Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina. Were it mine, I would have some claim to fame. Instead, I get to be a no body. Go me.

A few things that I would like you to know before you read my story (WARNING, A LONG RANT!):

- English is not my first language; therefore you are bound to find some grammatical and/or spelling errors here and there throughout my story. I am terribly sorry for this, but I do believe that at the very least my English is at a sufficient enough level for you readers to be able to comprehend the story.

- Feel free to give any comments to my story. I don't even mind being flamed (I don't mind being praised either, -laughs-). Of course, I wouldn't put my work on this site if I don't want other people to see it. If you wish to contact me for whatever reason, you may do so through my E-Mail address at my so-called profile (which is only in spanish, by the way :P)

Have fun reading my story. Enjoy!

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Prologue

It is commonly believed that one small event, one seemingly insignificant detail, can change the course of events in a person's life to an unimaginable extent. One man's thoughtless act can condemn him to a life of misery, one ruler's careless decision can lead to a massacre, and one family's honest mistake can doom a nation. So, people believe that with these actions, a destiny is more closely set in stone. Options once available are forever lost to them. Each fork in the road passed, leaves fewer and fewer possible out comes, until the only choice left to be made is how one dies.

Not that it really matters to Ayakawa Kouya. A young man of 22 years old.

He was a traveler, no, thats not acurate enought; he was some kind of wanderer, traveling all japan with no destiny in mind, he simply starts walking and when he is hungry or tired he just stops, in the case that he has no money left, Kouya would search for a job that can give him enought money to move again and keep his never ending journey. It has been the same for him during this 3 years, and in that time the few things that he had learned were:

1.- a hentai artist never lies

2.- to never mix coke, coffe, peppermint tea, and beer with miso soup

3.- the cans of tuna are a really good weapon

4.- never buy beans from a bald hobo

So... from his point of view, he was as near to his goal as the time when he started his trip

"darn..." inspecting the inside box of his jacket, he noted that there were only 3 cigarettes left, "...need to stock again"

Now he was facing an important desicion. Go to the left, to Shingetsu a small town to buy two or three packs of cigarettes and maybe food, or go to the right, to the harbor, buy a ticket to who-knows-where and one pack of his precious cancer sticks.

Getting one cig to his mouth, kouya was thinking of the possibilities, "A travel in boat sounds appealing, but then again... less cigarettes are not good" lighting his cancer stick he finaly gets to a decision "well, I can find work in town, so... more money to buy the ticket and a massive stack of cigarettes cartons" smiling to himself, Kouya starts to walk toward the little town, little did he know that in that small town his live would take a turn he never expected

x-x-x-x-x-x

"Man, it feels good..." smiling as he take a drag of his cig, finally takes a look around, Shingetsu was kind of a feisty town, apparently being so near to the harbor make this town the reunion point of all nearby towns to get supplies

Kouya liked this kind of town, the people in here where always looking forward for someone that wants a job, and they didn't need much formalities, giving him and excellent opportunity to work, get paid and leave, it was perfect for the living stile of the young man.

"Think fast!"

"uh?" with only that warning, Kouya find himself catching a large backpack that some random guy throw to him "HEY! What the fu...!" he didn't get the chance to finish because someone tackled him from behind

"GOTCHA!"

Kouya wasn't sure of what happened, one moment he was enjoying a drag of nicotine, and the next he's kissing the dirt, "Grandma, you shouldn't do things like that, It's bad for your health," he heard another voice say that, aparently the grandma of that person is the one who tackled Kouya and is sitting in his back

"Don't be silly, I've a few more years left in this old body," he heard her reply

"Get off..."

Finally noticing the young man under her, 'grandma' stands up and dust herself, oportunity that Kouya takes advantage of to pick up his cig and place it in his mout

"Grandma, I don't think he is the thief"

"Uhmm, I think so too..."

Dusting himself up, Kouya looked at the pair. One was a rather short old lady, but her eyes where very alive, mischevious and burning with a passion that he haven't seen before. The other member of the pair was a girl, her clothes where kind of dark and her demainour was calm, maybe it unnerved kouya a little, her face was so lack of expression that kouya couldn't help to be uncomfortable. Grabing the backpack that was thrown to him, he say "I presume that this was stolen from you"

"Thats true, sorry to have mistook you for the thief" the old lady say this at the same time that Kouya was handling the backpack to the girl in black

"Don't worry about it" the young man was eager to take his leave, he needed to find a job, and if possible, the man that throw him that backpack to beat the shit out of him; so with anything more to say, Kouya grabs his traveling bag and starts walking in the direction of the market

"Wait a moment lad" the old lady didn't shout or anything, but Kouya couldn't help to obey her. Raising an eyebrow he asked "What is it?"

"Let me repay you for the trouble I have caused young man, How about a dinner by my expense?" She was grinning like a shark, it was contagious. Kouya who haven't eaten properly in days, was unable to refuse to the proposal

x-x-x-x-x-x

"So, you are on a world-wide sightseeing tour uh?..."

Kouya was actually in the restaurant of the inn where hina and her granddaughter kanako where staying. Kanako had long go to who-knows-where, so he was only with the old lady

"Thats right lad, I'm not getting any younger, and it was my dream since young to make a travel like this"

"I see..."

Kouya stoped for a moment the conversation to get a shot of his sake. In reality, he was uncomfortable with the answer of Hina, She have a dream, something to achieve... very different to himself

"What's the matter child?" Hina was a very perceptive person, so she immediatly noticed the change in humor of her companion

"It's nothing" he knows that he was making it more obvious that he was unconfortable, but he don't really care; and it's not like the old crone really care either. A moment of silence passed betwenn the two until Hina broke it

"Say me... would you like to come with me?" Kouya was surprised to say the least; he was thinking that maybe she will be proding to get the info out of him. That question was the last of the things that he expected "S-sorry?"

"You heard me, I would like a conpanion" say Hina with a smile

"Don't you have your granddaughter?" he asked still confused by the sudden proposal

"Yes, but she don't like to drink" This earned a grin from him. There were nine bottles of sake in the table, only two weren't empty " I don't have money to pay a travel like that" he say it in surrender

"Don't worry, I'll pay for you" That statement gets his attencion "What's the catch?" he say it blunty, without any trace of respect for the elder

"Haha, I like that attitude, showing doubt speaks good of you" she clearly was enjoying this, she could bring her to like the boy

"So... what's the catch?" he reapeted himself getting clearly annoyed by her attitude

"This is it boy..." Hina answer in a serious tone, so Kouya took her answer serious "...someday I would need a favor from you, when that day comes, you can't refuse"

"Ok, that's strange, maybe it's the sake getting the better of me, but this is a once in a life time opportunity,the old crone wouldn't ask much from me, she knows i'm broke, and what could possible ask for me, to kill somebody... well actually that's a possibility... nah, better accept before she regrets the offer"

"Ok granny, you got yourself a deal"

Hina could only smile

x-x-x-x-x-x

6 months have passed since Kouya started to travel with Granny Hina and Kanako, and for the first time in a long time, he was having fun

The matriarch of the Urashima was a very interesting person, and very fun to be with. She would always find a way to make life more interesting; she is a good at drinking (He was impressed in Moscu, when she drank a whole bottle of vodka as if the liquor was water), and give good advice. Kanako was mostly calm an collected, but since his little incident in Praga she was edgy when he was around, not that he can blame her, but still, it was not such a big deal, putting that aside, he was always amazed with her abilities being in martial arts, that freaky 'make-up diguising' thing she knew, or simply her perception and sharp toungue. All in all Kouya was very comfortable in the company of the two Urashimas

But nothing last forever

x-x-x-x-x-x-

"What's the deal?" Kouya asked with his tipical cigarette in his mouth

He has been called by granny Hina to discuss somethig important, he didn't know what is about. Kanako didn't tell him, so here he was, in the Hotel room that all three share

Hina jumped into the air with a flash, and snatched Kouya's cigarette right out of his mouth. Kouya watched in utter shock, as she flipped it casually into a garbage can a good fifteen feet away. "Disgusting habit you know… Now, are you just going to stand there and impersonate a manikin, or are you going to sit down a talk business?"

Kouya was kind of mad with the old crone, it was his last cig, but in the little time that he have know her, it was better to his health stay in her good side. "So...?" he finally asked sitting in a bed

"I have a favor to ask from you"

"SHIT!" He was specting that, but that didn't change the fact that he didn't like it one bit "What's it?"

"Travel to Japan and go to a place called Hinata Sou, further instructions await there"

"Right now?" He knows the answer to that, but maybe...

"Yes, right now"

"SHIT" yeah it was the answer he was expecting "Ok, let me get my thi... Uh?" Kouya was dumbfounded by the fact that his travelling bag was ready, and near his bag there was a plaine ticket

"I've already pack your things and buy you a ticket to Tokio" She said it with a grin

"Anyother person would think that you wan't me out of the picture"

"Then I'm lucky that it is you and not any other"

Trying and failing to supress the smirk that the answer of hina provoked, Kouya grabed his bag and the ticket, and exited the door

x-x-x-x-x-x

"Looks that I finally arrived"

Kouya was looking at the large steps leading to the Hinata Sou. He was tired only by looking at them. "This will be a long walk up" he grumbled. Deciding that only looking with despair wouldn't help in any aspect, he started to climb while tinking why he was doing what he was doing. Sure, Hina have told him to "go to Hinata Sou", but it was kind of stupid to be so obedient to an old crone who he didn't know well, yeah he make a promise and all, but he was again in japan and he didn't have any ties to her "Yes, maybe i could just walk up, and she would never find me again" as the mere idea crossed his head he regretted it, Hina would find out his betrayal, and he was very sure that she will hunt him down and send him straith to his death. Finally giving up, he noted that he was standing in the top of the stairs. He looked up and was surprised. The Hinata-sou was as beautiful as he imagined from the note that was given to him. The fine old designs on the building and the sakura trees surrounding the place. Everything was like taken out from a book of history, like the place was frozen in time.

It was then that he heard a shout

"We won't allow it!"

"B-but..."

This was followed by a man flying straight above him, giving a loud yell as it happened. Kouya stood there speechless at what just happened, until he snapped from his stupor a said the most normal thing from a situation like that

"What the fuck is that about!?"

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A/N: For those of you who are reading, this chapter is mainly to explain the new character somewhat and explain how exactly he knew about Hinatasou, I know is lame, but o well