Chapter 1: New shadows
Disclaimer: You know the drill, I don't own Negima, Akamatsu does
Asuna's eyes slowly opened when she felt something move under her head. Still slightly disoriented from the exhaustion she sat up, expecting to see her bedroom. There was some part of her that wished that the events of the last few days would have been nothing but a nightmare. But what she saw was that she wasn't lying in her bed; she was lying on a hillside somewhere. A hillside covered in lush grass, almost too green to be real, and with a clear blue sky above where the sun was shining brightly and small wisps of clouds were dancing slowly across the sky. She looked to see what she had been resting her head on and when she saw it, she gasped.
It was impossible... there, right in front of her, was Negi!
He was wearing a heavy robe, much like the one that his father used only that this one was deep grey, and lay with his hands behind his head looking at the clouds. Still too shocked to speak she noticed his face. Even if she knew it was him the face was nothing like she remembered him. He was scarred; one scar went across his left eye and seemed to have blinded him. Half his right chin had what appeared to be burn-scars on it that stretched from the nose, across the chin to the neck. His skin was weather-bitten, nothing like his usual smooth, and he also sported a short beard. He seemed to have aged prematurely, it was impossible to see that he was only eighteen; he looked more like forty-eight. It was then that he opened his eyes and looked at her. Asuna saw that the scarred eye was white and milky.
"Hi princess." He said, his voice was no longer the clear baritone she remembered but a hoarse, tired one. He sounded so tired... exhausted even. "Did you sleep well?" He asked then, a slight smile on his lips.
"Yeah…" Asuna heard herself say, she wasn't in control, the voice was that of her five year old self. "And you?" She heard herself ask him.
"Quite well." There was another different thing in his voice, it seemed much more relaxed than she had ever heard before, he did sound exhausted, but he also sounded like he had gotten away from whatever had tired him out so much. "There isn't much time left." He then said as he looked towards the setting sun, far in the west the sun was slowly heading towards the horizon "Let's just spend it here without questions." Negi continued, "The answers wouldn't mean anything anyway." He leaned back and patted his stomach gesturing for her to put her head there. Asuna leaned backwards and rested her head on him.
Together they lay on the grass watching the clouds as they travelled across the sapphire sky. . Asuna however shifted between looking at the clouds and looking at Negi. After a while Negi smiled at her. It was a small smile, hardly perceptible, but it was much more genuine than ever.
"Don't worry princess." He said, "You're safe now."
"It's not that." She said, somehow her wishes carried over even into the five-year-old girl that she was now.
"You're worrying about the future?" Negi asked even though she could hear that it was not really a question. Asuna still did not understand what was going on but somehow she managed to say what she wanted.
"I don't want you to go." She said quietly, Negi's face becoming downcast at this.
"I have to." He sat up and started running his fingers through her hair, holding her against him in a caring embrace, "I can't do anything more." he whispered, "My time here is over."
"But I don't want you to go." Asuna said again, this time more forcefully. Why? Why did he have to go? Wasn't he the guy who could do anything?!
"Believe me; I don't want to leave either." Negi stroked her cheek. "You know something?" he then said, shifting tracks, "You really are a beautiful girl." He smiled at her.
"No I'm not." Asuna turned away from him now, her five-year-old self sulking. "I'm ugly. No one else has eyes with two colours."
"I have." Negi said gesturing at his blinded eye. "And I'm sure people will think that you're even prettier because of it. With hair like fire," He stroked her hair, "one eye like water and the other like the forest," he ran his fingers gently across her eyelids, "and skin soft as the clouds" he stroked her cheek, "You are so pretty and you will become an incredible beauty when you grow up." Asuna looked at him now.
"You sure?" She asked him, still in the throes of the dream and not really in control of herself. Negi nodded slowly.
"Very sure." he said, "And if all that doesn't help you always have a temper like a thunderstorm." He smiled wider this time. Asuna got up and punched him in the arm while trying not to smile too. Negi laughed out loud and tried to fend himself from the little girl's attacks. Eventually Asuna threw herself at him and pushed him backwards. Negi landed on his back and Asuna sat down on his chest.
"Give up." She said triumphantly.
"I yield, I yield." Negi laughed, the laughter being filled with serenity even though it sounded like a dying man's coughing, "I know I don't stand a chance against the Twilight Princess."
Asuna got a forlorn look on her face when hearing this. She did not know why but those words chilled her into the core, made her feel awful. The girl got off him and sat down beside him, looking down into the ground.. Negi sat up now and looked at her, compassion written all over his face.
"You can't escape it." He said gently as he reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, "It's what you are no matter if you want it or not."
"But I don't wanna be the Twilight Princess!" Asuna sobbed, sorrow overwhelming her, "I just wanna be me!" The tears now came, flowing freely down her cheeks and her small body being wracked by sobs. She then felt how Negi put his arms around her. He held her in his arms and rocked her gently as she cried.
It was then that a song spilled forth from his lips. It was in a language she didn't understand but it still soothed her. The soft words and the calm melody was somehow familiar to her and she felt how her sorrow lessened, the melody encircled her and she became at peace. Eventually she stopped crying and it was then that she looked at Negi again. Now he was sitting up, Asuna sitting in his lap, and his arms were wrapped around her, hers wrapped around his neck. As her tears abated Asuna suddenly felt strange, like something was changing. Then she realized that she had grown, she had become fifteen years.
"Negi..." she said slowly, her hand reaching up to caress his worn and scarred face. Negi's eyes suddenly becoming downcast as her actions. "Why?" she asked him, "Why did all this happen?" She asked, for the first time really in control of herself. She asked the first thing she could think of, the only think she could think of.
"I'm sorry..." Negi said quietly, not saying anything after that. The man, once a young one, now an aged and worn one, looked away, his arms loosening around her. Asuna wasn't, couldn't, be satisfied with such an answer. She twisted in his lap, ending up astride his legs and grabbed him.
"Oh no you don't!" She said, her voice already trembling again. "I won't let you leave again! Tell me! Why did this have to happen?!" The young girl screamed into Negi's face. "Please..." she gritted her teeth as the tremors returned. Suddenly she felt a hand cup her cheek and she, as if spellbound, stopped to shake. Looking up at Negi again she saw him lean in slowly, his eyes so sad again.
His aged lips then met hers and a surge of electricity went through Asuna as she felt how Negi kissed her. She idly felt how his other hand snaked around her head, the fingers intertwining with her hair, and for a few seconds she stopped being concerned with answers and truth. She felt the tingling sensations overwhelm her and she responded as well as she could, wrapping her arms around him.
But when Negi pulled away again his eyes were still sad and the warmth in Asuna's belly immediately faded when she saw those eyes.
"Take care of everything..." he said softly to her, caressing her face, "Both what is and what will come. And yet again, I'm sorry." It was then that he started to fade away. Asuna's eyes widening as she saw him fall apart into tiny specks of dust. Asuna cried out in denial as Negi suddenly collapsed, turning into dust in her arms, dust that crashed into the ground and in rapid swirls vanished all around her, she started to crawl on all fours, reaching out to capture it in a desperate attempt to keep him with her.
It was then that the winds came. A strong gust of wind came and picked up the dust from the ground and scattered it across the sky, Asuna looked up towards the sky and saw how it all swirled away.
"Negi!" she screamed as the dust rose towards the sky around her, whirling around her line a hurricane. The only response she got was the howling winds. Then she heard Negi's voice, whispering like a breeze.
"Wake up...." he said, "Wake up....."
"...Asuna-kun, wake up!" Asuna's eyes snapped wide open and she sat up directly. Her head almost collided with the man that was leaning over her. The man started and fell backwards by her sudden move and when Asuna calmed down she saw who it was.
"T-Takahata-sensei..." she said, still gasping. Asuna realized that she was drenched in sweat and that her heart was beating rapidly. Looking around herself she saw that she was lying in the school infirmary, despite the fact that she had seen the entire building demolished during the battle she was now lying in one of its soft beds, the other beds being empty. The aged man, who was wearing a bandage around his head and a large patch on his cheek, got up to his feet with a concerned look on his face.
"Are you all right Asuna-kun?" he asked her, worry written over his worn face. Asuna calmed down somewhat now trying to slow her breathing. She suddenly realized how dry her throat was and swallowed, trying to moisten it. Takamichi noticed this, the aged man quickly hurrying to the nearby sink and filling a plastic cup of water which he brought to her. Asuna accepted he mug gratefully, swallowing it all in one go.
This was a mistake on her part, the water stopped halfway down her throat and she started to cough intensely. Her body shook from the coughing and Takamichi hurriedly took the cup from her. As they ceased Asuna took a few gasps of air before she looked up at Takamichi again, her eyes tear-filled from the coughing.
"What happened?" She asked hoarsely, "I...I remember the light but what happened after that?" She looked up at him with a confused expression. "What happened?!" She repeated, shouting now. Takamichi hurriedly raised his hand and made calming motions with them as he started to calm Asuna to the best of his abilities.
"It's all right..." he said with a soothing voice, "It's all over, we won. It's over... everyone is fine."
"Wh-what about Konoka and the others?!" Asuna asked, remembering what had happened to her friend. How Konoka had stood with Negi, her gut torn open and her eyes glowing with unholy light. What had happened to her best friend? At this Takamichi hesitated for a second.
"They are alive too." he said after a little while, "They are in quarantine now, but it's very likely that they will be allowed to go."
"Q-Quarantine?" Asuna tried to stand up but Takamichi stopped her. "What's going on?!" She demanded and Takamichi nodded.
"Just calm down," he said, "You need to rest, I'll tell you everything, just calm down." Asuna eventually yielded, she trusted Takamichi that much. As she stopped flailing and leaned back again Takamichi sat down and begun to tell her everything.
"After Negi's..." Takamichi hesitated, unwilling to use the word "death" in front of Asuna, she didn't need to be reminded of that, "Something strange happened." he eventually continued, "Usually, someone who's soul has been devoured, like they had been, will be annihilated with it's devourer, but this didn't happen."
"We don't know how it came to pass but Negi's victims all survived, the changes Negi forced upon them are all gone and they are back to normal. They have been in quarantine ever since, the army is examining them to make sure there's nothing left of the taint in them. And don't worry," Takamichi added hurriedly, seeing how the word "quarantine" made Asuna uncomfortable, "Things are looking very good and they will probably be allowed to leave any time now."
"But... Negi is dead," Asuna said after a while, asking the question that now burned in her "...Isn't he?" She looked up at Takamichi, who sighed before he nodded.
"Yes..." he said slowly, "He was annihilated." the man continued eventually, "He ceased to exist, there isn't any trace left of him." The statement made Asuna cold inside, she couldn't doubt it and slowly nodded.
"I killed him..." she said slowly. Takamichi looked at her face and saw the guilt there. Asuna hated herself for what she had done. He knew what she had felt for the young man but despite everything that had happened he could not bring himself to forgive Negi, the memory of Asuna's mutilated body was too fresh in his mind. Now Asuna looked up too and noticed Takamichi's conflicted expression. They both fell silent now, neither of them able to say anything. After a while it was Asuna that broke the silence.
"Could..." she begun softly, Takamichi looked up at her now, attentive, "Could you leave me alone for a while?" She asked her old teacher. Takamichi looked at her for a while before he nodded. He could not deny her that and got up from his seat next to her bed.
"I'll be outside if you need anything." the aged teacher said, Asuna nodded absently to show that she had heard him and Takamichi left, carefully shutting the door behind him. Asuna was now alone and she raised her legs to her chest, folding her arms around them and clenching her eyes shut, feeling the tears start to come out.
Asuna started to cry as the unavoidable truth came to her. The truth hurt... she had loved him, first now she could understand that... and she had killed him... it hurt. Negi was dead, she had killed him. She had loved him, and she had killed him. Asuna raised her hands to her hair and clenched her fingers into it as the sobs intensified. She remembered the final seconds of his life, how her blade had pierced into him and how he had fallen limp. She gave up a cry of anguish and started to cry openly.
It was then that she heard two heavy footsteps right next to the bed. Her eyes flew open and her heart nearly stopped when she saw who was beside her bed. Right next to her a man wearing nothing but black clothes, from the pulled up hood and the scarf covering the lower half of his face down to the black footwear. Several parts of his clothes were reinforced with studded leather and two short swords dangled from his belt. The man towered above her and before she could react he attacked! Moving like lighting the man pressed one hand down on her mouth and another down on her arms, capturing both of them in a steel grip.
"Don't scream!" the man hissed, "I won't hurt you but you must be quiet!" Asuna stared, wide-eyed, at her attacker, at first not understanding what the man was saying. The man glanced towards the door before his eyes returned to her. "Listen here." he said with what seemed to be an attempt at a calming voice, however his voice, hoarse and low, together with his steel-gleaming eyes, did not lend itself well to this. "I am going to let go of you soon, I am not here to hurt you, nor am I going to use you to hurt anyone else. Do you understand?" The man asked her and Asuna eventually nodded.
"When I let go of you," the man continued "I ask that you remain calm and do not scream, I must not be seen here. Do you understand?" yet again he asked her this and Asuna nodded. "Good, I'll let go of you now." A second later the man loosened the grip on Asuna and took a step backwards. Asuna raised a hand to her mouth, massaging it in an attempt to get rid of the soreness the man's strong grip had caused. As she looked towards the man again she saw him remove the mask, revealing a broad, swarthy face with a heavy nose and sharp features. The man was smiling though, his face divided by a large smile.
"You really did grow up to become beautiful your..." the man hesitated, "Asuna." he said after a while. "And don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you, I'm here to help you."
"Help me... with what?" Asuna asked, confused by the strange man. Did grow up to be beautiful?What was he talking about? However it was then that Asuna heard footsteps outside the door and the man tensed, realizing that someone was coming.
"I'll be back" he said quickly before he pulled up his mask and stepped backwards into the shadow, which immediately darkened to become pitch-black for the faintest of moments before it returned to normal, the man gone by then.
The door to the hallway then slammed open and Asuna looked towards it, her heart skipping a beat when she saw that it was Konoka, her friend. She didn't look any different from usual, the mad look was gone, her body wasn't filled with large sores and the black mark was gone from her forehead. Konoka darted inside the room and threw herself into Asuna's arms, the black-haired girl actually sobbing as she embraced Asuna.
"Asuna..." Konoka sobbed, "Thank Kami-sama... thank Kami-sama you survived..." the girl was trembling and Asuna returned the embrace, her thoughts echoing the sentiment.
Inside one of the officers of the ravaged Mahora campus a man was standing in front of a large, rippling mirror. The man was clothed in a large, wide robe, deep blue, with wide sleeves and a large, slouching hood. No features except for his mouth was visible, a mouth shaped into a tight frown. Amongst the ruins he was standing, with his back straight and his face against the mirror. From it another voice was coming, a deep and contemplative voice
"And you are certain of this?" the voice from the mirror asked. A tone of urgency was present in it, whomever was speaking was excited. The man in front of the mirror nodded.
"Her appearance is startlingly similar." the man said, his voice hard like steel, the voice of someone with a heart of ice. "Right down to her eyes."
"What a auspicious turn of events..." the man in the other side of the mirror said now. "Keep her under surveillance, question her thoroughly. If it is her, you know what must be done."
"Yes sir." the man's voice said now. "We cannot let any threats to our rule over the new provinces remain. If it is her, she will be dealt with immediately. "
"Good, Harpy five out." with that the mirror went silent, transforming into a small ball of floating metal which the man snatched out of the air before pocketing it. Turning around he walked out of the room and as he opened the creaking door he was met by a large group of mages, all clothed in the same deep-blue robes as him.
"We have our orders." the man said now, looking at the assembled men, "The subject is to be monitored and questioned. If she is the one we suspect she is she must be eliminated."
"Yes sir." the men all said before dispersing, heading out from the building and off to wherever they were expected to be.
The days that followed the battle of Mahora were intensive to say the least. Immediately after the battle's end another army had teleported to Mahora. This time it had been an army of construction-workers and engineers who had arrived, going about the rebuilding of Mahora with incredible fervour. The campus had, for three days, been filled with fantastic sights, buildings that were rebuilt out of rubble and debris, trees growing with immense speed to full maturity in moments and many other things. The magic society had thrown everything they had into the rebuilding, desperate to keep the events of the last days and their existence secret.
Now, a full four days after the battle, Mahora was back to normal, the students and teachers who had been sealed away into an alternate dimension, one fully similar to Mahora, was now back where they belonged. No one remembered a thing and had all been hypnotized into believing that it was their own choices to have stayed at Mahora until now (in case they had been expected at home or something similar). Asuna had only vague memories of the last four days however, the emotional storm Negi's death had caused had made her deeply depressed but due to the intensive tempo she wasn't given any time to grieve.
She had been shovelled from one place to another, subjected to several interrogations and examinations. The doctors had told him they had to make sure than she did not suffer any ill effects from the battles but Asuna couldn't bring herself to trust them on that. If that was the case, why were they asking about her early childhood? And Takahata-sensei, who had been following her throughout the entire ordeal had now a permanent scowl on his face, she could see that he was wary of something.
Asuna was thankful that they had a week-long holiday after the festival, she wouldn't have been able to go back to school. Not now, when she still found herself sobbing at night when she remembered Negi's death. Indeed, her grief had only been worsened by the heavy-handed interrogations, where the interrogators acted like she was hiding something.
With the world in ruins around her, the boy she loved dead, the knowledge that she had to be silent about all this, lest the mages would punish her for revealing their world and said mages interrogating her about things she knew nothing about Asuna started to wonder why she even lived. It all seemed so pointless to her, these last days had been devoid of any joy to her.
At the moment she had managed to sneak into the locked school building and opened the door to the classroom with her eyes closed. She knew that she shouldn't but she had been walking all over Mahora these last days, hoping that this was all a bad dream and that when she opened her eyes he'd be sitting there, waiting for her to come to the extra classes. But when she opened her eyes there were nothing there, the classroom was empty.
It wasn't even a hope, it was a desperate denial of reality, but it still hurt when it was shattered. Seeing the classroom empty too Asuna suddenly felt how the tears broke out. She was filled with emotions, sadness, grief, anger, hate, shame, all of it directed at herself. Stumbling inside and slamming the door shut she ended up next to the teacher's desk, her back against it and her knees to her chest, her face buried in the arms that rested on her knees.
"Negi...." she sniffled as she remembered the events in the chamber, where she had plunged her blade into the heart of her first love, the young man she, only when it was too late, had come to realize that she loved. The bitter fact that it was the blade meant for her to use in his defence that had ended his life made it all the more painful to the young redhead. Why... why!? Wasn't she allowed any happiness?! She hadn't ever had a family, she had only a few friends thanks to her tomboyish attitude and her first love wouldn't ever accept a confession from a little kid.
But Negi... he had come out of nowhere and uprooted everything in her life and made her enter his world... he had fought everything, both himself, other mages and for her sake, he had been so patient, so kind and helpful. She really had fallen in love with him, not for his strength, but for his kindness. She loved him, she could have loved him all her life! Even with his martyr-complex and overconfidence she realized that she had loved him for real, as him.
And she had killed him...
She had murdered him! She could have spent all her life happy with him, she had wanted to live like that! After everything would have been over at Mahora she was going to follow him to look for his father and when they found him... after Asuna had found that man she sometimes dreamed of she'd get a family... Nagi as her father and Negi.... her husband.
"Negi..." she whimpered again. For the first time in over a year she had actually dreamed of marrying, and for the first time ever with someone her age. She, who had rolled her eyes when the other girls talked about marrying someone, had wanted that... but she had murdered the one she wanted to be with...
Now the sorrow became too much for her and she started crying again. Weeping like a little child Asuna shook. She pushed herself back into the desk, wanting to go away, disappear from everything and not have to deal with all this. She didn't want to have murdered him, why did she have to murder the one she loved?! Wasn't she lonely enough!?
Asuna's cries echoed through the classroom and drowned out the sound of two leather boots hitting the floor as a black-clothed man suddenly stepped out of the shadows, seemingly spawning from them. The man hesitated as he looked down at Asuna, compassion evident in his eyes as he looked at her.
However after a while of waiting he hunched down by her side, kneeling next to her as he reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. Asuna started at this and looked up, her face wet from tears and red from crying. The man didn't have time to say anything, however, before Asuna lashed out at him.
"Leave me alone!" she snapped upon seeing the man, not wanting him to be there. She could vaguely remember what he had said but she didn't want to listen. She didn't want to hear anything, especially not this stranger. She buried her face in her arms again and gritted her teeth. Couldn't she just be left alone!?
"I know you are grieving," the man said softly to him, "But for your sake, you must listen to me."
"Go away!" Asuna now kicked out, sending one of her legs against the man to try to get him to leave. Why couldn't he just leave!? Repeatedly kicking against the man, who had raised his hands to deflect her attacks, she screamed at him, venting her anger at the man. It was then that he suddenly shot forwards and before Asuna could react she found herself wrapped in the man's arms. The man stroked her head with one hand as he spoke again.
"Please, your highness," he begged her as he glanced to the side, hoping that no one had heard them, "Do not give up, I know it must be painful but I beg you, be strong." Asuna was paralysed by the unexpected show of affection and could only stare straight ahead. The man's words didn't make any sense to her.
"Wh...what are you talking about..." she sniffled as her tears still fell, "Who are you, what do you want? Why... can't you just leave me alone?!" she started to shake again, still too grieving to say anything else.
"I know I should." the man said softly, "I know that you are grieving, but there's no time." the man kept petting her head, "Your highness," he continued, "Your life is in danger."
"Highness... what are you talking about?" Asuna asked and the man slowly let go of her. Still holding her shoulders he looked straight at her.
"I'm sorry I have to be this blunt." he said as he reached into his clothes, "Were there more time I wouldn't do it but there isn't. Look at this and I will start my story from there." the man then took out something from his clothes and handed it to Asuna. It was photograph and when Asuna looked at is she froze.
It was a picture of a painting depicting a small girl wearing an elaborate robe, who's orange hair was put up in two long pigtails with long bands at the start of them. Her face was calm and serene and her eyes... were blue and green.
"That is you at your fourth birthday." The man said, throwing a glance at the windows, "Your father thought that you were so beautiful that day that he wanted a memory of it for all time. The painting is gone though, only this photo remains."
"My..." Asuna whispered, "My father?" the man fell silent at this but after a short while he spoke up again.
"Yes..." he said softly, "Your late father, King Takuro the fifth, ordered that picture made." Asuna sat silent now, paralysed by his words. She was shocked to the core by what that implied.
"King...?" that was all she could say now.
"Yes." The man said, sincerity evident in his voice, "And your true name is not Kagurazaka Asuna, as you have been led to believe. It's her royal highness Asuna Vesperina Theotanasia Entheofushia, the Princess-Priestess of Twilight and rightful heir to the throne of the kingdom of Vespertatia."
"You're lying..." Asuna said, "This is all some kind of sick joke... you're lying!" She was just about to get up from the floor when Negi's words in her dream a few days ago hit her like a freight train.
"The Twilight Princess."
"It's what you are no matter if you want it or not."
Negi's words came back and realization hit her like a kick in the teeth. She started trembling as her legs gave away under her and she sunk down to the ground again, shaking. Her eyes then begun to mist up, before she knew it tears were running down her face yet again.
"But... but." she whimpered, "How...? Why don't I remember anything of that?" She looked at the man, suddenly desperate to know what he was talking about. The sudden impact of her dream made her unable to not believe that this man knew about her family. She now reached out and grabbed hold of him. "Why? Why?!" The man reached up to grab her hands again, taking them in his and holding them gently.
"There is no time." he said, his concern and worry evident in his face, "I'll tell you everything, I swear. But now, we must get you out of here. Your enemies will stop at nothing to see you dead. There's only a matter of time before they move. Are you well enough to travel?" The man asked and Asuna shook her head to clear it, the man's words having propelled her into thinking. She stumbled to her feet with the man's aid before she saw him hurry soundlessly over to the door, glancing out of it before waving for her to follow him. Asuna left the classroom, following the man's lead as they both hurried out of the building.
A large group of the blue-clothed men paraded through the school corridor, advancing with strong and confident steps. The empty hallway echoed with their steps, no other sounds present in the building. The man in the lead raised his hand now and made an outward gesture.
"Search the rooms," he said, "She will be here somewhere." The men soundlessly obeyed and fanned out, forming groups of three that each went for one of the doors and opened it. Walking inside, the men started to roughly search the classrooms. They tore lockers open, searched the corners and left not one square-centimetre unchecked as they looked for the female they were here for. However their search turned out to reveal absolutely nothing. After a few minutes one of the men came out of the room his group had been searching.
"Sir!" the man said, "She's not here, the building is empty." the man in the lead, who had been waiting for the others to finish, swore now.
"She must have some kind of aid." the man realized. "We did not detect her leave." Now the man raised his hand to his ear and pushed the small device lodged in the ear.
"Group two." he said, "Lock down the campus, guard all exists, group three, search her dormitory for any clues as to her whereabouts. If she hasn't left already, prepare to ambush her there."
"Yes sir." the thought echoed in his head. He now motioned for the search teams to follow him.
"We'll move to search the streets." he said, "Spread out and report anything to me at once. She must not escape!"
Takamichi was desperate now. There was no doubt about it, the Megalomesembric investigators weren't here to ascertain that Asuna and the others didn't suffer any ill effects from the battle. He had seen the look in their eyes already at the first day, the disdainful look of someone that saw himself as superior to the people around him. Now, four days later, Takamichi knew who they were.
They were people from the eighty-first division of Megalomesembria's army, the black ops. That division was infamous for consisting of ruthless supremacists who didn't hesitate to do anything for Megalomesembria. They believed their country and people to be superior to the rest of humanity and viewed the rest of the world only as potential resources to be used when needed for Megalomesembria's growth. It was they who had created the Spellshatterer, using Asuna to defend their country and not giving a thought to her suffering.
And now they were here, Takamichi now knowing why. They didn't need any loose threads on what they viewed as their greatest accomplishment the last century, the annexation of their neighbouring nation Vespertatia, the kingdom Asuna had been born as the crown princess of. They were here to make sure that there were no risk of her discovering who she was, whether that meant killing her or imprisoning her he didn't know, only that he was running out of time if he wanted to help her.
The options, however, seemed to have been exhausted a long time ago. Neither he nor Albireo could see any ways out as it was, the only thing they could do at the moment was getting her somewhere safe. He'd be damned if he let them take her without a fight. Asuna had gone through enough as it was, anyone who tried to take her away now would have to come through him first.
As Takamichi hurried over the campus towards her dorm-room he suddenly got a gnawing sensation in his gut. He realized that if he couldn't find Asuna soon it might already be too late, he hoped that it wasn't so. That little girl was all he had left of his master and even if she hadn't been he wouldn't let them take her, she was like a daughter to him.
As he entered the female dormitory, however, his instincts suddenly kicked in at once when he saw the door to Asuna's and Konoka's room open, what was this? He immediately hunched down and slowly slid along the floor, sneaking closer to the door to look inside.
What he saw made his heart freeze, Megalomesembric agents! Four hooded men in heavy robes were currently turning the room upside down. Tearing out every drawer and pouring out the contents on the floor they were rapidly and messily searching the place. Takamichi immediately squeezed himself against the wall, he gritted his teeth as he felt his stomach turn. Those bastards...
It was then that he heard a sudden tumult inside the room, a yell of surprise, the sounds of struggle, a cry of pain that was silenced after only a second. Takamichi acted instinctively as he slammed the door open, one hand in his pocket. What he saw made his eyes widen. The agents in the room were all down, lying on the floor, and in the middle of this stood Asuna! She wasn't alone, a man in a black leather armour, complete with the hood and mask, stood beside her, holding two bloody short-swords in her hands. Both of them had turned to look at the doorway and they saw that it was him.
"You!" the black-clothed man suddenly hissed. Takamichi froze when he heard the accent of the man, It was a distinct accent, he knew it well, it was a Vespertatian accent. He felt a lump in his throat at the realization what that man had to be.
"Takahata-sensei!" Now it was Asuna who had spoken up, the girl looking at him with wide eyes. The man, who had begun to advance on Takamichi, now froze and, after a second, sheathed his swords. Asuna looked at her old teacher and for a few seconds nobody moved. In the end it was Takamichi who broke the silence.
"You're here to take her back, aren't you?" he said quietly, looking straight at the man, who met his gaze with a glacial glare.
"She has lived in your lies long enough and I will die before I let the Megalomesembrians get their hands on her." the man said, still grabbing his swords. "As will the rest of her people."
Takamichi nodded slowly, internally mourning that this had to happen. He knew Asuna's true identity, had always done it. But he had wanted her to remain ignorant of her true past, believing that it would only be painful to the girl. But now... it was the only way, her homeland Vespertatia was now the best place for her, her people would never let her fall into the Megalomesembrians' hands. In the end Takamichi made his decision.
"I'm coming with you." Asuna was all he had left of his master and she was as precious to him as a daughter. He couldn't let her leave alone, he had to go with her. The man stated at that, the distrust evident in his face and he looked like he was about to say something but he stopped when Asuna spoke up.
"Takahata-sensei...." Asuna looked at him with wide eyes, almost as if she was near tears. She eventually looked back at the man. "C-can he..." She asked and the man raised one hand.
"I'll defer the decision to you." the man said, still holding his eyes fixed at Takamichi. Due to his intense glaring at Takamichi however, he failed to notice that one of the men behind him was still moving. The man had feigned death, lying totally still and slowing his breath. Now however he saw an opening.
Leaping to his feet with incredible speed the Megalomesembrian tore out a dagger, which he planted in the black-clothed man's back, before he turned around and fired a blast of magic outside the window.
"Damn it!" Takamichi was on the man in a second and blasted him into the wall with a kanka-punch. The crack of bone that came from the man's neck told them that now he really was dead. However the black-clothed man had sunken to his knees, blood streaming out of his back and a groan escaping from his lips. Asuna reached out towards him, trying to support him but the man tumbled down on the ground.
"Paralyzing..." the man groaned, "...enchantment... " Takamichi came up to check at him too and saw that the wound, even if it bled heavily, wasn't fatal. "Forgive me your... highness." the man said between jaws that were growing stiff, "You'll have to leave... me behind. Takahata.... the Pyriths... take her."
"The wound isn't fatal." Takamichi said, trying to calm him "We'll get you outta here!"
"Too late!" The man said, "He... called for... backup... Run! I'll... delay them! You must get her to safety, that's all that... matters!" The man looked at Takamichi, who saw the desperation in his eyes. As Takamichi heard the sounds of footsteps in the stairs outside the room he gritted his teeth.
"Come on Asuna-kun!" he grabbed hold of the young girl who was futilely trying to stop the blood-flow with her hands. The girl looked up at him with fear in her eyes but also understanding. They both disappeared out through the window, leaping through the air and landing amongst the trees outside.
The man slowly chanted a prayer in his head as he felt the numbness wear off and got to his feet with his hands gripping the swords.
"Stolen, ravaged and defiled, our kingdom will rise from the ashes." he heard how the steps came closer. "Our people enslaved and broken, they will be healed and set free. Our rulers murdered and kidnapped, they will be found and crowned anew. For our lands and home, for Vespertatia!" He roared the last words as the first agent appeared in the doorway. The sight of a black-clothed man with two short swords in his hands were the last thing the newcomer saw before he was decapitated.
As the headless body fell backwards the man followed it's movements and when he came out into the hallway he immediately threw one of his swords to the left, impaling another man. His eyes widened when he saw that there were over a dozen other men, all of them having their staffs ready. However he only felt cold determination as he reached into one of his sleeves and pulled out a paper strip with arcane symbols at it.
"Oh fates..." one of the remaining mages said as they saw saw what the charm was.
"Fire!" The mages all launched a swarm of missiles at him, trying to stop him from unleashing it. But the man had already activated the charm and as he leaped off the walkway he threw it at them, the card spinning through the air and exploding as it hit the wall right amongst the mages. The man spun through the air as he fell downwards and managed to land on his feet. However the wound on his back made him loose balance and he crashed into the ground. More mages came swarming in through the entrance of the building and the man tore out another blade from inside his left sleeve
"Take him down!" Another barrage of missiles came at him and the man made a sudden sidestep, vanishing into a black portal made out of shadows before he reappeared inside one of the shadows created by the light from the spells and now stretched out behind the lead mage. Leaping out of the shadow he twirled his blades around and unleashed a swarm of cuts against the Megalomesembrians. The mages, who had stood tightly packed, were unable to escape as he created a whirlwind of steel amongst them and they all fell down dead all around him, the blood raining through the air.
Leaping into the air just in time to avoid a blast of fire he gritted his teeth. He could feel himself growing weaker by the second, the wound in his back was draining him. Still... he was totally calm, despite the fact that mages were coming from all directions and that he would soon be dead he only felt calm. The princess was on her way home again... He had finally redeemed his failure ten years ago.
As the last survivor of the Vespertatian Shadowguard he had been one of the one-hundred man strong secret guard that safeguarded the royal family from all hidden threats. He had only been an initiate when the castle fell and to his eternal shame he had fled in fear when the demons came swarming out of nowhere. Even when the storm of death had subsided he hadn't returned to look for survivors, as was his duty. Thanks to his cowardice the princess had fallen into the Megalomesembrians' hands, something he had hated himself for ever since.
But now his failure had been washed away and he charged again, towards his death and every last second he could buy the princess. Another Megalomesembrian died as he stabbed him in the chest, piercing the heart. He was free at last. As he continued his battle, avoiding the spells and attacks with the smallest possible margins and killing every single person he could get close enough to he suddenly found himself at peace.
Even when a lighting bolt finally managed to hit him, tearing through his barriers and throwing him to the ground he was at peace. Managing to get to his knees and groaning as he felt the smell of his sizzling flesh he reached into his clothes and tore out another charm. Right when he got it out he was hit by a barrage of binding spells and it was only just that he kept his grip on the charm, hiding it inside his hand.
Several of the Megalomesembrians advanced upon him, kicking away his dropped blades and raising theirs to decapitate him. However he only smiled at them before he opened his hand and showed them what he held there.
"See you in hell." he whispered as the Megalomesembrians had only just enough time to identify the charm before it went off, consuming both them and him in a giant conflagration.