The Empire Underneath III Chapter 4

Disclaimer: All Love Hina characters belong to Ken Akamatsu as their creator. But the ones you've never seen in Love Hina before (Shinsei, ALL talking Mecha-Tama and their Boss, and the cast of TR) are no doubt made up by me.

A blonde haired girl sighed as she fell back into her seat. The two people next to her watched her with a worried look.
"How is it?" A dark brown haired man asked.
The girl replied with a tired smile, drawing relief sighs from the two men.
"Great." the man on the right muttered, running his hand through his jet-black hair. "He fell into that pit on his own mistake. Why should we help him?. 'I won't die so easily'. Bah." he spat.
"We've got to." the brown haired man replied, laying his back on his seat between the two people. "General's orders. We have to prevent him from dying."
"Yeah, but using inter-dimensional magic just to cure that broken back bone?" the jet-black haired man sounded irritated.
"I'm fine." the girl said. "It's not that hard to pull off, you know."
"Besides, an order is an order." the middle man said.
The right man grunted. "How long are we supposed to keep him immortal like this?"
"Until his child is born and have come to age." the middle man said. "You know the history. That child of his will be one of our best recruits."
"This is better worth it." the right man said. "That Mecha-Tama is down, and I have no idea on what can save him now."
"Relax," the middle man said, smiling. "This battle is 97% won already. All we need now is that kendo girl's cooperation. If she is willing to become one with her..."
"That old spirit?" the girl asked.
The middle man nodded. "This last 3% is, most regrettably, the most important..."

LOVE HINA: Super Duper Special Episode! #9

The Empire Underneath III: CONCLUSION

Chapter 4: Dreams, Wishes, and Promises

"How long do these stairs go?" Keitaro asked as he began to lose breath as he ran down the flight of stairs.
"I have no idea." Naru replied. "Just keep running!"
Keitaro gasped. "I...I can't...!" he exclaimed as he slowed down. He bent down as he puffed.
Naru huffed next to him. She turned and laid her back on the wall, trying to get some rest. But a distinct chirp was heard along with a part of the wall under Naru's back was pushed. "Oh, no..." she said.
Just then, the stairs turned into a slide.
"Aaaaah!" Keitaro slid down with amazing speed and a scream.
"Aaaaah!" Naru slid right next to him.

A flash froze the muscles of the Hinata-sou residents.
"Damn it...!" Mitsune grunted as she was stopped just as she was turning away.
Shinobu was still holding Mecha-Tama Shinsei, and had tears swelling on the corners of her eyes.
Motoko was holding her sepia colored, haunted sword mid-air, unable to finish her move. She gritted her teeth.
Nyamo was stunned, as the Mecha Boss' image sparked memories in her mind.
"Now, who should I skin first?" The Mecha Boss grinned. "Let's see. A human adult...I could take all of that fox's flesh, maybe added with that crying kid's. Hmm, yeah, that should make me a stocked up man. And that kendo girl should have enough muscles on her own..."
Mitsune gulped. "A-Are you...going to kill us?" she asked the obvious.
The Mecha Boss turned to her. "Hmm, do you want me to get your flesh without killing you first? I can arrange that."
"Iie!!" Mitsune cried.
Nyamo was still stunned, her mind was filled with memories. That Mecha Boss reminded him of someone...it was...it was... "Grandpa!!" Nyamo exclaimed.
That took everyone's attention, including the Mecha Boss.
"Grandpa!" Nyamo exclaimed again.
"You've got to be kidding!" Mitsune exclaimed. "That...thing...is your grandfather?!"
The Mecha Boss seemed stunned. He went to Nyamo, standing right in front of her. "Who are you?" he asked.
"Grandpa! It's me, Nyamo!" Nyamo exclaimed, tears began to swell on her eyes, just like Shinobu. She finally found him!
"Nya...mo?" The Mecha Boss seemed confused.
Nyamo's eyes lit up. "Yes, Grandpa, it's me!"
The Mecha Boss frowned. Or at least it seemed that he frowned. Having no real human face kind of ruined his expression. "I don't know anyone by the name of Nyamo." he finally said.
A drop of tear escaped Nyamo's eyes, for a different reason than why it was swelling there in the first place. "B-But..."
"SILENCE!" The Mecha Boss exclaimed. "You shall not confuse me with your silly remarks."
Just then, Naru and Keitaro came sliding into the room with a scream. Before anyone got an idea on what happened, they struck the Mecha Boss and he was thrown to the wall, releasing his Muscle Freezer Flash effects.
Naru and Keitaro sat on the rock floor, holding their aching heads. Shinobu and Mitsune ran towards them. "Are you alright, Senpai?" Shinobu asked them.
Keitaro turned to her, trying a smile. "Hai," he nodded. He then noticed a half burnt Mecha-Tama. "Is that...?"
Shinobu nodded, her expression sad. "He said Kaolla could fix him easily."
Keitaro nodded, sighing, "Yokatta..."
"Ne, Naru, you alright?" Mitsune asked.
"I'm fine, Kitsune." Naru replied.
Near the wall, the Mecha Boss rose from his fall. "Mecha! Attack!" he exclaimed.
A Mecha-Tama appeared near him. "But I thought you can handle this on your own. You said so earlier."
"So I was wrong. Attack!" The Boss exclaimed.
The Mecha wasn't moving.
The Boss turned to the ignorant Mecha. "What are you doing?! Attack!" He sounded panicked.
"We shall not be commanded by an imperfect program such as you." The Mecha replied as a whole. "Your program has defects. You are mistaken. You are to be ignored. We now surrender only to the Supreme Computer."
The Boss couldn't believe what his hearing has reported to him.
"Well, I believe your support is gone." Mitsune said with a slight grin. "Motoko-chan, do your...stuff."
Motoko raised her sword. A strange feeling ran through her hands. The spirit in her sword was draining her ki, but she unleashed the powerful blow anyway. "Hiken Zankuusen, ni no Tachi!" she exclaimed. She slash her sword towards the Mecha Boss. A bright flash, tinged with sepia streaks, jumped from her sword towards the Boss, leaving Motoko's sword back to its original hue.
"Iie! Grandpa!" Nyamo exclaimed. She positioned herself between the Boss and Motoko, but since the attack wasn't supposed to harm the innocent, it went right through Nyamo and onto the Mecha Boss.
A small, shiny object jumped to the air as the Mecha Boss crumbled into useless piles of trash. Motoko jumped, grabbed the small object and examined it. A small chip. "This must be the ID Chip Shinsei-kun told us about." she said. She closed her palm and crushed the chip into dust. She then turned to Nyamo, who was kneeling near the pile of trash.
Just then, the wall seemed to lit up. Sparkles of light was visible. Then, the room lit up, revealing a HUGE metal panel on a wall next to them. The lights and indicators madly moved about. Then, it spoke. "I have detected the destruction of M3CH4-8055."
Everyone turned to the panel. "W-Who are you?" Keitaro asked.
"I am Supreme Computer." the panel replied.
"The Boss above the boss?" Naru repeated Shinsei's words.
"That would be me."
"Why are you doing this to us?" Mitsune asked. "Why did you create that...thing?!"
"I am obliged to stay here. I created M3CH4-8055 to be my body. My way to see the outside world."
"Why did he became so hostile?" Motoko asked.
"It seemed that my try to perfect him backfired. I gave him 'The Attribute'. It is what you humans called 'The Trait of Competing'. This trait is intended to make him able to decide what's best for him, so that he will be better the next day. So that he will be better than anyone else. But that trait lead him into a decision to acquire emotions."
"And yourself?" Keitaro asked.
"I am Supreme Computer."
"Grandpa..." Nyamo whispered.
"I am...krrstkskstk..." The panel began to emit strange sounds. Suddenly, a hologram appeared in front of them.
Everyone was astounded, but mostly Naru and Nyamo, as they had seen that figure before. "Grandpa!" Nyamo exclaimed.
The hologram seemed troubled. He then turned to the residents of Hinata-sou. "To Nyamo. If this hologram is activated, then you have come to the Supreme Computer's face and call me. I have some explanations to do. First of all, my search for the real paradise of turtles seem to have come to an end. Not the better end, apparently."
Everyone was stunned. Naru remembered that the figure was Nyamo's grandpa, whose photograph was shown to her by Seta.
"When I arrived here, I was overwhelmed by these mechanical turtles, and was...killed."
"NOO! Grandpa!!" Nyamo exclaimed. She ran to the hologram, but since it wasn't anything like Shinsei's, she went through it.
"Nyamo, my granddaughter." the figure continued. "Please don't be sad. I was rescued by this very sophisticated people and was brought back to life. They instructed me to help them build this Supreme Computer and gave specific orders on what to do with it."
"Brought back to life...?" Keitaro mumbled.
"After this hologram is finished, I shall deactivate the Supreme Computer. That would leave the Mecha without leader, and they will do what they will. I hope they won't do anything destructive. My only regret is that I couldn't say goodbye to you." the figure stopped for a moment, then smiled. "Since...we're..." he seemed troubled again. He then seemed to talk to someone else. "Can I say that to her?" and was disappointed to hear a negative reply. He sighed. "Well, this is all what I have to say."
Then the hologram dissipated. "Grandpa!" Nyamo exclaimed.
The Supreme Computer blinked and then a sound of a deactivated machine was audible, and all the lights on the panel went off.
There was silence as they all tried to comprehend what had just happened. Finally Mitsune concluded what everyone was thinking. "So, we came all this way, for nothing...?"

Love Hina: The Empire Underneath III: CONCLUSION - Not For Sale or Rent :)

Three days had gone from that tiring day. The Mecha-Tama had stopped all activity when the Supreme Computer went off-line. Kaolla had fixed Shinsei, as easy as Shinsei had told Shinobu. It appears that he had created an instruction on what to do in his spare memory. When Kaolla found it, she followed it directly and fixed him perfectly. His first action was to find Shinobu.
Nyamo was still in the Inn, trying to get rid of her grief by bathing at the spring, but it only did partial healing on her scars. She bit her lip as she remembered what her grandfather had said. 'Sophisticated people...Masaka...them again...?' She cut her thoughts as she heard someone enter the rotenburo.
"I knew I'd find you here." Naru said as she entered the spring. She was still wearing her clothes, indicating that she wasn't there for a bath. "A package came for you." she said, handing out a package.
Nyamo received it with a puzzled expression. "Arigato." she said. She looked at the package, turned it around and was surprised.
Naru caught that. "I suppose you'd want me to leave, right?"
Nyamo nodded. "Please..." she said softly.
As Naru walked away, Nyamo opened the package. It was the same black box. She opened it and put it on the spring's side, careful not to let any water got to it. She turned the box on, and a familiar face appeared. It was the dark brown haired man from the sophisticated room!
"Congratulations, Nyamo." he said, in English.
"Thank you." Nyamo replied, also in English!
"Now, you promised that when you've found out about your grandfather's whereabouts..."
"Grandpa mentioned about some sophisticated people that brought him back to life." Nyamo interrupted. Her English was supreme, as if she was a native.
The man smiled. "Yes, it was us." he confessed.
Nyamo was exited. "That means...he's with you now?" she asked.
The man went away from the screen, giving room for a figure to appear.
Nyamo looked at the figure, her eyes wet again.

"Leaving so soon?" Keitaro asked as he watched Nyamo packed her things in a hurry.
"Yes." Nyamo said. A tinge of happiness in her voice. "I've...I mean, I'm going to find my grandfather again."
"But..."
"I've got a new lead." Nyamo said. "I have to go." she said as she walked hurriedly past Keitaro.
Keitaro went to follow her, and joined with the residents of Hinata-sou as they waved her goodbye.
Nyamo waved them back as she walked down the stone stairs. Then, after making sure that no one saw her, turned to an isolated alley. There she met the dark brown haired man. "Jeff-kun..." she called him.
The man smiled, offering a hand. "It's time to fulfill both your dream and your promise, Nyamo-chan." he said.
Nyamo took his hand and they disappeared.

Shinobu and Shinsei was sitting on the roof. The sun was setting into the sea in front of them. Shinsei had his arm around Shinobu's shoulders, making her blush.
"Shinsei-kun..." Shinobu started.
"Hmm?"
"Can we...I mean...We're different, you and I..."
Shinsei sighed. "I know. It's my dream as well to be a human."
"Would you like to be one?" another voice asked.
Shinsei and Shinobu looked at each other, then turned to the voice, behind them. There stood Moe! But she's partly visible, like a ghost.
"Y-You're Moe-chan?" Shinobu asked.
The ghastly figure nodded. "I have with me my last power to grant a wish."
Shinobu began to shiver.
Moe came to her and put a soft hand on Shinobu's head. "Please, do not be afraid. I am here to help you."
"A wish?" Shinsei asked.
Moe nodded. "My dreams are complete. I have met Keitaro again, he had fulfilled his promise to me. I had my revenge on the Mecha Boss. And I still have enough power to grant a wish, before returning to where I belong."
"Answer me," Moe said with a solemn tone. "Have you a wish?
"Yes." Shinsei replied firmly. "I would like to be a human."
Moe smiled. She nodded. "I shall turn you into a human, but since you were created not long ago, you shall be a baby."
Shinobu choked.
Moe chuckled. "I will take his baby form to my world. There, time flows four times faster than here. I shall return him to you after five years."
"F..." Shinobu couldn't believe it. She have to go on living without Shinsei for FIVE YEARS?
Shinsei turned to her, holding her arms. "Do you hear that, Shinobu-chan? I can be a human!" he exclaimed.
"B-But...five years..." Shinobu stifled a cry.
Shinsei wiped the tears off her eyes gently. "I promise I'll be back. And when I do..."
Shinobu gulped, swallowing her cry. She hugged him tight.
Shinsei returned the hug.
"Shall we go?" Moe asked.

LOVE HINA: Super Duper Special Episode! #10

The Empire Underneath III: CONCLUSION

EPILOGUE

The dreaded five years had passed. Shinsei didn't come back. Shinobu was sad, but she somehow knew. A 21-year old Maehara Shinobu took a deep sigh as she continued on, trying to forget him.

Four months passed. Shinobu entered Haruka's tea house after leaving it for so long, getting into college and all.
"Shinobu-chan!" Haruka greeted. She looked the same, but age marks really began to appear on her face. Not to mention a strand of white hair on the front of her hair. Her trademark unlit cigarette stayed where it was, though.
"Haruka-san!" Shinobu went to her and hugged her. "It's been a long time."
Haruka hugged the girl back. "It sure is."
They let go and went to find a seat. "What's with the white hair? You shouldn't been any older than 35 years, right?"
Haruka gave a mysterious smile. "I've inherited something when Grandma Hina passed away..." she just said. "So, how's college? Found any boys yet?" Haruka asked, diverting the conversation.
Shinobu sighed. "I still...couldn't forget Shinsei-kun."
Haruka stared the girl with awe. Shinobu had grown into a fine woman. She was sure that she'd got numerous fans drooling over her, but she kept her faith to a love from the past. She's just like Keitaro, in some way.
Just then, the tea house's door swung open. Naru walked in. "Haruka-san! We're back! And, oh! Shinobu-chan ka?"
Shinobu stood up as she recognized Naru. "Naru-senpai...?"
Naru went to her. "It's been a while! How are you?"
"I'm fine, thank you. How are you, senpai?" Shinobu asked.
"I'm very fine." Naru replied.
"Konnichiwa."
Naru and Shinobu turned to see how it was. "U-Urashima-senpai?"
Keitaro turned to see who called him. "Shinobu-chan?! Wow, you've grown!" he exclaimed, apparently shocking the baby he was carrying. It squealed. "Oh, I just can't handle this kid. Here, Naru, you take him."
Naru sighed as she took the baby from him. "You should know how to handle a baby, Keitaro."
"I'm not cut out for it." Keitaro replied. "Besides, you shouldn't have left him with me while I'm paying for that taxi."
"U-Urashima-senpai...that baby...?" Shinobu choked on her own words.
Keitaro smiled at Naru, who was also smiling at him. They showed their right hands, which had rings on their ring fingers.
"Y-You're married?!" Shinobu was shocked. "I'm happy for you!" she congratulated them.
"Thank you, Shinobu-chan." Keitaro said. "And if you haven't closed off yourself when you entered that college, you might've received our invitation."
"Gomen nasai...I was..." Shinobu couldn't say that she was still depressed over Shinsei at the time. She recovered only in recent months.
A car stopped in front of the tea house. "I wonder who that is." Haruka said. They went outside to find Kaolla jumping out of a cool-looking sports car.
"Thanks for the ride!" she exclaimed. Then she noticed the new-comers. "Shinobu! Naru! Keitaro!" she exclaimed. She jumped towards them. "Who's the kid?"
"He's ours." Naru replied proudly. "Su-chan, meet our boy, Urashima Keisuke."
"You named him after your great-grandfather, ne?" Kaolla said excitedly.
"Anoo, why is the car still here?" Shinobu asked.
Kaolla turned to the car. "Oh, that's Motoko's boyfriend's car." she replied calmly.
Everyone's eyes bulged out at the reply.
A boy came out and opened the passenger car. Motoko stepped down, smiling to him. "See you tomorrow, Motoko." said the man, before kissing her on the lips.
Motoko kissed him back, before letting him get into his car and drove away. She turned to the tea house and froze at the sight of three people she hadn't seen for some time.
Shinobu smiled. "Omedeto, ne, Motoko-san." she said.
"Ne, Motoko-chan, changing your view on men, now, eh?" Keitaro asked.
"Maybe you'll be the next to have one of these." Naru said as she showed Keisuke to her.
Motoko blushed furiously.
"Hey," someone in a nifty looking clothes saluted them, saving Motoko from further embarrassment. No one recognized her at first, but when she opened her rayban...
"Kitsune!" Keitaro exclaimed.
The foxy lady grinned. "I guess, being an talent scout can have fortunes as well." she said.

Shinobu sighed as she sat on the roof of Hinata-sou. The building had been declared as a historical monument, and was kept as a national treasure. Everyone had moved out and had found new places to live. Everyone had their new lives. Even Kaolla was close to her dream of making a computer industry giant.
Shinobu watched the sun set as she felt the effects of sake she had been drinking began to wear off. Being of age, she didn't refuse Haruka's offer, but even sake couldn't completely let her mind off someone. The beautiful setting sun reminded her of Shinsei. She was sitting on the spot where he left her with Moe, promising to return in five years, but he didn't...
Shinobu, having lost the mood, climbed down to where she used to dry the resident's clothes. She was going to the stairs but stopped as she saw a figure there. She couldn't believe her eyes. Her vision blurred.
The figure walked towards her. "Shinobu-chan..."
Shinobu choked on her tears as they began to run down her cheek. "S-S-Shinsei...-kun...?" she only dared to speculate.
The figure nodded. "Yes, I'm back."
It took Shinobu a few second before lunging into the man's hug. "Shinsei-kun...where were you?! You're...late...!" she exclaimed between cries.
"I'm so sorry..." Shinsei said. "I realized that in five years, you'd be 21. I don't want to be by your side while I was 20. I'd be younger than you."
Shinobu cried louder. "Baka...!" She exclaimed.
"So, I begged Moe to let me stay there for another year or so, until I was sure that I'd be older than you." Shinsei said. His eyes began to swell tears as well. He hugged her tighter. "And now...now..."
They released their hug.
"So...Shinsei-kun...you're now a...?" Shinobu stuttered.
Shinsei nodded. "Yes, Shinobu-chan. We can finally be together."
They hugged and kissed, under the same sun that witnessed their parting five years four months before.

A figure watched from under the shadows as the two couple kissed. She swept her strand of white hair over her head. She glanced a bit as she realized a presence behind her.
"They're finally together, ne?" A tanned version of Shinobu said. She still looked like her, 21 years and all, but her attire had changed. She was then wearing a skin-tight black clothing, with metal plates on some vital places.
Haruka went back to watch Shinobu and Shinsei. "Yeah." she sighed. She then turned around. "And how about you, Nyamo-chan?" she asked.
Nyamo smiled. "I've fulfilled my dream, and am now fulfilling my promise." she said. "It's a fun promise, though."
Haruka smiled. "You're in good hands." she said.
Nyamo nodded. "I know." she replied. She then bowed a bit before pressing a button on a plate on her wrist. She then disappeared.
Haruka turned back to the kissing couple. "Ganbatte kudasai, ne, Shinobu-chan, Shinsei-kun." she whispered. A block of mist surrounded her from nowhere, and when it dissipated, she was nowhere in sight.

END!!

Author's Note: Sigh I finally able to finish this trilogy. I've never dreamt of creating one. But hey! I did it! And I bet you're getting pretty confused about the people in the sophisticated-looking room. They seem to know almost everything. They're actually people from my unpublished Original/Fantasy series, The Time Rangers. When I finally publish them, I'll revise this Note. Anyway, here's the last translations. Anything that had been explained in the previous chapter won't be here, so be sure to check there as well. If I miss some, or you felt (or have proof) that I'm wrong, or you need more explanation, or anything at all, do mail me at my current address storymasterq@icqmail.com. Sorry if it's somehow a mess. ^_~
Omedeto : Congratulations
Baka : Stupid (Adj.)

Thanks for everyone who supported me in writing this piece. That would include Victor Saiya, my best friend, and Axel Terizaki, who indirectly (through his site) sparked my imagination to be able to complete this Trilogy. You should visit his site sometimes, Naru's Diary. Well, see you in another fic.

Arsen Dawn
Storymaster Q
StorymasterQ@icqmail.com
ICQ#: 75282461