Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).
Chapter One: The New Term ~Learning Magic~
Monday, September 3rd.
It was alien for every single one of them. Those who had traveled through the Gate had experienced so much...less than three weeks of summer vacation had become more than three months in a magical world, but even for the others, with the strange sights seen in the skies over Mahora, the odd reappearance of their close-lipped, missing classmates, even the few subtle things their teacher had said...
And now they were back in class. Could it, in any way, return to 'normal'?
They certainly weren't going to be able to make it so. Before, many of the girls arrived just in time or even later, and even those that were present early were often out of their seats, lounging around the classroom, talking and chattering about anything...but now every member of the class was in quite early, minutes before the start of class, sitting in their seats, hardly speaking to one another. The world held its breath...
The bell rang, and the door slid open. Kain walked inside. He was...different, but what made the difference all the more incredible was how he shrouded it in normalcy. He came in as he always did, addressed the class, endured their greeting, took role, and began to pester them about their summer homework and the like. He acted as if nothing was amiss...and perhaps that was the most amiss thing of all.
The Kain-sensei they knew was their age and at varying times seemed both older and younger. When on the spot, when searching for something to say, when reacting to their shenanigans, he often became withdrawn, shy, nervous, very childlike. When he became comfortable with a situation or was explaining something well-prepared, he was knowledgeable, precise, searching, calm, and almost frighteningly intelligent. But if you looked closely, he was always shy, fearful, and nervous, and hopefully amiable and expectant.
But this was not that Kain-sensei. Fear was gone. Hesitation was gone. An iron soul seemed to thunder out of him...and yet, clearly silhouetted behind it, was a kind of faint but vibrant sadness, and an intensity that was quite different. Even for those who had been in Arcanus Myrror with him, it was a bit of a shock—even as he evolved and grew stronger in his desperate battles to save the class and the worlds, he had been the same Kain-sensei. But now...
Kanade's hand shot up as Kain began to wind the class down. Kain glanced over at her quizzically, and she shot to her feet before he could acknowledge or dismiss her. "Kain-sensei! Something's definitely up! We demand that you tell us about what happened to all of you over summer break!"
"Yûki-chan..." began Hinagiku, trying to summon up a wave of superior authority to drown out the little firebrand.
"Not this time, Hina-chô!" Kanade insisted, silencing Hinagiku with a pointed finger of accusation. "You were one, too! Most of the class, in fact! You all went with Kain-sensei, disappeared with him, and now everything about you has changed! This isn't right! We are a class, aren't we!? Haven't we been together for three years and all!? This kind of segregation of the class is unjust and dictatorial!"
Protests, largely muted or muffled, began to rise in response, but Alyssa's voice cut through it all with surprising vigor. "Kain-sensei...Yûki-chan does have a point. Perhaps we should all meet at my place tonight to discuss the details? Say, around 9 o'clock? After all, you can't say that they're uninvolved...and having gone this far..."
Kain glanced over at Alyssa, then suddenly smiled slightly. "You're right. As some of those closest to this whole matter, we can't keep them out any longer. Congratulations are in order, Yûki-san. You've finally won." He nodded at the blonde demon-girl. "You heard Alyssa. If you want the answers to those questions, you better be at her place tonight. I'm sure you know the way...and if you don't, most here can take you there." Then, with excellent timing, the bell chimed. "Class is over for now. I'll see you all tonight at nine." He folded up his books and papers swiftly and departed.
The class stared after him. Chisame sighed. ('Oi...so we're really going to do this, huh? Just what questions are you answering? There's still some you've never told us, you know...')
8-8-8
And so they arrived…twenty-six teenage girls with varying amounts of trepidation, nervousness and excitement. Alyssa and Miyu were already inside, of course…but Kain was nowhere to be seen.
It was a large house, but the entry hall began to be cramped as so many girls fidgeted their way inside, past their nervousness and the rest of the bodies. "R-really…" Risa moaned. "Is this the best place for a discussion?"
"My, how prompt," Alyssa cackled from the doorway to the stairs. "I had no doubts that the lady-killer Kain-sensei would gather so many eager little lambs to the slaughter. Of course, most of you are already there. This place obviously won't do for discussion, so follow me…try not to mess anything in here up, or I shall be vexed." And she turned on her heel and started down the stairs. Largely mutely, the troupe followed as they could.
The room that contained her glass kingdom was somewhat larger, however, and they were able to spread out a little, those who hadn't experienced it before quite in awe of the scene. "Hey! Hey! What's this, Alyssa-chan?" Izumi asked cheerfully. "It's pretty cool-looking!"
"This is not a toy, Segawa," Alyssa answered with a smile. "It's a magical tool, to put it in terms you can easily understand…but it's also so much more. It's the place we can really talk about this."
"W-what about Kain-sensei?" Riku demanded. "I mean…he of all people should be here to discuss this with us, right? Rather, isn't any of it impossible without him?"
"Of course. He's inside waiting already, so we should go join him."
"Inside? Inside where…?"
Alyssa smirked and snapped out some strange, arcane phrase, and they were all drawn into her glass-encased world. Over half of the class was already at least somewhat familiar with the sight, but the neophytes more than made up for their lack of reaction with their own overreaction. "Whoa! Awesome!" crowed Riza. "We really have a magical city in a bottle! Wow! What a palace!"
"Well, how fascinating. I assume this is yours, Alyssa-chan?" Miki asked their host.
"Of course. Now quit dawdling and follow me." She marched imperiously towards the great estate past the edge of the magic circle and jungle. Those few who were as of yet unused to magic were dragged along in stunned silence by their more habituated classmates.
There, on a large veranda, sat Kain, sipping tea at a table. He glanced up and smiled at his arriving students. "Well, here we are. Thank you all for coming. Please, sit down." He snapped his fingers, and other tables set out for them were suddenly adorned by a multitude of cups, glasses, cans, and the like—each individual girl's favorite beverage was on hand for them to enjoy. Kain, of course, had been a diligently observant teacher.
"What you are witnessing here, what you have recently witnessed, for those who haven't seen it before…is magic," Kain explained as they all seated themselves. "This is not a joke, a prank, or anything of the sort. We are not talking parlor tricks or prestidigitation. This is magic, a real and vibrant power that exists in subtlety in our world. I have brought you all here to explain this and tell you about the magical world to come…so that all of you can understand the world you are about to inherit. Today, I am not your English teacher, but your magic teacher…your Mahou Sensei Kain."
Kain glanced around at the assembled girls. Most of the faces of those who were experienced were grimly accepting, and the few remainders were gripped with expressions of anticipation and excitement. He smiled slightly at their rapt attention. "Magic exists. It has since time immemorial, but jealous and fearful wizards kept it hidden for the world's safety and their own. We have an entire society dedicated to that objective, and the furthering of our ideals and goals. There is even an entire other world of magic on the 'other side of the veil', you could say. But of course, the world of magic is not so peaceful. You all know about my desire to find my father. He was a hero amongst the society of magic and particularly in the world of magic, since he saved it from an evil force. But he disappeared shortly after I was born, and I always knew it was because of his heroic—and tragic—past. Over the course of my teaching here, I've been looking for clues, and have since become involved in incidents relating to the remnants of the evil he defeated. One by one, many of you became involved in these events and learned about magic…a strange situation that now almost seems like it was always unavoidable. And, finally, we met and defeated the last traces of that evil. Right now, I won't go into detail about the specifics. I'm sure that some of your classmates can tell the tales much better than I can, anyway.
"But we paid a high price for our victory, and the world is in danger…not just the magical world, but our own world, Earth, as well. Because of what the villains did to our world, it is doomed to destruction in less than 100 years' time."
This brought a little bit of consternation to the fascinated class. Even amongst the multitude that had just come from the magical world, this had more or less been mentioned or alluded to, but it had yet to be declared so plainly, and those completely new to this wonder were completely taken aback. Kain raised a hand to forestall their questions. "Great minds on both worlds have been pondering this problem, and I have as well—in truth, I'm the closest to the heart of the problem, because of everything that we've been through…."
"That's right," Chisame suddenly cut in. "Most of us were there that night you spoke to Gödel about it. He had some sort of solution that would require sacrificing most of Arcanus Myrror, the magical world, but you seemed to have a better one. Is that what you're getting at?"
Kain smiled at her. "Yes, Chisame. That is the point of what I'm talking about. I do have a better solution…but it will not allow the world to go back to the status quo. That ship has long since sailed." Turning to address the class as a whole again, he continued, "The 'Obsidian Star', the force that was attempting to destroy our worlds for its own benefit, did enough damage to what we can call 'the fabric of our reality' that this potential doomsday is upon us. The magical world, Arcanus Myrror, is particularly endangered, and one man, Kurt Gödel, supposed that he could reshape and reduce the magical world. All the various scientific points behind these dangers are probably boring and over your head, so I'm trying to simplify: his solution was to rebuild the magical world, but much smaller. That would mean sacrificing all but about 100 million of the people in Arcanus Myrror. I will not—cannot—allow that to happen. So I have devised a better solution, one that will allow Arcanus Myrror to remain as it is, that won't sacrifice everyone. But this isn't some miracle solution—it, too, has a price. In Gödel's mind, the ability to keep the status quo, for magic to be kept strictly by the true mages of Earth and its allies, was the most important thing. He couldn't dream of my solution. But to me, those lives are worth the 'normal life' so many people ignorantly cherish.
"My solution, simply, is to spread the out-of-whack magic out between our two worlds. This will balance the two worlds so that they will both be saved, but it means that Earth, too, will become a magical world. It won't happen overnight; I hope to control it enough and work with the governments of Earth to regulate its spread at least to a degree, but I calculate that after no more than 20 years, magic will become a self-evident fact of our world. The generation after us will all grow up with the knowledge, not the secret, of magic."
"T-this is fascinating, if a little heavy," Matake managed as Kain paused to let this all soak in. "But…w-what does this have to do with all of us…?"
Kain chuckled, then sighed, then swept a tender, sad smile around the group. "Well…everything and nothing. Right now, Oga-san, you, Risa-san and Kanade-san are the only members of the class who know nothing about magic…who are experiencing it for the first time. When I arrived here, I was only told that my job was, against all my expectations and wishes, to teach English to a bunch of girls my age. I was told nothing else about any one of you. But nearly a third of the class was already part of the secret magical world; another few were related to it, even though it had been kept hidden from them; and many more of you found out over the course of my time here, because of everything that happened. It was down to Miki, Izumi, Riza, Riku, Risa-san, Kanade-san, Kaoru, Yukari-san, and Oga-san by the time we were leaving on our summer trip—all the rest, whether they were a part of our club or not, had entered the magical world. And then six of those nine sneaked into the magical world despite our efforts." He spread his hands out in a confused gesture. "Well, I actually do know the reasons, although they're unimportant now…but despite the fact that most of you know nothing of it, this school is actually a school run by mages. Most of the teachers and all of the higher faculty, as well as many of the student leaders, are all important people in the magical circle. That's part of the reason for my teaching here, and part of the reason so much happened that everyone started learning about it. And because of that, Mahora will almost certainly become one of the pioneer sites for magic-normal integration, or whatever you want to call it—magic will be publicly admitted here long before it is elsewhere in the world. That's my plan, anyway. And, since I'm only three short…it's really pointless to keep this secret any longer, especially since you'll know eventually anyway.
"That's the point of this. Once we started picking up so many members, Alyssa joked that the entire class would be a part of it before the end of the year. And now, she might as well be right. I might as well let my entire class know, so that we, at least, don't have to worry about hiding anything from each other. Now Kazumi can share everything with her two friends. Now no one can accuse anyone else of keeping secrets or hogging information. It's all out here, for all of us to consider, as a class."
"So, does that mean you'll be trying to tie the rest of the class to you with contracts?" Alyssa needled him.
Kain didn't flush. He smirked almost rudely at Alyssa. "Well…since you're going there, I'll discuss it." Focusing back on the group again, he continued, "Over the course of my first few adventures, I was facing magical threats far more powerful than I could manage on my own. Despite my stubborn, prideful desire to handle my own problems, I had to have help from those nearby…who invariably happened to be my students. In order for us to have enough magical power to win, these students of mine each forged a magical contract with me, granting us both benefits and magically linking us. Over time, especially during our trip to the magical world, in order to keep everyone protected, we had contracts established with pretty much everyone who had become involved. Depending on your point of view, I guess that can be seen as a bad or a good thing. But now, all the main reasons for those contracts are gone—and I am going to be very busy for the next little while, trying to work out this plan and put it to action. My previous goals have to be set aside, and so even those who seriously meant to follow and support me as my disciples can't do much to aid me. As it stands, I think it's best if we annul pretty much all the contracts we have—none of you should be forced to follow me now."
There was actually a good-sized protest that arose from this declaration. "C'mon, Sensei, you can't be that unfair," Nanami chuckled when the hubbub had died down a little, holding up her card. "I get what you're saying about that—but for many of us more 'normal' girls, these contracts we've made are our only real connections to the magical world, our only sources of magical power. I understand why you think you don't need us with you anymore—especially since the actual fighting has been done—but whether I'm your 'disciple' or not, I don't want to give up my artifact!"
Kain smiled. "Yes, I understand that…those artifacts are wonderful. But we, children all, never gave too much thought to what these contracts really mean. There are two points about these contracts we've largely ignored. First, Kamo briefly called them 'provisional contracts', or in other words, incomplete contracts. These are contracts that bind two souls together, but they aren't 'full' contracts." He paused to let this implication sink in, and while he remained stoic and calm, many of the girls slowly began to blush as the thought fully weighed down on them. "Secondly, those who become my disciples swear to follow me—and the magic of the contract allows me to enforce that pledge, whether it was meant in earnest or not. Magical oaths and geases are not to be taken lightly. Those of you who are contracted to me now, give this serious thought—you were all there for that final scene. You saw what I did to stop the Obsidian Prince—how the power of my contract allowed me to overcome even his magical control, centuries in preparation. I could command any one of you to do anything, and if I did it through the contract, you would be forced to obey. Knowing that—and knowing what I am now, and everything that's happened—can you honestly be all right with this contract, those artifacts, knowing the price you might still have to pay? Knowing that, if I require it, not your aid, but your very lives are mine by right? Are you really willing to put your whole selves in my hands like that? Would you make that choice now?"
He looked around at the faces, many warring with mixed expressions. None of them were prepared for this, none of them were used to it—this was it again, an entirely different Kain Lockeheart. Not the shy, reserved, apologetic, and honestly quite neurotic teacher that tried his best to teach and fit in and capitulate and befriend them all, but a strong, direct, and all too-intelligent schemer, someone who was implying very dark things indeed, things they could never have imagined their Kain-sensei even capable of thinking.
But one voice, quiet but strong, suddenly broke the silence: "Yes, Kain-sensei, I would." The entire class swiveled their eyes to stare at Nodoka, and Kain himself fixed fiery, steeled, searching eyes on her, but Nodoka puffed herself up bravely and pressed on, "It's not just…because I'm desperate for Kain-sensei…for his affections, that I would endure anything he heaped upon me…it's because…I know…even now, that it's impossible. Even if you have that power, you would never use it. You would never make us do anything we didn't want to do…you would never make us do anything at all. You would never take away our freedom, for any reason, even for an instant. Even back then…when you used that power…you used it to give Mai-san her freedom, so she would have the power to resist the Obsidian Prince. And even then, you could have used it at anytime, but you waited until you absolutely had to. No matter how different you are, you're still Kain-sensei. And no matter how frightened we might be of that power, you are even more frightened to use it. That's why you're telling us this…because you're afraid of having that much influence over us."
The group continued staring, and Nodoka valiantly tried not to wilt under their collective gaze. Finally, one by one, the other girls turned to the teacher and began to pipe up in support of Nodoka, declaring their belief in their teacher and his integrity.
Kain glanced around with his inscrutable expression, taking in every brave, supportive face, until Miki piped up, "It's really rather unfair, Kain-sensei. What you're saying is technically true, and many of us probably, if we're honest, don't want anything to do with battles or dangers or anything like that again. And we don't necessarily want to be at your beck and call, under your thumb, no matter what we might say. But still…like Honya said, we know you aren't the kind of guy who would really take advantage of that power, or abuse it in that way. We also know that, for the most part, the battles and dangers are over. I think of it like this: the contracts, and especially the artifacts that come with it, are like our rewards for enduring those hardships, our compensation. I don't think that there's anyone here who's made a contract who really wants to give it up." She glanced around for confirmation of this declaration, and received no protests. She continued, "I think that's been established. It's unfair of you, Kain-sensei, to try to wriggle out of this and cut us off after all this time."
Kain chuckled. "I was actually trying to be fair…as fair as possible. Right now…depending on how people might view it…the most fair thing to do is to make sure everyone is contracted, or no one is…so I was trying to set the tone for that. They aren't necessary, so if we annulled all of them and all of you went back to your normal, preferred lives, it'd be best for all of us. But if you're going to keep them…with over half the class now contracted to me, it's only fair if everyone receives one, at least if they want the artifact that comes with it so badly. And despite what Alyssa was implying, I'm not eager to add any more contracts." He smiled around at the group, a smile that was far more reminiscent of their old, familiar teacher. "I've said my piece, but now that ball is in your court—as a class, you should decide the contract situation."
He leaned back and said nothing more, leaving it to his class to explain the matter to its confused members, and sat right through the usual overreactions as the whole explanation and implication of the process was given….
8-8-8
Kain settled easily into the seat across from the Principal. He chuckled. "Well, Kain-kun…what is it you wanted to see me about?"
"Well, actually, I'm surprised you haven't already called for me," Kain replied. "Naturally, Takamichi, Meia-san, probably even Eishun-san all already told you all about what happened…but still, to have been just cut loose like that…."
Kensuke Higurashi chuckled again. "Well, to be honest, after all you and your students had gone through, I decided that it would be best to give you some space first. They, in particular, must have had a harrowing time." He shook his head in bemusement. "I let you go, knowing that you would grow from your journey, but…I never expected anything like what happened. You have, indeed, come back a man, a hero, even. Your students…well, some of them seem to have matured more than others, but overall, it was quite a job well done all around…."
Kain waved the commentary away. "Yes, yes. I know you could praise me all day, but I'd rather not endure that. I came on business…but I do have a few things to talk about before that. How is the prisoner?"
"Hoho. Luana-chan is a charming and obedient young thing. I'm not quite sure yet why she decided to follow you through the Gate back to Earth…whatever she was back there, she's a skilled fighter, mage, and probably spy as well, but she doesn't have the power to compete against Takamichi-kun or Meia-kun, or Delryn-kun, who has accepted the main responsibility of watching over her. There are too many here for her to do any kind of sabotage…and she has been a model prisoner overall, but she still won't say anything about what her intentions are, at least not to me. Have you…been avoiding her?"
Kain shook his head. "Not exactly…but I have too much on my plate right now to deal with her. I'll see her soon and see if she's willing to talk about her plans with me. If she won't talk even to me…I'll probably have to figure out some way of sending her back, although I'd like to avoid that if possible, because it might make some of what I'm planning difficult."
"Yes…I'm sure that's mostly what you've come here to discuss, but while we're talking about stowaways, can you tell me more about that other one, the hanyô Inuyasha…?"
Kain smirked. "He's Kagome's guardian, you could say," he explained cheerfully. "When we first went through the gate and were scattered, she was sent back to the place of her mother's ancestors, the blessed land of Takamori, and ended up freeing Inuyasha from a curse so he could defeat a powerful yôkai for her. He protected and guided her around Arcanus Myrror until we were able to meet back up in Orimus. He has…an interesting relationship with her, because she looks just like his old lover who was killed by the Obsidian Star's machinations (and is really her distant relative). Other than that…you'd probably have to ask Kagome herself. He's surly and a bit jaded from all the trials and difficulties he's gone through as a hanyô in that world, but he's a good soul underneath it all. Mostly he's harmless, if rather unused to a nonmagical, high-technology world like ours."
"Hmm. I see. I suppose I will have to talk to Kagome, then," the old man murmured. "But enough of that. I assume you wish to talk about 'what you're planning' to fix the…difficulty that has arisen between the worlds?"
Kain nodded. "Yes. The only solution is to give up on the idea of a 'magical world' and a 'nonmagical world'. In fact, to give up on the idea of only two worlds. I'm not quite sure how it will all shake out yet, but five other worlds that were used in the creation of Arcanus Myrror will be much closer to us…and more importantly, Earth itself is going to have to undergo a magical transformation. It's an extreme idea, but it's the only way I can see this being possible. And it's going to take the help of you and the Magic Council, the nations of Arcanus Myrror, and…most especially…."
Kain continued with his explanation. The principal listened.
"…I see. And you're going to begin this immediately?"
"No. There are some things to work out. My father's…help has given us some time to get it all prepared, but I know…certain parties will want to begin as soon as possible. But there is the matter of the time discrepancy between Earth and Arcanus Myrror—I'd like to get that repaired, first. After that, probably the spring…the end of the school year is probably the best time for that kind of…action…."
"…All right, then. I will present your findings to the Magic Council here. And I'll leave the…repairing of the time discrepancy to you as well."
8-8-8
Although the magical discussion and subsequent contracts had been a huge event to the class (as had the later explaining of the required duration of their stay), the days that followed ended up becoming...surprisingly normal, for the most part. Kain was...still not quite the Kain they remembered, but even to those students who were still reeling from all the magical knowledge being thrust upon them, he was enough for them to be at ease. Of all the class, the one who was currently the most disturbed was Kagome, who had to put up with the frequent interferences of the hanyô Inuyasha, who had a triple threat of almost barbaric lack of knowledge, boredom, and suspicion driving him. The dog-demon was wandering about the grounds, often without his ballcap 'disguise', trying to get into class to see Kagome and complain at her at least a couple times a day, and otherwise making a nuisance of himself. Kenjirô and Kajirô were the main ones tasked with keeping track of him and getting him to behave himself, but even they couldn't do it all the time because they had classes and Inuyasha, of course, did not.
Delryn was asked to help as well, but he declined to spend too much time with the dog-demon; he was more concerned with getting the most out of his own stay at Mahora, checking out some of the classes and clubs. When he was helping, he preferred, as Kensuke had stated, to help with watching over Luana.
And so Kain was not too surprised to come across Inuyasha one afternoon, sniffing the ground and exploring quite like…a dog.
"What are you doing?" Kain demanded.
Inuyasha glanced up at him. "Oh, it's you. This is a strange place. Why are there so many humans about?"
"Because this is Earth. Magic is unknown and kept secret, and nonhuman races are EXTREMELY rare. And completely kept hidden. As far as I know, counting you, we have 2 hanyô, 2 vampires, a robot, a magical spirit humanoid interface, and a shinigami here at the school. That's actually a lot more nonhumans than you'd find in one place pretty much anywhere in this world." Kain smiled. "In fact, you're rather lucky you're here, considering you refuse to be parted from that kimono and blend in. Here at Mahora, they're used to strange sights; you're just odd to them, not suspicious."
"You're saying that I'm the strange one here?"
"A nice summation of my explanation…."
Inuyasha sighed. "Jeez. Why does Kagome have to live in a place like this?"
"Because it's her home. Her family and friends are here…despite everything, she's still just a kid, and she needs to finish her youth off properly. Or something like that. After she's done with it…who knows? She is a mahô shojô now, after all. She feels connected to that world. We'll see…."
Kain clapped the hanyô on his shoulder. "Cheer up. You may be bored being stuck here, but it won't be forever. Try to relax and enjoy yourself. New experiences are always fun."
"Says you," Inuyasha growled, then sighed. "Oh, well. At least, as you say, people aren't treating me like I'm a…a monster, or anything…."
"Of course not. As far as the kids around here are concerned, 'monsters' don't exist…."
8-8-8
"Hard to imagine that this is just a school, and not a city," Luana remarked as they walked through the streets.
"I know what you mean," Delryn replied. "There's no place on Arcanus Myrror like it. Garderobe's closest, from what I heard, but even it doesn't have businesses, commerce, and similar things on its grounds. Even its own train station."
"Everything is so…sleek, and well-manufactured," Luana remarked. "I suppose this is the kind of architecture that becomes normal when science is forced to completely replace magic? How interesting. I suppose this is what Kairen saw when she visited Earth." She glanced over her shoulder at her escort. "What about you, Master Delryn? Are you used to this?"
"Just Delryn, please," the young man sighed for the fourth time. "Well, Dad decided to live in Arcanus Myrror because he thought it was more interesting, and he probably wasn't wrong. He took me to his family home in the Eastern US, though, a few times. And I spent a few months here in Japan at Kyoto, learning swordsmanship from Momo, so I've seen it before. Japan's…interesting…."
"It's not an easy place for a young firebrand to live, that's for sure. It appeals more to the neurotically guilt-ridden, like me."
Delryn and Luana paused and turned to the speaker. Kain was walking down the street towards them, Akari flanking him. He waved at them as he approached.
"Kain…Akari?" Delryn murmured. "What are you doing here…?"
"I've been so busy lately, I haven't had a chance to talk with Luana since she arrived," Kain explained. "I had some time to spare, so I thought I'd come check on her. Oh…." He suddenly looked over at a clock hung conveniently underneath a street lamp. "Ah, what am I thinking…it's about dinnertime. I haven't eaten yet…have you, Luana?"
"Ah, why, no…."
"Then I'll treat you to something. Delryn, why don't you take Akari out somewhere for dinner, as well? I'm sure she hasn't had anything since school let out…."
"W-what?" Akari suddenly looked alarmed. "N-no, I'm fine, I don't need…." And then her stomach interrupted her, bringing silence to the group.
"Well, I happen to be famished, Akari," Delryn finally managed as the girl reddened noticeably. "Would you, ah, I mean, you might as well eat something with me, since I don't want to eat alone? Kain, I guess, wants to be alone with the beautiful girl…like he's used to it or something…."
Akari meekly nodded, and as they started away from the other pair, Delryn asked her, "So, what are you doing here, anyway?"
"I-I don't know…Kain suddenly popped into the club and asked me to accompany him to town…."
"Really…."
Luana and Kain watched them go. "That was interesting," Luana noted. "Did you have a specific reason for that…?"
"I don't know what you mean." He turned and motioned for Luana to follow him. "Follow me…I know a few good places we can eat…."
To his surprise, Luana suddenly moved forward and took hold of his arm, using both of hers to press it against her side. "Come now, Master Kain…don't you know how to escort a lady properly…?"
Kain sighed. "Fine. As you like."
He led her to a middle-class restaurant with an outdoor café area, one quite respectable and expensive but not exclusive enough to require reservations and formal dress. After they ordered and had received their drinks, Luana finally said, "Well, now…what does the great Kain Lockeheart wish to speak to this humble Luana-chan about?"
Kain looked at her in bemusement. "You really are quite a character, aren't you?"
"You sound like an expert on that."
"Have you met my class? Anyway, moving on…I just wanted to ask you a few friendly questions. In particular, I'm interested in why you suddenly decided to jump into the Gate and follow us here."
Luana smirked. "That's all? Really?"
"What did you expect? I understand you haven't exactly been forthcoming with that information, especially to the principal."
"Well, yes, I suppose not…he seems a nice old man, but I don't know him, so what I do isn't his business. You are my master, aren't you? You're the one I answer to."
"I'm not…."
"Eminus-sama committed us all into your care, didn't he? He asked you to take responsibility for us, which you quite publicly did. Therefore, I am your responsibility. It's up to you to decide our fate, so, for all intents and purposes, you are my 'master'." She closed her eyes and smiled brightly at him.
Kain sighed and pinched his nose. "Right. Fine. So does that mean you're willing to share your thoughts with me, then? Or did you just suddenly decide you couldn't be separated from your new 'master' and dove right in? I hope you don't expect me to order you to tell me or anything…."
"No, no…." Luana suddenly grew somber and pensive, her smile fading. "I apologize for my games. A bright personality was clothing I adopted in order to travel about as Eminus-sama's spy, disguised as a traveling entertainer. When everything about my world changes, I…well, I just felt I needed something to protect myself. A light heart does well." She gazed off into the distance. "I'm not plotting anything, I promise. Eminus-sama is gone. We never…wanted, really wanted, to see the world sacrificed. I don't think Eminus-sama wanted it, either; not because of altruism or anything, but simply because it made no difference to him one way or the other. But he served the Prince, and we served him, so we buried our hearts and tried to carry out the work as coldly as we could. I'm not attempting to excuse myself, I'm just assuring you that, with the Obsidian Star gone, with Eminus-sama gone, none of us have any intention of revenge or anything of the sort. Eminus-sama committed us to your care because he, in his final moments, must have wanted us to live our lives…to be happy. If that's what he wanted, that's certainly what I will try to do. But…as I thought about it…I just don't think I could go back to trying to be happy in that world. Arcanus Myrror…was my home, but in my heart, I killed it, I wished it dead, I wished my heart cold so that I wouldn't cry when it was gone. I tried to turn myself into a demon and not care about it. And so I focused on the negative—the war, the orphans and those who suffered like myself, the twisted politics, the hatred and bigotry and power-mad dark mages. That's all I see when I look at Arcanus Myrror. On an impulse, I was afraid of facing that world and trying to see the good again. But I saw those silly, happy girls, your students, who despite everything they went through still had happy and optimistic views. They had been raised in such peace and happiness that it got them through the horrors they saw in their four short months over there. And I thought…maybe, if it's that kind of world…maybe in that world, I can re-learn to be human, to find peace…to be happy." She turned her gaze back to Kain. "I apologize that I've inconvenienced you with my whim."
Kain considered her carefully. Then he smiled. "No, it's no inconvenience. I'm actually rather happy to hear it. If you're set on trying to find a place…then maybe you can fit in here. In fact, perhaps you'll be useful to me."
"Oh…." Luana's expression took on a fearful, coquettish look, and she drew her arms in and pulled her fists up to partially hide her face as if in fear. "U-useful…I-I'm not sure I can be, b-but if that's what Master Kain wishes, then…I-I am inexperienced, but I will try to be useful…."
"Obviously, I meant be useful towards my plan of saving the world," Kain said, sipping casually from his drink. "If you value your life, please refrain from making those kinds of jokes within earshot of my students."
Luana dropped her timid posture and regarded Kain curiously. "How interesting. I was led to understand that you were largely clueless about the feelings of your students…."
"For my sanity, I pretended to be," Kain replied. "I was deathly afraid of their attention, at the fact that one of them might feel strongly about me, never mind…well, possibly most of them. I don't want to know the number. But that was before. Back when I was human. Now that I've changed…." Kain slowly moved a hand to lightly caress his chest. "Now that I'm something else, it…bothers me, but I'm able to ignore it more easily. Accept it. Treat it like background, like it doesn't matter."
Luana stared, then suddenly her countenance fell. "I-I'm sorry…that's…because of me…."
"Don't apologize. I appreciate your regret, but it's long past, and I know that, in the same situation, you'd do it again. That's the kind of thing people will do for love. Besides, in the end it helped me. I'm grateful to have this demon heart, now. Part of me mourns the fact that I'm no longer human, but even before, I had essentially traded in my humanity of my own free will. Being part Infernal, now…just makes a few things easier. If I didn't have this heart, I couldn't have beaten the Obsidian Prince. And now…because of this heart…I should be able to make the tough choices I need to, no matter how hard…."
Luana's expression softened from Kain's assurances, and turned to a kind of morbid curiosity as he mumbled his last comment. "Tough choices…I assume, regarding the plan you must have to undo the damage we did? What are you planning, exactly…?"
"Nothing extreme by society's view, in the large picture. Kurt Gödel thought the only way was to sacrifice most of Arcanus Myrror, billions of people. My plan won't technically cost any lives…it won't require anyone to die. But I will have to make a sacrifice, instead…one that will break my heart. But that's fine. Personal isn't the same as important. I'll still hurt, but I'll be able to make the choice, and work past it. But that's enough of that, for now. Let me explain to you how you can be of use to me…."
8-8-8
Hinagiku poured over the papers and letters and missives and notes. So much important work to do…coming back from that crazy trip at such a time left a lot undone, and now she had to deal with it. But that was all right. Throwing herself into her Student Council work was cathartic, after all, and kept her mind off the other worries that were heaped upon her….
There was a knock at the door. "Come in," she said automatically, not looking from the document in front of her. The knocker did, opening the door and striding across the room silently.
The shadow fell across Hinagiku, and she looked up…and froze at the sight of him. "Report and proposals from the Boys' Student Council about the Fall Festival," Kajirô murmured, dropping the papers on her desk. Then, without another word, he turned and started to walk out.
After a few moments, Hinagiku suddenly burst out, "Kaji-kun…wait." He stopped obediently, but didn't turn around. "Look at me, dammit!" she suddenly seethed, her anger rising despite herself.
Kajirô did so obediently, but made no other movement, didn't speak. His eyes were carefully neutral. "Is that all?" Hinagiku demanded. "No, not that, um…h-how do I put this…w-we haven't spoken to each other, really, since Arcanus Myrror…since…that…."
"Yes, it was a troublesome time," Kajirô answered casually. "Kain-kun and even the Red Wings, all fighting like that…."
"No, not that! Well, yes, that was incredible too, but I'm not talking about that! Then, right before that, when…when we were fighting together…y-you suddenly said that…that you l-like me…."
"Oh, that. Yes, I did. So?"
"So!? Don't act like it was nothing! That was huge! That was a world-shattering event! Is the fact that you like me mean nothing to you or something!?"
Kajirô sighed. "What do you want me to do, Hinagiku-san? Laugh and say that it was just a joke? Suddenly drop to my knees and beg you to be my girlfriend? Is there some third option for this response? I meant what I said, Hinagiku-san, but…I seriously believed I was going to die. I was going to die, and I knew that I would regret for all eternity if I died before confessing my feelings, but never once have I believed that anything would come of it. That's why I only did it expecting that I would die. That I didn't die is a bit of a disappointment."
"P-please be serious here!"
"Oh, I'm very serious," Kajirô murmured. "Hinagiku-san…I've loved you for as long as I could remember. You are my first and most precious friend. You are the person I've admired and cared for all my life. My family…my parents are good people, but they are important, and busy, and there's only so much time they can afford to give a son, especially a son like me. My brother, whom I so admired and looked up to, is gone, left a long time ago. All I ever had…was you. But, I always knew…that I didn't have the same hold in your heart. That's why I resolved just to watch you from afar. I knew that telling you my feelings would just be a burden to you…that you'd be far better off with me simply as your friend. Isn't that the case?"
"You can't just assume that!" Hinagiku insisted. "If you don't let your thoughts be known, how can anyone judge you properly?"
"Well, let's test that, Hinagiku-san. Remember, you are the girl I confessed to. I told you my feelings. Now, how do you feel about it?"
Hinagiku stared at him, then began to redden suddenly. "W-what!? N-no…how am I supposed to answer that!?"
"You see?" Kajirô smiled and turned slowly away. "I didn't want our relationship to be changed, but it's too late now. This is the truth. Yes, I've avoided you since we came back…but haven't you been avoiding me, too? You can't handle my feelings. But that's how it is. You have someone else in your heart, still, so all I can do is keep my distance."
Hinagiku grew even more wide-eyed than before as the implication of that comment sunk in.
"She already has someone she feels too strongly for," Kajirô had told her, when speaking about his anonymous love. "Your Kain-sensei."
"Y-you!" she shrieked. "Y-you know…about…!?"
"You just now figured that out?" Kajirô muttered.
"H-how did you know…!?"
"It's actually rather obvious to anyone with eyes and half a brain. I know I could never compete with someone like him. So, I think I should just spare the both of us any more agony and take my leave."
"Wait!" Hinagiku insisted, strongly, fighting to get her assertive control back. Trying to assume a strong, authoritative posture, she continued, "W-while it's true that…that I don't feel…that…that I can't answer your feelings yet, it's too childish just to run away because of something like that! No, just because you l-li…l-li…just because you've said your piece is no reason that we have to stop being friends! If that were to happen, I'd definitely, definitely feel like I'd lost!"
('Lost what?') Kajirô thought.
"Anyway! You have to stop avoiding me! And I'll stop avoiding you, too." She reddened slightly and turned a fierce glare on her friend. "T-this doesn't mean that I'm giving up on Kain-sensei and tentatively accepting your feelings because I know I can't get his heart, o-or anything of the sort! I'm not that weak that I'd give in to the first person who happened to like me! But I'm not going to lose or run away because someone said such things! So we're going to remain friends, understand?"
Kajirô stared in confused shock. "Um…okay…?"
"Right! So, we'll try to continue on as normal…as best we can." She turned away, and muttered, "A-as for that…w-well, we'll see…how youth changes, after all…."
"Sorry, what was that, Hinagiku-san?"
"Nothing! If there's nothing else, you're dismissed, Kaji-kun!"
Kajirô smiled slightly. "Yes, Hinagiku-san." And he started to go.
"Wait! One more thing. I-if you really think of me like that, you should really do something about how you address me. You've called me 'Hinagiku-san' for as long as I can remember, but…that's too informal. It sounds like you're making fun of me. I've never liked hearing that from my friends. So…you should at least just call me Hinagiku, without honorifics, or something."
Kajirô stared, then nodded. "All…all right…I'll do that…Hina." He smiled more casually, bowed, and exited the room.
Hinagiku stared after him. Then she folded her arms across her desk, put her chin on them, and leaned it down to the side. "He…adapted to that way too quickly…idiot."
She gazed at nothing as her thoughts turned again to the coming months. As hectic and active as this year had been thus far, she somehow felt that, even if they'd returned home, their peace and quiet would not be present this fall and winter. Indeed, she wondered if those days would ever return….
F I N
Author's Note: Settling In
The opening chapters of this Act are going to be a lot of dialogue, soul-searching, emotional troubles, and planning and events, and not much in the way of action and slapstick comedy. Of course, after the intense battles of the previous Arc (which ran from the end of Act 7 all the through all of Act 16), a break from action might be a blessing; it certainly is to most of the Mahora students.
Yes, I've been couching Kain's plans in a shadowy language, hinting at a lot while saying nothing. For this to work with proper emotional impact, I can't say what's going to happen. I can make suggestions, and if my dear readers guess at what's coming, they can read with dread, but I can't tell about what actually happens until it comes upon us. The biggest point of writing, after all, is hitting the emotional strings of the readers. With several Acts to go before this plan is fully revealed and culminated, coming right out and telling you now all the dark secrets would lessen the impact by the time it arrives…and what comes after….
No more teasers, there. On to the chapter review!
As I briefly mentioned in the last chapter of Act 16, I brought Inuyasha into Earth because I wanted to do a parallel with some of Inuyasha's modern day adventures from the anime. And besides, Kagome + Inuyasha is one of the more, well, real, pure romances from all the anime I've pilfered, so it was only appropriate to bring it in. We had tiny bits of suggestion of it in Act 9, but not much; I don't intend for it to take over this or the following Acts, but I needed to have Inuyasha around so I could look at it a little, make it kind of plain, especially to those who aren't as familiar with the anime (although I think it's one ALL of my readers know well, unless this really ends up online after all). Anyway, those are the two reasons why he's here.
And Luana? I have a particular place for her, which Fate had in the original. It's a very minor thing, especially since the ending to Negima was oddly rushed and it concluded what I'm going to do in 4 Acts (with extra action and stuff) in just 20 chapters, a very short time in manga. But I wanted to flavor it in anyway, and since Eminus is gone, to fit properly it had to be one of his girls. Ellis was my first choice, but since it involves being on Earth, well…the elf-girl is a lot harder to hide. Luana is my next favorite, is impulsive and dreamy enough to try something like this, and so she just kind of fell in. No, despite her teasings and flirtings, she's not actually in love with Kain, after Kain, or will be interfering in his romances in any real way. Well…she might discuss such things. But she's not joining his 'Fan Club'.
Hmm, I should go back to the contracts. This was a reasonable extrapolation from how I'd put it all together. The contracts were never really addressed at the end of Negima; all the girls kept them without a second thought. Kain thinks about it. Negi ended up making a few more contracts in a hurried manner in the super-swift ending (I'll probably be harping on that for the rest of the story), for several fairly good reasons, but it was, as it always was in Negima, mostly without much thought (sounds contradictory, I know, but if you were to read it and I explained it, you'd understand). Here, it's 'only fair' if every girl in his class has one, as long as they want it (and honestly, none want to give it up who've gotten it, and most everyone wants one who doesn't). Matake probably would pass, since she has no interest in Kain or magic, Caria likewise has interest only in machines of her own make, and Yuki, Alyssa, and Miyu have no desire for that due to their various states of inhumanity, but Risa wants the card desperately, Kanade would not want to be left out, and Rakasu…. Well, Rakasu is friendly and companionable, innocent and unmoved much by romance. She has a position and responsibilities that would help make her useful to the cause, especially with a contract, so she'd like one. She'd kiss for it without any thought one way or another—I know it. After all, in SEED, she is picked up in a life pod by hero Kira's ship, which is technically her enemy, but innocent boy Kira doesn't like seeing the girl subsequently used as a hostage against the ZAFT forces, and so he decides to sneak her out and return her to her people, and especially to her fiancé, his best friend Athrun. When he gets her to the lockers so they can climb aboard his Gundam and get off the ship, he pulls a spacesuit out for her to put on, but as he wonders about how she's going to put it on over her elaborate dress, she calmly and innocently starts disrobing in front of the shocked Kira without a second thought. It's not flirty or mischievous in any way, it's just classic Rakasu…innocent and trusting, knowing that Kira won't do a thing to her. (As an amusing continuation note, she stuffs her dress in the belly of her suit, and so when she and Kira come out of the lockers dressed for space and her with this bulk at her abdomen, Kira's partner-in-crime friend Sai remarks, 'I wonder how she got pregnant so fast'.) So, to sum up my ramblings and explain properly, Risa, Kanade, and Rakasu all decided to make contracts with Kain.
Will these contracts be important? Hard to say. Rakasu's has already been planned to have a significant role, based on one from Negima (in what little time there was for significant ideas in that fast-forward ending), but the other two are too minor to matter much. Though they would have to have some significance in the upcoming game, so…yeah, I guess we'll have some showing from them. Darn, I better start coming up with some weird artifacts for them, fast….
Anyway, lastly, Hinagiku and Kajirô. Kajirô's origin, as I believe I explained already, was technically the Magiverse. I decided that Season 4 was going to involve Ryan and crew of the Howling Moon hosting the eccentric young heiress Nagi Sanzen'nin and her class in a tour of the Magiverse, bringing the entirety (in various ways, since not all the characters are in her class) of the Hayate universe into the Magiverse. And because I'm an interfering guy who hates harems with great ladies who end up as the odd girl out, I decided to create a character for this unique Hayate group that could be Hinagiku's eventual love partner, stealing her from Hayate (perhaps to his relief; although I personally am someone who would be glad to ship Hayate + Hinagiku, I just don't see it happening in this mess). Since it was already a magic world, he had his Kamikaze in that universe, too, so he was easy to adapt. At one point—in fact, the ending to Season 4 was going to be another copy of Negima's Magic World Arc anyway—Hinagiku and Kajirô were going to be in quite the similar situation, where Kajirô believes he is going to die, insists Hinagiku run away so she won't die with him, and confesses before going into battle so he'll have no regrets. And then, after surviving…he gets the awkward. But it's the start of something. How closely am I going to follow it here? Not too closely—they are both more of the minor characters. We'll see just how it turns out when we finally reach the story's final Epilogue-style endgame….
Okay, that will do for now. Let's get on with the story, already!