Disclaimer: None of the anime used in this story belong to the writer. This is a work of fiction done for fun, not money. Please do not sue. You won't get much anyway.
Prologue
"That boy, Grandfather…is that…?"
Tear Grants stood on the upper balcony, looking over the courtyard below. She was a little bit younger than we are used to seeing her, perhaps fourteen years old—and dressed in the familiar red jacket and white skirt of Mahora Academy's Girls' Middle School. Next to her was Konosuke Hammond, headmaster of Caelar University, and the subject of her inquiry was a red-haired boy, sitting next to a red-headed girl, studying books on the field below and arguing. The boy was dressed in rather simple fair, save for the large white cloak he wore about his shoulders—a white cloak that seemed a little too large for him, but that he wouldn't be parted with.
"Yes, that's right…Kain Lockeheart, the son of Kalan Lockeheart. He and his young friend Lina Inverse there are in their third year at the university. They are, if you are wondering, twelve years old…."
"Yes…of course, Kalan Lockeheart graduated at the age of ten, so it's not surprising for his son…but, if he's the son of Kalan Lockeheart, then he's also…."
The headmaster chuckled. "Yes, your brother told you many stories about it, didn't he? If it still existed, he would be heir to the kingdom of Kanev, which was the last remnant of the great Takiva Empire that ruled Arcanus Myrror five hundred years ago. Your aunt Mira raised him until the…tragedy that struck his village. She, too, retained her duty to the royal family. In the end, she would never be parted from her Majesty, no matter what befell her."
He glanced down at Tear's serious expression. "So, Tear…are you planning on continuing your family's duty, even if it means nothing to either world? Considering leaving Mahora Academy and your dear master and coming over here? You would have to take a series of difficult tests, but I believe that with my recommendation and assistance you could pass…."
"No." Tear shook her head. "There's no need for anything like that. I'll continue to train under Legretta and finish school there. My brother wanted me to complete my education properly…and both of our families are all but dead now. He…doesn't know anything about that anyway, does he?"
"Yes," Konosuke agreed reluctantly. "There's still too much trouble that would arise from that knowledge becoming public. Besides, he has enough of a complex just being the son of the Grand Archmage. To also be heir of the Queen of Kanev—and, worse, the 'Queen of Calamity'—would overburden him far too much."
Tear nodded and stared down at the field below. A bell sounded, and the two squabbling children started, gathered up their materials, and hurried away.
Without further comment, Tear headed for the stairs and walked down onto the field. She walked over to the tree that had served as a canopy for the two children, and picked up the book that they had left lying around. It was a treatise on the realm and orders of the Infernals, of what the Japanese would call 'mazoku'. As she stared at it, those two children burst back onto the scene and hurried over…and were brought up short by the scene of the older girl there, holding their lost item.
Tear handed it over. "Is this yours?"
The boy took it gratefully, thanked her, and then took off again. The girl, however, stayed behind and eyed Tear critically. "You don't look like a student from around here," she said. "Who are you?"
"Tear Grants, 3rd year, Mahora Middle School. I'm here visiting my grandfather…."
"Oh, right—the headmaster's granddaughter." The flame-haired little girl nodded thoughtfully, then put a hand to her chest. "Well, I'm Lina Inverse—beautiful and talented sorceress. I'm going to be famous one day, so you better remember that name. Then one day, you can tell how you gave a little help to the friend of the great sorceress!" And with that Lina turned and headed back after Kain.
Tear stared after her, then smiled slightly. "I'll remember that…."
8-8-8
"Why Tokyo?" the girl complained. "Why do we have to go to school away from Yokohama? We won't be able to train with our masters regularly there…."
"Perhaps that is part of the test," the other girl replied. "We'll have to rely on our own training to better ourselves. If our masters find that we've been slacking…."
The first girl sighed. "I don't even want to think about it!"
The name of the first speaker was Akari Heiro, and the girl next to her was Kiami Tsukimori. They were seated along with a boy, Hikaru Tsukino, underneath a tree at a local park not far from three (in)famous dojôs. As disciples of rival schools, they were not supposed to fraternize with each other, and so the various masters pretended not to know that their respective students were seeing any other students.
Hikaru sipped his tea. "Well, they have a lot of interest in this school in Tokyo. They are all familiar with it. They fought some incredible tournaments there in the past…some of them even attended it. Among other things, they have a club there that was made especially by them for the advanced martial artists and anyone that wants to see our higher level of skills…."
"Yes…but…." Akari fidgeted. "I'm just not comfortable…leaving Yokohama and everything I'm used to…what will things be like in Tokyo?"
"Boring in some ways," Hikaru continued. "We're going to be in all-girls and all-boys schools. That seems rather unfair, especially for me."
"Yes," Kiami agreed. "Poor Hikaru-kun won't get to ogle girls all day like he's used to…."
"Now, you know that isn't what I meant, Kiami-chan…."
8-8-8
The door was already open, but a hand reached over and wrapped it lightly with the back of the hand anyway. The girl inside the room looked up in surprise. Short orange-red hair and violet eyes looked up to girls with long black hair and brown eyes.
"Er, hello…" began the one whose hair was loose.
"You must be Tokiha Mai," added the other, shorter girl with a smile. "We're your roommates, it seems. I'm Hinamori Momo…."
"And I'm Higurashi Kagome," the other one continued. "We've…just arrived here at Mahora, from Kyoto."
"Kyoto…? But you don't sound like you're from…."
"That's a running joke. Just forget about it."
Momo skipped over. "So, it looks like we'll be together here and in class for a while. Let's get along, okay?"
"S-sure…."
8-8-8
Kajirô wandered aimlessly around the grounds. If only every day could be like this…sunny, pleasantly warm early spring weather, a late start to the day and few expectations…it would only get worse from here. Middle school would certainly be harder than primary school (what the Japanese called elementary) for many reasons….
"Kaji-kun…wait a moment, please…."
Kajirô knew that voice…probably better than any other, and he would always stop for it. He glanced around, however, trying to find its source, before turning his eyes upward.
"Ah," he said. "Good morning, Hinagiku-san. Imagine seeing you up there. What is it this time?"
"What do you mean, 'what is it this time'!?" she screeched, red-faced. "Are you implying this happens all the time? Are you saying I'm an idiot or something for being up here?"
"Easy, easy," he murmured, waving his hands in a placating manner. "I can see that cat must be the reason for your adventure. It's just that dutiful Hinagiku-san, who hates heights, would only climb up a tree she cannot then descend only if there was an extremely good reason for it."
"It still sounds like you're making fun of me," she muttered. "Anyway, it's not as if I'm always climbing trees and getting stuck near the top. And now I'd like to get down, so…."
"Just a second," Kajirô said and disappeared behind another large tree. A few seconds later he reappeared with a ladder and set it against the tree.
Hinagiku stared at it. "Where on earth did you get that, Kaji-kun?"
He shrugged. "It's useful to have a ladder off-camera sometimes. It's like swords in certain TV shows about immortals…."
"I really don't know what you're talking about, but it really sounds like you're making fun of me now…."
"Not at all, not at all. In any case, you can't climb down from a tree without looking, but a ladder is more reliable, so someone athletic like Hinagiku-san should be able to climb down while just looking up, right? So you can come down freely…."
"Yes…but the ladder isn't entirely stable, either. You'll have to hold it at the bottom until I get closer to the ground."
"Er…but…you're in a skirt…."
"I wear shorts underneath, Kaji-kun; you know that. So stop thinking dirty thoughts and just hold that ladder."
Kajirô didn't reply, except in his own thoughts, but he held the bottom of the ladder (looking away, simply because it's the principle of the thing) as Hinagiku made her way down. Once she and the cat were safe, he returned the ladder to its invisible (off-camera?) resting place behind the tree. Those who guessed he produced the ladder secretly via magic, ten points.
"You're safe, Shiranui," she told the black cat with the white cross-shaped patch on its forehead as she released it.
('Shiranui, for a black cat, just because it has a bit of white. How wonderfully cute, as usual….')
"It's going to be weird," Kajirô sighed, "going to school now and not seeing you in class. How many years did we sit near each other in primary school?"
"It can't be helped," Hinagiku replied. "Mahora has gender-separated middle- and high-schools. But it's coed in everything else; you could always join the Kendo Club, you know. I wouldn't mind seeing you there."
"Ah, I'm no good with weapons, especially swords," he muttered. "I'm afraid I couldn't…."
"What's this, flirting so early in the morning?"
The duo turned and glared as Miki, Izumi and Riza approached them. Kajirô then turned away and began to stalk off, muttering, "In any case, class is going to start soon, so I better get going. See you around Hinagiku-san; Miki-san, Izumi-san, Asakaze-san, good to see you."
They watched him go. Riza finally muttered, "Why am I the only one he calls by just my family name?" Then she brightened. "Ah, I see…he must have a secret crush on me, and he's just too shy to admit it…."
"Somehow, I doubt that," Hinagiku said dryly. "In any case, he was right—we should go find our classroom so we'll be on time when it starts…."
"Ah, we could skip instead…."
"Don't you dare."
8-8-8
The short girl with the hair of almost equal mass sat at the table behind a stack of books. Besides giving her adequate reading material, it served as a kind of wall between her and the rest of the world…the rest of the world she didn't want to see….
"Um…h-hello…."
Yue Ayase looked up at the girl who had addressed her. Hardly anything of her eyes was visible under the mass of sheepdog hair. She didn't even reply, just stared at the girl.
"U-um…I was wondering…if I could sit next to you…this is…my favorite spot…."
"By all means, don't let me stop you," Yue murmured. "I was leaving anyway." She scooped up her books and walked out.
Nodoka watched her leave with surprise and disappointment. Ami Mizuno came around the corner and stopped, looking around. "Oh?"
"S-she ran away…."
Ami sighed. "Ah, well. We should have plenty of time to get through to her…."
8-8-8
The girl with the long blond hair stood staring at the building, clutching her bag and books nervously. This was it…it was time….
"Are you nervous?"
She whirled around and stared at the smiling girl behind her. Her dark blood-red hair was tied up in a clothed bun and she had eyes of nearly the same blue as Erika's own. "It's your first time doing something like this, isn't it?" she asked pleasantly. "It is for me, too…and to be honest, I'm a little nervous myself. I'm Sanada Sakura. I think we'll be classmates from now on."
"Oh…." Erika took the proffered hand. "Sendô Erika. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Sakura smiled and nodded. "I hope we can be friends. Now, shall we go meet the rest of our class?"
8-8-8
They sat in their chairs in various states of emotion, all twelve years old, at least in appearance….
Caria sat at a desk with tools most twelve-year-old girls couldn't begin to fathom using, constructing what would eventually become part of the machine she would name Miyu Greer.
In her desk at the back, Chisame thought about how glad she was that, at least, she was free from the stupidities of boys their age….
Kazumi, Yukari, and Matake, having just met in their own dorm room, were happily getting to know each other. Despite their different interests, all three, friendly and affable, found a level of camaraderie with the other two.
Nanami, cheerful and upbeat, passed from student to student, trying to get to know them—for her, an exercise in her own plots and schemes, not exactly sinister, but not entirely altruistic or based on friendship.
Yuki and Rei sat in their desks silently. None of the girls knew these two from any previous schooling, and their cold natures left them as little more than silent, enigmatic mysteries….
Alyssa sat sullenly in her own seat. For her, it was her fifth time around through middle school, although no one but the magically connected members of the school had any idea of this. Interestingly, they would find it natural to imagine her at 'around ten years old', even two years later….
Kanade, loud and boisterous, greeted her classmates she had known since primary school and authoritatively introduced herself to the newcomers. Years later, she would never change.
The twins shared one trait: both were outgoing and popular, and did not shrink from meeting and greeting the new class that would accompany them through the next three important years of their lives.
Kaoru, a recent arrival on her Track & Field scholarship, found herself easily accepted into the group of (mostly) wild personalities.
Rakasu had already begun her career as a child music sensation, and the class spent a few moments reveling in the presence of a celebrity in their class…although, this being class 1-A, their attention span never seemed to be great enough to last very long.
All twenty-eight of them sat at attention as their middle school lives started and Takamichi T. Takahata walked into the room and introduced himself as their homeroom teacher.
Many of them were normal. Some of them had secrets in their history or pasts that they were as yet unaware of. A few of them were members of mage families, and upheld the magical secret to some degree. And several of them were not human, attending this class for special reasons indeed….
But imagine one small scene in time, when all of it began….
None of them knowing what it would eventually come to….
8-8-8
Sakura looked through the pictures in her hands, fondly recalling the events of the previous two years. Her two roommates, Akari and Kiami…as she expressed interest in multiple clubs, they encouraged her to follow them to the Martial Arts Mastery Society. Intrigued, she had accepted; she didn't spend as much time there as they would have liked, perhaps, but she had enjoyed some good times with them. She was happy she'd found people to help her practice her hakuda while she was living as an innocent human adolescent. She'd even encouraged Erika to join them there, which she did, at least in limited amounts….
Ah, the Robotics Development Society. A university-level occupation, but Caria had joined it and taken over before she technically would have been called a teen. Sakura had often thought she would have liked to have participated, helped out with the Research & Development Department of the Gotei 13, but she didn't get the chance to before she'd been made a captain. And Yukari-chan had already been its head for some time, but that was neither here nor there….in any case, she decided to help out there with Caria. Most of what Caria was capable of was beyond even her, but with some knowledge of the techniques and sciences available from her time period, and with the aid of her unique powers, she had helped Caria with a few more special projects. Some of Miyu Greer's personality protocols, for example, had been developed using her knowledge of advanced gikon research. Perhaps it was here that she'd enjoyed herself the most….
The Tea Ceremony Club. Despite her reluctance to drink regular teas—a very odd position when she was supposed to be Japanese—they had accepted her gladly. Alyssa, in particular, had been somewhat interested in her from the beginning. Perhaps she sensed, or merely suspected, that she was different from all the others….
Hinagiku and her Kendo Club. She hadn't been able to get involved as much with them, mostly because most of the club was too casual. There were a few dedicated and skilled members, but it was not a very popular club, and most of those who participated were boys (or girls) who simply admired Hinagiku and wished to be near her. Still, she'd enjoyed her time there, too….
The Go Club. It was full of skilled and dedicated go players, many of whom were even better than her father. Alyssa had joined her in the club, merely to play against her…confirming the thought that she had long been interested in her….
The Cuisenaire Research Society. A complicated name for a club that liked to cook and explore the secrets of cooking. Despite her wishes and urgings, she never managed to convince any of the fine chefs of 3-A to join her in that club, not even Mai—she was always too busy with her part-time jobs, and she never even did any cooking for them! For someone who liked it so much and was so good at it, it was such a waste. This lack of enthusiasm from the class cooks is what had prompted her to have them run that diner for her last Festival….
Festivals. Class trips. Here were more pictures with all of her friends. She wondered if it would in any way be possible to take some of these with her. Probably not. That was the problem with dreams, after all…you couldn't hold them in your hand after you woke up….
Ah. And here he was. Kain Lockeheart. Just a short time, not even half a year, but he had already become such an important member of their class, and he only taught them for one class a day. But he had made an indelible impression upon each and every one of them….
All of them had grown on her over the years…classmates, friends, comrades. And with Kain among them, they had almost been like family. But now she was leaving them, and under the most depressing of circumstances, as a villain, as a thief in the night that had stolen their future…particularly those she was closest to.
Perhaps that was for the best, after all…at least they would not miss her as strongly as she would miss them, as much as she would miss this wonderfully idyllic lifestyle….
Well, it didn't matter now. There was no more time. It would have to begin….
She slipped her photo collection back into her robe and rose. There was work today. The only consolation to her soul was that, whether she succeeded or not, in the end it would be a victory for her. She had already ensured that much….
8-8-8
Author's Note: The Dreamer of Dreams
The Third Day begins…although, as circumstances will show, not in actuality for a while yet. But the final showdown with Sakura is starting, and all will be revealed.
This prologue is already longer than all my others, and I was tempted to go longer…telling more about how these children met and grew up together over their two plus years in Mahora. This is all personal whim and imagination—besides certain flashbacks like that of young Yue and young Nodoka as shown back in Act 5, the original MSN told almost nothing of the early years of these girls. Just thinking about how it grew to be how it was when Kain arrived was an interesting thought…in particular, how Sakura wove her way through their lives.
And it was in particular tempting to show how Sakura did this, and it was interesting how everything fell into place again for me. Chao Lingshen, the original time-traveling villainess, was, for some reason, particularly friendly with Ku Fei, the martial artist. As I was constructing the class way back when, I decided rather whimsically that because of this, to fill out the various roommates as I could, I would throw Sakura in with the martial artists Akari and Kiami. And, also whimsically, I added the MAMS to the list of clubs Sakura was a part of, and put Erika in the same club, although she never had any reason for it (especially for Erika, who in Fortune Arterial was never part of any martial arts clubs). I never really had much of a rhyme or reason for it; in Sakura's case, it was probably simply because Ku Fei's Chinese martial arts club was in Chao Lingshen's long list of clubs. For Erika, it was probably simply an excuse to show why she knew a bit of unarmed combat. But it's starting to take shape—as I mentioned in Act 5, Erika (this version) feels a slight jealousy towards and inferiority complex when compared with Hinagiku, and so she joined the MAMS to 'get one up on her'. Since I had Sakura roommates with Akari and Kiami, and she's interested in maintaining a bit of training to keep her skills up, she could let herself be persuaded to follow them to their club, at least occasionally. And as I was thinking about how these girls would arrive at their new middle school lives, I recalled that Erika, according to her past here in this story, entered middle school as someone who'd never attended any kind of public school before—and Sakura, of course, had similarly never attended a school like this (that is, one of normal people) and so she found a connection there. Sakura would, besides her two roommates, have actually found her first friend in Erika as she helped settle her into a life amongst lots of strangers. As Erika began to grow and develop her personality, and started to feel a rivalry towards the remarkable Hinagiku, Sakura would have encouraged her to join the MAMS. This all works out….
Especially since Sakura somehow (we'll see how exactly in the future) convinced Erika to help her with her plot. Eventually Erika didn't need Sakura's helping hand, but they are still classmates and friends, and they care for each other….
In any case, let's get things going. Act 6 is underway.