All righty, I'm back. Boy I got spoiled this holiday season. But I'm no where near finished with that timeline… It's gonna take a while. I'm attempting to bring together all 'Akamatsu series' into one continuity, which means that I have to implement events from his three manga series and Mao-chan, past, present, and future as well as my two fanfic series. But bringing all these things together makes for one crazy universe, doesn't it? Anyway, in honor of the two pets I got for Christmas, I shall introduce some new characters to this series!
---Kouji Tamino
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Love Hina Next: Second Phase
Chapter 42: Resolutions for the Fresh Year?
December 31st, 2031
Junko was sitting on a chair in the dining room, reading the newspaper. She sighed, looking at her watch. 11:30 A.M. She raised an eyebrow as Ami and Megumi walked by, giggling. They seemed to be carrying something. "Am I seeing things? Psychic Girl and the Half Breed are getting along?" As they left, she shrugged, going back to her newspaper. A few seconds later, Shinichi burst into the room, Sakura quickly following. Junko sighed again as she looked up, then looked back to her newspaper.
"Sakura, please stop!!" Shinichi shouted. "I don't want to play 'Strip Poker' with you, so stop asking!!"
"Pleaaaase?!" Sakura whined, holding up the cards. "It will be so much fun, promise!!" She growled, picking up a chair. "Stop running from me, damn it!!" She screamed, tossing the chair at his head.
Shinichi fell over as the chair smashed over his head and fell face first between Junko's breasts. He raised an eyebrow, completely oblivious to this fact. 'Wow, I sure was lucky to land between these two… What are these, pillows?' He reached for them and gave them both a nice squeeze. Then another. "Wow, these feel nice… What kind of pillows are…" he got up and found himself face to face with a pissed off Junko. He blinked rapidly a few times. "…these?" He still had a good grip on her breasts, much to the girl's annoyance.
Junko began to breath heavily, trying to restrain herself. "...Shinichi…" She said calmly. "I'm giving you till the count of three to let go of my boobs, and get the hell out of here before I'm forced to render you sterile…"
Shinichi's eyes widened as he realized that he was still squeezing her tits. "Oh my god!! Ms. Junko, I'm so sorry!!" He quickly let go and ran out of the dining room.
Sakura sighed as she watched Shinichi walk out, then turned to Junko. "Heh, sorry… That was as much my fault as it was his… Maybe even more…"
Junko rolled her eyes, staring at her newspaper, which was now torn in half from Shinichi's fall. "Great…"
Sakura chuckled. "Oh, sorry about that, too… Um…" She reached into he pocket and took out 10 yen. She tossed towards Junko, who caught it. "Here… I know it's not much, but it's all I have…"
Junko nodded towards Sakura as she left. "Thanks… I think…"
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Meanwhile, Ami and Megumi were working together to decorate the mansion for New Years. Ami smiled. "Shinichi-kun is going to be so surprised when he sees this place!"
Megumi nodded, a huge grin on her face. "Ami, where in the world did you get all these party favors and decorations?"
Ami smirked. "From Rikina, of course. She made one of each and put them through a machine that makes perfect physical copies of things… Erm, she'd better be careful with that thing, now that I think about it…"
Megumi sweat dropped. "Yeah, some nut job might try and steal it to make counterfeit money…"
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Ami tilted her head. "Who could that be?" She walked over and opened it. She smiled brightly. "Ms. Otohime! What are you doing here?"
Mutsumi giggled. "Fu fu fu… I came over to give you a late Christmas present…" She held up a bag. "Everything should be in here…" As Ami took it, she waved goodbye before turning to leave. "I'd love to stay longer, but I have some errands to run… Bye!" She turned around and winked. "But be very careful with this gift…"
Ami raised an eyebrow. "Um… Okay…" At the top of the bag was a box that you would usually put fast food in. Ami slowly opened it and gasped. "Oh, how cute!!!" She squealed. Inside were two hermit crabs, one with a pink shell with white hearts on it, the other with an inverted version of the other's shell. "Everyone, come look! We have crabs!!"
"Ewww…" Megumi groaned.
"Not those kind, you bimbo!!" Junko screamed, after walking in and looking in the box. She smirked. "Hey, they are kind of cute…"
Naoko walked in from the kitchen and walked towards the others. "What's going on, every--" She gasped and squealed, putting her hands to her cheeks. "Awww, so cuuute!!"
Shinichi wandered in. "Is Sakura here?" He sighed in relief. "She's not… Whew…" He walked over to the little group that had formed. "Hey, are those hermit crabs?" He leaned in to get a closer look. The crab with the white shell growled, somehow jumping up and pinching Shinichi on the nose. "Ack?!" He began to run around. "Get it off, get it off!"
"Shin-sama!" Naoko cried. "Please don't hurt the little crab!"
"I think that the crab is perfectly capable of taking care of itself!!" Shinichi shouted, trying to get the crab off of his nose without hurting it. "Geez, this thing is strong!!"
Suddenly, the crab let go and started plummeting toward the ground. Junko's eyes narrowed as she leaped toward the ground, slid across the floor, and caught the crab in her hands. Everyone sighed in relief. "Nice catch, Junko!" Kairi shouted, peeking through the wall. "I saw the whole thing!"
"Kyahh!!" Naoko screamed, jumping a bit. She grabbed her chest and starting panting. "Wow, Kairi-nesan… You have to stop doing that!"
Kairi giggled. "Sorry!"
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1:30 P.M
Shinichi was walking to his room, sighing. "You know, I should really apologize to Ms. Junko… I should have realized that I was grabbing her… Ahem… Anyway…" He knocked on the door and waited for an answer. Nothing. "Maybe she's not in there, or asleep?…" He opened the door and peeked in. "Ms. Junko, are you slee--" Shinichi's eyes widened as he grabbed his nose.
Junko, who was taking off her shirt and was now in nothing but a bra and panties, turned around. She gasped. "Shinichi…" Her look of shock turned into a look of anger. "You pervert!!" She ran over to him and punched him right out of the room, making him roll into the room next door.
A topless Ami screamed and covered herself up as Shinichi rolled into her room. "Kyaaah!! Shinichi-kun, get out!" With a quick wave of her hand, she sent Shinichi rolling back into the hallway.
Shinichi rubbed his head. "Oh boy… That could have gone better… Now I've got to apologize to Ami and twice to Ms. Junko…" He sighed deeply. "Oh well, I think I'll just take a bath…"
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Shinichi smiled as he eased into the bath. "Finally, I get the bath to myself for once…" He groaned as he heard a woman's voice. "Then again, maybe not…"
"Now is that anyway to act towards someone who's been your friend for so long?" Megumi teased, pouting her lip.
Shinichi chuckled. "Oh, Megumi… I thought it was someone else…"
"Oh, like who?" she asked.
"Well let's see…" Shinichi began, sweat dropping. "If it had been Ms. Junko, she would have beat me to a pulp… If it had been Ms. Ami, she may or may not have panicked and fried me… If it was Sakura, she would have once again attempted to molest me, and if it had been Ms. Naoko, she would have been traumatized…"
Megumi raised an eyebrow. "What about Kairi?"
Shinichi chuckled. "Don't be silly, Megumi… Ms. Kairi is a ghost right now… She doesn't need baths…" Shinichi awkwardly splashed around in the water. "Anyway, you can have the bath to yourself, if you like… I was just leaving…" he muttered, lying.
Megumi shook her head. smiling. "Actually… I was just wondering if you wanted me to help you wash your back…"
Shinichi blushed, shaking his head. "No, that's all right…"
Her smile quickly changed into a frown. "Oh… I see…" she quickly turned around. "All right, then…"
Shinichi groaned, smacking his forehead. "Okay, okay… You can… wash my back…"
Megumi smiled widely. "Yay!" she waited for Shinichi to sit at the right spot and took a seat behind him, getting on her knees. She then began to scrub. 'Wow, Shinichi has a nice back… Heh, must be from that training he's been doing with Urashima-san…' "Were you sad?"
"Huh?" Shinichi asked, looking back.
"When I left…" Megumi said simply.
Shinichi nodded. "Yes, a lot… You were my first and only friend up until recently… I thought that all was lost…"
"That's so sweet…" Megumi said softly. She stared into his eyes, getting a good look at them since his glasses were gone. She gave a big goofy smile. "Shinichi, you are so cute!" She grabbed him in a hug and kissed him on the lips, sending them both falling into the water.
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Shinichi sighed, plopping on the couch. "Well that was… awkward…" He looked around and raised an eyebrow. "Hey, where did all these decorations come from?"
"Me and Megumi-san did it!!" Ami shouted, popping up behind him. "What do you think?"
"Gyah!" Shinichi screamed as he jumped from his seat. He grabbed his chest as he looked back. "Oh, Ms. Ami… Please don't sneak up on me like that…" He took a better look at his surroundings and smiled. "…and the decorations are lovely…"
Ami giggled. "Sorry… and thanks! We worked really hard! Megumi-san was sweating so much that she went to take a bath!"
Shinichi sweat dropped. "Yeah, I know…"
Naoko popped her head out of the kitchen, the crabs hanging out on her head. "The snacks for the New Years Party are almost ready!" She giggled. "Isn't that right, Tet-chan and Ken-kun?"
"You named them already?" Ami asked, walking over. "Cute!"
"Grrr…" the white shelled crab snapped at Ami, startling her a bit.
"Wow! Aggressive one…" she chuckled, pointing at it from a distance. "I guess that's Ken-chan?" Naoko nodded. Ami smiled at the crab with a pink shell. "That must be Tet-chan, then!" The crab whimpered, hiding in it's shell. "Wow, complete opposites…"
Naoko gasped. "Oh no, I forgot the cake! I ordered a cake and I was supposed to pick it up!"
Shinichi grabbed his coat, hat, and gloves from a closet. "Don't worry about it! I'll go pick it up!"
"But Shinichi-kun, there's supposed to be a blizzard soon! Don't you think that it's too dangerous?"
Shinichi winked, putting on his boots and walking out the door. "Relax, I'll drive one of my dad's 56 different cars! It shouldn't take me too long…" He shut the door and headed off.
"Shinichi-kun…" Ami said softly. "Be careful…"
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Shinichi was on his way home, driving through the coming blizzard. "Darn it, I didn't know that the line was going to be so long! I hope I can make it home before this storm gets any worse…" Just then, as if on cue, the wind picked up and the snowfall became unbelievably thick. "Well, crap…" He shook his head. "No, I won't let the weather get to me! I have to get home with this cake!" Shinichi squinted and stared out the front window. He saw a sign that he couldn't read. He shrugged, hoping that it was nothing important. The sign said 'Ice - Slow Down'.
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10:41 P.M.
"Where's Shinichi?" Megumi asked, walking into the Ball Room with a bottle of champagne. "He's been gone for hours…" She set the bottle on a table and frowned.
Ami bit her lip. "He was supposed to be picking up the cake… I told him not to go, but… He wouldn't listen… I really hope he's all right…"
There was the sound of a plate falling to the floor and shattering coming from the kitchen. Ami and Megumi ran in to find Naoko, sweeping up the pieces and crying. "Naoko-chan…" Ami began. "Are you all right?"
"… It's my fault, isn't it?" Naoko asked, tears running down her face. "I… I'm the one who forgot the damn cake!!" She yelled, dropping the broom and dustpan and running past the others.
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Sakura, who was walking down the stairs, raised an eyebrow as Naoko pushed past her and ran up stairs. "Weird… Naoko's never been rude like that…" She walked her way into the Ball Room, looking around. "Um… Hey, guys? When are we gonna get this party started?"
"Shinichi-kun is still not back…" Ami said softly. "This blizzard has gotten really bad, and we all fear the worst…"
"Hey, what's up with Naoko?" Junko asked, walking in. "I heard her scream earlier, and now she's locked up in her room, crying…"
Megumi looked to Junko. "Shinichi… he may be lost in the blizzard…"
Junko's eyes widened. "Shinichi's in trouble?" She grabbed her chest, and began to breath heavily. 'What's this pain in my chest? Why… Why do I feel like this? It can't be because I lo--'
"What's wrong, Junko?" Ami asked.
Junko snapped out of it. "Oh, nothing! Nothing at all! I'm um, sure that Shinichi is fine! He probably got stuck in traffic or something!"
"Well I'm going to find him!" Sakura growled. "If the same happened to one of us, I bet that he would go to look for us!"
"And Shinichi made me feel like I was worth something again…" Kairi added, coming through the wall. "I won't let him die…"
Megumi and Ami stood up. "You're right! Let's go!" Megumi looked to Junko. "Junko, I know you don't like Shinichi that much, but would you come as well? You don't have to, but…"
'Shinichi… I'm coming to save you…' Junko smirked. "Okay, I'll go…"
"I'm going, too…" Naoko said softly, standing in the doorway and looking down. "I'm sorry for the way I acted earlier…"
"Well what are we waiting for?!" Sakura screamed. "Let's go save my Shinichi!" She raised an eyebrow as everyone glared at her. "…What?"
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Elsewhere, Shinichi was walking through the blizzard with some difficulty, carrying the box of cake. "Geez, father is going to kill me when he finds out what I did to the car!" He shivered. "It's so cold… It's getting harder to go on… Damn it… I don't think I'm going to make it…" He collapsed, dropping the box. "I've landed right in front of Tokyo University… My brother wanted to go there so much… He would always tell me about it… To think I might freeze to death here…" He sighed. "One of my New Year's wishes was to become a stronger person, but…" A tear ran down his face. "I'm… I'm so sorry, everyone… Looks like I screwed up in the end…"
"Shinichi-kun!!" Ami screamed, running towards him. "Everyone, he's here! I just knew it!"
Soon, the whole group was running towards him. Well, Kairi was floating. Shinichi smiled as he began to lose consciousness. "You all came for me… Thank you, everyone…" With that, he blacked out.
"Oh my god!!" Junko screamed, running ahead and leaning down to take his pulse. "Oh good, he's still alive! Just hold on, Shinichi!!" She picked him up and cried in joy. "Thank the stars you're still alive… Just keep strong… I've already lost two people important to me, I don't want to--" She sweat dropped as she realized that the others could hear her. "…Crap."
"Wow Junko, I didn't think you cared so much…" Sakura said with a grin.
"Just shut up!!" Junko screamed. Everyone else began to laugh. Junko growled under her breath. "Damn it all…"
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11:59 P.M.
"10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2...1... Happy New Year!" Everyone except Shinichi screamed, blowing noise makers and tossing confetti everywhere! Ami looked over to Shinichi, who was sitting on the couch with a blanket over him and his feet in a bucket of hot water. She walked over to him while Megumi sprayed everyone else with champagne. "So, how ya doing?"
"A bit better, I guess…" The young man said quietly, looking at the floor. He couldn't bring himself to look at anyone after what had happened. "God, I'm such an idiot…"
"No you're not!" Ami said angrily. "Don't beat yourself up like that! While what you did was kind of… in bad judgment, it was really noble of you…"
Shinichi bit his lip, looking at her with sad eyes. "Ms. Ami, what happened to me was possibly one of the scariest moments of my life… I seriously thought I was going to freeze to death…"
Ami gave him a hug, patting his back. "There there, it's all right… Shinichi-kun… You're a very strong person, although you may not think so… You have your own type of strength… You're a survivor, remember that… You may feel like a failure today, but you can always try again tomorrow as long as you stay strong and don't give up!" She sighed, giving a smile. "But today, rest…"
Shinichi smiled back. "Thanks, Ms. Ami…"
"Megumi!!" Junko screamed. "You're gonna pay for spraying me like that!!"
Shinichi sweat dropped. "Or at least I'll try to rest in this house…"
End of Chapter 42.
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I actually meant to get this chapter up New Year's Eve/Day, but things got in the way. Anyway, another chapter should be up later this week. I've managed to get my grades up a bit.
---Kouji Tamino
