Hey there! S'been a while. Y'know, there was so much that I wanted to cover in Second Phase, that I often ended up forgetting about plotlines I had started earlier on. Thus, by the time the series had ended, I had left a few bits of plot out of the story, even though there was evidence that these subjects would be returned to and elaborated on. For example, Shinichi's missing younger brother. It was hinted that the readers would learned what happened to him, but due to my poor sense of organization, the plotline was completely forgotten and consequently dropped.

Also, I was a tad disappointed in the finale to my sequel series. It was much too dark, and not 'chaotic' enough for a Love Hina finale. Then again, maybe some of you enjoy my rather sadistic style of storytelling. Either way, I felt that too many things were left hanging, and the conclusion was too rushed. Barely any time was spent on the main couples in both LHN and LHN:SP once they finally hooked up. There were two volumes worth of stories left once Naru and Keitaro became an item. I don't have enough ideas to pull off the same amount of stories chapter wise, but perhaps I can properly conclude the Shinichi and Junko storyline with this 2-part story.

-Kouji Tamino

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August 12, 2033... 5 months later…

Sakura yawned, stretching as she walked toward the place she was hiding the injured and formerly evil Arcia. She wore a red silk nightie and wanted to surprise the man, tease him a little bit. He was looking better every time she saw him, and she looked forward to the day when he would be fully healed. Crawling through the entrance and down the tunnel, she gasped as she saw that Arcia was gone.

Love Hina Next: The Mini-Phases!

A 'Second Phase' Tale: Epilogue (Part 1)

Junko grunted as she kissed Shinichi aggressively, pinning his shoulders to the wall with her arms. His arms were around her waist as he nibbled playfully on her bottom lip, eliciting a soft moan from the girl. She pulled away with a smile, panting. "I love you, Shinichi-kun…"

"And I too, Junko…" the man replied, brushing his girlfriends bangs from her sweaty forehead. He sweat dropped, a bit taken aback by her sudden sexual aggressiveness. He was just walking down the hallway, smiling at Junko as he stopped to greet her. Next thing he knew, she had him up against the wall in a game of 'Tonsil Hockey'. "But really, don't you think it's a bad idea to create so much body heat on such a hot day?"

"She's trying to keep you from coming to me…" Meirunna replied, walking up to the fairly new couple. Chuckling, she continued. "Pity that it won't work. It's only a matter of time before I come to finish what I started…" Her hand reached out and lowered, closing in towards Shinichi's crotch, before Junko quickly swatted it away.

"Back away, you horny little bitch!" Junko shouted, standing in front of her boyfriend protectively. "And for your information, I made out with Shinichi because I wanted to!" Smirking, she stepped forward and poked the other girl in the chest. "You're not the only one around here that likes to have fun, you know…"

"Mmm-hm!" Meiruuna hummed with a chuckle. "Looks like I misjudged you." She stepped forward as well, face-to-face with Junko. "I thought you were an uptight prude at first! But it looks like you know how to relax as well!" Grabbing the couple by their waists, she smiled. "Perhaps we could all get together for a little fun?" She laughed as Shinichi replied with a nosebleed and Junko screamed and cursed at the top of her lungs. "I was just kidding! Geez, you guys are just soo fun to mess around with!" Meiruuna giggled as she walked towards the stairs. Stopping at the top, not turning around, she continued. "By the way, I came up here to tell you that Shinichi has some visitors…" Having fulfilled her initial duties, she continued down the stairs.

"Ugh…" Junko growled, crossing her arms. "She really really bothers me…"

"Um, heh…" Shinichi began, nervously. "Well, she can be a bit of a hand full sometimes…"

Junko stared at her love for a moment before sighing in exasperation. "Shinichi-kun, I really don't see how you can be so tolerant all the time…"

"Not all the time, Junko…" Shinichi replied, turning away.

"Hm?" Junko tilted her head uncharacteristically. "What was that, Shinichi-kun?"

"Nothing…" he replied, turning back to her with an awkward smile. "It was nothing. Let's go downstairs where the others are, love…" With that, he retreated.

Junko blushed, still a little in disbelief that someone as sweet as Shinichi loved a rough, violent tomboy like her. She quickly followed him, still not trusting of Meiruuna.

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The young couple was shocked to find that all of Shinichi's cousins and his great uncle, the former Keepers of the Suichi Items, had come to visit. In the room as well were Yamato, Meiruuna, Ami, and Megumi. "Erm…" Shinichi began, looking around the Hinata House lounge. "What in the world are you guys doing here?" He was completely dumbfounded. He hadn't been expecting to see them ever again. Not that he wasn't happy to see them, but it was such short notice…

"We're here to visit, silly!" Rei shouted, taking her hat off and sighing pitifully. "It's so hot out…"

"That's what you get for wearing that damn dress all the time!" Ni shouted, taking off his cap and wiping some sweat off his forehead. "How can you guys stand it?" he asked, referring to the residents of Hinata House. He felt as if he would quite literally melt very soon if he didn't get some relief.

"Our air conditioning's broken…" Rikina replied, appearing behind the man. "I was working on it, but I decided to take a quick break." She laughed as he jumped, screaming and shouting. "Oh, sorry… Did I scare you?" Sticking out her tongue and winking, displaying a bit more of her sister's influence, she slapped her forehead. "I do that sometimes. Anyway, back to work…" Picking up a tool box, she walked over to an air conditioner and got cracking.

"Eh, don't let her freak you out too much, she's really a nice person." Yamato replied, putting a cigarette in his mouth. "She's really a nice person once you get to know her." Taking a lighter out of his pocket, he lit a flame and prepared to light up, only for someone to blow the flame out and snatch the cancer stick out of his mouth. "H-hey! Tokimi!"

The aforementioned waved the cigarette in her hand with a disappointed look on her face. "…Why, Yamato? You keep promising me that you'll quit smoking…" Frowning angrily, she snapped it in two. "But I always manage to catch you doing it anyway…" Sighing, Tokimi walked past him and towards the stairs. "Hello, everyone and welcome to Shinichi's cousins…"

"Gyah, damn it…" Yamato growled, following her up the stairs. "Tokimi, I'm sorry! I'm trying, I really am!" His voice suddenly became more high pitched and whiny as he continued. "But it's hard! Please, just give me another chance!"

Everyone still present sweat dropped at the sight, seeing the usually laid back and in control Yamato stressed out and spazzing. "Hmph." Shi Yon replied, running a hand through his hair. "That's why I'm glad that I don't have a girlfriend… Way too much trouble."

"That's 'cuz you're too fruity to bag a chick!" Go-Roku teased, an evil grin on his face. He yelped as he was grabbed in a headlock by the man. "Ack! Help! I'm being assaulted!"

"You take that back, you evil little gnome!" Shi Yon screamed, tightening his hold. "I'll have you know that I have dozens, no hundreds of women begging to simply be in my presence!"

"Ugh, no offense, but you're acting like a complete snob…" Junko muttered, giving him a look of disgust. She raised an eyebrow with a scowl on her face. "And what was that about girls being too much trouble?"

Nana scoffed in agreement. "Isn't he, though? At least you don't have to put up with him everyday." Glancing towards her egotistical yet charismatic cousin, she shuddered. "We 'Keepers' all live in the same apartment complex…"

"Ooh, I feel for you…" Junko replied, wincing.

Chuckling, old man Ichi stared up at Shinichi with squinted. "So, young man. Are you going to leave your guests bored? We came all this way to see you and you don't even have anything planned?"

Twitching, stared back down at his great uncle. "I wasn't expecting any of you guys to come over, Uncle Ichi… So how in the world was I supposed to--"

"Hey, your parents still own that summer home, right?" Megumi asked, a grin on her face. "Why don't we all go down there for a big beach get together?"

Shinichi coughed, a stressed expression on his face. "Um, actually, I don't think that's a good ide--"

Completely missing Shinichi's anxiety, Ami chimed in. "I think thatt's a great idea, Megumi!" She looked to her former love interest. "Shinichi, why didn't you ever tell us about your family's summer home?"

"Summer home?" Meiruuna grinned. "How many rooms are there?" Her expression became mischievous. "Some of us may have to share rooms…" She was suddenly grabbed by the head and found herself face to face with a pissed off Junko. "Oh my…"

"If that turns out to be the case, Shinichi is sleeping with me!" She shouted, panting heavily. Blushing at her outburst, she froze, giving the dark haired hedonist time to make her escape. "I… didn't mean it… that way…"

Megumi giggled, smiling at the younger woman. "Naughty Junko. Are you thinking about doing dirty things with my special friend?" She walked towards her and leaned in towards her ear. "Alone? In a dark bedroom?"

Junko began sweating. "N-no, it's not like that at all!"

"Did someone say that Shin-sama's parents have a summer home?" Naoko asked, walking in from the kitchen. "I wanna go, too!"

"Of course you can go!" Ami shouted. "That is, of course, if Shinichi-kun and his parents don't mind!" Looking to him pleadingly, she pouted. "Please, Shinichi-kun? Can you ask them?"

"No, Ms. Ami." Shinichi replied, plain and simple. Turning around, hearing everyone's groans of disappointment, he sighed. "I'm sorry you all came here for nothing, but we were not given enough time to plan anything special."

"Shinichi-kun!" Junko shouted, sensing that something was very wrong with her boyfriend. It wasn't like him to act so cold to others, especially his family and friends. She followed him while the others looked on in worry. As she caught up to him, she put a hand on his shoulder. "Shinichi-kun… Is something the matter? You…" She paused, trying to say the right thing. "…seem upset."

Turning around, Shinichi smiled at her. "I'm fine, Junko. Really." His expression became sadder as he looked down a bit. "I'm just a bit tired, that's all… I think I'll take a nap."

"You sure you're all right?" Junko asked, concern on her face. She glared, crossing her arms. "You'd better not be lying to me!"

Shinichi screamed, backing away. Just because she was his girlfriend now didn't mean she wouldn't smack him if he messed up. He knew this, and wanted to get far away from her at the moment. "Um, later, Junko!" Dashing down the halls, he disappeared into the safety of his room.

Sighing, Junko shook her head before sighing wearily. "I was just kidding. Dork." Looking off in the direction he left, she frowned. There was definitely something amiss here. He was just acting too weird. "Shinichi, sometimes I wonder… What are you hiding? Don't you know you can tell me anything?"

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That night, Shinobu cooked what was perhaps one of the biggest dinners not related to a wedding she had ever made. Unfortunately, the lack of preparation took it's toll on her. By the time everything was prepared, the poor woman was too stressed and overworked to feel like eating any dinner herself. Thankfully, she got some assistance from Naoko, or she may have never gotten finished. Still, the entire experience left her exhausted. Slumping in her chair, she sighed. "Alright, everyone… Enjoy."

As everyone ate, Shinichi suddenly cleared his throat, as if to say something. They quickly stopped what they were doing and shifted their attention to the young man, especially interested in what he had to say after this morning's incident. "I'm sorry for worrying everyone…" Smiling slightly, he continued. "After doing some thinking, I decided that I will see about hooking us up with a beach vacation." As everyone cheered, he sat back down, a pained expression on his face. In their excitement, no one really noticed, except for Junko. She stared at him worriedly, growing both anxious and even a little angry at his secrecy.

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A few days later, after careful preparation and planning, the whole gang headed off to the Suichi family summer home. Everyone was invited, including the Hidakas. As expected, there were actually more than enough rooms for everyone. Most of the established couple shared a room, most of them sleeping in separate beds unless they were married or already 'active' with each other.

When all the unpacking was complete, everyone changed into their swim suits and headed down to the beach. They soon split off into their own groups, organizing their own summer activities to keep them preoccupied.

Miaka and Kimiko wore similarly designed one piece swim suits, blue and pink respectively. They were burying their father Keitaro in the sand, their mother Naru watching on in a pink bikini. Giggling, she shook her head. "You spoil those two way too much…"

Smiling cheerfully, Keitaro stuck out his tongue. "Heh, maybe… But they're so darn adorable!" He shivered as sand got in his dark blue swim trunks. "But perhaps I should get out soon…"

Elsewhere, Ami, Meiruuna, Jin, Megumi, and Static were creating a huge sandcastle. The two psychic twins wore matching bikini's that were the colors of the other sister's hair. Megumi wore a yellow one piece, occasionally giving looks to Static that made him blush. Jin was unsuccessfully trying to flirt with Ami as they worked. The two brothers wore simple black swim trunks with a red stripe going down one side.

Noticing that Sakura was sitting not too far away with a rather solemn look on her face, sporting a crimson red bikini with black lining. Waving over to her, she shouted. "Hey! What's wrong Sakura?" She had never seen the unnatural redhead look so down before. "Hey, don't be gloomy! Come on over and hang out with us!"

Sakura turned around, feeling absolutely sick to her stomach. What in the hell was she going to tell everyone if they ever found out what she had done? How she had lied to them while sheltering the enemy, and how he had recently escaped, perhaps plotting his revenge against them all. They'd never trust her again. After struggling to earn their trust after betraying them the first time, there was no way they'd trust her after a stunt like this. Swallowing heavily, she decided that she'd deal with it all when it happened. "Um… okay" she replied uneasily, feeling like she had stabbed each and every one of her friends in the back as she walked over to the group.

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Walking along the beach, side by side, Shinichi and Junko were completely silent, awkwardness from the other day still lingering. Junko, however, was determined to find out what was bothering her boyfriend. Trying to think of a way to break the ice, she smiled as she spotted a man selling ice cream. "Hey, Shinichi-kun! Want some?" she asked, pointing over to the ice cream vendor. "My treat!"

Reaching for his wallet, he shook his head. "That's okay, I'm buying…" He was quickly stopped, the girl placing her hands over his. "Um, Junko?…"

"I'm the one with a job, remember?" Junko replied, a teasing smirk on her face. Chuckling, she ran her hand through his hair, ruffling it up a bit. "You're not rich anymore, so stop acting like you have to pay for everything, okay?" Reaching around her ankles, she produced an ankle wallet that used an elastic band to stay on. She walked over to the vendor, purchased two cones, and came back with chocolate and vanilla. "I didn't know what flavor you wanted, so I got two different ones. Pick one."

"Um… Vanilla, I guess." Shinichi replied somberly, taking the cone. He began to eat it, sitting down on the sand and staring at the ocean. As Junko sat next to him, he sighed. "If you're trying to butter me up so I'll tell you what's bothering me, it won't work", he suddenly said, rather coldly. "So just drop it, Junko."

Junko grit her teeth, trying not to crush her ice cream in anger. "What the hell is your problem, Shinichi? Why can't you just speak up about what's been eating you, lately." Licking her dry lips, she continued. "We're boyfriend and girlfriend, damn it! When we have problems, we help each other through them!" She frowned at him, her eyes full of fire and pure determination to get to the bottom of all this. "I can't do that unless you tell me what the hell is going on!" She gasped as he stood up quickly, dropping his unfinished ice cream on the ground. Growling, she glared up at him furiously, standing up as well to face him. "Hey, what's your damn problem!"

Without even looking at her, Shinichi opened his mouth to say something that Junko hoped he would never say. "Then perhaps we shouldn't date anymore, Ms. Junko…" He was tired of her constant nosiness. He just couldn't tell her what happened. She might hate him for this, but his secret might make her despise his very existence.

The young woman's eyes widened. "What?…" Her shock quickly transformed into anger, crushing the ice cream cone in her fingers. She watched as her now seemingly ex-boyfriend walked away from her, the sticky brown treat running down her fingers as it melted. "Are you…. Are you dumping me! Shinichi, you bastard! I was just--" As the reality of the situation dawned on her, she suddenly felt weak in the legs, falling to her knees and letting her tears fall. "I was just trying to help… Please Shinichi, don't leave me…"

To Be Continued…