Hey everyone, back again. I almost didn't think I would get a chance to write. The power was out for about an hour. And guess what? Someone broke our living room window with a rock for no reason! Nice, huh? Well I won't let it get to me…

---Kouji Tamino

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Love Hina Next

Volume 2

Chapter 14: An Eve of Chaos (Part 2)

Outside, Ami skipped happily in her new white boots. She was not looking where she was going, however, and bumped into someone. "Eep!" She fell down on her butt and groaned. She looked up and gasped.

Standing above her was Amuro. He was wearing a long black coat that went all the way down to his shoes. There were odd scars all over his face, and his jaw looked a bit out of place, as if it had been broken. He gave the girl a twisted smile. "Ho ho ho… Hello there, freak girl… Where's that dick, Shima and that bitch that kicked me in the balls?"

Ami, trying to back away, whimpered.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Amuro glared in digust.

Ami stood up to try and get away, but Amuro roughly back handed her in the face, sending her back to the ground. When Ami got up, she tasted something bitter, in her mouth. She looked to the small red spot in the snow and gasped in shock. Her own blood. He had made her bleed. He hurt her, and he probably wanted to hurt Yamato too. That was something she would not allow. Her eyes glowed blue as an aura surrounded her. The snow around her melted, and the water rose into the air, as did her hair. She stood up and began to float in the air.

Amuro's eyes widened. "What… What the hell is she?…"

Ami glared at Amuro, then smiled sadistically as she clenched her fist. Amuro fell to the ground, clutching his chest. He screamed out in excruciating pain. "Gyraaaah!!! Please, stop!"

Ami chuckled evilly, then waved her hand. Amuro went flying into the wall of the café.

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Inside, Tokimi and Rikina were drinking each other's cups of tea. Tokimi smirked. "Rikina, this tea is pretty good…"

Rikina returned the smirk. "I have to say the same about your tea…" Suddenly, they felt the building shake. Rikina raised an eyebrow. "… What the hell?"

Tokimi stood up. "We better go check that out…" She walked out of the building, Rikina following her.

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Amuro stood up, watching as an exhausted Ami fell to her knees. He walked up to her, glared, and spit on her. "Stupid little freak…" He kneed her in the face and watched her fall to the ground, then kicked her in the side and laughed as she cried out in pain. "So, does it hurt? DOES IT?!" He stomped on her and grinded his foot back and forth on her back. Ami screamed and struggled to get free. "Does that hurt, you little bitch?!" Amuro was suddenly tapped on the shoulder. He looked back to see Shima, who punched him right in the face, knocking him away from Ami.

Shima leaned down and picked up Ami. "Ami… Are you alright?"

Ami opened her eyes and smiled. "Yamato…Yamato-sama…"

Amuro fell back and bumped into someone. He had barely turned around when both Tokimi and Rikina gave him a double super punch in the face, sending him flying until he hit the snowy ground and slid across it. Nina ran up and bit him in the groin. He stood up and screamed, then ran into the elbow strike of Sarah, then tripped into the open door of Hinata House, where he was smacked in the face by Shinobu with her 'Frying Pan of Doom'. Kimomo ran up to him and sliced his face up a bit with her sword, then kicked him back outside, where he was smashed in the head with one of Kitsune's empty bottles. He stumbled over to Jin, who kneed him in the chin, and he landed on the ground. Kaolla was waiting with the Mecha Tama: Mk. 98, so she blasted him into the air, and just as he was about to fall to the ground, a van came flying from the distance and crashed into him. He soared through the air some more, before falling all the way down the stairs. He landed at the bottom, where some nearby kids found him and poked him with some sticks.

The current residents of Hinata House laughed as they saw him fall down the stairs. Shima smirked. "That bastard will think twice before he messes with us again, eh guys?"

Sarah chuckled. "Yeah, we sure messed him up… And he won't be bothering us again… I called the cops before telling the others that he was here…"

Shima sighed, then handed the now sleeping Ami to Sarah. "Take care of her, okay? I'm going to go do some shopping…"

Sarah nodded. "Will do…" She frowned as she studied Ami's bruised face. She checked for other injuries and saw that Ami had a broken arm and more bruises all over. "Poor girl… Amuro really busted her up a bit… How can a grown man beat up on a teenage girl like this?… There are some sick people out there…"

"Yeah…" Shima sighed. "Well, I'm going to go now…"

"No wait just a second!" a female voice said. "You're not leaving until you hug your mother!" Everyone looked to the van that had just gotten there and smiled as they saw Naru, Keitaro, Haruka, and Seta.

Shima smiled. "Mom! Dad!" He ran over to them and hugged his mother. Then he looked to his father for a bit, then shook his hand. "So… What's up?"

Haruka raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'what's up?' We're here to celebrate Christmas with our huge extended family, that's what's up!"

Shima coughed. "Er, sorry… Should've known…"

Keitaro smiled. "So, how is everyone doing?"

Shinobu scratched her head. "You know, I get the feeling that someone isn't here…"

Sarah rubbed her chin. "Hm… Well, Ema went out to get a few things---"

"No…" Shinobu interrupted. "Someone else… People we haven't seen in a long time…"

"Oh, my…" a familiar, cheerful voice called out. "Don't tell me that you've forgotten about us already!" Everyone looked around to see Mutsumi and Kanako, with Ema running up behind them. Mutsumi was wearing a purple coat and pants, with burgundy boots and earmuffs. Kanako was wearing a black trench coat, pants, and boots.

"Hey, look who I found on my way back!" Ema smiled, running up to the new arrivals.

"…Hello, everyone… I assume that Hinata House in still in one piece, am I correct?" She looked to the building. "Oh, I see that it has been once again renovated… Good, good…"

Rikina's eyes lit up as her idol arrived. "Kanako-sama!! It's so good to see you again! How come you never answered my letters, huh?!"

Kanako sweat dropped. "Sorry… But some of them were a bit… How should I put this?… Disturbing… But it is good to see you again too, my 'disciple'…" She looked to the others. "It is good to see the rest of you, too…" She suddenly got lustful look on her face. "Especially you, big brother…" she said, sadistically.

Keitaro groaned. "Oh no…"

Mutsumi's eyes lit up brightly as she caught sight of Keitaro. "Kei-kun! Hello!" She ran up to him and kissed him on the lips.

Naru's eyes widened. "Mursumi!! What the hell do you think you are doing?! Me and Keitaro are married, you can't do that!!"

Mutsumi giggled. "Oh my… I'm so sorry, Naru…" She walked up to Naru and kissed her, too. "There! Now we're even!"

Naru blushed in embarrassment. "That's not what I meant…"

"Ugh, I'm going to have bad mental images for a while…" Shima groaned. "Well, I'm off! Talk to you all later!" He turned around, only to find himself face to face with a flying turtle. "What the hell?!"

"Myuh?" Tama-chan tilted her head. The turtle, still not fully grown, was a bit bigger than she was 20 years ago.

Kaolla Su laughed manically. "So, Tama-chan! You once again have returned! I have prepared for this day for many years! And look! You have plumped quite a bit! Excellent…"

Tama-chan sweat dropped. "Myuh…"

Naru patted Shima on the shoulder. "Now wait up, dear… What's the rush?"

"I have to do some last minute Christmas shopping…" Shima sighed. "But if crazy workers aren't trying to kill me, I keep getting delayed…"

Naru smiled. "Why don't you go with your father? Y'know, spend some 'father-son' quality time?"

Shima glared at his father, then looked to his mother and pouted. "Aww, do I really have to?"

Naru glared, flames coming out of her eyes. "You WILL go with your father, and you WILL have a good time! Do you understand, young man?"

Shima glared at his mother, then whimpered. "Yes, mama…"

Seta chuckled nervously. "Um, heh heh… Why don't I go with them? Make it a 'Hinata House Men' outing!" He was quickly yanked away by the ear. He smiled at Haruka, the culprit. "Um… Anything wrong, dear?"

Haruka stared blankly. "Please don't tell me that you are really that dense…"

Seta blinked rapidly. "Um, okay… I won't!"

Haruka sighed, annoyed. She leaned over and whispered into Seta's ear. "Look, Yamato isn't really close to Keitaro… Naru thinks this could be their chance to bond…"

Seta winked. "Ah, gotcha…" He looked to Shima and Keitaro. "On second thought, I just realized that I have some things to do! Have fun, you two!"

"Oh, great…" Shima muttered, looking to his smiling father.

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After getting back into town, Shima began intentionally speed walking ahead of his father. Keitaro sweat dropped as he tried to keep up, and began chasing Shima everywhere. "Darn it, Yamato! Stop acting like a child!"

"No!" Shima yelled, walking all around. He walked in and out of different stores, wearing a different item from each. By the time Shima stopped running, he was wearing a sock on his head, a skirt, and mismatched shoes. He looked to Keitaro. "Look, dad! I have to do some shopping, so leave me alone, now!"

Keitaro sadly looked at his son and sighed. "Alright, fine." Keitaro turned around and walked away to find something to do.

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After Shima had bought all the stuff, he walked out of the last store he went to and found his dad sitting at a table alone, absent mindedly stirring up the remnants of the beef bowl dish he was eating. Shima sighed and sat in the seat in front of him. "Yo…"

Keitaro looked up and smiled slightly. "Hey…" He frowned. "… Why do you resent me so much?"

Shima crossed his arms. "Oh, I don't know… Maybe because you always let your job come before your family?! Do you know how many nights I've had to hear my mother cry because she misses her husband? And when mom wasn't working, you brought her along, leaving me with no parents! I barely know anything about you!"

Keitaro looked away. "I… I didn't mean for it to be that way… I just…" He turned back around and stared at Shima. "I just wanted the best life for my family that I could provide while at the same time, living out my dream! I never meant to hurt you or your mother…" He stared at the ground. "If this is how you really feel… I'll quit my career and get a job closer to home."

"No, dad…" Shima shook his head. "I'm not asking you to quit your dream, but I just want you to spend a little more time with me and mom…" He smiled. "It may seem like I hate you, but every time you left when I was little, I missed you a lot. I… I love you, dad…"

Keitaro smiled. "I love you too, son…"

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And so, they went back to Hinata House. Smiling brightly, they walked into the building. "Yo, we're back!" Shima yelled. "And we've got presents!"

The others ran in and smiled as they saw Shima and Keitaro, their arms over each other shoulders. Keitaro laughed. "I'm not sure, but I think he likes me now!"

Naru smiled, tears of joy running down her face. "That's so wonderful…" Her family was finally happy.

Shinobu clasped her hands. "Sempai, Yamato! Good, you're here! I just finished dinner! Everyone wash up, and the table should be ready in a few minutes!"

Shima got a serious look on his face. "Shinobu, how is Ami doing?…"

"She's looking better…" Shinobu nodded. "We managed to get a doctor to put her arm in a cast, and she should be fine within 5-7 weeks." Shinobu walked into the kitchen.

"Wait, you didn't forget about me, did you?," a voice said from the doorway. Everyone once again turned around to see Motoko, standing dramatically in the doorway. "Hello, everyone. What have I missed?"

"Motoko!" everyone else except Kimomo said at the same time.

Kimomo gasped. "Mother?!" She ran up to Motoko. "Is that really you?"

Motoko stared hard at Kimomo. After a while, her face softened. "Hello…" She put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "…who are you?"

Everyone else face faulted. Kimomo whimpered. "Mother, it's me! I am your daughter!"

Motoko glared. "How dare you claim to be my daughter! She died, along with… him…"

"No I didn't! I'm here, aren't I?!" Kimomo cried. "Please believe me…"

Shima stepped up. "Ms. Aoyama, your daughter has been searching for you for quite some time! How can you just deny that it's her without any proof?!"

Motoko looked away. "I have no children…"

Keitaro frowned. "Motoko, you are acting very strange…"

Motoko huffed. "Things change…"

Keitaro sighed, then put a hand on her shoulder. "Motoko, I just bonded with my son for the first time today… Until today, he held some resentment towards me because of my neglect… Don't make the same mistake as me… Even if she isn't your daughter, this could be your chance to have someone like a daughter… Please, just give the poor girl a chance!"

Jin made a pouty face. "Pleeaase?…"

Motoko turned around, then looked to Keitaro, then Kimomo. Her expression softened a bit. "I'm sorry for my behavior, young lady… But I've been through a horrible amount of emotional pain ever since that day…" She quickly stopped herself before she got too into it. "Anyway, how would you like to be my adopted daughter?"

Kimomo took a deep breath. Her own mother didn't believe that she had a daughter still… 'Well, I'll just have to prove that I'm her daughter somehow…' She sighed. "Alright…"

Shinobu came out of the kitchen and smiled. "Dinner is ready!"

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After dinner, everyone hung out in the lounge and talked for a while. Motoko and Kimomo talked with each other…

"Wow, so you find turtles frightening also?" Motoko tilted her head. "It's almost as if you really were my daughter!"

Kimomo sweat dropped. "Yeah…"

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Later, they decided to open presents. Kanako sweat dropped as she stared at the box of candies that Keitaro had gotten her. "God, I hate sweets…"

Ami, Tokimi, and Rikina happily hugged the Shima dolls that they had gotten from an anonymous person. Shima, watching them, sighed and whispered to Kanako. "Thanks for making those for me… Maybe now they'll leave me alone for a while…"

Kanako chuckled. "No problem… By the way, I'm rooting for Rikina, just so you know…"

Shima sweat dropped. "That's just great…" He stood up. "Um, I'll just go get some more snacks…" He stopped in the middle of the doorway into the dining room. "Anyone want anything?" He raised an eyebrow as Ami, Tokimi, and Rikina looked at him strangely. He looked up to see mistletoe. "Oh, shit…"

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Shima dragged himself into his room. "Ow…" He plopped onto the futon. "What a day… My first Christmas at Hinata House…"

"Consider yourself lucky…" Keitaro muttered, walking in. "My first Christmas here was horrible… When I first came to Hinata House, the girls all thought I was some freaky pervert and I was beaten, kicked, punched, sent into the stratosphere…"

"Oh…" Shima chuckled. "I've only been hit a few times…" He looked up to the hole in the ceiling. "I think I'm going to check up on Tokimi… She hit her head against the wall pretty hard back there…"

Keitaro chuckled. "Yeah, poor girl… Mistletoe can be dangerous…"

Shima moved the cardboard box covering the hole and looked up. "Yo Tokimi, I--!" He stared at Tokimi, who was currently taking off her pants. "Hey, pink panties! Cuuute!"

Tokimi blushed, and screamed. "Eeeeek!!! Shima, how dare you! I can understand if that was an accident, but that comment was uncalled for! Elbow drop!" Tokimi jumped up, then landed on the ground, bashing Shima in the head with her elbow.

"Pwargh?!" Shima fell down the hole, landing on his head. He fell over on his back, where a smiling Keitaro shook his head, arms crossed. "Yamato, son…" He held up his index finger. "Rule number one of Hinata House: Even if a girl likes you, she's still going to beat the crap out of you…"

End of Chapter 14

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Looky! I actually got it finished today, on Saturday! Weee!