Time for another chapter! The final major conflict starts here! How will our hero Shinichi get out of this mess? Well duh. Read the dumb thing. P

Kouji Tamino


Love Hina Next: Second Phase

Chapter 60: Sacrifices and Awakenings (The Beginning of the End. Part 3)

The 'Rescue and Attack' group had made it's way up into the fortress, making their way through the long hallways. Surprisingly, there were no traps or signs of resistance. Perhaps Arcia had something else up his sleeve…

Shinichi ran furiously down the halls, not giving any of the others time to catch up. "H-hey!" Motoko shouted. "Wait for us!"

"It's no use, mom… The boy is in love…" Kimomo sighed sadly. "Jin… if only our relationship had worked out…"

The older samurai woman patted her daughter on the head. "There, there… You'll find someone else someday…" She glared at Jin.

Jin bit his lip, feeling a little bad. He had broken off their relationship right before he left to become an assassin. After he had returned, Kimomo had tried to rekindle things between them, but Jin was… different. Much colder, serious. He would often ignore her without realizing it. Soon, the relationship was permanently over.

Just then, there was a rumble. "Shhh…" Keitaro said softly. "I hear something…" His eyes widened. "Everyone, get down!" He screamed, ducking to the floor. Everyone quickly followed suit. They gasped as spears flew in from above them, right where they had been standing.

"Geez, dad…" Yamato began, brushing some dust off of his clothes. "How did you know about those?"

He chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "Heh, I guess years of exploring booby trapped temples and caves has made me more alert to things like this…"

"Good old Urashima-sempai…" Shin said, patting him on the back.

Motoko sighed. "We can't afford to make another mistake like that… We just barely made it out unscathed…"

Kimomo giggled, pointing at her ripped gi. "Yeah!" The back had been torn and the front of it was sliding down her front, exposing her barely covered chest.

"Dear, why aren't you wearing any support?" the older samurai woman asked her daughter. "At least wear a bra or something…"

"No way, mother!" Kimomo shouted. "I'm a grown woman now, and I have the right to do whatever I want! And what I want is freedom from restraints such as bras!"

"Oh good grief…" Motoko muttered, smacking her forehead.


Rikina, carrying a rocket launcher, dodged another green laser beam from the defense system of the P-Jammer canceller. "Geez, we can barely get a hit on that thing!"

"Just keep firing! Eek!" a heat seeking missile launcher carrying Kaolla screamed, falling to the ground and rolling out of the way of a few darts. "It has to run out of juice eventually!"

"Damn it!" Kenji cursed. "The others are fighting for their lives, and all we can do is watch!"

"Well what can we do?" Saki asked, pitifully. "We have no skills that can help…" She raised an eyebrow. "Well actually, my speed could be of some use, but it's too late to help the others up there, now!"

Kenji growled, running up to the Su sisters' unused 'weapons-of-mass destruction'. "I'm sick a and tired of this! I have to help somehow!" Picking up a strange object that looked like a sword-less hilt, he pushed a button. "Whoa, I wonder what this thing does…"

"N-no!" Rikina screamed. "That's still in the test--"

A huge blade of light came from the hilt, going high into the sky and puncturing the machine up above. It seemingly stopped functioning… but with a flicker, one last laser shot from the defense mechanism. It began to descend towards Naoko. Kenji's eyes widened and everything seemed to slow down. He started to run towards her. 'Wait, why am I doing this? She's… she's just some stupid girl who happens to go to the same school as me… It's not my fault that she is standing so close to the damn laser! Wait, this is my fault! And.. I do care! Naoko, I love you!' He jumped over to her, pushed her out of the way, and took the laser to the arm.

Naoko stared in horror as Kenji fell to the ground in a bloody mess. She held her head and began to hyperventilate. Her breathing became heavier and faster until she finally gave a blood curdling scream. "KENJI!" She ran over to him and cried over his body. "Please don't leave me! Please don't die! I… I love you, Kenji!"

Kenji slowly opened his eyes and smiled. "Hey, I'm okay… It only nicked my arm. Still hurts like a mother, though… And it's bleeding pretty badly… But all in all, I'm okay…" He paused for a bit, then continued. "I love you, too…"

"You do?" Naoko laughed as she hugged him. "Oh Kenji, that's so wonderful!"

"Ack! Ack! Hey, wait!" he shouted. "You forget, my arm is killing me! Look, you're getting blood everywhere! Hey, wait!"

Kaolla chuckled, shaking her head. "Kenji, you're a crazy kid… But you saved our asses… Naoko, there's a bag next to my weapons with first aid! Help the poor kid out before he bleeds to death!" She looked up at the P-Jammer Canceller. "Now all we have to do is take that thing out! Let's reload, sis!"


"Okay, he should be right behind this door…" Shinichi said coldly. They were right in front of a black stone door. "Get ready everyone! And let's hope that the others can disable that machine soon!" He pushed against the door, grunting loudly and straining, but it was too heavy. "Could I get some help, here?"

The others assisted him in pushing the door open, and soon they found themselves face to face with Arcia and Ami. Junko was over to the side, still stuck inside a bubble. Arcia yawned. "My, my… I was wondering when you would all get here…"

"Let our friends go, you bastard!" Jin shouted, raising his fist.

Ami and Arcia snorted, then burst out laughing. "What do you think you'll be able to do?" Ami asked. "You can't touch us…"

"And if you're still hoping that your friends will be able to disable the P-Jammer Canceller…" the man added. "They won't… It's defenses are next to impenetrable… Even if they manage to disable it's defense, they will die trying…"

"I have more confidence in them than that…" Shinichi began, glaring at him. "You see, we are no ordinary group of people! You can try and kill us, but we'll just bounce back! Sometimes, we're stronger than ever!"

"And besides…" Meiruuna stepped up beside him. "They are not alone…"

"Ah, Meiruuna…" Arcia chuckled, crossing his arms. "And why have you joined the 'normies'? I thought that you too wanted revenge for our people…"

"Well I did, and can still never forgive the people responsible for it…" Meiruuna sighed, looking him straight in the eyes. "But won't pulling this thing off make you no better than them?"

"I don't care!" he screamed, his aura flaring. "I want everyone involved in that and anyone related to them to suffer!" He waved a hand toward Junko's bubble and shocked her. She screamed out in pain as he laughed. "Yes, scream! And scream again!"

"JUNKO!" Shinichi screamed at the top of his lungs. He took out his sword and ran towards Arcia. "Asshole! I'll kill you!" He gasped as Ami jumped forward, making a shield that smacked him backwards. He gasped as Ami sent a barrage of blasts at him, but Meiruuna blocked them.

"Let me handle her for now…" Meiruuna suggested. "I may not be as strong as her, but I can still hold her off at least…"

"Well then, I guess it's just you and me…" Shinichi said to Arcia, staring him down.

"We've got your back, man…" Yamato assured, hands in his pockets. "Just hang in there…"

Arcia laughed loudly, holding his sides. "Wow, you people are entertaining…" He clenched his hand, a green energy sword appearing. "How about I humor you for a bit and go for a little one-on-one? Of course…" he began, smirking evilly. "I will have to kill you once I get bored of you…" He yelled as he charged his opponent, swinging the 'blade'.

Shinichi dodged and swung back. "Fine! But I don't plan on dying anytime soon!" His swing was parried by Arcia, who then backed up and swung horizontally. Shinichi leaned back as far as he could, a hair getting sliced and his head getting nicked slightly. He screamed in anger, swinging wildly. He gasped as Arcia easily dodged every swing, then smacked him in the face with the side of the blade. "Damn it, you're just playing with me!"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" the psychic shouted, in a mocking tone. "Do you want me to get serious? Fine!" He lunged toward the youngest Suichi, swiping at his stomach. Shinichi blocked, but the energy blade cut right through the sword, his shirt, and sliced his abdomen a bit. He flew back and screamed out, putting a hand to his stomach. His shirt began to slowly turn red.

"SHINICHI!" Junko screamed out, banging against the bubble. "No, please leave him alone! Don't hurt my Shinichi!" With all of her might, she smashed down her bubble with a single punch. She fell to the ground and stood up. She began to run towards her love. "Shinichi, I'm coming for you! Just hold on!"

"Annoying little, ugh!" Arcia screamed, hitting her with a beam. She fell to the ground, paralyzed. "Interesting… She broke through the barrier… Could her love be that strong?"

Meanwhile, Ami and Meiruuna were exchanging blows. While Meiruuna wasn't as string as her sister anymore, she was certainly keeping her on her toes. Ami sent a rapid shot at Meiruuna, who caught the shots, compressed them, and held them all between her fingers in a matter of seconds. "Is that all ya got, sis? Here, let me give these back to you!" She tossed them back to her sister, making them all explode on contact.

A singed Ami growled, clapping her hands and making a big ball. She tossed it to her twin, then made them split up and hit her sister in succession. She laughed, her sister's face now matching her taste in clothes colors. "Come now, why must we fight? Join up with us! There would be no one to stop you this time!"

Meiruuna shook her head. "Look at you… You've gone and sunk lower than me… And for what? Love? I mean sure, there's nothing wrong with being loved…" She looked towards Arcia. "But that guy? Don't tell me you're that desperate…"

"Sh-shut the hell up!" Ami blasted the ground, making a wall of smoke. Meiruna looked around in confusion before getting jumped. Caught off guard, she was quickly tied up in a lasso that her sister had created. "Go ahead and make fun of me, now!" she screamed, swinging her sister around and slamming her against the walls. "Just shut up! Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! I loved Shinichi with all my heart, and then he goes and runs off with that tomboy! Is there something wrong with me or something!"

"No, there isn't…" Jin replied, walking towards her.

Ami stopped what she was doing, dropping Meiruuna to the ground. The aforementioned winced in pain, spitting out some blood. "Jin, stay back! She has gone completely nuts! There's no reasoning with her when she's like this!"

"Ami…" he said softly, walking closer.

"What the hell is he doing!" Motoko screamed, preparing to go snatch him up. "Get back!"

"Just wait a sec…" Yamato said, stopping her. "He's got one chance to do this right…"

"What do you want?" Ami asked.

"Ami, please hear me out…" Jin pleaded. "I don't know if you care or not, and I don't care if you don't return the same feelings but… Ami, I love you…"

Ami's eyes returned to normal for a moment before going back to pitch black. "You do?"

"Don't listen to him!" Arcia shouted, walking over to her as well. "Ami, it's a trick! I'm the one that truly loves you! Why, who accepted you after you were rejected? Not him!"

Jin smiled sadly. "Ami, you're beautiful… And smart… and nice…"

"You are my sky! My ocean! My, um, sun!" Arcia stuttered.

"…and you've got the nicest pair of knockers I've ever seen…" the swordsman/assassin added.

"WHAT!" everyone else except Ami shouted.

"M-Mr. Alucard!" she stuttered, blushing.

"I… can't imagine a world without your cute, smiling face…" he continued. "Your cheerfulness can brighten up an otherwise crappy day!"

Ami smiled, her black aura shattering. The darkness was gone. "Oh, Jin!" she yelled happily, hugging him tightly. "Thank you so much! I'm… still a bit confused with my feelings, though…"

Jin chuckled, hugging back. "It's all right… Take as much time as you want…"

"You bastard!" Arcia screamed. "You completely ruined my plan! Now I'll have to kill you all!" He sent a high charged beam towards Jin. "You first!"

"Jin, no!" Ami screamed, jumping forward to counter attack. Unfortunately, it was too fast for her to keep up with. She was hit dead on, falling to the floor in a heap.

"AMI!" Jin screamed, staring at her unmoving body. "Oh god… Ami, please wake up…" Tears ran down his face as he grit his teeth. His sadness turned into anger. He glared coldly at Arcia. "You… damn you! How dare you do that to Ami, you bastard!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, rushing towards Arcia with his sword drawn. "Even if I die, I'll make you pay for what you've done!" He screamed as he was hit with a wave of energy from seemingly nowhere.

"Step, down, you idiot…" Meiruuna, the source of the wave, muttered. "Getting yourself killed will accomplish nothing…"

"But she was your sister!" he shouted, outraged. "I guess you don't about what happens to her!" He gasped as tears began to run down Meiruuna's face as well.

"Don't you dare…" she said, in a shaky voice, fist clenched tightly. "…say that I don't care… She was my sister, and I loved her with all my might… Everything I did was to protect her from those who might hurt her…" she looked to her sister's body uneasily. "And I failed…" she looked at Arcia with wide eyes. "Arcia! I will strike you down myself!" She gasped as Arcia quickly grabbed her by the throat. "Urk…"

"You'll do what! How dare you! All I am trying to do is get revenge for our slain fellow psychics, and you're trying to stop me! You were trying to do the same, but now you are on the side of the enemy! You make me sick…" he began to walk towards the balcony, still choking her as he dragged her along with him. He grinned, holding her over the railing. "Now die with the rest of them…"

"Let her go!" Yamato screamed. "That's it! One is too many! We're not gonna lose another friend! Attack!" Everyone else rushed the powerful psychic, weapons out and ready.

Arcia waved his hand once, sending them all backwards. He then blasted Meiruuna and let her go, sending her flying out away from the fortress and then down the ground. "And there goes another one…" He turned to the others, who all looked at him with hatred. "You know, it's kind of ironic… Today I have killed more of my own people than I have normal people…" He glanced over to Shinichi. "You look close to death…" He moved his hand toward Junko. "How about I let the last thing you see be the death of your girlfriend?"

"Don't you dare! I'll kill you!" he declared, standing up. "You already killed two of my very good friends… But I'll be damned if I let you kill Junko! No way!" Suddenly, there was a large rocking of the fortress. Everyone looked around, wondering what was going on. Shinichi used the distraction as an advantage, running towards Arcia with what was left of his sword. "Hyaaah!"

"Not today, pal!" Arcia screamed madly, redirecting the wave meant for Junko at Shinichi. He began to laugh as the wave headed toward Shinichi, but gasped as the young man seemingly… absorbed the wave. His eyes widened in horror. "No, it can't be… Not only is the machine broken, but…"

"Heh, that's right!" Shinichi announced. "After years of being wimpy and useless, my gift has finally awakened! And now, with my new found power…" he swung his arm and elbowed Arcia in the face. "…I will protect those dear to me!" He turned around and socked him in the stomach. "This is for Ami!" He then head butted the now powerless psychic. "This is for Meiruuna!" The newest Psychic-Jammer then gave his enemy a dropkick, tripping him. "This is for blowing up my house!" Now filled with rage, he dragged him towards the balcony. "And this… this is for me…" He picked Arcia up, ready to toss him off.

"Shinchi, no!" Junko screamed. "Don't do it!"

"And why not!" Shinchi shouted back. "Isn't this what you want? He killed our friends! He made us suffer! He's a danger to everyone!"

"Please don't…" she pleaded. "I… I'm tired of all the fighting and killing… I just want to go home! Just let him go… He's no longer a threat!" She smiled grimly. "You know… the old me would have just told you to toss him off and be over with it… But I don't want you to become like him, a killer…"

"She's right, you know… You'd be just as bad as him…" Meiruuna hovered back up, a bit burned but okay for the most part. "Just let him off with a warning…" she smirked, crossing her arms. "We can always kick his ass if he starts something…"

Just then there was a giggle that sounded strangely familiar. "Oh Meiruuna, you're too much…" Ami groaned, getting up. She smiled. "Looks like he wasn't all the powerful after all… huh, sis?"

Meiruuna chuckled. "Yeah… That only hurt slightly more than your hits…"

"…So I went all psycho for nothing?" Shinichi asked, dropping Arcia to the ground.

"Speak for yourself…" Jin growled. He smiled at the white haired girl. "I'm just glad that Ami is all right…"

Arcia coughed. "So, you won't kill me?" He slowly stood up, groaning. He crawled up on the balcony railing, facing them. The sun was begging to come out, and his formed created a silhouette. The entire top part of his face was covered. "I'll just have to do it myself…"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Keitaro asked calmly. "I know you must feel bad about what you've done, but killing yourself won't solve anything…"

"Heh, you know nothing, old man…" Arcia sighed. "Yes, I feel bad, but so what… Does that make it better? Besides, I still despise the Suichi family and anyone involved in that horrific slaughter. I went really off the edge last night… What's to stop me from doing something like this today? Every time I think about what happened over 20 years ago, I just… Oh forget it…" He leaned back, falling off the edge. "Farewell…"

"Arcia, no!" Shinichi screamed, reaching out to catch him. But it was too late. He could only watch helplessly as Arcia's form fell down to Earth. "Damn it…"

Junko put a hand on his shoulder. "You tried, Shinichi… Now let's blow this place… I'm sick of it…"

"I know…" Shinichi said in a sad tone. They hugged, Junko rubbing his back.

Everyone else watched them, exhausted and a bit low in spirits. Ami rested her head on Jin's shoulder as he ran a hand lovingly through her hair. They had all come out of this alive, but…


Down below, the others slept soundly. Naoko was lying on top of Kenji, who had his arm around her waist. Kaolla had Rikina in one of her infamous death grips, the other Su sister sleeping with a grimace on her face. The other girls were all sprawled across the ground, the Su sisters' weapons dangerously within their grasps. Looks like they helped out after all…

End of Chapter 60.


Finally. Got this chapter up. (Looks it over) Geez, this got darker than I originally planed. I really gotta stop doing that…

We conclude this storyline next chapter, and then head into the final mini-arc, which will bring quite a few surprises. Actually, the 'mini-arc' is more like an extended epilogue. Well anyway, until next time!