrugged. "Beats me – she ate her breakfast like always and said that Haruka had a favor to ask her."

"I see," commented Keitaro. "Well, I'm gonna get my things together and start now."

Naru stopped him, as he was about to leave. "Keitaro…we're all really sorry about this. I mean, this isn't what you wanted to do on a perfectly good Sunday, right?"

Keitaro smiled and patted her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Besides, some spackle here and a new coat of paint and it'll be good as new – should be done by this afternoon."

The pair left the damaged part of the inn, readying themselves for the day ahead. As they entered the living room they found, Haruka sitting on the couch reading the morning paper with her feet propped up on the coffee table. Noticing the pair, she folded the newspaper back up and sat up straight.

"Good morning Haruka," said Keitaro.

"Morning Keitaro," said Haruka, removing her feet from the table. "I was just about to look for you and Kitsune. Got something important to tell you."

"I see," he commented, and then turned to Naru. "Hey Naru, would you do me a favor and get Kitsune for us?"

"Sure. I'll be right back," she answered, and walked off.

Keitaro took a seat across from Haruka. "So, what's up?"

"I got a phone call from grandma Hina last night," replied Haruka. "And before you ask, she wanted me to tell you that she's doing fine – she's currently in Australia with a group of bushmen hiking in the more remote parts of the outback."

Keitaro laughed. "Well, it's good she's still enjoying her travels."

At that moment, Kitsune appeared from the staircase. "Hey guys, what's going on?"

"Grandma Hina called," answered Keitaro. "And from the sounds of it she's doing well in Australia."

"That's definitely her all right," commented Kitsune, taking a seat next to him. "I wouldn't be surprised if she lived past a hundred."

Haruka nodded and continued. "She was wondering how things were going, and specifically how you two were doing."

"Grandma Hina should know that everything is fine," commented Keitaro. "Other than the few mishaps here…and the occasional explosion there."

"That's the thing I wanted to tell you," said Haruka. "Grandma Hina wanted to make absolutely sure that things were going to be taken care of…so she decided to send us and extra pair of hands."

"That was nice of her," commented Kitsune. "So, who's gonna be helping us out?"

"I'll give you guys three guesses," said Haruka, leaning back in the couch, "but you'll only need one."

Keitaro furrowed his brow and thought for a moment. He knew that grandma Hina just didn't send anyone to help out at the Hinata Sou, so that left out any professional help. That only left close friends and family…and since the majority of her friends were too old to provide any real help. Coming to this realization, a familiar face popped in his head.

"Haruka," said Keitaro, "do you mean…"

Haruka nodded. "That's right."

Kitsune gave a puzzled look to both of them. "Well, who is it?"

"My sister Kanako," answered Keitaro. "But shouldn't she be helping out grandma? I mean she's not as young – "

Haruka smacked her nephew on the side of the head with the newspaper. "Don't go saying what other people are and aren't capable of Keitaro. Besides it was your sister that suggested this in the first place and she seemed to be looking forward to it."

"Don't worry Keitaro," added Kitsune. "Who knows – it might make this place a little more lively."

Keitaro smiled as he rubbed his head. "You're right…I mean it has been a while since I spent some time with her, and we do need all the help we can get."

"That's the spirit," commented Haruka, getting up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get the Tea Shop ready."

Kitsune tilted her head to one side quizzically. "This early in the morning? For what?"

Haruka smirked. "Well, in order to keep Su from inadvertently tearing down the dorm I 'commissioned' her to help set up a new stereo system. If everything goes the way I think it will, the old place will have some nice music playing during peak business hours."

"Umm…isn't that more of a benefit for you rather than for your regulars?" asked Keitaro.

"Actually…yes." Haruka answered. "Yes it is."

"Wait a sec," said Kitsune, "Haruka, when is Kanako suppose to be here anyway?"

"This evening," she answered. "I'd advise letting the others know about the dorm's newest member – we don't want anyone overreacting now do we?"

"N-No ma'am," replied Keitaro, recalling how chaotic and painful his arrival to the Hinata Sou was.

Kitsune walked down the hallway with the others residents in tow. As they all filed into the living room, she took a quick glance at her wristwatch to confirm the time: five minutes to seven – Keitaro and Haruka should be back from the airport any minute now. Looking toward the others, she could see that they were anxious themselves.

Motoko slumped back in a chair she pulled out. "So the dorm is going to have a new resident, huh?"

"Yup."

"I hope she's as fun as Keitaro!" added Su, who perched herself behind the couch.

"I didn't know that Keitaro had a sister," commented Naru. "I don't remember seeing her at you wedding."

"She was there but only for the ceremony and nothing else," answered Kitsune. "Grandma Hina asked Kanako to accompany her on her travels a few weeks beforehand, so she really couldn't stay for the whole thing."

"That's too bad," commented Shinobu. "It was really a beautiful wedding."

"Oh, it was a lot of fun," chimed Su. "Especially the part when Keitaro got perverted in the end – I've never seen him run that fast before!"

Kitsune winced as she recalled what had happened. "Yeah Su…I didn't think he could run that fast either."

"We're back," said a familiar voice.

The sound of the front door opening caught everyone's attention. Sure enough, three individuals came into view – two of them being Keitaro and Haruka. The third was a young woman that looked like she was in her early twenties – most likely this woman was Kanako Urashima. She had shoulder-length black hair; part of it tied back into a ponytail and was wearing an unadorned black dress with a white vest.

"Welcome back you guys," said Kitsune.

"Glad to see that everyone's here," commented Haruka, and then turned to Keitaro. "You care to do the introductions?"

"Right," he said. "Everyone, I wanna introduce my little sister Kanako – she's gonna be helping us take care of the place."

"Hello," she said politely and bowed. "It's nice to see you all in person. Grandma Hina has told me a lot about all of you."

Naru gave her a polite smile. "Nice to finally meet you."

"Naru Narusegawa," said Kanako, and then her gaze toward Motoko. "And Motoko Aoyama. Grandma has said an awful lot about you two especially. I hope that you haven't been making too much trouble for my dear brother, have you?"

Kitsune felt the temperature in the room drop a few dozen degrees. Looking toward the other girls she could see they felt it too, although it seemed it had a larger impact on Motoko and Naru. From the tone of her voice, it seemed that she was fully aware of the countless instances of physical abuse Keitaro had endured in the past – the fox girl knew that Kanako has every right to be wary of them in particular.

Su leaned over and whispered something into her ear. "Boy, she doesn't look like she's any fun."

"Now Kanako," said Keitaro, "whatever you heard it's all in the past now – you don't have to work yourself up over something that's seems…well…kinda silly."

"Hehe…that's right," commented Shinobu nervously. "Everything's fine, really – we've all been helping to take better care of the place too."

Kanako gazed intently at Motoko and Naru and looked back toward her brother. "All right…if you say so."

"Well, you must be tired and hungry Kanako," said Haruka, and began to walk toward the kitchen. "Girls will you all help me get the food ready and the table set up."

"Sure, no problem," Naru answered hastily.

Haruka and the four girls moved quickly toward the kitchen area. Kitsune got up on her feet and moved toward the remaining two. Keitaro picked up a suitcase in one hand and threw a duffle bag over his shoulder.

"Come on sis, we'll show you the room that you'll be staying in."

A short trek up the stairs to the second floor and a brief walk down to the end of the hallway is all it took. Opening one of the smaller rooms, Keitaro dropped his sister's things on the floor. Kanako took a moment to look around, then nodded in approval. She then approached the window and slid it open, the cool autumn air making its presence known.

"Just as I had remembered," she said softly, a small smile on her lips.

"Glad to hear it. I'm gonna see if dinner is ready," said Keitaro and left.

As he left, Kitsune leaned back against the wall. "Place brings back any memories?"

"A few."

Kitsune smiled, but noticed it looked like she had something else on her mind. "Something wrong?"

Kanako looked down for a moment in deep thought, and then turned back to her. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something."

Kitsune raised her eyebrows slightly. "What is it?"

"As you might have guessed, Grandma had told me a lot about what goes on here through Aunt Haruka's letters. She kept tabs on my brother ever since he began his responsibilities as landlord, mentioning several…incidents." Kanako said. "Although it's been a while since something like that has occurred, I'm still a bit…apprehensive…of both Naru Narusegawa and Motoko Aoyama."

"Um…that is understandable, all things considered," said Kitsune, and hesitantly asked her, "but…what about me?"

"To be honest with you, I didn't approve of your initial behavior toward my brother when he first came to the inn – and I was very skeptical when you two started dating," answered Kanako. She then cast her gaze toward the darkening sky as her tone softened. "But as time moved on, I could tell you truly loved him and care for him and his well being. When you two got married…I've never seen him so happy before in my life. I guess what I'm trying to say is…well…I'm glad he has someone like you by his side now."

Kitsune could feel the sheer weight of Kanako's words as she stood there. Considering what Keitaro has been through in the past, Kanako had every right to be cross toward Motoko and Naru. But the fact that Kanako isn't venting any anger or disdain toward her emphasized what she just said – it gave Kitsune a sense of relief security that she is truly apart of the Urashima family.

"Thank you Kanako. That really means a lot coming from you."

Kanako nodded, and then walked toward the doorway. "Well, I think that's enough chit-chat for now – dinner should be ready by now."

Kitsune smiled as the pair began to make their way to the dining area.

A/N – Man, it's been a while since my last chapter hasn't it – that's what I get for going to college huh? The good news is that I'm finally finished with school for the summer, which means more time for me to write! Hopefully I'll be able to churn out a chapter a lot sooner than I normally would if I'm in school – plus I definitely have a sense of where I want to take the main storyline too.

Anyway, I'm dead tired now – it's currently 1:30 AM here in Michigan, and I have things to do around noon. Please send me your comments and suggestions, and I'll have chapter 8 up ASAP!