Disclaimer:

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

Chapter 1 – Chance of a Lifetime

Kitsune shifted uneasily in her chair as the drone of the plane's engines filled the cabin. She was among a group of photographers and journalists, all had a look of both nervousness and excitement upon their faces. The destination was Albania, and then it was a long drive with her fellow journalists to Kosovo – the scene of the worse kind of fighting the region has seen. The flight from Tokyo was taking longer than expected; each passing moment, Kitsune began to think how she ended up here.

~flashback~

"Come on Kitsune," said a voice over the telephone. "It'll be a big career boost for ya, not to mention how much it'll pay."

Kitsune sat in her room and thought for a moment. She took a swig from her sake bottle and put the phone back up to her head.

"I don't know Sanada," she replied. "I'm a freelance writer, not a real journalist. As for my photography skills, they're average at best."

"Listen," said Sanada, "You've worked for the paper for some time now. So far you've only been able to submit a column or two every other week talking about shit no one really cares for."

Kitsune was taken back by that last comment – not because it was blatant insult to her ability as a writer, but it was true that she's written only the boring crap no one else would do.

"I'm telling you Kitsune, this is a chance of a lifetime!" Sanada continued. "It'll give you a real career…maybe have you writing on more important stories that people will notice."

Kitsune thought long and hard at what he said. She knew the risks if she agreed to take this assignment, but the payoff would be worth it. Finishing off her last bottle of sake, she took a deep breath.

"Okay," she said. "I'll do it."

~~

It was dinnertime at the Hinata Sou, and everyone was gathered around the table. After finishing dinner, Kitsune told the others about her assignment. To say that they were shocked at it is an understatement.

"You're going where?!?" exclaimed Keitaro.

Naru stood up and moved to Kitsune's side quickly. She grasped her friend's arm and shot her a look mixed with concern and anger.

"Are you nuts Kitsune!" exclaimed Naru. "It's dangerous!"

"I have to agree with Naru," added Motoko. "The likelihood of being injured will be too great."

"Come on you too! I know what I'm doing," sighed Kitsune. "Besides, I think I'm old enough to make my own decisions."

"Are you really sure you want to go through with this?" asked Keitaro. "I mean, what if you got hurt?"

"I'll be fine," answered Kitsune. "You know me…I can be pretty resourceful when the time comes."

They all remained silent, contemplating what she said. There were no illusions on what may happen to her if went  – none of them wanted to think about it either. Kitsune knew what lay ahead as well, but was confident that she'll be okay.

"When will you be leaving Kitsune?" asked Shinobu.

"Three days from now."

Su jumped up from her seat and latched on Kitsune's back.

"Can I come with you," asked Su innocently. "Please!"

Kitsune laughed lightly at her question. Despite Su's age and energetic personality, she can act rather childish at times.

"I'm sorry Su," answered Kitsune. "Maybe I'll take you on another trip next time around."

"Okies," Su replied and promptly jumped off.

After reassuring the others, they went to their respected rooms for the night. An air of concern and worry hung in the Hinata Sou. It remained until the day Kitsune left for the airport. The others were there at the foot of he steps, wishing her the best of luck. Flashing her trademark foxy grin to all of them, she got in the cab and left. Speeding off to the airport, Kitsune turned back and saw Naru, Keitaro, Shinobu, Motoko, and Su waving their goodbyes.

~end flashback~

The concerned comments that everyone made rang loudly in Kitsune's head. She turned her gaze to the outside world, admiring how the sun's rays came in harmony with the clouds. This drew a small smile on Kitsune's face; it was a shame that such tranquility is becoming harder and harder to find on the ground these days. Sighing, Kitsune reclined in her chair and dozed off.

~~

The aircraft shuttered as it touched down at the airport. Kitsune woke with a jolt as the plane began to taxi of the runway and to the terminal. An air of anticipation filled the cabin as Kitsune began to make a mental checklist of what do the moment she got off – the first order of business is to find the group she is to travel with. Standing up she pulled out her old rucksack and slipped into the shoulder straps. Despite its age and worn condition, Kitsune was really attached to it; it got her through many trips abroad, and to had always brought her luck…not that she believed in stuff like that. Gathering her papers in her hand, she walked toward the front of the plane toward the exit.

Stepping into the terminal, she began to search for her the group she's to travel with into Kosovo. It didn't take long until a young man approached her. He seemed a couple of years older than her, looking awfully like her old tutor Seta…minus the glasses. Despite the man's age, his face had a worn look it, but made him no less friendly.

"You must be Mitsune Konno," he said.

"As a matter of fact, I am," she replied. "And you must be…"

"Jason Gilbert," he replied, "but most people call me Jay."

"Nice to meet you," Kitsune replied. "Friends call me Kitsune."

Shaking hands, Jay took Kitsune to introduce her to the others. There are two others she would be traveling with: a woman with dirty blond hair and blue piercing eyes, and another man with dark brown hair and an average build. They were busy checking their equipment when she and Jay walked over.

"Hey guys," said Jay. "This is Kitsune, the Japanese correspondent that we're bringing along."

"I'm Sandy Morello," replied the woman. "This guy right next to me is Gus Baker."

"Nice to meet you Mitsune," said Gus.

"Likewise," replied Kitsune. "So where are we headed?"

"We're going with a convoy of other news reporters to the border of Kosovo," answered Gus. "Once there, we get to do our thing until it gets too hot to stay."

"Sounds easy enough," commented Kitsune.

"If we're lucky, we'll be able to steer clear of the fighting," commented Sandy.

"Yeah," added Jay. "Let's hope for that."

Picking up their equipment, they proceeded outside to the vehicle assembly area. The car they got was an old Volvo station wagon. Written in bold black tape on the sides and windows was 'T.V.' along with a sign that said 'Press' taped was to the dashboard. Throwing their bags in the back, Kitsune sat shotgun while Jay started up the car. Giving the engine some gas, they began to follow the convoy of seven cars toward their final destination – Kosovo.

Kitsune pulled out her camera and loaded a roll of film in it. Shutting the trap close, she readied it and herself for the task that lay ahead. Little did she know that she would be getting in more than what she had bargained for…

**

A/N – So what do you guys think? Well to get some things out of the way, let me state for the record that this is gonna be a type of an AU fic.

To be quite honest, I'm not sure if there were any reporters in or around Kosovo in '99, but for my fic, there are. Also I'm not 100% sure how reporters enter a worn torn country, so I'll have to do a bit more research on that.

Just to let everyone know, this fic is inspired by the movie Harrison's Flowers and I had a strong urge to write it. Don't worry – I'll still plan to finish 'Guardian Angel'.

Well, you know the drill! Send me your reviews and I'll have chapter two up soon!    =^)