Hello again. I apologize for this chapter being so late but it was a bit… complicated. You will soon see why. I also apologize for the slowness of posting these more recent chapters. I hope to speed back up in the future.

---Kouji Tamino

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Love Hina Next: Second Phase

Chapter 30: Naoko's Story

"Hey everyone!" Naoko greeted, while coming in and kicking off her shoes. "I'm home!" She looked over to the game room as Junko and Sakura came out, glaring at each other. She smiled and waved to them. "Hi, J--"

"Shut up!!" Junko screamed, getting up in Sakura's face. "You cheated, I'm sure of it!"

"Whatever!" Sakura yelled, grinning. "You're just jealous because I kicked your ass!"

Junko gritted her teeth and clenched her fist in gradually building up anger. "You take that back, or I'll…"

"Oh my, are you two fighting again?" Kairi floated up behind Junko. "It's beginning to get very annoying…"

"Gyaah!!" Junko screamed, turning around and attempting to punch her, but falling straight through her and hitting the ground. "…Ouch."

Kairi giggled. "Ms. Junko, that tickled… If you wouldn't mind, could you do that again?"

Junko stared up at the ghost woman. "…No!"

Kairi frowned in disappointment. "You don't have to shout… I was just asking…" She then looked over to Naoko, who she had just noticed at that moment. "Oh! Hello, Ms. Naoko!"

"Hello, Kairi-neechan!" Naoko waved, smiling. "Finally someone notices me…"

Junko chuckled nervously. "Um, sorry sis… How was school today?"

Naoko shrugged. "It was fine… I have to write a story and it's due in 2 days…"

Sakura nodded, rubbing her chin. "I see… What's it have to be about?"

The young girl sighed. "Anything, actually… It can be a true story or something completely made up…"

"Then why don't you use ideas from our adventures?" Junko suggested, jokingly. "We're already one of the weirdest groups of people in Japan, if not the entire world…"

"Did someone say something about writing?" Shinichi asked, walking down the stairs. "I love writing!"

Junko raised an eyebrow, staring at him. "You do? I sure didn't notice…"

Shinichi sweat dropped. "Well, yeah… I don't write as often as I used to… But I still do! And I draw, too!"

"And he's pretty good, too…" Ami said, walking in from the kitchen. "I've seen his sketch book!"

"So, cousin Shinichi is an artist and writer?" 'You-know-who' asked. She walked up to Shinichi and put her hands under his shirt, rubbing his chest. "Tell me, cousin… Why did you never tell us this before? I'd like to look at your work…"

Shinichi began to sweat nervously. "I-it's really not that good… It's terrible, actually…"

"That's not true, Shinichi-kun! Your work is great!" She paused for a moment before continuing. "You know, I'd find you a lot more appealing if you were a little more confident in yourself!"

Shinichi blushed. "Really?"

"Seriously, Shinichi…" Megumi began. "You are a very attractive man physically, especially since you no longer have that nerdy hairstyle and you've broken your glasses… Have you ever considered contacts?"

"Actually, no…" Shinichi muttered. "There's nothing wrong with glasses…"

"Yeah, If you like looking like a geek…" Junko said under her breath.

Naoko sighed again. "Well, I should get started on my story… Shin-sama, is there a computer that I can use?"

Shinichi nodded. "Follow me… There's a computer room."

Megumi raised an eyebrow. "There is?"

Inside the Game Room, Shinichi walked over to a pool table, leaned down, and pulled on the leg of one of the table. A wall opened up and led into a hallway that none of the girls knew of. "This is the hallway to the Computer Room… Sorry I didn't tell you about the place sooner, it didn't seem important at first…" He walked down the hallway, the girls following. Soon, they were in the room. There were tons of computers and other related electronics. "Well, here it is… Feel free to use this place whenever you want, just don't break anything…"

Naoko smiled. "Yay! Thank you, Shin-sama!" She walked over to a terminal and turned it on. "Okay, let's see… Oh, I know… I'll make this a fairy-tale!" And so, she began to type…

---Naoko's Story---

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young princess that lived in a castle. Her name was Naoko, and she loved every living creature. She wore a flowing pink dress and wore her hair freely. She lived in a huge castle with her mother and father. One day, while she was running around in a field of flowers, she got some very bad news…

"Princess Naoko, Princess Naoko!!" a boy yelled, running up to her with a piece of paper in his hand.

Princess Naoko looked to her personal messenger. "Yes Sir Negi, what is it?"

"I just found this note!" He yelled, holding it up. "It says here that your parents, the King and Queen, have been kidnapped by an evil fiend!"

Princess Naoko gasped. "Oh no! That's terrible! Who could do something so terrible?!"

Sir Negi sighed. "I don't know… But who ever it was, they will be brought to justice, my princess! I swear it!"

Princess Naoko sighed. "You're so sweet, Sir Negi… But you are just a Messenger Boy… This is a job for the Royal Knights…"

Negi nodded sadly. "You're right… I will go try and contact them…" He quickly ran off, leaving a saddened Princess Naoko to fall to her knees.

"W-what can I do?… If someone has kidnapped my parents, what's to say that they won't kidnap me?…"

---Naoko's Story, To be Continued?…---

The next day, the first thing Naoko did was go into the computer room, sit down at the PC she was using, and turn on the machine. She opened up the word processor and opened up her story so far. She held her stomach as it growled. "Ooh, I'm hungry…" She sat up and left the room.

Just a few seconds later, Junko entered the room. She rubbed her chin. "I wonder if I can access my old e-mail account… Hope it hasn't been deleted or anything like that…" She looked over to Naoko's computer. "Oh yeah, sis's story…" She walked over and read the story over. "Geez, this story is really boring… Figures that Naoko wrote it, no offense… But this really needs some spicing up…"

---Junko's Story---

But then, Princess Naoko stood up, a look of determination in her eyes. "I won't let that happen! In fact, I'm going to go find them!" So, tearing off her dress and revealing a-- no wait, that's a bit too much… Um… Okay, so she takes off her dress and under it she is wearing a pink sleeveless shirt and uhh… cargo jeans. And boots. How far back is this story, anyway?

Anyway… So, she continued on her journey. On the way, she ran into a little trouble. She was attacked by a woman in a black tank top, pants, shoes, and a bandana. She grinned at Princes Naoko. "I am the land pirate, Junko! Hand me and money and valuables that you may have with you!"

Princess Naoko frowned. "I am very sorry… I don't have any valuables…" She smiled. "But I have some food!"

Junko raised an eyebrow. "You do?" She looked around. "Where?"

Naoko reached into one of the pockets of her cargo pants and pulled out a normal sized picnic basket. "In here! I was about to eat lunch, anyway! Would you like to join me?"

Junko blushed slightly. "You… want me to join you for lunch, even though I tried to rob you?"

Naoko nodded. "Yeah! You look like you haven't eaten in days! Please, you must eat something!"

Junko bit her lip, a single tear rolling down her face. "That's the nicest thing that anyone has ever said to me… Thank you…"

-----

"…and so, after killing the person that killed my parents, I was a criminal… I decided to wander the land, stealing from others in order to survive…" Junko sighed as she told her sad story.

Naoko whimpered sadly. "That's so sad! Poor thing, have another cheesecake!" She yelled, stuffing the cake into the pirate's mouth.

Junko's eyes widened as she choked down the cheesecake lodged in her throat. She sighed in relief, then stood up. "Look kid, Naoko, I have to go now… It was nice meeting you…"

Naoko gasped. "Wait, don't leave me alone!!"

Junko sighed. "Look, as much as I'd like to help you find your parents, I'm a wanted woman…" She smiled. "Look, you're a nice kid. I wouldn't want to drag you down with me…"

"I… I don't care!" Naoko shouted, stomping her foot. "I don't want to travel alone anymore!"

---End Junko's Story?---

Junko raised an eyebrow. "Wow, that got really sappy near the end… Eh, I'm done…" Junko stood up and left the room, saving what she had wrote.

Soon, Sakura walked in. She stared at the computer screen as she walked over to it. "Oh, this must be Naoko's story…" She began to read it. She stared at the screen. "Odd, the writing style seems to have drastically changed about halfway through… And I have a very good hunch about why it did…" She cracked her knuckles, sitting down and beginning to type at the keyboard. "In that case, hopefully Naoko won't mind if I try my part at this…"

---Sakura's Story---

"Stop right there, Land Pirate Junko!" a voice yelled. Naoko and Junko looked up to see… The Bounty Huntress, Sakura! Dressed in her red dominatrix outfit, she jumped from a nearby screen and landed perfectly on her feet. "Junko!" She said, pointing at the pirate. "You are wanted for murder, theft, arson, conning, and rape!"

"Rape?! What the hell?!" Junko screamed in surprise, clenching her fist. "You stupid bitch, you made that one up!"

"So, you admit to all of the other crimes? Good, now let's go… You've got a 12,000 gold bounty on your head that I intend to get… Now will we do this the easy way?…" She pulled a whip from her waist and snapped it threateningly. "…Or the hard way? Personally, I'd prefer the hard way…"

Junko spat at her. "You sick b--" Her eyes widened as the whip wrapped around her wrist. "Gyah!"

Sakura smirked, waving a finger. "Ah, ah, ah… No more of that wicked tongue, or will have to punish you!"

Junko glared. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?… Lesbo…" She gasped as Sakura yanked her closer.

Sakura laughed, then smacked Junko in the face. "I don't like being called names…"

Naoko sweat dropped. "Oh my… Mother and Father told me about people like this…" She sighed, shaking her head and regaining her senses. "Please stop, Sakura!"

Sakura looked to Naoko and sneered. "And why should I? Your friend here is worth quite a lot! To let her go would be idiotic!"

Naoko pouted, her eyes becoming teary. "Please let her go… I'm begging you, please!"

Sakura suddenly felt a chill go down her spine. 'This girl has… unusual powers… I can't resist the cute!' Sakura sighed in defeat. "All right, you win this time… But don't let your guard down, Junko! I will return!!" Hopping up into a tree, she disappeared.

---End Sakura's Story?---

Sakura scratched her head. "Er, maybe I got a little carried away… This is only a junior high assignment… Not even that foul-mouthed Junko got this bad…" She then shrugged. "Oh well, it's Naoko's problem now! I'm going to go take a nap!" She then left the room, as several others had.

Soon, Megumi wondered into the room. Naoko seems to either be really hungry or has completely forgotten about her story. Anyway, Megumi read over the whole story so far. "My, my, some people need to learn to leave other people's things alone…" She plopped herself into the chair and rubbed her hands together. "Eh, why not?!" And so, she too began to type…

---Megumi's Story---

And so, the Princess Naoko and Pirate Junko continued on their little journey. Junko grinned down at Naoko. "Kid, you could be useful… If you keep laying on the cuteness like that, I'll help you find your parents…"

Naoko looked up and smiled. "Really?! Thank you, Ms. Naoko!!"

However, they soon ran into a woman who was being chased by bandits. "Help!!" She shouted. "Someone please help me!" The woman was dressed in a blue and elegant looking dress.

Naoko frowned. "Ms. Junko, shouldn't we help her?"

Junko shook her head. "No, it's none of our business… Just keep on walking…"

The woman growled as she watched them walk by and ignore them. As the bandits began to catch up with her, she started running again. "I am very wealthy and will reward my rescuers very handsomely!!!" She yelled, screaming as loud as she could.

Junko's eyes lit up in excitement. "Oh, we would be honored to help you, miss!"

Naoko raised an eyebrow in confusion. "But you just said--"

"Please shut up and watch as I kick these guy's asses…" Junko muttered, running over to the bandits and beating the living… Oh wait, can I write that? Um… Well let's just say that those bad bandits were hurting for quite a while…

The wealthy woman smiled at Junko. "Thank you, miss!" She then held up a very big bag of gold. "There you go… 50,000 gold coins… I'm afraid that I don't have much to give, but I hope this is satisfactory…"

Junko's eyes widened. "Holy shitake mushrooms!! That's enough to last us for an entire year without work!!" She reached for the bag, but gasped as the woman yanked it away. "Hey! What the hell is your deal?! We just saved your ass and--"

The very wealthy woman chuckled. "Well, I just thought of an interesting proposition… I'll pay you twice this much if you take me to the next town safely, and a bonus if you can get me there within two days… What do you say?"

Junko grinned. "Sister, you got yourself a deal!"

Naoko whined, crossing her arms. "Not fair, Ms. Junko! You promised that you'd help me find your parents!!"

Junko looked at Naoko sadly. "I'm sorry… But this offer is just too good to pass up!" She glared. "Besides, we currently have no idea where they even are! At least if we get into town, we can get some sort of clue!" She looked to the woman and grinned. "Lady, it's a deal! Can I ask you name?"

The woman chuckled. "I am Megumi Francisco, the richest woman in Francisco City, where you shall be taking me!"

Junko and Naoko's jaws dropped. 'The…the Francisco family is even richer than mine!!' Naoko thought in shock.

And so, the journey continued…

---End of Megumi's Story?---

Megumi sighed. "Well, that's all from me…" She sat up and yawned. "I think I'm going to go and pester Ami…" And so she stood up and left.

And then, Ami ran in. She smiled and ran over to the computer. "I wonder how the story is so far!" She sat down and stared at the screen, sweat dropping. "Oh boy, they really screwed this thing up…" She began to walk away from the computer. "I will have no part in messing with poor Naoko-chan's story…" Suddenly, she ran back over and started typing madly. "But… maybe a few sentences won't hurt?"

---Ami's Story---

And so, the group continued on their way. Soon, they happened upon a giant lake. The lake was perfectly blue and sparkly. There were cute white bunnies hopping everywhere and… I miss Tenshi… Oops, sorry! Anyway, Megumi frowned. "This lake is huge! How will we ever get across?"

"We could try and walk around, maybe?…" Naoko suggested meekly.

"No!!" Junko screamed. "That will take too long! Hop on my back, I'll swim across!"

"That's not a very good idea…" a woman said, walking up. She was pale with white hair, and wearing a white hooded robe. She smiled warmly. "Hello, there!"

Junko glared at the woman in white. "And why shouldn't I swim across? I've got the strength and energy to get across!"

The woman shook her head. "Even if you were the strongest man in the world and had infinite amounts of energy, you would not be able to get across…"

Junko sneered. "I'm stronger than any man… And what makes you sure that I can't get across?"

The woman's expression became grave. "Because that lake is magical… One step in their and you'd be stuck in an infinite lake with no way out… Unless you know magic, that is…"

Junko raised an eyebrow. "So where can we find a magic user?"

The woman in white smiled. "You're looking at one! Hello, my name is Ami! I am a sorceress! For a small fee, I'll get you all across the lake as many times as you want!"

Megumi giggled. "A flat-chested sorceress… How quaint…"

Ami growled. "I'll charge you double…"

Megumi stared at Ami. "Then I refuse to pay…"

Ami stared back. "Then you don't get across…"

"Stop acting like children, damn it!" Junko yelled.

Naoko nodded. "Please Ms. Ami, we just have to get across… I have to find my parents, and Ms. Megumi is the only one with money…"

Ami sighed. "All right, fine… Fee is 500 gold pieces per person…"

Megumi nodded, tossing a medium-small bag to her. "1500 gold…"

"Everyone gather around me…" As everyone complied, she formed a large protective magic bubble around them all. The bubble floated over the lake, slowly at first, then began to zip across the large body of water. After a few minutes, the bubble came to a stop on dry land, 'popping'. Ami set the group gently to the ground and began to float away. "Well, that's it! Good luck, you all!"

"Wait!" Megumi yelled. "Why don't you join us? I could always use a magic user as a body guard…"

Ami shook her head. "I have a sort of duty, helping people get across the lake…"

"I'll pay you twice what I'm paying her…" Megumi said plainly, motioning over to Junko.

"Deal!" Ami shouted. "You've got yourself a sorceress!"

"Hey!" Junko screamed angrily. "That's not fair!"

"Who said I was fair? Now stop complaining or you won't even get what you earned for saving me earlier…"

"Stupid spoiled little…" Junko muttered. "Why I oughta…"

"What was that, Junko?" Megumi asked, raising an eyebrow.

Junko gave a fake laugh. "Nothing, Ms. Megumi…"

---End Ami's Story?---

Ami blinked rapidly as she read her part over. "Whoops, got a little carried away… Oh well! I've got to escape from Megumi, she might be trying to torment me…" Ami quickly got up and left.

And so, Shinichi walked in. He squinted at the screen, then took out his new pair of glasses. "All right, let's see… What the heck did they do to this? Looks like I've got to fix things up…"

---Shinichi's Story---

Francisco City was a beautiful place full of many buildings, happy people, and good relations with the neighboring cities and towns. The Francisco Mansion, which was in the center of it all, was a monster of a building. As wide as it was tall, it had a gothic look to it, with Gargoyles staring at anyone who dared get close. It was a huge contrast to the other brightly colored buildings in the city.

"…Nice place…" Junko muttered weakly to herself, a tone of sarcasm in her voice. Battered, bruised, dirty, and hungry, and the group of girls had finally made it to Francisco City in a record day and a half.

"I know, it's so scary and icky…" Megumi groaned. "I'd like to redecorate, but grandpa won't let me…" Megumi sighed sadly, drooping slightly. "But tonight, we stay in a hotel… It's too dangerous right now… I have a contact who says that he knows who is out to kill me, and he said that they would be making an attempt on my life if I went straight home…"

Junko raised her eye suspiciously. "Seems a little odd… How would he know? Are you sure that it's not him that's after you?"

Megumi gasped, putting a hand to her mouth. "You're right! How could I be so stupid?!"

Junko grinned, crossing her arms. "Don't worry, we'll protect you… For a price…"

Ami smacked her in the back of the head. "Junko! This is no time to think about money!!"

Naoko nodded. "We will protect you in anyway we can, Ms. Megumi…"

Megumi smiled. "Thank you, girls…" She glared at Junko. "Just for that. I'm docking your pay by 25… Which was about how much your bonus was, so it's not that bad…"

-----

And so, they arrived at the inn. It was a plain looking place, with wooden walls and floors, a small desk, a restaurant, and the rooms were upstairs. Megumi tapped a bell a few times. "Innkeeper! Innkeeper!"

"Yes?" a young man replied, looking down the steps. He was dressed in a white shirt, brown pants, and shoes. His hair was black and in a mop-top. He ran down the stairs happily. "Oh boy! Customers!" He tripped and fell down the stairs, landing in a heap on the ground. He quickly stood up and smiled. "Hello there! I'm Shinichi, the Innkeeper!"

The girls stared at him as if he were a complete and total idiot. Megumi chuckled lightly. "Um… We'd like some rooms for the night, please?"

"Just hold on, there!" Sakura shouted, running into the Inn. "I've found you, Junko!" She looked around and frowned. "Hey, that's not fair! You've got a whole team now!" As she looked around, her eyes spotted Shinichi. Her eyes widened and she smiled, clasping her hands together. "It's my former slave!"

Shinichi's lip quivered in fear as Sakura ran towards him. "Why me?…" he said softly.

---End Shinichi's Story?---

Shinichi grimaced. "Eh, that's not my best work… Oh well, I think I'll stop there…"

Suddenly, Kairi snuck up behind him, grinning. "Boo!"

"Ack!" Shinichi yelled, quickly standing up and hitting his knee on the desk. "Ow!" He quickly turned around. "Ms. Kairi, I would really appreciate it if you would stop sneaking up on me like that!"

Kairi giggled. "Sorry!"

Shinichi sighed. "I'm… Going to go take a bath…"

Kairi watched as he left, then looked to the computer. "Ooh, Naoko's story!" Reading over it, she stuck her tongue out. "It's gone from Naoko's Story to Everyone's story! I think I'll do my part…" Manipulating the keyboard, she began to write her own section…

---Kairi's Story---

Ooh, typing is fun! Oops, shouldn't do that… Um…

All right. The girls, after cleaning up and going to their rooms, got ready for bed. It had been a long journey, and they were ready to go to bed. They went into their rooms, Megumi had gotten separate rooms for everyone, and went to bed. But soon, their slumber was interrupted. The roof was torn off, and a dark sorceress wearing black robes started to make them all float in the air with her great power. She chuckled. "I am Kairi, the one who is attempting to murder Megumi and the one who kidnapped Princess Naoko's parents!"

Everyone gasped audibly. "Naoko! You're a princess?!" Junko asked. "Why didn't you tell us?!"

Princess Naoko sighed. "I… I don't know…"

Kairi smiled evilly. "Now I can kill you both right here! Thank you for making my job easier, Princess!"

"Not so fast!!" a young voice shouted out. Everyone turned around to see Negi standing in the doorway. He was glaring angrily and carrying a large wooden staff. "I won't let you do that! Are you all right, my Princess?"

"Sir Negi!" Naoko shouted in concern. "I'm fine, but what are you doing here?! It's too dangerous!!"

Negi shook his head. "No, it's all right… You see…" He held up his staff and waved it, sending an attack spell at the dark sorceress, who then dodged it. "I am a wizard! And Princess Naoko, I found the King and Queen! They are safe at the castle!" He looked over to Ami. "Ms. Ami, together we might be able to beat Kairi! Will you help me?"

Ami nodded. "Of course!"

Kairi chuckled. "That won't be necessary…" Her robes slowly turned white, and she floated down to the ground. "You see, I'm not a dark sorceress, and I never had any real intentions of hurting anyone…"

"What?! No way!" Junko screamed, not buying it.

"Yeah, then why did you put us through all this, then?!" Megumi added.

Kairi giggled. "Because, things were getting too dull in the kingdom… I wanted to liven things up…" She smiled as everyone face faulted.

---End of Kairi's Story?---

Kairi then floated out of the room. Finally, Naoko came back. "Yummy, I'm stuffed!" She walked over to the computer and her eyes widened as she read what the others had written. She sighed. "You guys, this was supposed to be written by me alone…" Suddenly, she got a mischievous idea. "No, I can't do that… It's cheating! But still… I guess I could use some of this…" She sweat dropped. "But I will definitely have to change some of this… But before I do that…" She then began typing up the ending…

---Naoko's Story, Part 2---

Naoko smiled as she waved goodbye to all of her new found friends, Negi escorting her back to the kingdom. "Goodbye, everyone! I will miss you so much! Thank for everything, even if it turned out to be a waste!"

Junko, smirked, waving her hand once. "Seeya, kid… er, Princess…" She stuck her tongue out at Sakura and began to run off, the bounty huntress soon following.

"Get back here, Naoko!" she screamed, dragging poor Shinichi along on her whip.

"Once again, why me?" Shinichi whimpered.

And as for everyone else?

Ami went back to helping others across the lake. Kairi went back to causing occasional mischief. Megumi went back to her mansion, redecorating it against her grandfather's orders. Basically, nothing changed and the whole journey was sadly a waste, but they made a bunch of new friends and found new perspectives on life… And thus, everyone lived happily ever after… The End.

---End Everyone's Story---

End of Chapter 30

I… I finally finished it. Here it is. 14 pages and 4000 words, making it my longest chapter ever. While this was fun and all, I will never do a chapter like this again. I hope you enjoy it.

---Kouji Tamino