Hey there… Again. Sorry for not updating sooner, but I was on a little 'belated birthday trip'. That, and I had just gotten the 'Excel Saga IMPerfect Collection' box set. I was sort of obsessed with that for a few days, also. But now there shouldn't be any more distractions and I can finally get back on schedule. So um… Yeah. P

---Kouji Tamino

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Love Hina Next: Second Phase

Chapter 24: Viva Las Vegas! (The Eight, Part 2)

Shinichi gasped, pointing. "Di-di-did you just saying what I think you did? Y-you're my… cousin?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah… So what? You see, the Mishima's are a group of the Suichi family that broke off when the family changed their name, so we're not that related…"

Junko growled. "I don't care if you're his mother, you betrayed us, you liar!!"

She grinned. "Well, whatever… When my father hears that the other have been defeated, he's going to send his elite forces, the rest of the '8', and they will completely crush you!"

Junko lost it, punching her in the face. "Shut your damn mouth!! I am so sick of you!" Grabbing the stunned Sakura, she grabbed her by the neck and began to strangle her. "I am tired of this shit!! One more word out of your traitorous mouth, and I will fucking kill you, got it?!"

Sakura winced, then summoned enough strength to punch Junko in the chest, knocking the wind out of her. "Are you insane?! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Junko glared. "Bitch! How dare you ask such a question, after what you did to us?! I should kick your ass!!"

Sakura sighed, brushing some hair out of her face. Calming down, she grinned. "Whatever… I really don't care what you all do anymore, it's no longer my problem…" She stared at the ground sadly, looking like she was about to cry. "Besides, nothing matters anymore… My father said that he would disown me if I failed him…"

"Serves you right…" Junko muttered. She stared at the ground where the SuichiMask had fallen. It was no longer split in two. "What?! The mask is in one piece?! But… I thought that I had split it in two!!"

"Oh right, you don't know…" Sakura said sadly. "The Suichi Items cannot be destroyed… You could toss one into the Sun and it would return somehow…"

Everyone else sweat dropped. "Oh crap…"

Sakura picked up the mask and held out to Junko. "Here… You beat me, so it's yours…"

Junko snatched it away, spitting at the ground. "Good. We can use this to get to Las Vegas quicker…" She pushed her away. "Come on, everyone… Let's stop that bastard Mishima…"

And so, with Naoko holding onto Junko, Ami holding onto Naoko, etc., they used the mask to run at a super fast speed, leaving Sakura alone.

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Meanwhile, in the casino's of Las Vegas, an attractive young woman with shoulder length brown hair, wearing a small red dress and high heels, was amazing everyone with her skills. She had not lost one game that night. Sarah smacked her roughly on the back. "Nina, you lucky little-- Why didn't you tell me that you were good at this many other games?!"

Nina coughed after her adopted mother smacked her on the back, then smiled brightly. "Mama-Sarah never asked, so I never told!"

"Why you--" Sarah muttered, grabbing Nina in a headlock. "I oughta hit you for that, but--" She smiled as she saw Keitaro and Yamato walk in. "Hey, Urashima's! What the hell are you two doing here?!"

Keitaro laughed. "Would you believe us if we told you that we were trying to save the world from Shinichi's evil uncle? Ami and the others are here too, but none of them are old enough to get in here…" He rubbed his chin. "Naoko said that she had a secret method that should be able to get them in, though…"

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"Can you pleaaaase let me and my friends in, Mister? We promise that we won't gamble!"

The bouncer/guard bit his lip. "Awww… Okay, you kids go on in… But remember… No gambling! Otherwise, the boss will have my ass!"

As they walked in, Megumi rubbed her hands together. "Heh heh heh… Where are the slots, I want to get in a few rounds…"

Kairi frowned, appearing behind her. "But Ms. Megumi! We made a promise with that man! You wouldn't want him to lose his job, would you?"

Megumi pouted. "You're right… That would be mean…"

"Stop playing around!!" Junko screamed, looking around. "The rest of the '8' and Mishima could be anywhere around here! We'll make better progress if we split up! Naoko, you're with me! Shinichi, Ami, and Kairi, you go together since Kairi is a you know what and only we can see her for some strange reason…"

"Yeah, I was wondering why people weren't giving us strange looks…" Ami said to herself.

Megumi pouted. "Hey! What about me?!"

Junko rolled her eyes. "Oh, right… Megumi, you go off by yourself… Just don't get in any trouble…"

Megumi sighed sadly as the others left her alone. "You're all so mean…"

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And so they split up. Ami decided to split away from Shinichi and Kairi to search on her own. She walked around and soon found her self wondering over to the Roulette table. "So, what's a beautiful woman like yourself doing in place like this?" Ami looked over to see a man with long black hair and yellow eyes. He was wearing a white long sleeved dress shirt, black pants, a red bow tie, and a red head band. The man seemed to be the one currently running the Roulette table. "So, would you like to play?"

What Ami found strange was the fact that no one else seemed to be playing. She looked around. "Um, you mean me?" She smiled and shook her head. "No, I'm sorry… I'm too yo--"

"I said, 'Would you like to play?'…" His eyes flashed for a brief moment, seemingly hypnotizing Ami. "No woman has been able to say no, you know…"

Ami slowly nodded. "Yes, I would like to play…" She walked closer and stared at the board. "Um, but I'm afraid that I don't have any money to pay for any chips…"

"That's fine…" The man said, holding up some chips. "These ones are on me…"

Ami smiled. "Oh, that's very kind of you, Mr… um…"

The man grinned. "Just call me… Shi Yon…"

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Meanwhile, Junko and Naoko were walking around when they bumped into two people. Junko growled. "Hey, watch where you're going!"

The people that they had bumped into were a boy around Naoko's age and a girl about Junko's age. Both the boy and girl had violet hair and blood red eyes. The girl had shoulder length hair in a pony tail and was wearing a black t-shirt, jeans, and black sneakers. She smiled nervously. "Sorry about that…"

Junko raised an eyebrow. "Hey, what the hell are you two doing in here? You two look about the same age as us. How did you get here?"

The boy grinned, rubbing his nose with his finger. He was wearing a black backwards hat, a red t-shirt that said 'Brat', and blue shorts. "We should be asking you that same question…"

"Touché…" Junko muttered. "My name is Junko."

Naoko bowed shyly. "Hello there… I am Naoko, her sister…"

The boy laughed. "My name is Go-Roku. The dork standing next me is my sister, unfortunately…" He yelped as he was pounded in the head. "Ow!" He yelled, rubbing the spot that she hit him at. "That hurt, damn it!!"

The girl, after glaring at her little brother, smiled up at the Sagawa sisters. "Sorry about that… Anyway, my name is Nana! Pleased to meet you!"

Junko mentally gasped. 'All of the 8 Item Keepers have been named after numbers so far! Rei, Ichi, Ni, San, Go, Roku, Nana! And I bet that a Shi or Yon, and a Hachi are around here somewhere!' She looked at their hands and sure enough, Nana had on a solid gold ring and Go-Roku had a set of claws on his right hand. She grinned. "Nice jewelry… We have something similar…"

Naoko gasped as she also realized that they had Suichi items. "So you two are?…"

Go-Roku grinned evilly. "That would be…" he began.

"…correct…" Nana said, finishing the sentence off. "We are the Keepers of the SuichiRing…"

"…and the SuichiClaws respectively…" He disappeared, then reappeared behind Naoko, kicking her and sending her flying into a nearby game of cards, startling everyone in the area.

"Lil sis!!" Junko screamed. She quickly turned toward Go-Roku and growled. "Damn little bastard!! I'll kill you!!" She gasped as she was suddenly grabbed from behind.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Nana teased, pulling on Junko's arms. "Your fight is with me!"

Junko screamed as her arms were seemingly slowly pulled out of their sockets. "How can you be so…" She gasped in a mixture of pain and realization. "The ring!"

"That's right…" Nana said in a 'matter-of-factly' voice. "And there's nothing that you can do about it…" Suddenly, she opened her mouth wide and bit Junko on the neck, deep enough to draw blood. She smiled sadistically as her prey screamed out in pain, her teeth still piercing her neck. She then licked the warm drops of blood that slowly oozed from the two new bite marks of her neck. "Yum… Blood always tastes best when it has a nice blend of pain mixed in with some hidden fear…"

Junko groaned. "I'm not afraid, you freak!"

Nana licked her lips. "Mmmm, but the taste of your blood says other wise…"

Junko sweat dropped. "Oh god, you're so freaking creepy…"

Go-Roku grinned, arms crossed. "Heh, these ones were pushovers…"

"Stop right there, evil doers!" An innocent voice cried out. Everyone looked over to see Magical Girl Nao Nao, in a triumphant pose. "I am Magical Girl Nao Nao and in the name of all that is good and fuzzy, I will punish you!"

Go-Roku chuckled, arms crossed. "Sorry, babe… But you can't punish what you can't catch!" He teleported again.

Nao Nao smiled. "That's okay! Nao Nao Love Bubbles!" She held up her wand, formerly the SuichiStaff, and pink heart shaped bubbles emerged from it. They spread all around the room until they hit the intended target.

Go-Roku once again became visible, rolling on the ground and screaming. "Nooo!!! Love is evil!! It burns!! It burns with a fiery rage!!"

Nao Nao pouted, stomping her foot. "Hey, stop making fun of me!!"

Go-Roku slowly stood up, sniffling. "Actually, I wasn't kidding! Some of that crap popped and got in my eye…"

Nao Nao blushed, rubbing the back of her head. "Sorry about that!"

Go-Roku laughed. "That's okay…" He handed the claws over. "Here… Those hearts have given me a change of heart, so the claws now belong to you…"

Nao Nao blinked. "Wow, that was easy…"

In the distraction, Junko broke free and punched Nana in the face. "You're frickin' insane! Don't freaking bite me, you vampire!"

Nana chuckled. "My my, you broke my hold…"

Junko nodded. "Because do only do I have natural super strength, but…" She took the mask out of her shirt and put it on, running up to Nana. She punched her in the stomach several times, then socked her in the face, knocking her out. "Thanks to this mask, I also have super speed…" She took the ring off of Nana's finger. "Thanks for the nice ring…"

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Meanwhile, Ami was in the middle of her 10th game of Roulette. She had not lost once and had the sneaking suspicion that Shi Yon was letting her win. "Shi Yon…" She began.

He looked to her and smiled. "What is it, Ms. Ami?"

Ami stared at him. "Who are you, really?"

Shi Yon smiled. Slowly, his smile turned into an insane grin. "I'm the Keeper of the SuichiDaggers, you stupid bitch!!" He flipped over the table towards Ami. People began to scream and run around.

Ami stopped the table with her powers just in the nick of time. She glared at Shi Yon. "I knew it!"

Shi Yon, still with a crazed look on his face, created 7 copies of himself. All eight of them tossed their daggers at Ami, and she blocked them with a shield. Some people screamed, others watched in excitement. Ami changed the direction of the daggers and sent them back at Shi Yon. She watched in shock as he caught them with his teeth. "My god, what are you?!"

Shi Yon burst out laughing in a maniacal manner. "I'm just a normal human like you! Although I wouldn't exactly call you normal, freak!! You see, while he normal Suichi Items are relatively harmless, the weapons cause the user to grow more insane the more he or she masters it! We elite have almost completely mastered our weapons, so that makes us a little… crazy!" They once again tossed their daggers at Ami, then doubled in numbers and threw some more daggers at her. "Bwahahaha!! I will kill anyone that stands in Master Mishima's plan of ultimate soda domination!! He is destined to be the number one Soda King!"

Ami blocked the first set of daggers, but the second caught her off guard. They cut her up a bit, and she fell to the ground. "Agh!" She held her cut up arms, sitting up and standing on her knees. She glared at Shi Yon. "But I will not give up!" She grinned as people began to cheer her on. Her aura flared, becoming black. Her grinned turned evil as she pointed a finger at one of the Shi Yon copies.

He laughed. "Ha! Even if you hit one of us, all of these copies are me! You'd have to hit us all at the same--" He gasped in pain as 16 beams of black light pierced his chest. He grabbed his chest and fell back, along with the 16 other copies. The copies all merged back into one.

Ami, still evil, snatched the dagger away from Shi Yon's unconscious body. She laughed cruelly. "I'd have to what? Hit all 16 copies at the same time? I think that's what I did, Shi Yon…" Everyone looked on, having feelings of dread for obvious reasons.

"Ami?" Yamato asked, walking up to Ami. "What happened here?"

Suddenly, Ami went back to normal. She turned around and hugged her longtime crush. "Oh Yamato-sama! Thank goodness you're here!! It was so terrible!"

Yamato sweat dropped as he stared at the unconscious Shi Yon. "Terrible for who? You or him?"

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Meanwhile, Megumi was being dragged out of the casino for attempting to use the slots. "Let me go, you brutes! You're bruising my delicate skin! My daddy is very rich! He could sue you!" She sweat dropped. "Then again, daddy and mummy haven't been very fond of me ever since I burned the house down…"

Suddenly, there was a huge explosion from inside the casino. It blew the roof off of the building, and people were mysteriously tossed out from the building. Included in this group were our heroines, Shinichi, the Urashima's, and the American Gals. Shinichi groaned. "Owww… Hey, that really hurt… Huh?" He looked up as a huge pillar rose from inside the building, Mishima standing on top.

"Mwahahaha!!" He laughed. "Fools! There is still one Keeper… And that is me, Hachi! I still have the SuichiEarrings, and there is no way to stop me! None of you know how to properly use that sword, which is the only way to truly beat me! Just try and attack me! I'll show you the true meaning of defeat!"

"Oh my god, just shut the hell up!!" Junko screamed. "As if your dialogue could get any cornier!"

"Yeah, really…" Nana muttered, dusting herself off.

Junko switched her attention over to her. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"It would appear that Master Mishima, aka Hachi, has fired us…" Nana said sadly, frowning. Her frown quickly turned into a grin. "So in that case, I will be happy to assist you in kicking his ass!"

Junko smiled. "Now you're talking!"

"And whether you like it or not…" Sakura muttered, the other former keepers standing next to her. "I'm helping too, along with the rest of the keepers…"

Junko walked up to Sakura and glared at her. "Don't think that this changes anything between us…"

Sakura laughed. "Don't flatter yourself… I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing it for myself." She frowned. "All my life, father has never paid any attention to me… The only reason I did all this was to try and get him to accept me… But then he goes and disowns me like that…" She turns away and gasps as Shinichi hugs her. "But… But…"

Shinichi smiled. "Poor girl… Poor cousin Sakura…"

Suddenly, the casino began to rise into the air. Sakura glared. "Oh no, you don't!! Come back here, coward!!" She ran over and grabbed a hold of the bottom of the building. Shinichi grabbed her, Megumi grabbed him. It continued like that until the whole group was hanging from the building. The door was still open, so they all crawled in, looking around.

From a control room, Mishima was watching them. He growled. "They are all nothing but fools…"

To Be Continued…

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And now, the climactic battle!! After that, that's enough of the action/adventure route for now. Also, I'm not feeling very well. A clod has been spreading lately, and I have a sore throat right now. Hopefully it doesn't get worse by the time I get started on the next chapter…

---Kouji Tamino