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 Three: Shadowy Barriers

Jade adjusted his glasses again. "Well…so now you're the second guardian of the gate? Do you really think that you can take all of us on your own? We may have struggled with the boy due to the collected groups feelings for him, but there's no question we'll have the heart to deal with you…."

Dynamis gave a chuckling rumble. "Yes…and as I saw last night, many of you are quite capable. Yes, you speak the truth...even I would normally be out of my depth against a force as varied and powerful as this. It is lucky for me, then, that you are in our territory…."

He gestured with his hand, and a great key-like staff appeared in the air before it. His opponents tensed as they recognized it….

8-8-8

["We don't know what we'll be facing in there," Jade informed the group as they discussed strategy prior to launching. "But there are a few things we should be wary of. I've already told you about my work with Replication that the Obsidian Star has seized, and how that might affect us. But from what little I've heard about yesterday's troubles, there is at least one more wrinkle in this matter we should be aware of." His eyes scanned the group before resting ever-so-slightly on Nodoka.

Nodoka gulped slightly, but finally offered, "Y-yes…there was something we saw yesterday…when the mage Dynamis-san attacked us, he was using a strange device…a staff shaped like a key." She revealed her diary, which had a (unusually serious) picture of a key-like object. "This is…the Obsidian Star's Master Key. It was created through the power of its new Obsidian Heart. It wields the power over this world that the Obsidian Heart and the…the Crystal Princess fashioned for them. It has absolute power over time and space, reality and illusion, life and death…but only within the confines of their influence. The power over life and death is incomplete, and…its ability to do so is partially relegated by the lifeforce of those involved as well as…other factors I don't quite understand…but for the most part, we should be safe from that. It can, however, transport any number of people any distance within the confines of the Obsidian Star's influence…it can heal injuries by unwinding reality for those who were injured, similar to the power Sakura-san had…it can paralyze people by 'freezing' them in time…and a whole lot more besides. Luckily, there is no apparent restriction on who can actually use this power; I was able to steal the staff from him and briefly use it before he…he recovered it….

"Dynamis-san is strong, but…that staff might be the most important tool we can get. It is very dangerous…but if we can get our hands on it, we could put it to our own use…."

Arika suddenly perked up. "I-I don't get all you're talking about…but if we had that, we could possibly heal Nina-chan, couldn't we!?"

"E-eh? I-I suppose…."

"Theoretically, we could," murmured Yue. "With the power to re-write reality, we could, as it were, 'rewind' Nina-san so that she was never injured in the first place. That should even restore her spirit to how it was. But…the trouble is…that key will essentially be drawing on…the power of Aeli Kanna-sama and Mai-san, correct?"

"Y-yes…."

"It's a step they haven't had to take before," Momo murmured. "Although they seem to have so much power back, they really are on their last legs…Kalan-san destroyed them, and Takamichi-kun and Kurt-kun were the leaders in wiping out most of their remnants. They worked many elaborate plans to build the Obsidian Heart, and then make this key. More importantly, however…could this key be a threat to the attacking force, the captains, the knights, the rest of them?"

"Y-yes…probably…."

"Are there any other weaknesses in the device?" Jade demanded. "It seems to possess godlike power, and right now, the caveat 'only within the influence of the Obsidian Star' rings pretty hollow, because at the moment the entire Flying Capital is part of their territory."

"Y-yes…there is one more thing…because reality-altering magic is so powerful and, well, dangerous, the key is not built to use the same abilities repeatedly. It is…still a new device, so even Dynamis-san wasn't aware of all the restrictions, or the specifics, but it should be unable to consistently reuse the same abilities…."

Jade mused over this. "I would almost prefer that they use it against us…if they consider our 'distraction' too great of a threat and use it to neutralize them before our operation can begin, we won't be able to stand up to their forces. However…if they bring it to bear on us…that will be trouble, but it will also be an opportunity. We'll have to try and take it if we can…."]

8-8-8

('And here we are,') Jade thought. ('The one called Dynamis has come himself, bringing his larger artillery with him. The threat, and the opportunity, all at once….')

"Spread out!" he commanded. "Attack him from all sides! Limit his ability to restrict us with the key…!"

"Well, 'restrict' is a good word, Colonel Curtis," rumbled Dynamis, standing suddenly just behind him. "As perhaps the finest spellcaster here and the lead tactical expert, I should 'restrict' you first…."

As Jade whirled around, the key in Dynamis' 'grip'—in reality, it always floated just a few inches in front of his hand—spun and flashed, and Jade froze absolutely still in place. "A subject frozen in time can neither act, nor be acted upon," rumbled Dynamis as he vanished and reappeared some distance back, avoiding the half-dozen fighters who had immediately leapt to attack him. "Now, what can the rest of you do? Don't disappoint me…."

Overcast was on him first, moving at his talisman-enhanced speed. Dynamis moved his shadows up to intercept the young man, but he weaved around the attacks and struck, impacting Dynamis' barrier. ('That…the barrier possessed by the highest-level minions of the Obsidian Star….') After a few swift seconds of this exchange, Overcast feinted a strike, and as the shadow-wielder moved to block it, he suddenly withdrew, reaching for the staff….

But the staff suddenly flashed and spun again, and both Dynamis and his Master Key were past Overcast. A slight burst of magic rolled over him, and his talismans all cracked and disintegrated to dust, drained of their mana. Then a swarm of blade-like shadows washed over him, slicing him as they sent him flying.

Before Dynamis could even gloat, Natsu was in his face. "Remember me, Dark Cloak Man!?" he breathed, and began to lash out. Dynamis was forced to lightly retreat, maintaining that barrier as Natsu rained his blows against the dark mage. Then Grey began to contribute his own attacks at the same time, and then Erza, in one of her unique armors, joined in to press the mage, keeping him greatly off-balance and on the defensive. And then, at Lucy's command, Virgo buried herself through the floor and reappeared within reach of that staff once again….

But again the staff rotated and flashed, and portals opened behind the four Fairy Tail mages and Virgo, and they all disappeared inside of it. Nodoka, kneeling safely with most of the other reluctant combatants still at Kain's side, felt a burning on her Fairy Tail mark and Kain's cloak, still about her shoulders, rippled as if blown by a wind. Nodoka, suddenly concerned over the fate of her friends, almost didn't notice either event and paid no attention to them, but Yue, standing nearby and studying her artifact tome, saw the wince, the slight magic glow arising from that tattoo, and the ripple of the cloak, and the wheels in her head began to turn….

"W-where did they go?" Nodoka demanded.

"Time and space," Ami murmured, sitting close beside Nodoka and studying the battle on her visor. "He opened portals and sent them all somewhere else, possibly—hopefully—just outside. It's as you said—he can't simply repeat the same spell over and over and freeze all of us outside of time like he did to Jade-san, but he can get several with a single spell if they fall within an area or under the same criteria…."

"The same criteria…yes…" Yue murmured. "Time and space…so…."

Kagome fired an arrow at Dynamis…which actually pierced his barrier, but he blocked it with his shadows. Then Inuyasha leapt at him from the opposite side, and he was forced to turn his powers on the hanyô in order to repel him. Then both Tokine and Yoshimori surrounded him with kekkai, but again his blade-like shadows flashed out to slash through the barriers, tearing them to shreds.

A spell from Lina took his attention next, momentarily breaking down that shield, and Inuyasha, Gourry, Zelgadis and Minsc all rushed in at the same, slashing him from multiple angles, cutting him to ribbons….

Then he vanished, and the staff as well, and finally he and the staff reappeared in the air…and then seven more copies of Dynamis appeared in the air around the chamber, and all of them, simultaneously, released a storm of shadow blades over his enemies, wounding several and sending more scattering to safety.

"W-what's with that?" demanded Akari, hardly believing what she was seeing. "Illusions?"

The copies vanished, and Dynamis laughed. "Not illusions. Not copies or bunshin, either…more like versions of myself borrowed from other planes, other time periods, for a brief moment. But for that moment, it is an incredibly powerful attack, wouldn't you agree? So, that can't be all…who will be next?"

"Bankai." Delryn, flying under the influence of his one blazing wing, rose up to confront Dynamis with his fully released sword. Dynamis blocked the attack, and there was a brief struggle. "My dad sends his regards," Delryn told the man. "Apparently he's as hard to kill as you are."

There was a moment of silence. "Truly…? That is rather…pleasing…." There was certainly a dangerous edge in his voice….

Then Kenjirô slashed him down from behind with both his swords. "Don't let yourself get distracted…we've got you now…."

Dynamis coughed and gave a pained laugh. "And you, boy…don't get ahead of yourself…." He exploded into blackness…then the staff flashed and spun again, and a portal opened behind Kenjirô, and a fully healthy Dynamis stepped out of it. "You've probably realized that rewinding time can heal terrible wounds…applied in much the same way, it can return healed wounds…." As the staff returned to his 'grasp', it again activated, and power washed over Kenjirô. Suddenly the wound that Kain had given him earlier, the magic blade through his gut that had already almost healed, reappeared, and Kenjirô gasped in pain and shock. He still rounded on Dynamis, but a swarm of his shadows sent the hanyô flying back down to the ground.

Delryn had not been idle during this. Almost as soon as Kenjirô had struck, he had attempted to reach out and grab the staff, but suddenly he was moving glacially, ponderously, nearly, but not quite, frozen in time. "I've taken the opportunity to practice with the device," he informed his hated foe's son. "You probably know because of the mind-reader that repeatedly using the exact same powers is difficult and dangerous…but it is not so, if you know how to tweak some of those abilities…." And a backhand sent Delryn flying.

"This isn't looking good," Hinagiku panted as Dynamis continued to befuddle, addle and injure those who opposed him. "He's got to have some sort of weakness…."

"We're working on it," Yue said, her usual dull tone masking her own concern, particularly as she watched Arika and Shiho be sent flying. "I think I've just about worked out a way to nullify the Master Key, at least temporarily—long enough for a good hit or two to strike him, which might be enough if we can get some heavy hitters on him…."

"That's good, because I think it's about, ah, 'recharged'," Ami noted. "I mean, it's nearly ready to reuse the spells he's already cast…it seems that window isn't that long." She returned her visor to book form and opened it to further study her readings. "However, there's something else I've discovered as well. Dynamis was shot by Aiden Rylack-san's 'mage-killing' bullet, and should have died…or at least been completely bereft of magic. But he has a device attached to his body, underneath his heavy cloak, that is forcibly reestablishing his link with magic. It's employing some force akin to kanka to make it possible, and if there were a way to shut off that device or nullify that energy…."

"Like kanka…" Yue murmured. "Wait, I think Hinagiku-san's anti-magic sword can channel a spell to do that…."

"Yes, I know that one," Hinagiku interrupted. "I remember it from last time, Yue-chan, don't worry."

Yue started. "F-from last time? B-but I…."

"Oh, right…never mind. Just watch." Chanting the Latin under her breath, she began to charge in….

Kajirô, Erika, and Rei were in the midst of fighting Dynamis, and he just managed to repel all three of them as Hinagiku arrived on him. "I've got you…!"

But the staff acted again, and Hinagiku was back not far from the information-gathering team, in the midst of her charge. Even her expression seemed to be as it had been when she began the charge, and she was again chanting her Latin spell. Dynamis turned and sent his shadows flowing out to intercept the girl…but the joke was on him this time, since Hinagiku's anti-magic sword cut through the shadow blades without effort, and she did so while still maintaining her chant. Dynamis' rewind gave him time to acknowledge this, however, and he used his superior instant step to slip behind the girl and send her flying with a kick. "Well, that was dangerous…even your best trump card failed. It's about time to end this…."

"No," Yue said suddenly, standing up. "This is our real counterattack." She reached over and a laid a hand on the surprised shoulder of Nodoka—on top of Kain's cloak—and chanted a spell of her own, also in Latin.

Suddenly a magic mist seemed to settle around Dynamis, and the subtle glow around his staff vanished. "What!?" he demanded in shock. Then, in the next instant, Delryn was behind him, with no sword in his hands but his glowing wing adorning his back, and both of his palms flaring with energy.

"Checkmate," Delryn muttered, and put both hands on Dynamis' waist. The energy from his sigils exploded, and Dynamis screamed in pain as the energy coursed through him…and most particularly through his exoskeleton, which flared, cracked, and shattered.

Dynamis crumpled slowly to the ground, his cloak actually dissolving off of him, turning into shadow and smoking away, leaving him…lying actually rather naked, face down on the ground, and, staring at his rather muscled and impressive bronzed body, mass of messy black hair, and what portions of that fine face he managed to raise from the ground in his struggles, many of the girls had the same reaction that Eminus' collection had found.

"I-I was expecting…somebody monstrous," Chisame muttered. "But really…he's…."

"He's actually quite a hottie, isn't he?" Riza remarked almost cheerfully.

Groaning, the rest of the group began to pick themselves up and slowly, very carefully, approach. "I-is that it…?" murmured Erika.

As Dynamis fell, Kiami had slipped in, snatched up the staff, and taken it swiftly to Nodoka, who received it with some trepidation. Dynamis struggled to look that direction, towards Yue, still standing next to her kneeling friend. "W-what was that…? What did you do…?"

"A simple counterspell, really," Yue replied almost blandly. "I noticed the effect of your spells at work—when you banished Fairy Tail, something happened to Nodoka, too—or tried to happen, but there was a reaction from Kain-san's cloak that she's wearing. I surmised that you must have 'programmed' the spell, if that's the word for it, to teleport all members of Fairy Tail in the area to…wherever you sent them. Speaking of which…Nodoka?"

"Oh! Yes! I should…."

She muttered under her breath, holding up the staff, and a portal appeared in the air not far from her, lying horizontally, and the five members of Fairy Tail (including Happy, who had actually gone quite unnoticed in both massive brawls but had also fallen victim to the banishing) came falling out and onto the floor. Natsu seemed to be suffering from his usual motion sickness problem, as he lay on the ground groaning, and Grey seemed to be suffering suddenly from his usual underdressed problem, but Grey, Erza and Lucy all stood up and began to look around. "Well…it seems we won?" Erza finally said with a small smile.

"Where'd you end up?" Lina asked.

"One of the airships, apparently…."

Yue, ignoring this, continued her polite, anime-style lecture to Dynamis. "In any case, I realized that your program was targeting all nearby members of Fairy Tail, but the cloak Nodoka is wearing, the Cloak of Rashira, is an artifact of Time and Space as well, and through a combination of its power and her distance from the center of the spell, she was protected from your Master Key's effect. I realized then that we could use that power to combat the powers of the Master Key, similar to how Kain-san has used the cloak's powers to channel magic of time and space in his many battles. So I just had to research a spell that could be so used, and, with the help of Ami analyzing the properties of that Master Key with her artifact, I was able to counteract it, nullify it…even if it was just for a few moments."

Dynamis chuckled. "Truly…I had not expected that, no, not at all…I suppose I should have paid more attention to such things, but with Kain Lockeheart out of the picture, I never believed that cloak could prove a threat…. Well, you've won. Now finish me off."

Most of the group recoiled at this. "W-what? No!" insisted Hinagiku. "We—we couldn't do anything like that!"

Dynamis laughed again. "If it's mercy that stays your hand, then you should use that sentiment to do the deed. I am a cripple, a broken man…I've only lived and operated this long through that broken device lying in pieces around me. There is no life left for me. Just finish me off."

"Interestingly, he speaks the truth…and reason," Archer noted, raising a sword as he approached. "An enemy like this should not be left behind us alive, mobile or not. If the rest of you are too squeamish for it, I'll perform the deed myself…."

"Now, hold on," Lina said with a sigh. "Let's not get too hasty, here. To be perfectly frank, I myself would be all for just leaving him here to rot…he's defeated, we're done with him. But most of our group here are girls my age with…a little more sentimentality. They're middle school girls from a normal world, and even after four months stuck in this hostile environment, they aren't hard enough to just abandon or kill this guy off hand. If one of us were to do it, they'd be pretty shaken the whole rest of our mission, probably…and that wouldn't be good for our chances, either. So we're a little stuck. But there are alternatives."

Dynamis glanced over at her. "What is this? What are you scheming? If your foolish children's sentimentality won't allow you to kill or abandon me, what can you possibly intend?"

"We have some means here to heal you pretty well," Lina pointed out. "Kagome's artifact could heal you right up, or we could use that Master Key to restore you…."

"You're obviously deranged," Dynamis chuckled. "The Master Key cannot undo an event as old as that…if it could, would you not think that I should have already used it myself? The healing fang of the Inu no Taishô…that could perhaps restore me, but would you seriously waste its valuable healing power on your enemy? It would truly be foolish to go that far as, if I were restored, I would immediately resume our battle. You must know that…."

"I am aware," Lina sighed. "Well, we could do something. The Master Key could at least restore your crutch there so you could continue living a more-or-less normal life. We have several options…but of course we'd be foolish to do it and just let you attack us again. But there is a way we could compromise." She withdrew an object from the inner pockets of her cape…a statuette of an eagle holding a pair of balances in its beak.

Dynamis narrowed his eyes at it. "That's…the young Remnant's geas tool…."

"That's right. That's the impasse we're at—you don't want to be left alive as a broken man, and we don't want to kill you. We'll restore your mobility to you, if you swear on this artifact to never raise your hand against us or ours again. How's that sound?"

"Yes," Jade murmured as the now-unfrozen colonel rejoined the conversation. "I am also, of course, of the opinion that it would be best to be done with him, but if he's bound by magic to leave us alone, I'll relent for the sake of our more squeamish members."

Archer glanced back over his shoulder at Rin, who sighed and tossed her hair in a manner as absent-minded as it was imperious. "Sometimes you have to give in to popular opinion, Archer. That should make it reasonable, yes?"

Archer smiled slightly and shook his head. "Indeed. What a fascinating collection we have…girls far too soft-hearted to be involved in situations like this, yet the only ones we can count on. Very well. I'll relinquish my call for blood in this case."

"Now then, if we aren't going to have a civil war amongst ourselves," Lina finished, "it's on you, Mr. Dynamis. That's our offer. Will you accept it?"

Dynamis laughed harshly, painfully. "Truly…to be surrounded by enemies like these…I do not know whether to laugh or cry, to praise you or curse you for your empathy. It is foolish beyond measure, but in its own way, strong…but I am a creature of the Obsidian Star, bound already to serve it unto death. If misery and oblivion are all that await me, then I shall at least give my last breath…doing service to my prince!"

Suddenly Dynamis' arm transformed into a mass of black, shadow tentacles, which shot out towards the trio of Nodoka, Yue, and Ami, still hovering around the still form of Kain….

There were shouts, movement and spells, but nothing was faster, nothing could stop the sudden attack from reaching the three girls…and then they were all stopped just short of their targets as a hand closed over every strand. All eyes stared at Kain as he sat up, his hand still gripping the tentacles, and turned his gaze towards Dynamis. Dynamis stared back in sullen surprise himself. Then, before any words were exchanged, the shadowy mass in Kain's hand began to disintegrate, evaporate into the air, and Kain looked back at it in surprise. The disintegration followed the black mass back towards Dynamis, and upon reaching his shoulder the rest of his body slowly began to turn black and evaporate away. Dynamis actually chuckled. "Still you astound me, son of Lockeheart. Already you have recovered? Well…it matters no longer for me. You humans…in the end, you were…very interesting…." And, finally, as the rest of his head evaporated away, he was gone.

"Well…sacrificing all of his life force for one final, desperate attack," Overcast muttered. "He was…true, at least…." Then, like the rest, he turned his eyes to Kain.

"Kain-sensei…" murmured Nodoka as Kain rose to his feet.

"Kain-sensei!" Kazumi cried in tears, throwing herself onto him.

With similar cries, the group began to surround and throng the young teacher.

"Easy, easy!" Kain laughed, politely trying to separate himself from those closest to him. "Goodness, all of you…thank you…."

"Kain-sensei! Are you really all right?" Kaoru cried.

"Convenient timing, waking up like that," Chisame growled, but she couldn't hide her smile. "You always have to be the damn hero, don't you? Do you have any idea how much trouble you caused?"

"Welcome back, Kain-sensei," Tear murmured.

"Yo, Kain," Kenjirô growled, smiling broadly even as he approached with a near-limp, clutching at his stomach with one hand. "Finally decided to get of your lazy duff, did you?"

Kain focused on his friend. "Kenjirô…well." He glanced over at Nodoka, who, as usual, had been just too timid to join the actual thronging. "Nodoka…everyone looks pretty roughed up. That staff can restore everyone, right?"

"O-oh! Y-yes! Give me a moment…." She held it up, chanted low under her breath, and an instantaneous light washed over the group, leaving them all completely recovered from their injuries…even curing Natsu's motion sickness, leaving him leaping up into the air and celebrating, as he often did when magic was able to alleviate his condition.

"Thank you," Kain said. He extended his hand towards her. "And now, please…."

"Ah! R-right…." Hurriedly, she removed the white cloak, and put it into Kain's outstretched hand.

Kain, still shirtless, with, even before Nodoka's work, no mark left on his chest, took the cloak, then snapped his fingers. He was instantly dressed in a rugged adventuring outfit rather similar to those they had seen his father wear in Aiden's movies of the past. Then, finally, he swept the cloak around his shoulders, and he was truly Kain Lockeheart again, teacher of Class 3-A, son of Kalan Lockeheart, leader of the White Wings.

That was the general impression, but Hinagiku wasn't so sure. "Kain-sensei," she murmured. "Are you absolutely sure you're all right?"

Kain chuckled, that familiar, self-deprecating chuckle, but there was an edge to it that most of them hadn't heard before. "All right…in what way?" he said. He glanced at the massive partition wall that now cut off the hangar from the outside, then glanced back at the elevator which led into the Palace proper. "This is…the Obsidian Palace, right? I don't think I know everything that's going on, but I've got a general idea. I was captured…and they did something to me. I have no idea how that will affect me in the future. But that's not important now. We're here…and up there, at the heart of the Palace…is the Obsidian Prince…my father…and Mai, too, right?"

Numbly, several of the girls nodded in response. "Then there's no time to worry about me or my condition," Kain continued. "We have to move forward…and I have to do my part as well."

Kamo hopped onto Kain's shoulder. "Well, it's good to have you back! That's one problem out of the way…and things are looking a lot more up now! Let's stop stalling and get going!"

Winfield whistled. "Dynamis…lost. And now he's gone. That's…saddening, somehow…."

Ellis stared at the monitor at her station, emotions swirling inside her. "Right," she said finally. "Well then, I guess it's our turn…."

"W-wait!" Faina suddenly wailed from another station. "T-there's…some strange reaction on our sensors! Some power is in there with them…!"

"Reinforcements!?" spat Fyuria fiercely. "Well, bring 'em on…!"

The Prince glanced over at the nearest monitor and smiled slightly. "No, no," he chuckled. "Actually, that one's on our side. There's nothing to worry about…."

8-8-8

Kain and Kenjirô were the first to react, stiffening suddenly and glancing back towards the partition wall. A few at a time, in a kind of randomized wave, the rest of the massed party turned that direction as well to see what the matter was. And there, they saw her…a girl, strangely, in that uniform they recognized, the Mahora Academy Girls' Middle School uniform (summer edition), with long blue-green hair. She was not a member of their class, but she was a popular and active girl they all recognized….

"Asakura Ryoko…" Kain murmured.

"Oh, hell, not this now…!" Kamo moaned.

"It's been a while, Kain-sensei," the lovely iinchô of class 3-E said cheerfully. "We haven't actually spoken since that alternate future, have we? That means, depending on your point of view, we haven't spoken in…well, it doesn't matter, does it…?"

"Oi, oi, oi, wait a minute!" Chisame suddenly demanded. "This can't be right! You can't change the script suddenly like this! A random girl from our school but from another class can't just suddenly be here! Where's the foreshadowing? Where's the proper plot development!? Okay, so maybe this girl was almost too 'Miss Perfect' to be real, but even that joke doesn't fly, since we have the Kaichô twins in our group! Is this some prank, or some illusion, or…?"

Suddenly Archer was above the girl, dropping down on her with swords in hands. Jade was sending a spell her way, as was Rin. All three attacks stopped dead about a foot away from her.

"T-that's a bit sudden, isn't it?" Kajirô objected. "To attack a middle school girl like that…."

"Her mere presence is an irregularity we can't afford to ignore," Jade insisted.

"There's no way a girl like Asakura Ryoko could possibly be here!" added Rin. "Either she is an illusion, or else the girl is something more than she seems, and the fact that she's here means she has to be in league with the Obsidian Star!"

"It's all right, Tsukai-kun," Ryoko chuckled, still smiling quite happily. There was a slight flash of energy, and all the attacks were repelled, and Archer, the only combatant actually within range of the girl himself, was sent flying, only to vanish and then reappear in a more stable condition in front of Rin. "There's no need to worry. I can take any number of attacks like this. There's no threat of them hurting me."

"That's a strange spell she's got," noted Erza, having spotted the brief characters that were slightly visible with the shield during the attacks. "Is it a kind of magic writing?"

"It's not a spell, or magic writing as such," Ryoko objected amiably. "No, giving it a description like that is like calling a computer an abacus. But there's no need to worry about it. I have no intention of hurting anyone. Rather, I'm only here to stop you."

"Really?" Kiami asked slyly. "And how, pray tell, will you do that?"

Ryoko continued smiling, but there was a sudden change in the atmosphere…in a moment, every one of them was struck with an immense amount of magical pressure, dropping down on them, filling the room. It was if every molecule of air around them had become mana instead, suffocating them, stifling them, crushing them under its influence….

"W-what is she, really?" Kenjirô muttered. "Just like the other one…I thought I knew, but I never expected this…."

Still Ryoko smiled her perfect, happy smile at them. "I'll explain things quite plainly," she stated. "The future that the Obsidian Star is striving to create will result in far less bloodshed than the world you are aiming for. So I'd rather you not interfere anymore."

"Yes, I'm sure it will," Kain growled, refusing to even stoop under the pressure. "After all, the dead don't bleed, only the living do…."

"How aptly put, Kain-sensei, as expected! But no matter how you argue, the utopia of magic they envision will be far more interesting than your flawed creation. So I'd kindly ask you to bow out of this. If you agree, then…." The pressure relieved slightly as Ryoko raised her hand, and the walls around them began to…disappear, evaporate, and….

"What's going on here!?" Tear demanded in shock. "It's like…the scenery around us is being rewritten…we're…!"

"…Then I will immediately return you to this place," finished Ryoko.

And there they all were…all the students, friends and associates, Ryoko herself, even the wrecked El-Hazard, were in the middle of the massive lawn just south of the World Tree of Mahora Academy.

8-8-8

"I-it can't be…" Yayoi gasped. "They've…all disappeared! They're totally gone…they've vanished! Even the Master Key couldn't transport them anywhere outside of our sensors…."

"Okay, this is a nice sudden joke," Winfield sighed. "Really, Zerva…is this a prank you're playing on me because I skip so many meetings…?"

The syrium scowled over at him. "What are you talking about? I don't know anything more about this matter than you do."

Winfield turned to Eminus. "Then, Eminus-sama…why didn't you tell any of us about it…?"

"I am not aware of this person or anything about her, either," Eminus stated flatly.

This totally stumped Winfield, who could only remain silent. There was a chuckle as Alvaris manifested and dropped on top of Ellis' head. "You could say she's an accident we lucked into…kinda like me…."

"Well, but she's been at work behind the scenes for a while now," the Prince smirked. "You all have heard a great deal about 'Cosmo Entelecheia' and what it can do for our plans…well…this is its source and instrument…."

8-8-8

"T-this is getting absurd," Chisame muttered. "We're just at the front door, and we're fighting our third boss in a row…only now we're not at the front door anymore, we're back at Mahora…thanks to possibly the most unlikely person we'd ever expect to find in this world…."

Students were walking by in casual clothes—apparently school had not yet resumed, a small and random thought for the lost souls currently experiencing late December weather in Arcanus Myrror—and they stopped to gawk at the strange scene with the collection of battle-garbed young warriors, the wrecked aircraft, and the single uniformed girl opposite them.

"So, if I were to return you all here…that would solve half of your problems, wouldn't it?" Ryoko said, still smiling her bright, dazzling smile.

"And, what's worse, she knows how to hit us right where it hurts," continued Chisame.

"Don't be fooled!" Tear cried suddenly, trying to rally the shocked girls around her. "This could not possibly be the Asakura Ryoko we know! We can't possibly be at Mahora Academy! This has to be a trick! Travel between the worlds is impossible right now!"

Ryoko giggled. "Well…that's true…for mortals. But remember what I said about the computer and the abacus…Kain-sensei and dear little Kamo-kun can tell the truth…."

Tear glanced back to Kain in surprise, and he nodded. "Yes. This is the Asakura Ryoko we know…the same one I talked to in Sakura's alternate future. This magic…is something only someone like her could do right now…."

"That's right. I was actually rather sad when you ended that dream…Sakura's created future was set to become much more interesting. It might have persuaded us to hold off on cooperating with the Obsidian Star. But now, they have the much more promising future to offer. The path you are forging, in trying to 'save' these worlds, will lead to suffering, bloodshed, and chaos on a tremendous scale. It will be something never before seen in the history of both worlds. And you will be responsible for it. But if you agree to step aside…I'll leave you all here, so that you can resume your peaceful, happy lives…."

"Happy for whom, for how long!?" Kazumi snapped, stunning most of those around here. "E-even if we return safely home…what about our friends we have here, who are from Arcanus Myrror!? You really think…you can just ask us to abandon them, when they're right here in front of us!? How could we even think of it!?"

As Ryoko turned her gaze to the girl, Kain suddenly cut in, "All that you say may be true…but it doesn't matter. 'Life' is both 'happiness' and 'suffering'. It's cruel to say, but it's the truth. Capitulating to the Obsidian Star means handing over the destiny of all these worlds into their hands…and if it won't result in oblivion, the most 'peaceful' state there is, then it will be the closest thing. Even if there's pain…even if there are heartache and troubles and sorrows…humans have to be free to live as they will. The Obsidian Star's world won't allow that."

Ryoko giggled again. "Ah, dear Kain-sensei…how wrong you are. I suppose I have no choice…." She raised her hand again, leaving it perpendicular to her body, and they were once again back in the hangar of the Obsidian Palace. Then she raised her hand further, until it was fully spread above her head, as if to grasp the heavens. "…I'll have to show you the ultimate 'peace', 'joy', and 'freedom' afforded by the Obsidian Star's dream…allow me to welcome you…to Cosmo Entelecheia…."

A white light burned above her hand, which then blasted out in a gigantic, prolonged flash, filling all of their worlds with white….

8-8-8

It was so warm, and peaceful…everything was….

"…n-sen…."

…What was that…?

"…n-sensei…."

Something was shaking his peaceful, perfect world, threatening to destroy it. How rude….

"Get up already, Kain-sensei!"

The sheets underneath the boy came flying off the bed, upending the sleeping redhead and dropping him quite harshly onto the floor. Kain lay unceremoniously in some comical contorted heap on the floor, and he opened his eyes and glanced up at his assailant. "What was that for, Mai?" He struggled to a more natural position. "And…what you doing in my room?"

"You've been oversleeping. We can't let our teacher be late on the first day of the new trimester, can we? But if I'd left you alone, you certainly would have…what were you doing all night?"

Kain thought about this. "I don't know. September 3rd…maybe I was just enjoying the last day of vacation too much, or…whatever." He glanced suspiciously at her. "But why are you awake so early?"

"My early morning job today," Mai replied, heading towards the kitchenette. "I'll whip you up a breakfast real quick. Get cleaned up and dressed."

"I'm supposed to do that with a female student in my room?"

"You can do it with magic in the wink of an eye. What, you think I am gonna peak on you or something? I could only do it if you wanted me to."

"Well, maybe, but it's the principle of the thing!"

Mai smirked at him. "You can talk about 'the principle of the thing' when you convince that senile old geezer of a principal to finally find you a room elsewhere other than the girls' dorm."

"Touché…so how on earth did you get in here, anyway?"

"You're obviously still half-asleep. Go get cleaned up and dressed already!"

Sighing, Kain left Mai to her work and moved himself into the shower. He technically didn't need it to get himself cleaned—magic could do it perfectly well for him, but he always enjoyed the feeling of a good hot shower, and a good hot bath even more. But—because it was the principle of the thing—he used magic to immediately dry and clothe himself when he finished and walked out to find Mai's meal prepared for him.

He wolfed it down, then began to hurry outside. He was, indeed, late…as he swiftly caught up to Mai (who had departed after leaving him his food), Momo, and Kagome, he found that they were still at the back half of the tide of students moving from the residential area towards the school buildings.

Momo and Kagome greeted him as he ran level with them and saluted them. "So, your lovely wife tended well to you this morning?" Kagome teased, almost causing Mai to trip over and fall.

"I-it's hardly like that, Kagome!" Mai scolded her, red-faced.

"Well, but even if you're practically siblings, it's awfully precious attention," Momo added.

"Considering you've watched both of us grow up, Momo, you probably shouldn't join in on conversations like that," Kain replied.

"Erk…."

As Momo sought a retort, Kain gave them a swift 'farewell' salute and hurried past them towards the teachers' lounge.

He slowed slightly as he began to pass Nodoka, Yue, and Ami. He smiled and greeted them, which the latter two returned easily enough.

"Sensei…" Nodoka quavered. "U-uh, um, u-uh…g-goo…g-good morn…."

A new figure came streaking up to interrupt the shy girl's attempt. "Good morning, Kain-sensei!" shouted Kaoru and Kanade, attempting to tackle the teacher around his neck.

Kain moved ever-so-slightly aside, letting the girls hit the ground instead. "Sorry," he said almost playfully. "Instinct. Are you all right, Kaoru, Kanade-san?"

"H-heh…yeah…" Kaoru said, getting back to her feet.

"Of course!" Kanade insisted, hopping to her own immediately.

"For crying out loud," Riku sighed, walking up to them with her sister next to her. "Can't you two reign in it a little? You can't go after our teacher like hit-men or rabid animals like that…."

Ignoring her sister, Risa suddenly surged forward. "Kain-sensei, Kain-sensei!" She unfolded a hand of tarot cards towards Kain, the backs facing him. "This is important! I have to give you a fortune this morning!"

"We're almost late," Kain informed her, walking backwards easily as he continued on with the growing throng. "We hardly have time for a tarot reading. If today's that important to you, I can stop by during class activities today…."

"No, no, it has to be now! We don't need a full reading, just pick one card!"

Knowing the girl would not be dissuaded, Kain did so…and revealed 'The Magician'. "Okay! So…you will be reunited with a magnificent person today…someone from…somewhere truly exotic! How interesting!"

"I see…thank you, Risa-san." Kain nodded at her, handed the card back, and turned himself back towards the teachers' office, greeting several more of his students on the way.

"Yo, Kain-kun!" Takamichi hailed him from an upper window. As Kain returned that greeting, Takamichi continued, "The flight may be a little late coming in, but I'll let you know when it arrives, so don't worry about anything! Just do your best today!"

('…Flight? As in, plane flight? I don't recall anything about a flight…heh…does that have something to do with being 'reunited' today?') "Okay, thanks! I'm a bit late this morning, so we'll talk later!"

A short time later he walked in as the bell rang and greeted his class. He beamed over the twenty-nine girls as they went through the pre-class motions. Wait…twenty-nine…?

"Sakura…" Kain said to the red-headed girl sitting in about the center of the room. "You're…back with us?" ('Maybe that is the 'reunion' with someone from an exotic place…? After all, she's from…she's from…where is she from…?')

Sakura cocked her head at Kain, a kind but somewhat quizzical smile on her face. "What are you talking about? Sure, I went home to see my folks over the break, but everyone has to be back by the time the new trimester starts…."

"A-ah…r-right…sorry, don't know…what I was thinking…."

The class began to guffaw at Kain's faux pas. "Kain-sensei is having weird delusions about the class," Riza snorted.

"Maybe he got invited to go out with the other teachers and they let him drink too much alcohol," Miki proposed.

"Ah, no! Our Kain-sensei is becoming a lush!" Izumi finished quite cheerfully.

"All right, that's enough," Hinagiku snapped, interrupting the laughter. "Please, Kain-sensei…when you're ready…."

"R-right…sorry everyone…so…it being the first day back…would anyone like to one-up their absentminded teacher by admitting they didn't remember to finish their summer vacation homework…?"

Dead silence greeted this proposal. Hinagiku turned and leveled a death stare at the class. "Don't tell me he's right…? Who didn't remember…?"

The Baka Rangers all looked away guiltily, and even Mai's smirk froze and became a grimace as Hinagiku glanced around the room, and probably a dozen more faces refused to meet her gaze. "For shame, really!" she sighed. "How can you act this way? We are the proud students of Mahora Academy, Girls' Middle School Class 3-A! We have to take better care not to tarnish that name. We should follow the example of our top student! Right, Sakura-chan?"

Hinagiku looked proudly at Sakura, who gave her a beatific smile. "Actually, Hina…I didn't do any of my homework, either. I was too busy having fun with my friends and little brother."

Hinagiku's smile froze. "W-what did you say, Sakura-chan…?"

"I. Didn't. Do. My. Homework," Sakura repeated, almost proudly.

A second later Hinagiku exploded as the rest of the class laughed. "B-but how can our top student set such an example for our student body…!?"

"I never do homework, actually," Sakura mused, putting a finger to her chin and staring at the ceiling. "I always do it the next day in class, right before I have to turn it in. Or as soon as I receive it, before the next class starts. Here, I have it; I'll finish it while Kain-sensei teaches the lesson. It's not like I can't speak English just as well as he can." So saying, she removed a great stack of papers from her bags and began to go through them with surprising speed and an equally surprising lack of hurry or concern.

Kain allowed himself to smile and his gaze to sweep back around the room as the class roared with laughter again. A few faces weren't laughing…Chisame's forced woodenness, Miyu's and Rei's usual woodenness, Alyssa offered him her usual evil smirk for the briefest moment…and Yuki. For some reason, Kain's gaze settled for the longest on Yuki, who was as blank-faced and inscrutable as ever. Yuki Nagato was as she always was, but…somehow, there seemed to be something intense in her gaze, something far more serious than she had ever shown she was even capable of….

Shaking himself from the feeling, he finally silenced the class and got them back on topic….

8-8-8

The class continued and concluded without any more chicaneries, and finally Kain departed when it was over. He mused over the events of the day. He felt strange, somehow…it seemed like he didn't know some of the girls or other things as well as he should have. Perhaps it was just the extra-long vacation period….

At lunch he was at a table with Kazumi, Matake and Yukari, who had successfully acquired his attentions for the period. He listened half-heartedly to the tales Yukari and Matake seemed to be spinning, still musing on matters. "…Isn't that right, Kain-sensei?" Yukari finished suddenly.

"A-ah? W-well, I don't know…."

"Ah, c'mon, Kain-sensei! You of all people should be able to say…" Yukari wheedled.

"Kain-sensei, are you all right?" Kazumi offered. "You've seemed…a bit off all day…. Are you sick? Is it summer heat fatigue?"

Kain waved the question away. "No, no…I'm perfectly all right, really. I was just thinking…how nice and peaceful everything is…."

This brought silence to the trio. "Oh, c'mon!" Matake suddenly burst out. "You're talking like an old man, Kain-sensei! That's embarrassing!"

But soon they were settled into talking about other things, with Kazumi joining them this time, and Kain continued to think as he watched them, a contented half-smile on his face. ('Yes, it's nice and peaceful…that's right…nothing's changed since the first term. This is now my daily life. Even though nothing significant ever happens, it's certainly not boring…that's it, isn't it? No…I'm dissatisfied with something. It's not that I hate this idyllic life. But…what could it be…? It feels like I've forgotten something important…something…I was looking for…there was something I was aiming for…. Something….')

"Oh, hey, there you are! Kain!"

The voice shocked Kain right to his core, running up and down his spine and making his mind go numb. He slowly turned around to look at the one who was hailing him.

"Yeah, the plane got here quicker than we thought, but I told Takamichi not to say anything…we wanted to surprise you in your room, but…well, we've found you right here!"

Kain finished his glacial turn and stared in complete shock at the two figures lit by the sun in the sky behind them. Despite the glare, despite everything, including that strange, cavernous feeling of distance…he instantly recognized both figures…particularly the one in the lead….

"So, how you doing, Son?" asked the figure.

Standing before Kain, flanked by Aeli Kanna, was Kalan Lockeheart.

F I N

Author's Note: Alternate Reality

What's going on!? Is this real!? Where is Kain!? Is this Kain, or some other Kain!? Why am I using so many !? symbols!? And why am I asking so many confusing questions!?

It's certainly confusing…Ryoko Asakura has returned to us, but, really, what is with her? There's a lot still to go on about….

Since he's finally done, I can touch on Dynamis. I largely pulled him as one of the few Cosmo Entelecheia villains I wanted to keep. I had him doing a whole bunch of other things more than he did before, had him defeated by Aiden in a unique way so that I could demonstrate the attack's effects, and so he had that vengeance streak. After being a seldom-seen, super-imposing figure early on, a little window in the pre-final battle, which I used in degrees here, revealed him to be an unintentionally humorous figure (he was made stupid-funny by the comedy piece, but he himself didn't intend to be funny) as he was actually handsome under his mask, wowing Fate's girls pretty much as I had Eminus' harem react, and he also revealed that Takamichi and Kurt had hunted the evil organization down to almost nothing, and so he and the rest were forced into the uncool tactic of 'playing dead' to survive.

Well, I'd rather not rant more at the moment…we have mysteries to get to….