Author's Note: So, yeah, it took 3 years to get chapter 2 up. What happened that caused this to be delayed so much? Well, going through a lot of tough stuff, two country moves (to Australia, then back), a lot of issues with writer's block, as well as just general business. However, I am back, and hoping that this chapter will help move the story forward. I am also hoping to make sure that this is done properly. We will see what happens.

Also, for the record, the song in the following chapter is actually "The Maiden and The Warrior" by Craig Chaquico (with Russ Freeman). It can be found on Youtube, and it would be great for each one of you readers to go check it out and enjoy it. Trust me when I say that it's one of the better sounding smooth songs out there. Anyhow, on with the show!

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Love Hina: Sound Secrets

a fanfiction by Michael Kanagawa

Chapter 2: Secret Abilities and Foxy Thinkings

Morning was the worst time for a lady to awaken. Especially if said lady was recovering from a major league hangover. As the young lady softly stirred in her bed, the sun from her window started to shine on her face. The increasing light in the room was a normal occurrence for anyone who had a hint of normalcy in their system.

Mitsune Konno, however, was not normal. She was a fox, and like a fox's den, her room was darkened, the curtains of the room rarely ever being opened. It was not to be on this day, though, as the warm rays of the sun started to beat on her face. She awoke with a scowl, and blinked.

"Wha...?"

She looked around her room, littered with various bottles of vital elixir, scribblings of notes in various colors, and magazines of varying interest that were used for research. This would be normal for any person. In her case, however, she actually saw the items on the floor, something that was again not normal for her.

"It didn't...work..."

She sighed in the haze, and mustered the courage to remove the covers. Attempting to stand up, she started to lose footing and her head started pounding "The Immigrant Song" through her head.

"Oh wow, it did work."

Her fox-like stare was more pronounced when she was hungover, and she vowed to quickly resolve this situation.

She slowly sauntered her tired bones downstairs to the kitchen, and pulling a few ingredients out of the refrigerator; she would make up a well known hangover cure that could possibly resurrect Emperor Meiji, if properly prepared. Gulping it down in one blow, she grimaced as the nasty contents went to work. She cleaned her glass and went back upstairs to her desk.

She checked her e-mail, and smiled. Her review of 'He's On The Jazz' was published with high fanfare a few weeks earlier, as well as an interview with the head bartender earlier in the current week. She was already getting mail about a repeat performance at the same place.

"Well, Kei-kun, you've given me something to continue to work on," she said, sighing at her good fortune.

She pondered her memories of the performances that she had seen each Friday night over the past two months, even when images of Keitaro recovering intruded upon those memories. In the offtime, she would contrast the fun loving visage of "Special Kei" on stage and having the people of the club eating out of his hand, with the image of Keitaro Urashima, the lowly landlord and perpetual punching bag for two to three of the residents. She even remembered back to a couple weeks ago, just after her first appearance at the club, when the rent was due...

After she found out about Keitaro's secret life, Kitsune decided to do something bold. Something different, that would give Keitaro more of a boost at home, and help her in her own way. Steeling her confidence, Kitsune knocked on the landlord's door.

"Come in"

She slid the door open, and looked at the diminutive man seated over his books.

"Heya, Kei-kun! You wanted to see me?"
"Yeah, come on in for a moment."

She was looking at him with her usual foxy gaze, which usually made Keitaro a bit suspicious. She walked in and sat down on the floor in front of him.

"Kitsune, I need to talk to you about your rent. You're still behind from last month, and you have this month left."

She looked at him, and she couldn't help but see the confident man that she saw on the stage at the club. The image flashed back to the seemingly powerless landlord in front of her. She softened her stance, and sat back, reducing the amount of cleavage she was showing the oblivious landlord.

"I understand that, Kei-kun. That's why ah feel like we should talk."

Keitaro turned to look at her, just as she scooted next to his chair.

"I've been thinking a lot about this, Kei-kun. I know I haven't been the best tenant in the past while or so, but I'd like to make it up to you in a way."

He looked down at her, a little fear in his eyes from his previous run-ins with her, glomping and all. His fears were heightened as she started swirling her finger around the side of his leg.

"Keitaro, I know that you've been doin' a lot around here. You've...inspired me a bit, to be a better woman. A more classy lady, if I can be bold. I can't do that if I'm stuck in back rent to ya."

Keitaro looked at her again, then did a double take.

"Uh...what? Inspired? Me? What could I have done?"

Oh, Keitaro...you don't know just how much I want to throw it to the wind and take advantage of this, she thought.

"What you've done is make me realize that ah need to take my job a bit more seriously, instead of just the party hopping like I've done before."

He blinked twice, and started to breathe a bit easier as she removed her hand from his calf. She continued to speak, even after showing a slight blush.

"I'm putting together a piece for the newspaper and blog about some of the new clubs around the city. I gave them the first two pieces last week, and have enough to pay you for the all of the rent that's left."

He moved from his chair and kneeled down in front of her.

"You're doing club reviews now? How do I fit into that?"
"Keitaro, this is just the start. I start reviewing clubs, that could lead into other places. Ah think right now is the best time for me to start being a better tenant. Maybe even a better friend."
"Better...friend?"

Kitsune looked at him, and saw the shock and disbelief in his eyes. This was not a normal look for him, she could tell. She finally saw what he saw everyday.

"Did ya think that we weren't friends?"
"Kitsune...I always thought that we were friends, even when you were extorting me out of money for your sake binges."
"You mean...you..." Kitsune stopped suddenly, her heart starting to soften up with the image of 'Special Kei' merging with 'Manager Keitaro'.
"You know that I care about you just like I do the other tenants. Even with all the punching, the flights I take via NaruToko Airlines, or the advantages, I still think of you all as my friends."

Kitsune's thoughts were jumbled at this. She was not feeling like the normal Kitsune that she was, and her brain was going on overdrive to process what was going on.

Even with all of the crap I put him through, he still thinks of me as a friend? What the hell have I been doing to this guy?! I...I...

"Kitsune? Hey, Kitsune? You still with me?"

She looked back at him and just shook things off.

"I'm sorry about that. Ya just got me thinking, that's all. Anyhow, here's the past and current rent."

She handed him a thick business-sized envelope, stating that it all should be there. Keitaro was in shock at this, and unsure of what exactly he could say about this. To say he was shocked, even, would be a gross understatement. As she stood up, she backed off a bit.

"I'm sorry for spacing out, Kei-kun. I just need to have some time to think."
"I...If you need to talk about it, please tell me. I think I could help."

Kitsune blushed again.

"Keitaro, you're a special guy. Talk to you at dinner, 'kay?"
"Ah, that'll be good. Take care."

She opened the door, and looked back at Keitaro. She felt a twinge of happiness and hope ping through her entire soul. She closed the door and walked back to her room, running through everything through her head. She just got blown away, as she realized that the ronin landlord just confirmed everything she had been hoping for.

A furious blush crept up her face, fire and heat coming from her face as she thought about what he said to her.

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As she smiled at the memories, she looked back down at her laptop. She saw a couple of paragraphs that she had written the night before, but couldn't seem to get much farther on the new project.

"I wonder if I should start writing about you and your band, Kei-babe..." she said, the idea nagging at the base of her head.

She decided that writing at this time of the morning wouldn't help her much. She lightly walked back to her bed and pulled the covers over her still waking body. She knew that a little more sleep would help her hangover.

Within a minute of her head hitting the pillow, and with a contented smile, she was back asleep again.

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While the fox went back to rest in her bed, the rovin' ronin was already starting his work. Fridays were a time of incredible pressure. Cram school would take up most of the day, and he would need to do some quick cleaning during the time after school was done. He kept busy, which kept the ghosts of the recent past from gnawing at his present. All of the events that happened to that point in time were set in motion by one big event: The day of his confession to Naru while he was laid up in the hospital, and her non-answer. It was five months before...

(flashback)

Keitaro took some time to do some hard thinking. He wracked his brains about his promise, about his pursuit of the one who he thought was the girl of his promise. With all of the bed-time that he had to deal with, he took stock of his life.

"I made it to Toudai. I met my promise," he said, looking out the window, "I confessed to my promise girl and she said nothing. That was it." After repeating this analysis for nearly a week, in the hospital and at home, he finally came to a decision.

"I'm done. No more of this," he muttered to himself, as he recuperated in his own room, "If she won't respond, I'm done. I have to move on."

That day was the first day of the rest of his life.

After taking a month out to get himself back to the point of being to hobble around, he finally found himself back in his own room. Still unable to walk properly, he would be on crutches for a while.

He dragged himself from his bed to his closet. Opening up the contents, and moving his sketchpads out of the way, he pulled off the floor of his closet. He looked down with a small smile, seeing the three large black cases of his earlier youth. Memories of times before and during the first parts of high school flashed across his eyes, as he sat and thought about the enjoyment of playing the saxophone after school was done.

Keitaro's mind continued flashing back, to when he first started to play the alto saxophone at the age of 10. He was so enamored by it, that he would practice everyday after finishing school. By age 13, he wowed people at small talent competitions, but felt like he already mastered things. He would pick up the soprano saxophone, and work to master it as well. By the time he turned 16, he had control of all parts of the sax.

Then came the Chiba Talent Show. 16 years old, and working on a new piece of his own. He got out on stage, nervous as he was, and he tried to play his best. As he finished his song, there was barely a sound in response. He was mortified at this, and put his saxophones away. He was depressed for a time, but remembered his promise girl and Toudai.

In the years since he came to the Hinata, he nearly forgot about his sax playing days. Seeing the boxes in front of him now, however, made him smile. He wanted to get back into practice.

"I can't play them in the inn, though. I try that, and I'll end up getting one of them shoved down my throat," he muttered again, thinking about what he could do. He smiled again, as he remembered the tunnels under the inn, and that they had some nice reverb through them. He slowly hobbled himself down the stairs, on crutches, to get to the phone.

Calling up Haruka, he asked her to come up to the house to help. After a bit of time, she walked into the front door, tea towel on her shoulder.

"Keitaro, what was it you were wanting me to do again?"
"Aunt Haruka, I wanted -"

*SMACK*

"OW!"
"Don't call me Aunt. Are you trying to age me early?"

Keitaro sighed, as he continued where he left off.

"I have some boxes upstairs that I'd like to move down into the basement or into the tunnels."

Haruka just blinked at him, stoic, trying to figure out what he was thinking.

"Do I dare ask?"
"I've made some decisions in the last week, and I need to move some stuff down."
"Like what?"
"Go upstairs, look in the middle of the room, then let me know if you'd like to help move them down."

Haruka did what he said, and as she walked down the stairs, two of the three boxes in her arms, she smirked.

"Was wondering when you'd be picking them up again."

Keitaro just smiled.

"I gotta do something with my time since I'm here at home. May as well work on my old skills."
"What about your studies?"
"I'm out of commission for at least half of this term. I am guessing that I will likely be moved off the active list and onto the waiting list, or I'll get dropped and have to take the test again."
"So, what do you think your decision will be?"
"I'm not sure, Aunt Haruka..."
"You're lucky I'm holding these boxes, Kei. Don't be calling me aunt. I'm not old."

Keitaro lightly chuckled, rubbing the back of his head and she carried the boxes to the basement.

Another two months had passed, and Keitaro's accelerated healing allowed for less time in a leg cast, he could finally get back into the swing of things. Which he did by taking a whole day off from studies to clean and beautify the entire Hinata dorm. A feat of amazing proportions, even by modern cleaning standards, by the time the hapless manager's chores were finished, dinner was just about to be served. He could rest, eat, and be ready for the next part of his studies.

Until the phone rang.

"Hinata Dorms, manager speaking."
"Is Keitaro there?" a brusque female voice asked through the receiver.
"Speaking."
"This is Minori Nakano. You called and left a message about the sax job?"
"Sax job?"
"Yes, saxophonist job. You called the number that was on the wall next to the one about a girl named Jenny?"

Keitaro breathed easier, thinking he may have said the wrong thing.

"Oh, right. Yes. I did.. Why do you ask?"
"We'd like you to come in for an audition."

Keitaro was shocked. He didn't think his first call would lead to this.

"Uh...em...when?"
"Can you come tonight?"
"Tonight? It's a Thursday!"
"And our band usually practices on Thursdays. Can you be down here by 7:30?"
"Uhm...I think I could."
"Great! We'll catch you then."

As Keitaro hung up the phone, he took a breath and turned around, looking right into the face of Motoko, who looked at him with grave seriousness in her eyes.

"Who was that?" she asked, plain and without emotion.
"Uh...that was...uhm...Haitani."
"Haitani. That's one of your perverted friends, isn't it?"
"I...don't think he's the perverted one."

Motoko blinked, then turned around and walked into the kitchen.

Keitaro, feeling the pressure and being close to such danger, fainted onto the nearby couch for a bit.

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Back in the present, he finished his thoughts as he breezed across the floor with the final part of his waxing finished. Slippery for sure, he got it done before everyone would arrive home. That meant he had time to leave the house early and get some sax practice in before the crowds came in for tonight's show.

He ran upstairs and got his outfit for the night packed up in a gym bag. He pulled out his main case from a small cubbyhole in the wall by his futon. Grabbing the glasses case with his custom sunglasses inside, he pocketed them and proceeded to leave his room. He stood still for a moment, listening to see if anyone was there. With a genuine smile, he proceeded down the stairs and into the tunnels that ran under the Hinata. He would be out before anyone would know.

He was so busy planning his way out, though, that he never saw the door to Kitsune's room slowly close as Keitaro reached the bottom of the stairs.

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At the club..

The same as in previous Friday nights, the club was packed. In the days since the first review, business traffic had started getting heavier, and everything was flowing. Halfway between opening and closing, Cognac would get up on stage and do their thing. This was the point when Kitsune would always come in, and sit in her favorite spot. She ordered a Lynchburg lemonade this time, and kept one eye on the stage, with the other eye watching the people and how they reacted. She did notice that the bassist in the band had switched, as there was a very thin man with tattoo sleeves on both of his arms. She wondered how this would change their sound.

Cognac started with some high level smooth jazz work, the sound of the bass actually melding in with the other instruments more naturally than before. They hit a few old classics by the Rippingtons, which kept some of the kids on the dance floor and doing their thing. They even performed a few original compositions. During each song, a member of the band would get featured in their own way, and the people would love hearing each and every instrument for what they were worth.

The show stopper, however, was always the ones which featured 'Special Kei' as the spotlight artist. Kitsune kept her ear on the women, as they gushed over how flawless he sounded and hinted not so subtly that they wouldn't mind having a little sax time of their own with him.

This made her think about her situation.

These women all want him, yet I know where he lives. I see him everyday. If it weren't for Naru, I'd probably go after him myself.

She took a long sip of her boozy concoction, and sighed.

It's always Naru. She always gets the first grab of everything. Naru...Naru, Naru. If you ever throw him away, I swear I'm taking over.

Her resolve steeled, she looked around and noticed that the music had ended, everyone clapping after their performance. The young lead singer and guitarist came to the microphone, and smiled at everyone.

"I'm glad you all are having a good time. Right?"

The crowd cheered, one or two of the guys crying out their undying love for the band.

"Well, for the first time, our saxy ronin over here is going to introduce the next song. Special Kei, get on up here."

Kei slowly walked up to the microphone, carefully moving himself and seeming relaxed as he did. There was no indication of the clumsiness that he typically showed back at the Hinata.

"This next song is one that Craig Chaquico did back in San Francisco, with Paul Taylor as his saxophonist. It's a song that I adopted as a tribute song to a good friend of mine, who has grace and power in the things she does, but a softness that she doesn't share with other people."

Kitsune picked up on the idea, and started writing down the description.

This is going in the story. Most certainly...

"She's a tough warrior of a woman, but has the heart of a maiden deep inside, and this song captures both essences. This is dedicated to my friend, and it's called "The Maiden and The Warrior."

The fox chuckled to herself, writing down the little tidbit that betrayed the identity of the titular maiden. As the opening keyboards filled the room, Kei's soprano saxophone softly drifted upon it. Like small clouds, the gentleness of the sax slowly opened up the instrumental tale.

She lost herself in the music, imagining her dormmate slowly performing her katas and her preparation to the music. The lightness of the sax countered the similarly blunt guitar, a combination of movement and harmony that brought the image of Motoko Aoyama into a new focus. The story that Keitaro weaved with the call of the saxophone was one that would hit anyone who had a friend with the toughness and softness that the kendo girl had, and reveal all of the truth that lay within.

"So this is how he sees her," she remarked to herself, writing down the description and the feelings that were encountered as the song had progressed. As she was writing, a small voice in her mind wondered whether he had a song to play based around her.

The thought had made Kitsune's face start turning a light red, as the soft mixture of the instruments and Keitaro's sax wound down to a soft finish.

She had never felt the emotions like she did with that song. It was like drinking a great bottle of whiskey, but without the strong aftereffects. It made her feel really good. This meant a gin and tonic, and it meant she would be dealing with some strong feelings when she finally went home.

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Saturday morning was for sleeping in, according to most members of the Hinata army. Motoko would still get up early to do her morning practice, but she would usually move a little farther out to do so. Naru would not be getting up until close to noon, as her studies would exhaust her to point of no return. All the rest besides Shinobu would lie in their beds and saw logs with the best of them.

The young bluenette slowly walked into the kitchen, getting herself ready for cooking the meal that would eventually wake everyone. She turned on the light, and as she looked around, she jumped out of her skin.

Kitsune was sitting up, pencil end in her mouth, notepad in her hand, and a cup of coffee sitting nearby.

"Kitsune-sempai, are you...okay?"

"Yeah, Shinobu. Ah just decided to get up early to work on my latest story."

Shinobu scanned her quietly, as she started to prepare the day's breakfast: a western breakfast with eggs, pancakes, and some pork-belly bacon that she found at an enterprising meat market nearby.

"But you're never usually up this early."

Kitsune's eyes opened up, an unusual sight.

"Couldn't sleep. Too many things going through my head last night."

"Too many?"

"Yeah, this new club I'm going to has some real good quality entertainment, and last night's performance really made me think a lot about writing and the art of writing."

Shinobu smiled, as she continued to prepare the meal. She stole glances, and noticed that Kitsune had a faraway look, not an unfamiliar look for the diminutive youngster.

That faraway look was evident as everyone else came down for breakfast. Shinobu served up the food, and everyone graciously gave thanks. As everyone started to eat, or shoveling in Kaolla Su's case, discussion went to things that needed to be done around the house.

"I have a lot of studying to do. I am hoping that Keitaro can get around to fixing the light in my room," Naru said, angling a glare at the hapless home-fixer.

"I have noticed that our manager hasn't been spending as much of his free time on making this place neater," Motoko replied, "My slippers have been getting a bit more gray and black lately after walking in the Inn."

Both of these comments hit Keitaro where it hurt, and Kitsune caught on that he was being battered. With her eyes becoming vulpine, she smiled and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"Y'all are just giving him a hard time because of his recovery time. I think he's doing just fine."

Naru's arm stopped moving as she was about to fork another half an egg into her mouth. Motoko just looked at Kitsune in disbelief that the vixen would even speak up for him.

"Shinobu, I'm still hungry. Do we have any cereal in the house?"

"Uhm...I'm not sure, Kitsune. I think we have two."

"Do we have any Special K?"

At the mention of the cereal, Keitaro's eyes went wide and he started to cough. His face was turning red and the coughing began to sound like croaks.

"I know what to do!"

Before Shinobu could even turn around, Kaolla slam-kicked into Keitaro's solar plexus. He fell backwards, but the coughing and croaking stopped.

Naru just looked down at him, as she stood up from her chair. She did nothing but glare, then turn around and leave. Mitsune looked up at her, and her hand had started to clench with anger.

Keitaro, however, didn't care. He was too busy wondering if Kitsune knew his secret.