Chapter 2: Return

This story is NOT a sequel to any of my current stories. Though it does borrow a few elements from my existing stories such as Market Avenue from Love Hina Alternative and a few daily events from Love Hina Children of the Exodus, it has completely nothing to do with those other stories, except the author and characters (including OCs) are the same.

Also, I seriously can't decide who the main female character is going to be. Any suggestions? It can be anyone from the Love Hina or Negima universe. Please tell.

Now, to reply to reviews!

Keitaro Dreamer: Thanks for the positive review. I always thought it's 'Keitarou'. My scanlation version of the Love Hina manga spells it that way, and I've been stuck with it, I guess. Sorry. But it's still read the same way, so what the heck, right? Thanks again for the review.

Slimjim27: Thanks for the positive review! It's a relief someone thinks it's ok. I wasn't too sure about it myself. Thanks a lot.

Bobboky: Thanks for the positive review. Hopefully this second chapter would give you a better idea of where exactly the story's heading. I remember you reviewed one of my earlier stories, was it Love Hina Children of the Exodus or Final Hina Fantasy?

Baretta Pakin Mailman: Thanks for the positive review. Irealize I do make quite a few grammar mistakes sometimes. I guess I should start getting my stories proof-read. Thanks again for the review.


Market Avenue…a desolate bare stretch of road with a few small stores on either side…some closed and boarded up…some waiting for opening hours. Takato walked through the slowly falling snow….straight towards the end of the road, the Hinata Sou. On one side he saw one old building…apparently the first story used to be some old western restaurant, while the second story used to be some old detective agency, now closed down for good. There was a lonely theatre on another side, now seeming gaunt and dead, draped by cold, cold snow.

There was always snow on the ground. The landscape was always white with bare patches of grey where the snow had gotten swept away, revealing a patch of concrete or dead earth. It snows a few times a week, even in July. The meteor showers had left the earth a cold, dead planet. The biodome that spread over the sky above Takato was all that stood between the last places of human habitation and complete permafrost. It kept the temperature within the biodome at around 0-3 degrees centigrade all throughout the year, though it could rise to as warm as 5 or 6 around summer. Outside, the frosty winds blew over desolate chilly wastelands where temperatures would rise to -20 degrees centigrade in mid-summers and could drop to -40 in winters.

He finally reached the snow covered hill. It seemed like a misshapen cake with many dead eerily slanting sakura trees as decorations. The steps were badly damaged and misshapen…no one had bothered to repair them after the meteor strike and the war. Far to his right, the Sora Hoshu crater gaped wide open…a shallow bowl-like depression extending 2km to the south. The explosion had taken part of Hinata hill with it, blasting the rest into a slurring slide down the other side. It was amazing that remains of the old building still stood, ruined as it was.

He started to ascend the old, tumbled down steps. As he stepped on the first step, everything flashed…

"Hey…can you teach me?" The hill suddenly burst alive, everything was green…leaves and a few blossoms hung on the sakura trees…the steps were suddenly whole. But everything was blurry…somebody fix the receiver!

A girl stood on the steps above, looking back downwards. "Haven't you given up yet? Why do you want to go to Tokyo-U anyway? What's your purpose?" She asked, with a frown.

"Well, why do you want to go there?" A warm wind blew across the hill.

"Me?" The girl asked, suddenly lighting up. "I…" She let her hair down, which was previously tied up in pleats. "It's a secret!" She laughed, holding her tongue out. (FLASH)

The hills were dead again. The snow was back. The bitter winds bit back with a vengeance. "Huh?" Takato took his foot of the step in shock. "Something…tells me…I'd better turn back…right NOW!" he was about to turn back when suddenly, something caught his eye. It was a little girl, in a violet dress, standing some distance up the stairs. She stared down at him, before running back up the stairs.

"Right…lonely…restless spirit…ruined building…dead looking hill…mysterious ghostly hand writing on ominous white cards…and freaky visions every few minutes…why…why aren't I turning back?" Takato asked himself, as he again set foot on the steps. He held his breath as he set foot on the first step, but breathed a sigh of relief as nothing happened. "Okay…I'm going to have to see this through…" He steeled his will and ploughed on up the hill.

He paused for a moment as he reached the top of the arduous flight of stairs and looked around him, partly in awe, partly in shock. There, before him, stood the old, ruined inn. It's dark, dead windows looked down at him with a knowing deepness, as of something that was once sagely and full of wisdom and has now gone old and rotten. The old stone open area in front of the inn was cracked and damaged. Many jagged rocks had buried itself deep into the concrete.

Takato made his way through the open area towards the inn's entrance…but as he got midway, another flash obscured his vision.

"So…that's what happened. And now I'm the manager of this place. My name's Keitarou Urashima, nice to meet you all." The hill burst into bloom again. The inn was again proud and majestic, as it once was, beaming down at the collection of people below it.

"We won't allow it!" part of the group shouted, and leapt in assault. (FLASH)

"Okay…yet another one…I'm starting to understand this Keitarou guy…or at least I think it's him…" Takato muttered, trying to regain his balance. "Well, I've come this far…can't turn back now…" He went forwards towards the inn's entrance. The doors had been broken and thrown aside by some Herculean force. He entered the remains of the living room and whispered "excuse me?" suddenly the room swirled and another flash ensued.

"Okay, then welcome to the Hinata Inn!" A group of girls shouted. Everything was suddenly cozy and homely, Hinata Sou in its prime. (FLASH)

"Okay…first of all…Rayce, that thing doesn't move that way." This seemed to be another time. There was…water falling outside? So that's what they call 'rain'…he's never actually seen anything like it before. The living room was alight in the midst of the thundering gloom of the rain. There was a chessboard on the table, with two boys sitting opposite one another.

"What thing?" The boy named Rayce asked, innocently.

"The knight, it doesn't move that way." The other boy said, pointing at a piece.

"Second of all…the queen was on the other side of the board…how can you take out the queen with your knight, when both pieces haven't even moved." A voice said. Takato noticed that it was coming from the direction of the vision…so it was from him? Or whoever's memory it was…

"Hey, the rule book says knights can jump over pieces!" Rayce protested.

"It can…as long as it's moving in the specified L manner." The other boy explained, exasperated. Takato's vision went dark as the owner of the memory put a hand to his face and shook his head slowly. (FLASH)

The ruined living room appeared again before his eyes. The floorboards were all crumbling and rotting, some were missing. The furniture were all smashed, lined up against the north wall…probably the effects of the explosion. All he hoped was that he won't find any human remains. He ventured forth into the ruined inn. There were remains of an old wooden staircase, now collapsed and useless. Well, it wasn't as if there was a second floor to go to anyway. Most of the second floor had collapsed, presumably during the meteor strike. It was a wonder anything was left at all.

"This…was probably the kitchen…" Amongst the pile of rubble on one side stood an old kitchen sink, all cracked and smashed. There was the forlorn form of an old refrigerator, buried amongst the rubble. There was even an old kitchen knife by the sink and a few cracked dishes. "Amazing…it's been left like this for a whole century…" Takato whispered in awe. FLASH…

"That smells good…" Gentle aromas of sweet traditional home cooking wafted through the room. There was a gentle sizzling of something on the range. The refrigerator was open, someone was crouching in front of it, seemingly looking for something. There was a girl by the sink, skillfully chopping vegetables. A boy was standing beside her, by the range, tending the frying pan.

"Keitarou-sempai!" The girl dropped her knife and blushed, noticing the new presence.

The kid by the refrigerator, whirled around, "You know…we're kinda out of beer, eh? Oh, Keitarou. Whassup? The smell brought you down?"

"Aren't you a little too young to be drinking beer, Rayce?"

"Hey, Keitarou-sempai, can you tend this for a moment? I gotta go get the plates and stuff out." He smiled, winking and gesturing over at the girl who luckily didn't notice.

"Oh, right…gotcha Lee." (FLASH)

The debris returned…everything was again dead and dreary. Takato turned around and headed out into the rear courtyard. He felt that whatever he was looking for, he would only find it by venturing further. Now a fuzzy sound of laughter and shouts filled his head. There was a sound of distant footfalls on the wooden terraces. There was a sound of birds singing, trees sighing. Takato walked down onto the now desolate courtyard. There, amidst a few tumbledown debris, stood the little girl.

"I've been waiting for you…" The girl said, standing up.

"Who…are you?" Takato asked, venturing forwards. The little girl was still dressed in her violet dress. It was certainly not suited for the weather.

"You…don't remember…do you? But promises never die…you finally came." The little girl turned around and looked up at the pile of debris behind her.

"I…don't know why I came…can…you please…explain?" Takato ventured, sensing that this girl would probably leave out any other details, such as her identity. "And you might want to wear my jacket…it's rather cold."

"The dead don't feel cold…" The girl smiled. "All will be made clear…in time. You shall discover everything for yourself." The girl ran away into the gathering mist.


Author's note: For those of you who are interested in the ShinobuxKeitaro version, please cut off here and go straight to chapter 3 ShinobuxKeitaro version. Thank you.


"H…Hey!" Takato was about to run after her when something behind him exploded. He immediately fell forwards flat on the floor from the shock as something whirled through the air above him, slicing through the debris in front of him, before taking flight into the mist above. "What?" He looked around. Two dark shadows appeared amidst the dust and mist, their shapes growing more and more distinct. Takato scrambled onto his feet, ready to run.

Two figures materialized from the mist. One was a black haired boy, all dressed in black, probably around Takato's age. Beside him was a tall woman with very narrow eyes and a vacant expression, also in black. Her clothes were more or less a modernized version of the traditional ninja costume, with a tight jet black vest buttoned down the front with a grey long sleeved shirt underneath and a pair of black trousers. She raised one arm and neatly caught a rapidly spinning object that flew towards her. It was a gigantic kageshuriken.

"Toji?" Takato asked, seeing that the boy was a classmate of his.

"Finish him, Kaede, and bring the cards to me." The boy said calmly. The woman beside him flashed and disappeared, re-appearing only a split-second later in front of Takato, a kunai (Japanese ninja dagger) raised in one hand.

"Wha…!" Takato cried, raising a hand to his face out of reflex. This was it…he was certainly going to die. "Hikari…Himari…"

The wooden box in his hands suddenly shone bright. A flash of light ensued. The woman was suddenly knocked backwards, sliding a few meters back, leaving a deep trail in the snow. The bright flash of light subsided. A few sakura petals swirled around Takato as he opened his eyes. A card was spinning before him, shining bright. Beyond the blinding glare, in the middle of the swirling sakura petals, stood a girl, her back towards him, looking straight up, both arms extended sideways, as if taking in a deep, refreshing breath. Her hair shone in the pale light, flying with the gentle yet sharp gust of wind.

"It can't be…" The boy named Toji shielded his eyes from the glare.

"It's…" Kaede whispered.

"…I've been waiting for you…"


To be continued…

I'm cutting the chapter short right there as here's where I'm going to have to decide who the main female character will be. Any ideas? Please tell.