Hello, readers! Yes, I'm still alive! And yes, I promised to try and get more active, but it's been hard, with school and all. But it paid off. So far I've gotten the best grades I've gotten in years! So anyway, yeah…

---Kouji Tamino

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Love Hina Next: Second Phase!

Chapter 33: A Mysterious Boy Appears! (Naoko's School Days, Part 3)

Ami glared at the boy, rubbing her sore face. "That really hurt… He didn't even apologize!" She sighed, shrugging it off. She pitched again and watched as the boy smacked it way into the outfield. Megumi, who had been moved to left field, gasped and giggled as the ball landed on her breasts. "Hee hee, I caught it! I guess you're out, boy!"

After a few more outs, the girls were up to bat. Naoko cooed softly as she stepped up to bat, staring at the pitcher with sad eyes. "Pwease, Mister Pitcher… Don't be too hard on me…"

The now completely flustered pitcher, who was famous for his curve ball, tossed a weak, easy to hit underhanded ball. Naoko bunted the ball and skipped towards first base. She smiled, waving at Junko. "Look at me, ne-chan!"

Junko smiled, waving back. "That's great, sis!"

"You sure have been smiling a lot more lately, Ms. Junko…" Shinichi muttered. "Could it be that this coaching job has softened you up a bit?"

Junko glared at the young man. "Don't you ever say that again, or you'll become your own black hole…"

Shinichi sweat dropped. "Wow, haven't heard that one before…"

Soon, it was Ami's turn. She put on the batting helmet, picked the right sized bat, and stepped up to the plate, getting in a few practice swings. "Okay, pitcher! Give me your best shot!" Everyone sweat dropped as the ball smacked Ami right in the head, knocking the helmet right off of her head and sending her to the ground. She was helped up by a few with words like 'Are you all right?' and 'Wow, you got knocked the hell out, babe!' She nodded slowly, rubbing her throbbing head. She looked to the pitcher and realized that it was the same person that hit her in the head earlier when he was batting. 'Okay, stay calm, Ami… It was probably an accident…Just gotta wait for him to tip his hat…' She stared at him for a few seconds. '… He's not tipping his hat…' Ami's aura suddenly flared black, fists clenched. "You are dead…"

Everyone sweat dropped. Shinichi chuckled nervously. "Um heh heh… Is she okay? I really don't think that it should be black like that…"

Sakura shrugged. "How should we know?" She grinned sadistically. "All I know is that some blood is about to be spilt… Oh look, they're selling popcorn… goodie…" She then wandered off to get some snacks for the 'show'.

Shinichi sighed as he turned back to see lightning crackling around Ami. "Oh my… This is bad… This is really freaking bad!" He began to pull at his hair. "I've got to stop her! But how?!"

Everyone's attention was now on Ami as she grinned evilly and began to pick up the poor boy with her mind. "Heh heh heh… So, you think it's funny to hit people in the head with Baseballs, punk?" She stared at a group of balls and made them all float in the air as well. "Well, how about a taste of your own medicine?"

"Ms. Ami, stop it!" Shinichi screamed. "Please, don't do it! Your reputation will be tarnished!"

Ami, her eyes completely black, snapped her attention towards Shinichi. "And why shouldn't I? He already embarrassed me, twice!" She averted her eyes back to the boy before adding "Now stay out of my way, wimp… Before you join him…"

Shinichi began to back away, but shook his head, deciding to stand his ground. "Ms. Ami! I demand that you put that boy down, now! Before I… I um… Before I take away your bathing privileges for a week!"

Ami suddenly snapped back to normal, staring at Shinichi in a mixture of sadness and shock, tears in her eyes. "Shinichi, you wouldn't!! That's so mean!"

Shinichi closed his eyes sternly, crossing his arms. "No, I mean it… Now put him down, now…"

Ami sighed. "Oh, all right… I'm sorry…" She gently brought the boy and the baseballs back down to the ground. The boy stared at her as if she was a monster, running off. The audience stared in a 'what the hell just happened here?' manner.

Junko's team suddenly started to run towards the field, all holding up slips of paper. They stopped as they reached their coach, shoving the papers in her face. "Hey, coach!" Kenji yelled angrily, "what's the deal with not letting us play because of bad grades, huh?"

Junko stared at the grade papers, sweat dropping. The highest grade was a B-. "Actually, yes… But these grades do meet the standards… It wasn't my fault, though. I was told that you had bad grades and weren't allowed to play…" She glared at the official. "I wonder…"

The official began to sweat, slowly slinking away. "Um, well you see! Uhh, that is to say… Erm, I was just…" He gasped as he bumped into someone. He looked back to see Naru. His eyes widened. "Oh my god!"

Naru, wearing a yellow jacket, white shirt, brown pants and shoes, chuckled. "Well, if it isn't my old student, Takashi…" She adjusted a pair of glasses on her face. She still retained her beauty, but aging was taking it's toll as wrinkles began to show. "Still causing trouble, I see… How old are you now? 25?" She glared at him. "And now you're trying to cheat some young boys out of a game! You make me sick!"

Takashi gasped, waving his hands in front of himself. "Ms. Narusegawa! You don't understand!"

Naru began to crack her knuckles. "Understand what? That you're biased against this school's team? You were always such a brat! You made my life Hell for those three years that I taught you!" She chuckled menacingly. "You know, I've wanted to do this for years, but I couldn't because you were a minor…"

Takashi's eyes became wide as saucers. "Ms. Narusegawa? What are you going to do to me? Ms. Narusegawa, please put that wrench down… AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

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"Wow, that felt damn good!" Naru yelled, stretching out.

Shinichi looked down at Takashi's unconscious body in horror. "Good god, he won't be able to sit for months… Maybe even years!"

Junko spat at the ground. "Peh… Serves the cheating bastard right… Keeping my boys from playing…"

Kairi giggled. "You know, we never finished that game, you know…"

Junko sighed. "Well, since the team ran off, I guess we'll have to finish it some other day…"

The boys groaned in disappointment. "Awww…"

"Ms. Naru, you teach here?" Ami asked, walking up to the woman.

Naru chuckled. "Actually, I just transferred here this week!"

"Someone please…" Takashi began, groaning in pain and twitching. "…save me…"

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A few days later…

Naoko, a look of puzzlement on her face, stared up at the new boy in her class, who was standing in the front of the room and being introduced by the teacher. He wore the school uniform with an open jacket, which had slits in both shoulders cut into them, and a crimson red t-shirt with complete disregard for the dress code. Not even the boys of the Baseball team did that. His hair was short and scraggly, as if he hadn't brushed it in weeks. He wore a pair of shades and had a smirk on his face. 'So weird…' Naoko thought.

Takamoto stared at the boy, clearing his throat. "Um… This is Quatro… He's an exchange student from… Where did you say you were from, again?"

"Switzerland…" the Asian looking boy muttered. The whole class except for Naoko began laughing.

Suddenly, the bell rang. "Uh oh, looks like I'm out of time…" Takamoto said to the class. "See you tomorrow, everyone!" He yelled, as he packed up his suitcase.

Naoko watched as Quatro took a seat next to her. She gave him a curious look. He turned around and grinned at her. She quickly turned away. 'I don't know about him… There's something very strange about him…'

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Later that day, after school, Naoko decided to follow this Quatro boy. She walked as slowly and lightly as she could without letting him know of her presence, following him as he walked into an alley. He put his hands in his pockets and looked around as if he was waiting for someone. He chuckled softly to himself. "That's so funny… Sorry to burst your bubble, but I know that you're following me, Naoko… I knew the whole time."

Naoko gasped. "How did you know my name? I never told anyone!"

The boy's chuckle turned into a full-out laugh. "Naoko, dear…" He took off his shades, eliciting another gasp from Naoko. "We already know each other…"

"Oh my god!" She managed to get out, pointing at him with a shaky finger. "Your eyes! They're blood red! Why?!"

"Because, my dear… I'm not really human!" He looked up, smiling. "Isn't that right, mom?"

Meiruuna floated down, patting the boy who was actually a bunny on the head. "That is correct, Kai… And don't call me mommy…"

Naoko began to stammer, backing away. "N-not human?! What do you mean?!" She pointed to Meiruuna. "And you! You look like Ami-nechan except eviler!"

"Well, duh…" Meiruuna muttered. "I am her twin sister after all…" She raised her hand and watched Naoko rise into the air.

"Hey!" the girl shouted. "Please let me go, Miss!"

Meiruuna slammed Naoko against the wall, pinning her up while walking over to her. "I've been watching you… Such a nice girl… It will be a shame to wipe you out with the rest of the 'normal' humans…"

Naoko's eyes widened. She began to try and struggle her way out. "What are you talking about?"

Meiruuna smiled. "I've been training hard in order to beat Ami… You see, she beat me a few years back, so I decided to monitor the 'normies' as I like to call them and see if they were worthy of living… Yet every year, the things they do makes me more and more disgusted by them… I plan to wipe every last non-psychic out, leaving only me, my sister, and any other psychics… If they exist, that is…" She lightly brushed her fingers over Naoko's face. "I really hate to wipe out nice people like you, and the people at Hinata House… But I can't risk any future generations of 'good' people going bad and further poisoning this beautiful earth…" Her hand began to glow red. "Please forgive me, but… I have a message for my sister…"

"No… no… Please, no…" Naoko whimpered. "Nnnoooo!!"

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A few hours later, at the mansion…

Junko sat on the couch, looking at her watch. "Where is she? Naoko should have been home hours ago!"

Sakura shrugged. "She's probably running a little late… Maybe she got held up by something?"

Junko growled in annoyance. "It's freaking 6 P.M.!"

Sakura sweat dropped. "Yeah, you're right… Sorry, that was stupid…"

Ami suddenly felt a 'ping' in her brain. She flinched, grabbing her head. "Oh no… Not this feeling again…" She quickly ran out the door, the others following in curiousness and confusion. They ran all the way into town, following her into an alley. What they saw made them sick. Lying unconscious in the alleyway was a bruised Naoko. There was a small cut on her forehead and it looked like it had been recently bleeding. Ami glared at the name scrapped on the wall. Meiruuna.

Junko clenched her fist tightly. "Meiruuna, huh? That bitch is going to pay for what she did… Where is she, I'll tear her apart!!"

"Idiot." Ami muttered. "You'll be killed."

"What did you say?!" Junko screamed, running up to Ami and grabbing her by her shirt. "What the hell do you mean?!"

Ami was un-phased by Junko's roughness. "The damage that has been inflicted on Naoko was not done by hand at all… And that's only a small percentage of her power…"

"How do you know this?" Junko asked, calming down.

"Because… Meiruuna is my sister… She and I possess the same dark powers… I, however, have chosen to use mine to help others… She uses hers for her own gain…"

Shinichi picked up Naoko slowly, looking at her poor little beaten body. "It's hard to believe that the sister of someone as nice as you, Ami… Could do this to such a kind, gentle girl…"

Junko gasped as Sakura put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Junko…" She began, gritting her teeth. "I swear, Naoko will be avenged!" She sweat dropped. "All right, that was cheesy…"

Ami sighed. "I wonder what she's up to now, though… I thought that she was done with all of this…"

"Ami-dono?" a voice asked.

Ami turned around excitedly. "Ten-- huh?" Instead of her pet rabbit, Ami was face to face with a girl. She had white hair in pigtails, freckles, and blue eyes. She was wearing a dark blue dress. "Um… who are you?"

To Be Continued…

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La la la…

---Kouji Tamino