Yo! Hey there, everyone! Welcome to the10th installment of Love Hina Next: Second Phase. This also marks the end of this little story arc I began a little while ago, back in chapter 6! I actually had this planned for only 4 chapters, but the swimsuit competition lasted longer than I had planned. (Heh heh, can you guess why?) Anyway, time for things to go back to normal! Well, as normal as they get in the 'Love Hina Universe', that is…
Also, it looks like the thingy has been post-poned. Thus, this week will be normal it looks like.
---Kouji Tamino
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Love Hina Next: Second Phase
Week 1, Day 6: …And So, Yet Another… (The S-Games, Part 5)
Megumi stared up at the MTP in awe and wonder. "Oh my… It's so big, and long…"
Junko smacked her forehead. "Oh, god…" She looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Hey, wait!" She yelled, screaming at the top of her lungs. "Where the hell is all the money for all the stuff you pulled off coming from?!"
Sakura, from inside the MTP, spoke into a microphone. She sighed sadly, and began to explain. "You don't have to scream… This thing has a sound amplifier… Anyway, it's like this… My father was one of the richest men in Japan, owner of a well known beverage company…"
Naoko's eyes widened. "Of course! Mishima Soda! That was one of my favorite drinks!"
Ami nodded. "Mine, too! But didn't they go bankrupt?"
"Yes…" Sakura sneered. "And my father, needing the money to support us, attempted to rob a bank… But he was caught by you, Ami! Afterwards, I gathered up what was left of our money for my revenge against you and these S-Games that we have been involved in in the past few hours! So, now, I have no money at all… The last of it went into investing in the Mecha Tama project…"
Shinichi stepped up. "Sakura…"
"Leave me alone!" Sakura screamed. "I want you all to suffer!!" The MTP attempted to stomp on Shinichi, but Ami quickly stopped it's foot with her powers.
Ami groaned, struggling to keep the mech under her control. "Shinichi… Please hurry!"
Shinichi nodded and ran out from under the mecha turtle's feet. "Whoa! Thanks, Ami…"
Ami smiled, breathing heavily, her arms dropping. "No problem…"
Junko cracked her knuckles, smirking. "Excellent, my turn to do something useful!"
Megumi stared at the tomboy with a sarcastic 'yeah, sure…' look on her face. "Uh huh… And just what are you going to do?"
Junko chuckled. "Heh, heh, heh… This!" Junko kicked the foot of the MTP, putting a big dent in it and almost toppled the mech, shocking everyone.
Shinichi began stuttering. "M-Ms. J-J-Junko?…"
Junko looked to Shinichi, blowing another strand of hair out of her face. "Yeah?"
"Oh, nothing really… I was just wondering how you managed not to crushed that guy's face when you kicked him in the face earlier…"
Junko grinned. "Oh, it's not so hard… I just have to pull my kicks and punches…"
Sakura growled angrily. "You bitch! This thing is expensive!"
Junko raised an eyebrow as a huge shadow fell above her. She looked up and gasped as the foot of the MTP came down, threatening to crush her. Suddenly, someone grabbed her and they both fell to the ground and rolled on the ground, out of the way of the giant foot. Junko groaned and looked up at her rescuer. "Um, hey thanks… Don't know why I just stood there like--" Her eyes widened. "Shinichi?!"
Shinichi laughed, blushing. "Um, yeah… I made a lot of progress today, didn't I?"
Junko realizing that he was on top of her, blushed. She quickly pushed him off of her. "Um, yeah…" She dusted her self off. "You saved my sister, stood up for yourself, then saved me…" She smiled. "There may be hope for you yet!"
Ami formed two small energy balls in her hand and glared. "Sakura, please stop this! I don't want to have to hurt you!"
Sakura glared right back, although no one could see her, but… "Hurt me? What could you possibly do?" The arms on the Mecha Tama Prototype suddenly shot outwards and seemingly 'stretched'. The fingers also extended, and they shot towards the girls and Shinichi. They quickly dodged out of the way, and barely avoided a barrage of needles that sprayed from the fingers once the lodged them selves from the ground.
Ami flinched as a needle grazed her cheek. Blood oozed from the cut. She gasped, freaking out a bit. Junko pulled a needle from her arm. "Shit… Damn it, Sakura! Isn't that over-kill?!" She and the others sweat dropped as Shinichi ran around, screaming, needles in his butt.
"No! And next time, I won't miss!" Sakura yelled.
Just then, Naoko walked up to the Mecha Tama. Junko screamed, running over to her sister. "Naoko, no! It's too dangerous!"
Naoko smiled and hugged the foot of the MTP. It blushed and shut down. Everyone face faulted. Naoko smiled. "All it needed was a little love!"
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Sakura looked away. "No, I can't stay here… I almost killed you all!" Ami and Sakura were standing up, while the others were sitting on a couch. Everyone was back in their regular clothes.
Ami smiled. "No, it's okay!"
"No it's not." Junko added.
"Junko!!" Ami screamed.
"Well, it's not!" Junko argued. "This woman tried to kill us all!"
Megumi sighed from her spot on the couch. "Yeah, Ami… It's kind of hard to trust her… What if she tries to kill us in our sleep?"
"She won't do that! We should give her a chance!" Ami looked over to Shinichi. "You agree with me, right?"
Shinichi gulped. "Well, um…"
Ami's eyes became big and glossy, and she began to pout. Her lip quivered and she sniffled. "Don't you?…" Tears began to fall down her face.
Shinichi groaned. "Yes, I agree with you…"
Ami quickly and suspiciously cheered up. "Yay!"
"Shinichi!" Megumi screamed. "She tried to make you her slave!"
"Yes, but she's had it hard…" Shinichi retorted. "Just like all of you!"
Megumi crossed her arms. "Hey, I haven't had it hard! I came here by my own will!"
Shinichi stared at his friend. "Megumi, you accidentally burned down your house in America and came to live here…"
Megumi gasped. "You said you wouldn't tell!"
Naoko stood up. "Um, I think that Sakura should get a chance, too…"
Ami grinned. "Ah ha! That's 3 to 2! Sakura gets to stay!"
"No, I should really leave…" Sakura muttered. "I don't deserve a second chance…"
Ami's aura flared. "Sakura! You will stay and you will like it!" She calmed down and frowned. "Besides, you don't have a place to stay…"
"Oh my…" Sakura blushed, realizing that Ami was right. "You're absolutely correct! All right, I'll stay!"
Ami clasped her hands together. "Good! So, any luggage or anything like that?"
Sakura shook her head. "Just the clothes I'm wearing and that swimsuit… I had to sell off everything, including the house, in order to pay for this whole fiasco…"
"Well, won't daddy be happy when he gets out of jail…" Junko said sarcastically.
"Eep!" Sakura's eyes widened. "You're right!"
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Ami guided Sakura through the hallway. "Well, um… There are about 50 free bedrooms in this house… Choose one…"
Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Why so many bedrooms?…"
Ami looked around. "Um, I have no idea…"
Sakura shrugged. "Eh, what the hell… I'll choose… this one…" She opened the door to the room she had chosen and walked in. "Hmmm…" The room was pink. The bed was like Ami's, and there was a desk next to it. "… I hate pink. Are there any other colors?"
Ami scratched her head. "Um, there's yellow…"
"Ah hell… Well, I don't feel like getting blinded, so I'll take pink…" Sakura muttered, sighing and looking around. "So, where is it?"
Ami pointed to the other side of the hall. "Um, every room on this side is yellow…"
Sakura scowled. "God, couldn't they have picked better colors?" Suddenly, there was a growl coming from the ceiling. "Okay, what was that?…"
Ami shivered. "I don't know… All I know is that Shinichi told me to never go up there…"
Sakura nodded. "I'm getting a strange feeling about it…"
Ami smiled. "Oh well, let's not worry about it… Besides, if there was something bad up there, wouldn't have someone done something about it by now?"
Sakura sighed, a bit unsure. "Yeah, I guess you're right…" And so, they walked back downstairs. But the growling noises started to get louder…
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A bit later, all the girls were taking a bath. Megumi raised an eyebrow. "Is it just me, or has Shinichi become a lot… I dunno… 'manlier' lately?"
Junko burst out laughing. "Manlier? I don't think so… He's grown some balls, I can tell you that, but I wouldn't call him manlier…" She smiled slightly. "But he is getting better…"
Megumi smirked. "I don't know, I saw that blush when he saved you… Maybe someone has a crush?"
Junko's eyes widened. "No! Of course not!"
"Don't deny it…" Sakura grinned. "When Shinichi saved me, I was hooked…"
"I thought you just wanted him as your sex slave, not a boyfriend…" Junko muttered.
Sakura blinked rapidly. "There's a difference?"
Everyone face faulted. "Don't forget, Shin-sama saved me too…" Naoko said, quietly.
Megumi patted the girl on the head. "Sorry, Naoko… I don't think Shinichi's interested in jailbait…"
"Ugh, why all the interest in that dork, anyway?" Junko said, snorting.
Ami smiled. "Because, he's a nice guy that has some um… confidence problems… It's up to us girls to help him! See how much he's changed now?"
Junko sweat dropped. "Are you sure that he hasn't just been slowing improving this whole time and he was actually more pathetic before we got here?"
"Trust me…" Megumi muttered. "I've known Shinichi longer. He's always been like this, and he had been getting better these past few days." She looked to Ami. "And nice job with the swimsuit competition earlier today." She started giggling. "What size was that thing, anyway?"
Ami blushed. "I don't know… The bottom was normal, but I think the top was meant for someone around Naoko's age…" She frowned. "To tell the truth, it was down right uncomfortable… But I had to do something that was a sure fire win!"
Megumi nodded. "And you did… Good job…"
"Will you stop making fun of me, then?" Ami asked, hopefully.
"Not likely…" Megumi replied, sticking her tongue out.
Ami pouted. "Awwww… You're so mean to meee..." Ami quickly changed the subject. "Hey, have you all noticed the noises coming from upstairs?"
Junko nodded. "Actually, yeah… It scares Naoko at night."
Naoko innocently tilted her head. "But Junko, it scares you, too!"
Junko blushed slightly. "N-no it doesn't!"
Naoko pouted, wondering why her sister was lying. "But then, why do you sometimes scream whenever we hear it?"
Junko blushed even more when Megumi began giggling. "So, Ms. 'Hard-Ass' does have a soft side…" Megumi was then pinched by Junko. "Ow!" she screamed.
Suddenly, Shinichi burst in. "I heard someone… scream…" Shinichi gulped. "Um… hi?" He said, waving timidly.
"Get out!!" the girls all screamed. Junko tossed a bucket at his face.
"Ow…" Shinichi moaned in pain, falling backwards. "Five girls, all with money problems... Please help me..."
End of Day 6.
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Sorry that this chapter was so late, I had a little writer's block and came up with the bath scene at the last minute. Oh well, I got it done earlier than last night…
---Kouji Tamino
