Akira: Okay… This idea just popped into my head recently. And by recently, I meant a few days ago. So… yeah. I was hesitating on whether to write this or not since I'm half suffering from a case of writer's block right now and I can't really write proper sentences! But since I really, really like this idea of mine (somehow?), I decided to write it out! xD
Okay… I was inspired by… something, I remember. I think it's one of Furu Kei's fics. I forgot the title, but it was really good Thank you Furu-chan! -Grins- Alright! Enough of my random ramblings, you guys must be bored from reading this pile of junk right now. A bit of a warning though, the characters might be a little OOC somehow. Then again, it's AU, so screw it! xD
I'd like to thank Furu-chan (Furu Kei) for beta-ing for me. Arigatou, Furu-chan! You've been a big help!
Disclaimer: I do not own Mahou Sensei Negima in anyway. Well, maybe just fourteen volumes of the manga… But that's all! Nothing else! Okay, I've got a really annoying OC in mind, a spoiled brat and a downright bitch in fact. So feel free to bash her all you want LOL. (She won't appear just yet though; this story is still under construction.)
Prologue
The story begins…
Uzoku Land
"Unwahh! Unwahh! Unwahh!"
Cries of a baby could be heard from a dark room with curtains drawn over all the windows.
"My lady, it's a b-boy! Congratulations, you finally have a male heir!" The midwife coughed uncomfortably as she wrapped a dry cloth around the newborn baby. "Oh my, snow white wings! This is terrible!"
As if on cue upon hearing that, the woman on the bed clutched her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. White wings were regarded as terrible misfortunes in the tribe, not to mention that her newborn child is a half-human! They'll be thrown out from the Uzoku land!
The other person in the room held a blade against the midwife's neck and whispered coldly, "Speak of this to anyone and you die, woman. Do you understand?"
Getting the message that she'll be killed without mercy if she lets the cat out of the bag, she nodded frantically and left the room in a hurry.
-----
"Sakurazaki-sama, please take care of your health!"
One of the crow demons bowed his head, holding onto the critically ill leader's wrinkled, cold hands.
"I… I think my time is up…," the frail demon coughed. His hair was as grey as the skies above, his skin as pale as snow, and his eyes were dull and lifeless.
"My… son… I want to see… him," he paused, only to continue weakly, "b-bring him to me…"
The man held the baby in his arms carefully and gasped in horror at the color of the wings as the baby kicked around and spread his wings fully. "Sir, your… Son. Wings of misfortune, my lord! You must not name him your heir for it will bring downfall to our land!"
He brought up his hand weakly to stroke the child's head affectionately before replying, "No! I sense great power from within him. He will take my place as the new king. He will be the one to bring our tribe to greater heights than ever. Hattori… Would you not even grant a dying old man's wish?"
It seemed that even simply breathing proved to be too difficult for him.
"No sir… but…"
"Then promise me that you'll take care of him as you would of your own child. Nurture him into a leader everyone will respect… This is the very last request I ask of you," he finished, as a single tear rolled down from the corner of his eye.
"As you wish, my lord. I will do my best to raise your child," Hattori knelt down and bowed in respect, deciding to trust the man he had served for years.
"Very… well…" He coughed, and spoke for the last time. "Listen well… I, Sakurazaki Kazuma, hereby… name Sakurazaki Setsuna… as my… rightful heir…"
Two months later…
Outskirts of Mahora Kingdom
"Damn it! Why does it have to rain now?!"
The masked man rode on his steed, urging it to go faster than it already was. The sky was pitch black and even though the fog was too thick for him to be traveling at this speed, he had no choice but to hurry! This concerns the well-being of the whole continent! The horse neighed loudly, coming to a stop all of a sudden when a piercing scream of pain suddenly echoed into the night…
-----
Mahora Castle Gate
Boom!
Crack!
The tall oak tree right outside the gates of the Mahora castle came down with a loud crash, as the lightning came in contact with one of its branches. The soldier on duty jumped, startled by the sudden noise which came from the tumbling tree. Immediately, he grabbed a spear resting by his side and readied it, vaguely recognizing the sounds of a horse galloping towards the castle at high speed.
"Halt! Who goes there?!" The soldier raised his spear quickly and pointed it at the masked man atop the majestic black stallion.
A deep voice came from behind the mask, which replied, "I am bringing an urgent message from Eishun-sama! Please let me in! Here's the token of entry!"
After carefully scrutinizing the token, he lowered his weapon and he opened the enormous gate. "Alright, go on through."
As the man passed, he drew his sword from the sheath and struck at the guard from behind, leaving a gash on the guard's body from the right shoulder to the left side of his lower back.
"Argh!"
Reaching into his cloak, he took out a piece of cloth and wiped away the blood on the sword, throwing the cloth aside into a corner where nobody would find it. He smirked at the dying guard and whispered into his ears, "Thanks for letting me in this time, but if there's a next time for you, try to be smarter and not let your enemy enter the castle so easily."
The words echoed in his mind clearly.
Find the girl and bring her back at all costs. Failure is not an option.
He whipped out a dagger and advanced quickly before anyone could find him. Sneaking behind one of the imperial guards, he grabbed the man and plunged the dagger right into his chest, stabbing the guard's heart and killing the man instantly.
-----
Inside the castle
Crack!
The thunder boomed loudly as it shook the painting visibly which was hanging on the wall. (The first thunder x)
"I bring bad news, Konoemon-sama!" The imperial guard stopped to catch his breath and continued, "The guard at the gates has been killed! There's a spy within the castle, your majesty. You must evacuate immediately!"
"No, I cannot leave. I am the ruler of this country. I must stay with my country until the end. Takahata-kun, I hereby order you to leave with the princess. She is of utmost importance. We mustn't let them have her or this continent will be doomed." Konoemon stood from his throne, his voice ringing throughout the room.
"But your majest-"
Konoemon held up his hand, silencing Takahata.
"Leave, now! This is an order, Captain Takahata. Go before it is too late!"
Takahata stared at Konoemon's face, realizing that the lord was serious, dead serious. There was nothing he could do to change his master's mind now. Understanding his role to its entirety, he bowed one last time and replied solemnly, "As you wish, sire."
"Wait, take this with you," Konoemon spoke, removing a pendant from his neck. Takahata turned it over to see that it was a symbol of the royal family, proof that one belongs to the Konoe family. Other than that, four roman numerals were inscribed onto the back of the pendant. "Keep it safe, and protect the princess's life as you would protect mine."
Takahata wasted no time at all, grabbing the necklace from the king and leaving the throne room as quickly as he could. He ran through the hall to find that everywhere was in chaos. Soldiers roamed the corridors and halls, searching everywhere for the spy who managed to sneak in.
Please let me find her before the enemy does!
He searched every single room, but the princess was no where to be seen.
The nursery!
An infant's faint cry could be heard outside the room.
Hime-sama!
In the corner of the room was an infant not much older than a month, crying in her crib, apparently afraid of the ruckus the people were causing around her. The thunder roared once again, making the baby cry even harder than she already did. The birthmark on her left chest was mysteriously glowing, as if giving off magical power.
So this is why they want the princess… I'll never let them have her!
Carrying the infant in his arms, he ran as fast as he could, until he reached a dead end with a large statue which seemed to be guarding something behind it. Reaching for the key that hung around his neck, he plunged it into the keyhole and waited patiently.
"Who dares to disturb my sanctuary?" A sonorous voice boomed.
Takahata widened his eyes at the talking stone gargoyle as it came alive, towering over Takahata at the height of at least three feet or more.
"I'm the captain of the imperial guards, Takahata. T. Takamichi. Please, let me through. It is of great importance that I leave now," Takahata answered, looking around for any hidden attackers.
"None may enter unless they speak the royal password!" The stone gargoyle stood up suddenly; big yellow eyes peered into Takahata's own as it waited for an answer.
He racked his brains for an answer and remembered the pendant. Turning the pendant over, he saw the numbers.
MDCCCIII (1803)
"MDCCCIII…" he whispered to nobody in particular and suddenly, the gargoyle sprung to life and revealed a hidden door behind it.
The doors to the secret passage swung wide open and Takahata stared at the door in surprise. Snapping himself back to reality, he decided that it wasn't time for him to be dreaming at the moment.
-----
"Where is the girl?" The tall figure used his sword to stab the old man in the abdomen. The elderly man cringed in pain.
"Using underhanded means to defeat me… I'll never… Give in to the likes of you!"
The figure pulled out the sword from the abdomen said, "I guess it's no use asking you. I have no more use for you." Blood spurted from Konoemon's mouth as he felt the sword in his chest; his sight was failing him. There was nothing he could do now…
The masked spy removed his sword forcefully from Konoemon's body…which now lay dead on the ground.
Another man, wearing the uniform of an imperial court official, entered the room and looked down upon Konoemon's corpse.
"How unsightly, Konoemon-sama. You should've known better than to defy us," He turned to the assassin and narrowed his eyes, "Sasuke, Takahata has used the tunnel to escape. Wait for them outside the tunnel. Do not hurt the princess, we need her."
"Yes sir. What about the guard?"
"Kill him. Do not fail."
With a wave of his hand, the man leapt into the darkness and then proceeded to where he was instructed go.
-----
"We should be safe for now, hime-sama," Takahata cradled the princess in his arms, and made his way out of the tunnel. To his surprise, the man named Sasuke stood right in front of him and reached for the princess. He dodged to the left, only to receive a direct kick to his ribs.
How?!
Leaping backwards, he dodged the oncoming attacks by the assassin and managed to gain a distance between them. He coughed due to the damage to his ribs.
Damn it! So it comes down to this after all…
Magic in the left hand…
His left hand glowed with power, emitting a semi-bright light in the middle of the night.
Ki in the right hand…
When his right hand started to glow, he raised his right hand to the hand that was holding the little princess and a streak of blinding light began to emit from his body, feeding him with endless energy.
Kankahou!
"Hand over the princess!" Sasuke charged forward, swinging his sword upwards, carefully avoiding the princess and managed to slice off a few strands of hair from Takahata.
Drawing his own sword, Takahata charged with an inhuman speed and as he felt both swords clash, he proceeded to a leg sweep. Without giving his opponent a chance to regain balance, he rushed forward once again…
End of prologue
Akira: Well… There're lots of things I won't say for now. I'm sure there're many questions waiting to be asked as well, but I won't answer them just yet xD You'll have to read on to find out more! –Cackles evilly- muahahahahahahahahaha! The little blue button there is telling you to press it Ah… I'd like to say this, constructive criticism and reviews are greatly appreciated. If you're going to flame, I suggest you stop it since you're going to waste your time. By the way, the numbers 1803 refers to Konoka's birthday, 18th of March.