Hello everyone. Still tired, but I'm going to write anyway. This is the final regular chapter. Next chapter will be the Epilogue, and that's it. The end of the series. I'm saving any final words for next chapter. I originally had this whole thing planned for 43 chapters, but I ended up cutting out a chapter a bit before the 'Lakuna Island' arc. So now, we're one chapter short. Wait, put your pitchforks down. Don't kill me! I was going to make the Epilogue 2 chapters, but I realized that I wouldn't be able to extend it that long. Anyway, I'm trying to go for this being the longest chapter, so if this chapter isn't posted for a while, you'll know why.

---Kouji Tamino

-----

Tokimi poked her head in through the hole in the ceiling. "Hello, Yamato! What are you doing?" It was the next day and she was no longer dressed up as a French maid.

Yamato looked up and smiled. "Oh, nothing much… I'm so bored…"

Tokimi nodded, frowning. "If it wasn't for that damn curse, I could think of several things we could do…"

Yamato smirked. "My, you sure are forward…"

Tokimi giggled. "Well of course, we haven't even been able to hug for days… This sucks…"

Yamato nodded in agreement. "Yeah, what I wouldn't give to be able to kiss you again…"

At that moment, the ceiling/floor broke, and Tokimi began to fall. "Kyaah!"

"Tokimi!!" Yamato, without thinking, reached out to grab her. He caught her, and he 'poofed' back into Ya-chan. She sighed. "Not again…"

Tokimi began to whimper. "I'm so sorry!! I should have been more careful!"

Ya-chan sighed. "Just forget it…" Ya-chan dropped Tokimi on the ground.

The young woman sadly watched Ya-chan walk away. "Where are you going?"

"…For a walk…" Ya-chan replied, not looking back. She walked out the door, leaving Tokimi on her knees.

Tokimi looked to the ground sadly. "He, I mean she… must hate me right now…"

-----

Love Hina Next

Chapter 41: I Will Love You Forever, Always…

Ya-chan stomped through the lounge, waking up a grumpy Kimomo. "Hey, what's up with the noise? Some people are trying to be lazy around here! Please keep it down…" She smiled as she saw that it was Ya-chan. "Oh, hello… Ya-chan…" She smiled seductively. "You know, you can wake me up anytime…"

Ya-chan looked back and glared at Kimomo. "…Not in the mood right now…"

Nina, who had been taking a nap on the floor near where Ya-chan was standing, looked up and smiled. "Hiya, Ya-chan!" She reached up, but her hand was smacked away. She stared at Ya-chan with a hurt look on her face and watched as she walked out of the door.

Kimomo stared at the door for a few seconds, then rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah… She definitely has a bad case of PMS…"

-----

Ya-chan walked the streets of Tokyo, growling at anyone who got in her way. It soon began to rain, and the amount of people walking the streets became less and less. She grew angrier and angrier, wanting someone or something to take out her frustrations on. Her wish soon came true. She soon found herself wandering into a tough part of town.

An unfortunate gang decided to make Ya-chan their next victim. They began to surround her, grinning amongst each other. The leader walked up to her. He was dressed in a crimson leather jacket, black pants, and lots of chains. He walked up to Ya-chan, who flinched as she smelled the booze on his breath. "Hey, baby… Where do you think you're going, huh? Maybe if you show us a good time, we won't hurt you…" He reached for her breasts, but Ya-chan quickly grabbed his wrists and broke them.

"You picked the wrong girl to mess with…" Ya-chan glared, her pupils dilating in rage. "Now leave me alone…" She tossed him to the ground without much effort.

The gang member screamed in agony, rolling on the ground. The other gang members growled at Ya-chan. A random member stepped up. "You bitch! You hurt Ryu! Let's get them, guys!!" The gang members all tried to ambush Ya-chan at the same time. Big mistake. She dodged a couple of them, making them crash into each other. Then stood up and elbowed another guy with long hair, grabbed his hair, and swung him around. His steel toed boots smashed into the faces of several more gang members. She let go, sending him crashing into a wall. It began to rain.

Ryu, the gang leader, stared up at Ya-chan, who was slowly walking up to him. She smiled sadistically and picked him up by his collar. "Want a pair of broken ankles to go with that wrist?"

Ryu began to stammer in fear. "P-please!! Mercy!"

Ya-chan laughed. "Mercy? I don't think so… You see, my life has become very shitty… I am very pissed off right now…"

"Yamato, that's enough…" She looked behind her. It was Motoko.

Ya-chan rolled her eyes. "What do you want? And how did you know that it was me?"

"I'm trying to stop you from becoming something horrible… And your father told me…" Motoko replied.

Motoko's words hit Ya-chan like a brick. She was right. Yamato was becoming something his/her old self from the days of Amuro's gang. She sighed and dropped Ryu on the ground. "I never want to see you or your gang messing with woman ever again…" Her expression softened. "Sorry for getting carried away… You should get those wrists checked as soon as possible…"

Ryu bowed. "I'll never mess with another woman again!! Especially if they are as strong as you!! AAAAHHHH!!!" Ryu ran away in fear, completely abandoning his gang.

Ya-chan poofed back into Yamato. He ran a hand through his already wet hair. "So… What are you really doing here? Ya want your sword back?" He unhooked sword and it's sheath, then tossed it to her. He watched as she caught it.

Motoko shook her head. "No, it rightfully belongs to your family…" She tossed it back. "Besides, I have a new sword. A gift from Sukyuzo…"

Yamato caught the sword and smirked. "Thanks… I was growing a bit attached to this thing…" He looked to her. "Are you sure? I mean, from what I've heard, you've had this thing for years!"

"Yes, but it has been in your family for even longer than that!" She smiled. "Take care of it, and pass it on to the next generation…"

"I will…" Yamato said. He then sweat dropped. "If I can…"

Motoko chuckled nervously. "Right, no emotional contact or you turn into a girl… Yeah, sorry…" She sighed, then turned around. "Well, I must be going now… Good luck in turning back to normal!"

Yamato nodded, waving. "Bye! Thanks for that little talk!"

-----

Tokimi looked out of the window as the rain poured down. "Yamato, I'm so sorry… This is all my fault…"

"What's your fault?" Ema asked, walking into Tokimi's room.

"The fact that Yamato is a girl…" Tokimki said sadly. "I made him drink that damn water!"

Ema sat down next to Tokimi. "No, it's not entirely your fault… You didn't know!" She smiled. "Look, I used to often get worried about certain things being my fault, too… I had such low self esteem when I was younger… And I wasn't very pretty… But look at me now!"

Tokimi nodded. "You are very pretty, Ema…" She sighed. "What I'm really worried about is… whether I'm good enough for Yamato… I mean, everyone else is so lively and special… Rikina is a princess, Ami and Meiruuna are psychics, Nina um… she doesn't count, and Kimomo would probably jump his bone in his sleep if she got the chance!"

Ema blushed slightly at Tokimi's choice of words, then patted her on the back. "Well, there just has to be something special about you…" She winked. "Otherwise, he wouldn't have picked you!" With that, she stood up and left the room.

Tokimi was left to think about these things. "Maybe… Maybe she's right…" Tokimi smiled to herself. She stood up and walked out of her room, going over to see what Rikina was doing. She raised an eyebrow as she heard a male voice coming from behind the door of Rikina's room. It didn't sound like Yamato, but it sounded familiar…

-----

"Ms. Rikina, please!" Luu, her old bodyguard, had returned. This time he was wearing a long wooden pole on his back. "You must listen to reason!"

Rikina crossed her arms. "No! No matter how many times you say it! I'm not leaving!!" She walked over to the window and opened it. She sat on the window sill and smiled. "This conversation is over!" She leaned back and fell out of the window.

Luu gasped. "Ms. Rikina!" He screamed. He ran over to the window and looked down. He watched in surprise as Rikina landed on her feet. He sighed in relief, then jumped after her.

Tokimi, who had been listening to this conversation from behind the door. She ran downstairs and outside, shortly followed by the others. "What's going on?"

Sarah scowled, glaring at Luu. "Luu is back, and he's trying to take Rikina again, since the thing with Yamato and Rikina didn't work out…"

Rikina smirked. "Girls, wanna try out what we practiced the other day?" They nodded, and they all yanked off their regular clothes to reveal color coordinated spandex. They were also wearing masks that covered most of their face except their eyes.

They all struck a pose. "Ai Sentai HinaRanger!"

"Rikina, HinaRanger Black!"

"Tokimi, HinaRanger Pink!"

"Kimomo, HinaRanger Blue!"

"Nina, HinaRanger Yellow!"

"Ami, HinaRanger White!"

"Meiruuna, PsyRanger!"

HinaRanger Black put her hands on her hips. "Hey, Meiruuna! I said that I was being black! We can't have two blacks!"

PsyRanger crossed her arms. "Hey, I have black and red. Thus, there is a difference…"

Luu sweat dropped. "Can we please just get this over with?"

HinaRanger Black chuckled, embarrassed. "Oh, right… Everyone, into the Mecha Hare!"

"Huh?" the others asked in confusion.

HinaRanger Black took out a remote control and pushed the button. A giant mechanical rabbit came up from the ground. "Behold, the Mecha Hare! A mech so powerful that it requires 8 people to pilot it correctly! HinaRanger Red is not here, so we must make do! Everyone, hop in!"

-----

"Ooh, pretty buttons!" HinaRanger Yellow yelled. "Can I push them, please?!"

"Nina, quit playing around!" HinaRanger Black yelled. "But if you want to control the guns that are inside the arms, that's fine!"

PsyRanger pouted. "Awww, I wanted the guns…"

HinaRanger Black sighed, annoyed. "Meiruuna, you can control the head. That's where the powerful laser is… Tokimi, you take the right leg, I'll take the other! Ami gets the right arm, Kimomo take the left arm!"

HinaRanger Blue rubbed her chin. "But, who gets the middle part? Is that for HinaRanger Red?"

HinaRanger Black nodded. "So if there aren't anymore questions, let's go!"

-----

Yamato sat in the rain, trying to figure out what to do next. "This sucks… I am seriously going to be pissed if dad can't find a way to break this curse…" Suddenly, his cell phone began ringing. He sighed and answered it. "Yo…" It was Shinobu, looking a bit troubled. "Hey, Shinobu… What is it?"

"It's terrible, Yamato! The girls are trying to fight Luu, and they are getting beaten pretty badly!" She bit her lip. "Yamato, you just have to get down here and do something!"

Yamato frowned. "But what can I do, the guy is pretty much unbeatable!"

Shinobu frowned. "Yamato Urashima! Your father--"

Yamato glared. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. "Enough about my father, damn it!! I'm not him, so just screw off!" Angrily, he tossed his cell phone into the street, watching it get crushed by incoming traffic. He crossed his arms and continued to sit there in the rain. "Let them solve their own problems… I'm tired of all this crap! Ever since I came to Hinata House, things have just gotten more complicated and weird!!" He stood up. "All I want is a normal life, damn it!! A father who actually spends time with his family, normal friends, normal everyday life!! Now I turn into a freaking girl!!" He fell to his knees and began to sob quietly. "I… I wish I had never met them…"

-----

The Mecha Hare was sent flying back, falling down the staircase. It fell farther and farther down the stairs, then fell farther down the stairs. It hit the ground with a huge 'boom' that could be heard for miles.

Yamato, along with several other people, could hear it, but no one paid it any mind. They all just went on with whatever they were doing.

The girls, still inside, groaned in pain. It was beginning to get hot, so they took off their masks. Rikina looked around, rubbing her face. A black eye was forming from when she hit her face on a lever. "Is everyone all right?"

Ami held her bleeding arm. "Um, well… Yeah, sort of…"

Meiruuna groaned, her forehead bleeding. "Owwww… How dare he make me bleed my own blood…"

Kimomo grasped her own wounded arm in pain. "Geez, this guy is insanely powerful…"

Tokimi nodded, wiping some blood off of her lip. "Yeah, who would have thought that he would be able to toss this entire thing all the way down here!"

Nina whimpered in fear. "Everyone's hurt…"

Rikina nodded, looking back at the others. "Yes, but don't worry, Nina… We're all right, mostly… Amazingly, you got out of this unscathed…" She looked forward again, into the video feed from one of the cameras on the machine and gasped. "Crap! Here he comes again! And he's fast!! Damn it, where's Yamato?!"

On another screen, Shinobu appeared, looking hurt and distressed. "Everyone… Yamato, he… he's not coming… I think I said something wrong, because he yelled and hung up on me… He's not coming…"

The girls all stared at Shinobu in disbelief.

Luu grinned, running at an inhuman speed. "And here's the kick-off!" He kicked the mech, sending it flying into the city. People screamed and ducked as a rabbit/human hybrid giant robot flew over head. It skidded across the ground a for a bit before finally stopping.

Yamato, having had to leap out of the way, stood up. He looked around in shock. "Shit, I didn't know it was that bad!" He watched as the Mecha Hare stood up, only to picked up by Luu and sent flying. It clipped a building, sending debris falling toward a woman. She was so engrossed in the book that she was reading that she didn't see the chunk of concrete above her, falling. He gasped and ran toward her, picking her up and getting out of the way. He began to pant, then looked to the woman. "Geez, lady! You should watch where you're walking!" He raised an eyebrow as he saw who it was. "Ms. Otohime?!"

Mutsumi smiled at Yamato, a perplexed look on her face. "Oh, my! Hello, Yamato-chan! I guess I was too caught up in my book!"

Yamato stared at her. "Excuse my language, but what the hell are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was just on my way to Hinata House and…" She looked around. "Oh, my… This place sure is a mess, isn't it? Aren't you going to do anything about it?"

Yamato sighed. "Look, there is nothing I can do to help… And even if I could, people would say that my father could do it better or something…"

Mutsumi smirked. "But, Yamato. You are your own person, with your own way of doing things… Why should you care if people compare you to your father? This is your chance to save an entire city, and out do your father at something… Don't let your anger at recent events cloud your own good judgment…" She gave Yamato a quick kiss on the lips. "I have faith that you can at least make a difference… Yamato, your girls need you. Please don't let them down by not even trying…" She giggled as she realized what she had done. "Oh, I did it again, didn't I? I just can't help kissing cute people…"

Yamato, blushing set her down. "Um, heh… It's okay, Mutsumi… Thanks for the words of wisdom…" He glared at Luu, who was quickly closing in on the Mecha Hare. "Damn you… Stay away from them!!" He burst into a run, but soon realized that he would never catch up to him. "Damn! I'll never make it in time!"

Just then, Keitaro drove up next to Yamato in another van. He poked his head out of the window. "Hey, son! Need a lift?"

"Thanks, dad! I really apprecia-- wha?!" His eyes widened as a mechanical hand came out of the roof and grabbed onto him. "What the hell?!"

Keitaro laughed. "It's part of the new van! Sweet, huh?"

"But dad! He's like a bullet train! We'll never catch up!!"

Keitaro grinned, flipping open a small compartment and revealing a red button. "Well, then! We'll just have to be faster than that, now won't we?" He pushed the button.

"What do you mea-- OH MY GOD!!!" Yamato screamed as the van went at speeds he didn't think possible. He thought that he was going to fly off and get killed!

Keitaro laughed as they got closer and closer to Luu. "Get ready, son!"

The van began to slow slightly and the hand let go of Yamato, dropping him onto the top of the van. Right as they were next to Luu, Yamato jumped off, unsheathed his sword, and bashed Luu in the back off the head, sending him face first into the ground. As Yamato landed, he stepped on Luu's head, crunching it into the ground. "God you're such a psycho… You could have killed innocent people!" He sighed and ran towards the mech.

-----

The girls all gasped in surprise as they watched that all take place. Ami cheered. "Yay! Yamato-sama is here!"

Tokimi smiled, a tear running down her face.

On the monitor, Shinobu showed up again. She still looked distressed. "Everyone, Kaolla and Sarah are gone! They just up and left, and they wouldn't tell anyone where they were going!"

Rikina frowned. "That's odd… Keep us updated if they show up again…"

At that moment, a panel in the floor opened up. Yamato poked his head through it. "Yo, I'm back…"

Rikina smiled. "HinaRanger Red! Glad to have you back!"

Yamato sweat dropped. "Um, can we drop that for now?" He frowned as he saw the condition they were in. "Damn, you guys are hurt… If only I had gotten here sooner… Argh, I've been such an asshole!!"

Tokimi shook her head. "No, it wasn't your fault… It was mine. I turned you into a girl. That's why you were so angry, right?" She gasped as Yamato grabbed her arms.

"No, it was not your fault… Stop kicking yourself over this… Tokimi, I don't care who's fault it is, I'll love you all the same!"

Tokimi began to cry. "Why? Why me? I'm so undeserving…"

"Don't you ever say that!" Yamato screamed.

"Um, I hate to interrupt your little lovers spat," Kimomo began. She pointed at the screen, where Luu was struggling to get up. "but I think that we have some other problems to take care of first…"

Yamato nodded, letting go of Tokimi. "Right!" He hopped into his seat and grabbed a joystick looking object. He began to spin it rapidly. "I'll need time to power up the ultimate weapon… Do you girls think you can hold him off for that long?"

Ami nodded, smiling. "Anything for you, Yamato-sama! We'll do our best!"

Meiruuna pouted. "Awww, he gets to use the ultimate weapon? No fair!"

Rikina grabbed her controls. "Okay! I think what our problem last time was the fact that we weren't working together! We were off doing our own thing and it got us in trouble!"

Luu jumped toward the mech, ready to kick it again. He gasped as both arms came up and blocked his kick. The bunny mech slowly stood up. He gasped. "Impossible… That should have sent the mech flying!!" He screamed and punched the mech, breaking his hand in the process. "…Ow." He stared at his broken right hand. "What the hell is going on?" He looked up and screamed, right before the mech picked him up and tossed him all the way back to Mol-Mol.

Inside, Ami smirked, crossing her arms. "Good riddance!"

Kimomo smirked. "Nice, Ami…"

Yamato groaned in disappointment, crossing his arms. "Damn, I wanted to use the ultimate weapon!"

Rikina scratched her head, confused. "I don't get it… What happened to Luu's super strength?"

Meiruuna smiled. "Who cares, the fact is, he probably won't mess with you anymore!"

Rikina nodded. "Yes, but it's still a bit strange that his powers would abandon him all of a sudden like that…"

"… I'm hungry!" Nina yelled, waving her arms in the air.

-----

When the group, including Keitaro and Mutsumi, got back to Hinata House, Shinobu ran up to them. "Everyone, you have to see this message that Su and Sarah left!" She walked over a video phone and press a button. Kaolla and Sarah appeared on the monitor, some angry Mol-Mol people behind them. Sarah waved. "Hey, guys! Heh, I guess you're all kind of wondering why Luu lost his powers, huh?"

Kaolla cut in. "Well you see, I realized that if we destroyed the idol from which Luu's powers originated, he would lose them! So we did!"

"Of course, that didn't go well with the locals…" Sarah muttered. She was lightly poked with a spear. She looked back to the man who did it. "Hey, watch it! Hold your horses, we're almost done!" She turned back to the camera. "Anyway, we got off easy since Su is a princess and all, but we've still got to do time for basically killing their god…"

Kaolla nodded, sweat dropping. "Anyway, we'll be gone for a while, but once we've gotten this all sorted out, we'll be back!" Kaolla winked. "And remember, it's not a goodbye…"

Sarah flashed the peace sign. "…it's just until we meet again! Seeya, guys!"

The message went off, and everyone stared at the screen in silence for a moment. Yamato broke the silence. "Wow… They did that for us…"

Tokimi nodded. "Yeah, but it's not forever, right?…"

Shinobu nodded, smiling a bit. "Of course not! They'll be back and everything will go back to normal, just like before…"

Keitaro smiled. "Of course they will!" He looked over to Yamato. "By the way… Son, I found out how to break the curse!!"

Yamato and Tokimi's eyes light up in excitement. "Really? Yay!"

"Yep!" Keitaro yelled. "And all Yamato has to do is have sex with someone besides you, Tokimi!"

Yamato and Tokimi smiled. "Really? Ya-- Wait, WHAT?!" They picked up both of the couches and held them over Keitaro's head. "Say that again!!"

Keitaro yelled. "Waah, don't kill me!! It's the truth!" He pulled out a piece of paper. "See, I even wrote it down in Japanese!"

Yamato grabbed it and took a look. "Let me see… 'To break the curse of the Lakunian Water, the victim must lose his virginity to a woman besides his true love…' What the hell?! So I either cheat on Tokimi or stay this way forever?!"

Tokimi looked away. "Go ahead, Yamato… I wouldn't be a very good first time anyway…"

Yamato shook his head. "No, I could never cheat on you…"

Tokimi growled. "But it's not cheating! I completely know about it and I am giving you permission!" She began to cry. "Look, you have to do this or we'll never be able to be close ever again! Look…" She walked up to him and touched his cheek. She watched as he turned into Ya-chan. "I can't even tenderly touch your cheek anymore… Please, just 'cheat' on me this one time! Then we can be together forever!"

Ya-chan shook her head again. "Never…" She looked to her father. "Dad, are you sure that there is no other way?"

"That's all I found on that one tablet…" Keitaro answered. "If there was another way, I would tell you, honest!"

Ya-chan nodded, smiling. "I know that, dad… Thanks for at least trying to help us."

Keitaro nodded. "Well, I'm off… Tell me how things turn out."

Mutsumi waved. "Bye, Kei-kun!" She looked at her watch. "Oh, my… In all that excitement, I forgot that I had somewhere else to go! I'll be going now!"

Shinobu smiled. "Bye, Mutsumi!" She turned to the others. "You had better get changed out of those wet clothes or you'll get sick! And ooh, you're hurt! We have to get those wounds treated quickly…"

-----

Tokimi, now in dry clothes, sat on top of the roof. The rain had stopped, the sun was coming back out, and it felt really good. She sighed. "This feels nice…"

Yamato walked over to her and smiled. "Hey, can I join you?"

Tokimi looked up and smiled. "I don't know, can you?"

Yamato rolled his eyes. "All right, Ms. Grammar… May I join you?"

Tokimi stuck her tongue out. "Yes, you may. But aren't you worried about me turning you into a girl?"

"No, that's not important right now… I just want to ask you one thing…" He sat down next to her. "Why do you keep doubting yourself? I've already told you, I love you no matter what!"

Tokimi smiled. "Do you really find me worthy of you?"

"I should be asking you that!" Yamato said, chuckling. "Look, do you know why I chose you?" He sighed as Tokimi shook her head. "Don't you remember? I was the boy that helped you back in high school! I've had a crush on you since that day! You were cute, a hard worker… Kind of like how I used to be…" He blushed. "To tell the truth, I often admired you from a far…"

Tokimi's face turned red in embarrassment. "Really?! I had no idea!"

Yamato nodded. "Yeah, and that's why I chose you!"

"I had no idea…" Tokimi muttered.

"… I've decided…" Yamato suddenly said.

Tokimi looked at him in confusion. "Huh?"

"… If I'm going to have to lose my virginity to someone besides you… It has to be someone that both of us is close to…"

-----

Rikina, wearing a black bustier, stretched on her bed, her large breasts threatening to pop out of the lingerie. "I'm so glad that you and Tokimi chose me of all people to, ahem, 'break the curse' with you…"

Yamato blushed, trying to resist staring at Rikina and failing. He was in a pair of black silk boxers. "Um, yeah…"

Rikina jumped off of her bed and walked slowly and seductively toward Yamato. "Don't be shy… This is my first time, too…" She grabbed his hand and roughly tossed him onto the bed. "Now let's go, big boy…" She hopped on top of him and kissed him on the lips, slipping her tongue into his mouth. "Mmm…"

Yamato hesitantly kissed back, slowly wrapping his arms around her. He suddenly stopped. "Rikina, I can't do this…"

Rikina frowned. "Huh?"

"I just can't cheat on Tokimi…" Yamato muttered.

"It's not cheating…" She pinned him down. "If you don't do this, you and Tokimi can never be close again!" She stared down at him. "Besides, I can't let you go now…"

"Rikina, please! Let me go!" Yamato screamed.

Rikina got up, sitting on her bed. "Well, what are you gonna do now?"

Yamato smiled. "Why should it matter of I'm a girl?" He ran out of the room, leaving a smiling Rikina. "Go get her… Yamato…" A single tear fell down her cheek.

-----

Tokimi sat alone in her room. She stared at the wall, lying on the ground. Just then, Yamato burst into her room. "Tokimi! I don't care if I keep turning into a girl, I just can't be unfaithful!"

Tokimi sat up and looked at Yamato, smiling sadly. "But… we can never be close again…"

Yamato sat down next to her. "Who said I had to be a guy for us to be close?" He kissed her on the lips, turning into Ya-chan. "Tokimi, whether I am a guy or girl, I will always love you… forever…"

Tokimi smiled, crying in happiness. "Oh, Yamato! I… I don't care either! No matter what sex you are, you're still the same person I fell in love with! Love is love, right?"

Ya-chan took Tokimi's chin and kissed her again, gently lying her down and slipping tongue. "Mmm…"

Tokimi kissed back, blushing. "Oh, Yamato… You're topless…"

Ya-chan turned red, but smiled. "So?" She kissed Tokimi again, then nibbled on her neck.

Tokimi moaned out slightly. "A--ahh…"

Ya-chan gently sucked on Tokimi's neck, leaving a hicky. "I hope you don't mind me leaving my mark…"

Tokimi smiled gently, shaking her head. She returned the favor, then smirked. "Now, I truly belong to you…"

"…and I truly belong to you…" Ya-chan sighed. "I love you, Tokimi Matsuda…"

"And I love you, Yamato Urashima…"

-----

The next morning, Tokimi awoke in male Yamato's arms. She smiled and kissed Yamato on the cheek. "Good morning…" she said, whispering into his ear.

Yamato awoke, smiling. "Heh, good mor--" Yamato and Tokimi stared at each other, coming to a realization. "Tokimi? Is it just me, or did I not turn into a girl?"

Tokimi smiled. "It's not just you…"

Yamato grinned. "Then that means…"

"… That the curse is broken!" Tokimi yelled happily, finishing Yamato's words. "But how?"

"It's obvious…" Yamato said, running a hand through her hair.

Tokimi raised an eyebrow, confused. "Hm?"

"Our love for each other, no matter what the circumstances…"

"… And that much love for one another is what broke the curse!" Tokimi realized.

Kai and Tenshi, floating past the open door of Tokimi's room, gasped as they saw Yamato in Tokimi's bed. Tenshi covered her eyes while Kai grinned, took a deep breath, and screamed at the top of his lungs. "Hey!! Yamato and Tokimi had sex!!! Oh, and Yamato isn't a freak anymore!!"

No sooner after he had said that, everyone began crowding into Tokimi's room.

"It's about time!" Kimomo chuckled. "Nice!"

Rikina's eyebrow twitched, her hair going wild. "So, how was it, you two?"

Ami, traumatized, stared at the couple, seemingly frozen. Meiruuna poked her and shrugged. She took out a make-up kit and began to mess with Ami's face. "Mwahahahaha…"

Shinobu shook her head. "My, don't you think you two should have waited?"

Yamato and Tokimi growled quietly during all this, until finally screaming out. "WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!! GET OUT!!!"

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And so, another school day arrived. It was the first day of the 2nd semester and our favorite trio was walking on campus at Tokyo U. They were all dressed in the uniforms. "Did you know that Kaolla and Sarah still haven't gotten that 'idol' mess all cleared up yet?" Tokimi asked.

Yamato looked up from a book he was reading, wearing his glasses. "Huh? Oh, wow… That sucks."

Tokimi nodded. "Yeah, and it's actually gotten worse… Some people are claiming Sarah to be a demon that came to destroy their god and that she's using her evil minion to possess Kaolla…"

Yamato sweat dropped. "What a pair, those two…"

Rikina looked at Tokimi. "To-chan?"

Tokimi looked at Rikina in surprise. Rikina hadn't called her that in years. She smiled, and in response, also used her childhood name for Rikina. "Yes, neesan?"

Rikina hugged the younger woman. "I'm sorry…"

Tokimi blinked rapidly, then hugged her back. "Sorry for what?"

"…For letting a stupid guy get in the way of our friendship! I was not acting like a friend at all…"

Tokimi nodded. "It's okay, let's put the past behind us…" She grinned evilly. "Let's never let a 'stupid guy' get in our way again…"

"Hey, hey…" Yamato said, growling under his breath. "I'm right here, you know…"

Tokimi smiled. "I know, and I'm sorry… You know I was joking!"

Yamato smiled. "Yeah… And you know that I was just joking about this!" He flipped up her skirt and ran.

"Kyaaaaa!" Tokimi screamed, pushing her skirt down. "Yamato, damn you!!"

Rikina snickered. "Kick his ass, Tokimi…"

Tokimi grinned, than ran after Yamato. "I'll get you for that, you pervert!!!"

Yamato looked back. "Nya nya, you can't catch me!" He sweat dropped as he tripped on a rock. "Oh, crap…" He fell to the ground, and flipped over on his back right before Tokimi pounced on top of him. "Ow! Don't hurt me, Tokimi!"

Tokimi glared. "Why shouldn't I?"

He gently held her chin in his hand. "Because…" he said, kissing her softly on the lips.

"Oh…" Tokimi kissed him back, while Rikina looked on, annoyed.

"Hey, that doesn't look like kicking his ass to me…" Rikina muttered. She sighed, then smiled. "Congratulations, you two…"

Tokimi and Yamato continued to kiss under the bright sun, happy that they can finally be together forever. Despite all the hardships, they managed to do the impossible and conquer a curse that could have ruined their love forever. But they realized that no matter how someone looks on the outside, they are still the same person on the inside.

End of Chapter 41

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And that's the end of the climax! All that's left now is to wrap things up in the Epilogue! After that, I'm done! Oh, and the results of the character poll will be posted in the next chapter. I'm saving any final words for the very end of next chapter.

Next chapter: The conclusion. I wrap everything up completely. I'm feeling kinda sad right now, how about you? ;.;

---Kouji Tamino