Disclaimer: None of the anime used in this story belong to the writer. This is a work of fiction done for fun, not money. Please do not sue. You won't get much anyway.

Chapter Three: All In

The chalkboard read, "Surprise Quiz – Now" only the "Now" had been crossed out and Kain had replaced it with "Over". Kain shuffled the papers against his desk and said, "Well…the first trimester is coming to an end. There's only one week left until the final exam...and so I decided to give out this sample quiz. Now, looking over the results of this quiz and midterms, I am not at all surprised to report that…if class 3-A continues at this rate, we'll return to having the lowest grade of the year!"

Most of the class burst out laughing at this. Hinagiku stood and slammed her hand against her desk. "This is no laughing matter! We actually managed to become the top class during last year's final exams, yet we've been falling ever since midterms! We can't continue on like this and bring shame to our class and Kain-sensei!"

"Ah, it's no problem!" Nanami declared, holding up a trophy. "Our class' Festival attraction garnered second place for Mahora's middle-school level events, so…."

"That's right, we worked so hard!" Kaoru agreed. "You could say we used up all our strength…all that's left is to live out our remaining years…."

"Please don't start giving up right now!" Erika insisted, doing her best to support her Kaichô.

"But the hole left by Sakura-chan is big, after all…" Izumi complained.

Riza nodded agreement. "She's the super genius with perfect scores in everything, after all…she was Mahora's most powerful brain. Even if we gathered all the people from the university, they still couldn't match her (well, and of course Kain-sensei, either…)."

"Don't you think it's pathetic to drop to last place just because Sakura-chan left!?" Hinagiku demanded. "If Sakura-chan heard that kind of excuse, she'd be disappointed in us!"

"Hmm…." Kanade considered this carefully. "It does seem like Saku would be rolling over in her grave if she saw us like this…."

"Sakura-san isn't dead…" Riku murmured.

"Now, now, Hina," Kain said soothingly. As she turned to him in surprise, he continued, "It's not as if something terrible will happen to us if we drop to last place. And, compared to the exciting Festival we just had, studies are certainly boring."

"That's right! Go, Kain-sensei!"

"That's our teacher!"

"But," Hinagiku broke in, "well, Kain-sensei…."

"However," Kain continued, "even if scholarly studies are boring, it certainly doesn't hurt to pursue them. Your studies are important…they will shape what you will become in the future. Regardless of what paths you seek to follow, the knowledge and skills you obtain through your own power will never betray you. And your studies fall into that category, even if they appear useless to you at first."

The class regarded him with admiring surprise. Then they burst out into excited babble, declaring their appreciation for his words…and showing their complete lack of respect for their teacher.

"But, you know, Kain-sensei," Nanami noted, calming, "you're really beginning to carry a teacher-like atmosphere around you…maybe because so much has happened."

"Eh? I-is that so…?"

"Yeah…although I was a little worried about you when you first came here…" Matake began.

"You've really started to look more mature throughout this past half-year," Yukari finished.

"Yes, Kain-sensei has become such a good teacher over these past months!" Kanade agreed. "It's hard for us to remember sometimes that you're really our age."

"You definitely pass as a teacher," Kiami concluded.

"Really," Kain murmured. "Well, putting all that aside…I'm going to have to ask the Baka Rangers to stay behind after class." There was a series of groans and small expressions of disappointment from the guilty parties. "At this rate, you'll be up to your necks in summer remedial classes due to failing grades, right?" he added by way of explanation. His gaze went carefully to Yue, Kiami, and Akari. "For some of you, that would be most troublesome, wouldn't it…?"

"Y-yeah…." Akari murmured. "We…get it already…."

8-8-8

"And what a lively bunch," Alyssa murmured. "This is what I love—and hate, as well—about you humans."

She looked over the group as they spread out around the villa. "So, Hasegawa-san isn't here…I suppose that's normal. I'm amazed she engaged in your little games as long as she did. Ah…Erika-chan…come with me, please."

Hesitating, Erika followed the little demon girl down into her alchemy lab. "I'm surprised you were brave enough to come," the smaller blonde teased her. "I'd thought we'd seen the last of you after you and Sakura failed in your attempt to ship Kain away. How'd he convince you to come back?"

Erika flushed. "W-what? W-why do you think…?"

"Oh, come now, every single one of you waits on Kain's beck and call. Look at all he's done to gather you, completely unintentionally. All of you, completely different, some of you accepting of magic, others not…and yet you're united as Kain's disciples. Even Hasegawa-san…she'll be returning before too long, mark my words." She chuckled to herself.

"In any case," she continued, "your problems haven't gone away yet. It's true, as amusing as it would be, it would be troublesome if you started sucking blood from the rest of my guests and students." She reached onto a table that was too high for her and pulled down a satchel. She presented it, open, to Erika. "A gift for you, vampire."

Erika stared at it, then tentatively selected a vial and withdrew it from the container. She examined the amber-colored liquid within. "What…is this…?"

"A blood elixir for vampires, of course. It restrains your bloodthirst. Taken in too great a dose, it can have detrimental effects—in actuality, it suppresses the vampire power within your blood. Used sparingly, it will, as I said, simply restrain your bloodthirst. Take too much, and there are…other side effects."

"What…other side effects?"

Alyssa smiled evilly at her. "Well, that depends. Largely on how much you use your vampire powers. Those who embrace them fully would repress themselves…practically to death. For someone like you, who tries not to use her powers…you could very well just kill off the vampire part of you. What do you think? Would you like to try becoming a normal human?"

Erika stared at the girl, then replaced the vial and closed the satchel. "Why are you giving me this?"

"I told you…I'd rather not have you feeding on any of my guests. It's simply a matter of expediency." She smiled at her again. "You don't have to worry…naturally I have ulterior motives. I'm a demon. We're not like you vampires—human with stronger, more bestial instincts. Demons like me…have our own desires and whims. Having you remain here fits my purposes more than having you flee our little party. If a small gift like that can keep you here…it's a very small price to pay. Since you only sparingly use your vampire powers, one dose a week should be more than sufficient…and you'll probably be pleased to know that a side effect will reduce the amount of blood you must take."

Erika continued to stare, but finally she nodded and shouldered the bag, then bowed. "Thank you, Alyssa-chan. I'll make good use of this."

"Good. Now, we better go back up before we're missed."

8-8-8

Kazumi spread her hands, and the small orb on its string rose into the air slightly as it began to glow. "Come to me, maiden of the Great Sea…Undine!"

The energy swirled around her and took the form of a translucent, mermaid-like creature, armed with a trident, floating several centimeters in the air. The spirit whirled the trident around in a flourish and presented herself to her opponent. Akari pounded her fists together as she bowed. Then the two leapt into combat.

Water seemed to accompany every thrust and swing of Undine's trident, creating a wall that even Akari had trouble breaking through. She fought hesitantly at first, testing the spirit's abilities and strength. She was fast and deceptively agile, moving almost freely through the three dimensions.

After some sparring, however, Akari grew more intense in her attacks, and began to force the spirit back. After a vicious strike forced Undine away, stunned, Akari hesitated from a finishing blow—a move that was natural in real combat, but quite inappropriate for an early and informal sparring session. Normally Akari's own intense training and the attitude she'd been cultivating as a teacher of the arts would have required her to move in to simulate the finishing blow in any case, but the unnatural movements and reactions of the elemental left her unsure of how to proceed.

With an actual expression of near-desperation on her face, Undine recovered and raised her trident, ready to seize her own advantage, but she froze suddenly. She looked warily over to the small form of Kamolai, then nodded and dissolved.

"Not bad for a first go," Kamo said. "But you'll definitely need to work on your power and control, Kazumi-chan."

Kazumi found that she was breathing a little heavily for some odd reason. "P-power…and control? But…all I'm doing is summoning a spirit…after doing that…it's all up to the spirit to fight…isn't it?"

"Yes," Kamo agreed. "And with your mentality and physical traits, not to mention magical potential, you're not at all suited to trying to contribute directly to combat…your artifact is useful because of that, since it lets you contribute indirectly. However, you can't just summon the spirit and let it go. Spirits that are summoned into the world by a mage don't come with all their power, except in ultra-rare circumstances which I won't go into right now. All that's important for you to know is that your own magical power determines the strength of the spirit you summon. You're a little out of breath now, right?" Surprised, Kazumi nodded. "Your energy went to creating a physical vessel in this world for the spirit to inhabit. The more energy you have to contribute, the stronger the body of the spirit you summon, and the more useful it'll be. We'll go over some exercises to strengthen the magical circuits you have in your body—and show you how to properly draw on the power of the contract itself.

"Also, the spirit knows its own way of fighting and will do its best, but it isn't human and doesn't think like one—you'll have to direct it to some degree. See, it knows it was summoned to fight, and so it fought the enemy presented. It didn't really understand the nature of the training, and so, after Akari-chan overpowered it, it didn't know it should have capitulated. You'll find that you can communicate with your spirits and direct them, telling them to fight particular foes, defend specific people, run away, or just conduct a practice exercise like this. Normally controlling any summoned spirit, from a demon to an elemental, is a tricky and difficult business, but the nature of your artifact makes them submit instinctually to your command…but you need to practice directing them all the same."

Alyssa's villa was indeed quite lively now, as Kazumi and Akari were obviously not the only ones practicing. Yue and Kagome continued working on basic magic spells—they had been and still were the two leaders in what Kain usually called 'normal' magic.

Ami was also practicing in earnest now…Kiami, having heard of Ami's new combat-oriented artifact, insisted on testing her and helping to teach her. It was clear Ami did not have natural fighting instincts but, Kiami noted, she had a natural courage and determination that few would have suspected from the bookworm.

Rei and Erika worked together to test Mai's growing powers. Kanka was almost natural to her now, and it enhanced her so much Erika was reluctant to engage her in full-speed combat training, as it required extensive use of her vampire powers to do so. Rei, therefore, had begun taking over most of the actual training with Mai…and at this moment, Momo was also sparring with her, with Miyu on the sideline, actually offering advice.

Kenjirô was exulting in his newest training partner—Hikaru Tsukino. Since Kain had 'allowed' the young man's two friends to 'brief' him on their situation, those same two had also pressed him to join them in their training. Alyssa threw up her hands and allowed it, cuttingly remarking that Kain should just bring the rest of their friends and classmates and form an army.

In any case, Kenjirô enjoyed matching strikes with the expert swordsman from the Martial Arts Mastery Society.

"It's good to be fighting with a real swordsman," he remarked as their blades clashed. "This is how a swordfight should be…."

"So you say," Hikaru replied. "But you're obviously not used to my iai techniques…frustrating?"

As he said this, he half-drew his sword to catch Kenjirô's sword on his blade, then swept the scabbard towards Kenjirô's leg to unbalance him. As Kenjirô hopped back to recover, Hikaru set himself and began an iai string, drawing his sword for three rapid strikes that further forced the hanyô back. He re-sheathed his weapon and then brought out a great, heavy slash on the next draw.

Kenjirô reverse-gripped his sword and laid the back of it along his arm and back as he half-turned to catch the strike. "That's okay," he countered as the force of the strike began to spin him around. His blade vanished from his right hand then almost instantly appeared in his left as he finished his own savage swing. "We all have our own unique tricks."

As the two young men continued their swordplay, Kain was involved in his own battle—with Hinagiku. She was clearly used to hini—most of her attacks were too straightforward and 'by-the-book', and she was surprised whenever Kain made a high-speed counter with fist or foot. However, her instincts were good and her genius evident, as she always adjusted and learned quickly.

"You can't simply keep training against the same people," Alyssa explained, almost with ennui, as she watched and coached the two young redheads. "You'll become too used to specific abilities and counters in that case, as Akari and Kiami would surely explain to you. You never know who you could end up fighting. And you, Kain, are doing better, but you need to learn to put your emotions aside when sparring. Holding back because you're fond of Hina won't do her any good in this training."

Both teenagers flushed at this embarrassing comment, but continued fighting through it. Alyssa smiled slightly. "All right, Kain. Enough going easy. Upgrade to kanka and see how she takes that."

"R-right." Kain broke off and retreated, then quickly powered the enhancement technique. Then he exploded back in and Hinagiku quickly found herself overwhelmed and outmatched.

Gritting her teeth, she began to chant quietly as she fought desperately to defend herself. Then, as Kain came in to land another powerful blow, she fell back and managed to brush him with the tip of her sword. Suddenly the power exploded out of him, and, without kanka, he stumbled past her. As he numbly tried to figure out what happened, she cracked him over the head with Shirozakura, inadvertently shouting, "Men!" (the headblow hini strike).

Kain lay on the ground unmoving for a few moments before he rose and turned to Hinagiku, rubbing the injury, a shocked look on his face. "What…happened…?"

"A good question," Alyssa murmured, narrowing her eyes at Hinagiku. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"Ah…er…shouldn't I have?" Hinagiku replied almost guiltily. "Ayase-chan taught me that during…well, the week after the Festival, when we were trying to find our way back to…then. She read me a spell from her book for an anti-magic power to nullify kanka and had me use it on the fake Takahata-sensei…."

"Ah, yes…that encounter," Alyssa murmured. "And you remembered that Latin chant so easily, too…well, this is Katsura Hinagiku we're talking about, the amazing superwoman, genius in both brains and brawn, and even…." She trailed off and shook her head, then smiled her evil little smile. "And Yue-chan's artifact…it's insidiously powerful, like Nodoka's….That makes things more interesting. Well, let's continue…but you'll definitely have to step up your game, Kain-sensei…."

Mai glanced over during a respite, as Rei stepped aside to allow Momo her turn training with Mai. "Hinagiku-san…is getting pretty strong, too…" Mai murmured.

"Maybe," Momo agreed cheerfully. "That's a good thing. We're all getting stronger. Maybe someday…we'll be as strong as Kalan's original companions…."

The comment caused images to flash through Mai's mind, and she was mesmerized for a moment before shaking her head to clear it. Momo must have noticed, but her usual concerned look did not return…her smile did not waver, and her eyes were warm, as if delighted that, by a look, they could share that precious secret.

('I'm glad…Momo's back to normal. More importantly, I'm…myself, I guess. I'm still…me…there's still so little I remember, but more and more things make sense. Momo was…afraid of me, even when I was small…the hinigami must have understood something about…about the Crystal Princess. Momo's said how strict and rigid their 'Soul Society' is…but when she came to school, I was an ordinary girl, and she was able to be my friend, along with Kagome, although I remember it did take longer for her to truly accept me. I see, she…always saw the Crystal Princess and Tokiha Mai as two different people, one a…monster to be feared, the other…her precious friend. I've finally managed to convince her that my memories won't make me become…that other part….')

She shook her head again and smiled at her friend. "Okay…I'm ready. Let's go!"

8-8-8

The other important battle for 3-A was proceeding apace as well…not with the same eagerness, but steadily, and with obvious signs of improvement.

No, we're talking about the class' grades, not the war of romance. What were you thinking?

Kain's own interest in his class and increased sense of responsibility had finally prompted him to take the remedial course teaching away from Yukiji—although it was with some intervention from additional individuals, such as Hinagiku and Meia, who requested Kain do so. Although Yukiji became furious at first, Kain, having already suffered a great deal at her hand, rebuked her with a measure of force and indignation that frightened her silly…and even briefly intimidated those members of the class who were not privy to his usual training battles. So, Kain was now in charge of additional teaching (in all subjects) for Izumi, Miki, Riza, Yue, Akari, Kiami, and Kaoru. Hinagiku and Erika, as the class' leaders, often aided him as well.

Kain looked over the most recent remedial tests and nodded as he ordered them at his desk. "It has been three days since we began these additional lectures. I must say—very good. Please continue at this pace!"

This was met with some enthusiasm and some resigned sighs.

Kain finally returned to his room after everything was cleaned up…and met Mai, returning from her part-time job, at the entrance to the dorms.

"Kain-sensei…back from the remedial classes? How'd it go?"

Kain, who had been lost in thought, looked up in surprise. "Eh? Oh, Mai…yes, it's going well. I think, if they continue like this, we should at least avoid returning to last place…."

Mai considered him carefully as they started up the stairs together. "Are you…all right, Kain-sensei? You seem…a little out of it…."

"Eh? N-no, I'm not, I'm perfectly fine, I—!" He sighed and rubbed his head. "Well, I'm all right, but I have been thinking a great deal."

Mai patiently waited for Kain to continue. "You wondered before if I was…obsessing about my father again. I said that it was Sakura I was thinking of, and…that was true, but it's also true that everything that's happened…at the Festival, and after it…has made me think of my father more as well. Obsessing? Perhaps. Even after what I've heard…more than ever, I'm determined to find him."

He stopped suddenly, then turned and fixed a serious stare on Mai. Startled, she also stopped and turned to fully face him. "I've now decided…this summer, during our vacation, I'm going to return to Wyoming. There, at my hometown, is one of the gates that leads to the magical world. I'm going to go investigate what happened to my father…see if I can find out anything I can about him. And…honestly, I'm not sure…or rather, I can't say for certain…that I'll come back.

"Sakura said that her biggest goal was…well, she had seen 'possible futures', and the greatest likelihood was that, in my attempts to find him, I would encounter my father's enemy before I was ready, and that I would suffer from it. She fought me and egged me into fighting harder so I could grow, learn, strengthen myself, and be…more prepared to face them. Jynx warned me that the Obsidian Star likely still exists, and that they…even found a way to neutralize my father fifteen years ago. I really have only the slightest idea of what I'm facing…but I can't bury my head in the sand and run away. Maybe I should be patient, should stay here and train with all of you as long as possible, increase my power and knowledge so that Sakura's vision won't come to pass…but I can't. The fact that my father is alive…and in trouble…leaving him that way for even a single second longer than necessary burns at me. I know, in my heart, that if our positions were reversed, he'd come charging in to get me no matter how ill-prepared he was.

"I understand a little better, now, what I'm facing, but I've known all along that I was likely to become involved in terrible dangers I possibly couldn't comprehend. It's why I…have been so reluctant to involve all of you, and accept the help you've so freely given me. Now, however…at the very least, if I've learned nothing else, I've learned that I can—and, perhaps, need to—depend on you. All of you, but…Mai, I especially want to ask you…to accompany me, as my disciple, in my great quest."

Mai started. "E-eh? M-me!? But…why me…?"

Kain smiled slightly. "Many reasons. Because…you were my first companion, the first one to learn about my magic, the first to fight at my side, the first I made a contract with. And…more than that…really, it's your right, more than anyone else's, to accompany me…you, who was saved and almost raised by my father, and by his companions. I know that you…still don't remember everything about it, that it's more like a history than your past to you, but we now know that it's part of who you are. You…well, at the beginning, you were reluctant to become involved in magical business, kind of like Chisame, but now you've insisted on accompanying me and helping me every step of the way. And so I wanted to invite you along, officially, on the most important leg of my journey." And Kain actually bowed to the girl.

Mai flushed and began to stutter. "O-of course I'll help…I promised to, after all…and you're right…I…I want to find your father for my own sake…so I can…reconcile this past inside of me. I think I need to find Kalan to do that. And…." She stopped, unable to continue…unable to mention that, from the feelings that arose from the memory of that tiny child, throwing himself into the jaws of death, for the sake of protecting that child she would do almost anything…. She shook her head and continued, "I'm with you, Kain-sensei…and I hope you're planning on telling everyone, because I'm sure they'll all say the same things to you."

Kain smiled and nodded. "Yes…I'll let the rest of them know at today's training. And…thank you, Mai."

8-8-8

Before Alyssa even started dividing the group out for their training—in fact, before they even started down the stairs into the training room—Kain called for everyone's attention and conveyed his intentions.

"I've actually thought…long and hard about this," Kain explained. "After everything that has happened to me…and everything I've experienced here…I'm not nearly so sure of my future as I was before I was appointed to come to this school. The truth is…I've had a great deal of fun being with all of you, and the rest of our class, during these many months. I've enjoyed being a teacher and experiencing life as a teenager from my odd and unique position on the other side. I've enjoyed these training sessions our group has had together. And…compared to all the battles I've fought in, I much prefer the life of a teacher, outside of constant danger and fear. A part of me—a large part—wants to renounce any idea of quests and just continue on like this for as long as I can, enjoying the life I've been given. It almost shames me to admit it, but I don't even feel like it would be running away…it would just be accepting reality for what it is.

"Furthermore, I know there's no reason to rush off to face my father's enemies…I know they'll come to me, in time, and perhaps it's best if I wait and prepare myself more in this place where I have…well…some measure of security, before I try to take them on. As I say, I've thought about this for a long time…

"But I've come to the conclusion that there is no real 'right' answer. There rarely is, in life, I think—unlike our tests, the answers aren't easily separated into true/false and right/wrong. There are consequences anywhere I go, and although I can guess, I can't see ahead of time what they will be…perhaps the wisest decision will seem the most foolish, and vice versa. So, the only thing I can do is follow my heart.

"It may be selfish of me, but what I really want, still, more than anything, is to find my father. I always thought it would be enough just to meet him again, to learn about him, but…after what I experienced at the Festival, after what I learned from Jynx, I now know that what I really want is to *save* him. I want him to return to my life, and, if that's not possible, then I want to finish what he sacrificed himself to attempt, and eliminate the Obsidian Star once and for all. That, then, is my goal, my overarching ambition. To begin with, I intend to return to Wyoming and journey from there into the magical world, where I can follow his trail. It will be dangerous…I can't say for certain, but it's likely we'll encounter the Obsidian Star at some point, and there are other dangers we might not even suspect. I still…think that it's selfish of me, but I know that, despite everything I've learned, I can't accomplish what I desire alone, and I need help. I would like, then, even though it's against my better judgment, to ask all of you to support me as you can…and to accompany me into the magical world on my quest to find my father. I don't 'require' it of any of you, even my disciples who have formed contracts with me. I have no right to require it. But I ask all the same." He bowed to them.

The group stared at him in silence for several long moments. Kenjirô was the first to smile and stride forward, clapping a hand on Kain's shoulder and raising him. "I certainly have no 'obligation' to you, Kain…but I'm not afraid to say that, in addition to your rival, I'm your friend, now. I never had any grand dream like that in mind…all I've ever wanted was to improve my fighting skills and find better opponents, to nurture the yôkai side of me. Because of that, I'm more than happy to share your dream with you, and to help in any way I can. Besides, I honestly like Arcanus Myrror better anyway. I'm in."

Kagome stepped forward quickly. "I'm still…only limited in helping, although I'm getting pretty good at healing, with and without my artifact. Still, I've been prepared for this ever since I made that contract with you, even if it was a life-threatening emergency. Now that I know…my family is part of the magical society, I feel like I can't turn my back on it…or on you, Kain-sensei. As your student…your disciple…and your friend…I'm more than willing to help out."

Momo followed swiftly. "Well, I already know Mai was the first to accept," she mentioned, smiling slightly as she cast a glance her way. "And Kagome has agreed…those two are my real charges here, so if they're going, what choice do I have? But," she continued with soberness, "speaking just for me, I…not only as a disciple, but as someone who owes her life to Kalan Lockeheart, someone who knows him personally…for his sake, and for the sake of his son, I cannot refuse such a request." She bowed.

"I-I'll go too!" Nodoka insisted with surprising forcefulness. "Even if you tried to stop me, it wouldn't work…."

"Me too!" Yue burst out excitedly, showing far more emotion—and far fewer words—than was usual for her.

Ami smiled. "We're all…too fascinated by the magical world…among other things…to turn you down, Kain-sensei," she said, speaking mostly for herself and her two friends.

"The magical world…means more excitement," Kiami noted. "And much greater challenges. Akari, Hikaru-kun, and I…as those pursuing mastery of the martial arts, we will come simply to find enemies great enough to challenge us!" The enigmatic ninja swept her arms around Akari's and Hikaru's shoulders, pulling them close, and while the demurer warriors were somewhat taken aback, they seemed perturbed neither by the closeness nor by the fact that she was speaking for them.

Hinagiku shot a quizzical glance in Kazumi's direction, but the girl was hesitating. Finally the kaichô strode forward and announced, "Well, as Student Council President, it pains me to leave my students for too long without guidance, but Mahora Academy is an excellent school, and they should do fine. More importantly, I can't let my fellow classmates rush off into such danger alone. And, as a disciple of Kain-sensei, it would be irresponsible of me to refuse his call. I shall brave whatever I have to in order to help out!"

"Even though going to Wyoming, to America, means getting on a plane?" Erika murmured behind her, softly, but loud enough for everyone to make it out.

Hinagiku's proud and determined face twitched, but she managed, "I-I shall brave w-whatever I have to in order to help out!"

The collected stares went to Kazumi and Erika, who hadn't spoken yet. Erika, hesitating, finally said, "I…part of me wants to refuse, but…."

"If you have misgivings, Erika-san, I understand, and I can readily excuse you…" Kain began.

Erika cut him off and shook her head. "No. For…everything you've done for me…for my own personal pride, more than anything, I have to do what I can to repay you. I…have been acting selfishly, but…well, maybe this is selfish, too, but…I want to help out."

Finally, Kazumi said, "M-me too…I still have doubts…if I belong…but I feel…if I give up, I'll always regret not doing anything…wondering what could have happened if only I'd been stronger…well, Kamo-kun says that the will is most important, and I have the will. I'll do what I can, too! I'm coming!"

Rei had remained stoic and silent through this whole discussion and exchange, and Kain's gaze fell only briefly on her. She was 'being allowed', perhaps, to attend these training sessions, but he knew she would be unlikely to be able to comply without permission or orders from her master…her situation was still perhaps the most tenuous. Alyssa, of course, was still stuck at the academy, and Miyu wouldn't leave her alone. And Mai had already declared for him earlier. That was everyone, and Kain nodded, then bowed. "Thank you…thank you all. You have no idea what you all mean to me…."

Alyssa chuckled, cutting off his platitudes. "Yes, yes…you are so much like your father in that way, Kain Lockeheart. You attract followers wherever you go. I've never seen such an unlikely army—mostly middle school girls? Unbelievable—but you have a good thing going for you all the same."

"That's very true," a new voice laughed. Kain stared, and the girls whirled around to gape at Jynx. He smiled at them all. "Ah, sorry for being late," he said. "It took me longer than I thought it would to get another pseudo-body ready to come over here, even into this little magic bottle with its excess mana. But now that I'm here, I can help prepare you for your adventure. Starting now, I'll be helping with your training."

Alyssa huffed and turned her back on him. "I never asked for your help with the training…and I don't need it. You can go back to your little soldier dolls and leave the hard work to me…."

"Oh?" Jynx replied, his face and tone suddenly switching to be closer to the mischievous mage who had plagued the Festival's tournament. "Is little Alyssa-chan unwilling to share her toys? Well, why doesn't everyone just come train at my place, then? You all know the way there, now, and I think that I could fix it up to be even better than Alyssa's…."

"Fine!" Alyssa snapped—almost too quickly. "Fine! You can help…as long as you don't get in my way." She started heading for the stairs. "Let's get started already. This little friends' gathering is making me nauseous."

With smiles and a few laughs, and some slightly intimidated sounds, the group followed her down.

"So, you're not going back to America right away, right?" Kagome asked later.

"Eh? No," Kain admitted. "I…want to get at least some more training in first…."

"Then we should have some fun! We've all agreed to go to the magical world with you, but this is our long-awaited summer vacation, after all."

"I-I think…" Nodoka offered.

"…It's certainly…a good idea…" Yue concluded.

"Ah? Well, I suppose so…." Kain considered the matter seriously. "I guess…but…I'm not really used to…things like this…."

"Leave it to us!" Kagome insisted. "When it comes to having fun, middle school girls are experts!"

Ami seemed taken aback by this. "R-really? I-I'm not sure I've ever spent…much time doing that…."

"I-I think it's a good idea," Nodoka continued. "Sensei has been working so hard all this time, too…this would be good to help you recover your strength…."

Mai, watching this scene with a smile, finally ventured, "Yes, why not? This is…probably what you're missing most, especially right now. With your head full of thoughts of your dad and Sakura-san, you need to find an outlet to let go and just forget about all of it. Just enjoy yourself and let your worries go."

"Yeah…" Kain admitted finally. "That is…probably true…."

"So, let's start planning," Kagome said. "So, Kain-sensei, what do you think? Are you a mountain person, or a sea person?"

"Ah…I'm not sure…but I think I've had enough of mountains…all of Wyoming is nothing but mountains…."

"Yes, I think the sea sounds nice," Momo ventured. "Honestly, I don't think we get to see it often enough in the Soul Society, either…."

"Summer vacation? We have to wear yukata and watch fireworks," Kiami put in, joining the conversation.

Kain couldn't do anything but shake his head as the girls started making plans around him.

8-8-8

Days passed, and finally the final exams were given…and even without the boost from super-genius Sakura Sanada, class 3-A managed third place with an average score of 77.8 (apparently all the students fared worse with summer approaching…).

The class celebrated their success…and then began packing everything up. Summer vacation was not the year-ending three-month affair that it was in the United States, but it was the longest and most significant period of vacation afforded Japanese students, and so, with over forty days before the next term started, it was time to put all the classrooms and other school supplies and such in order and to rest.

And then, of course, the real celebration started.

"Are you guys still in here?" Miki demanded, poking her head inside to stare at Kain, Mai, Kagome, and Momo, who were putting the finishing touches on the classroom. "Hurry up! We've got our class celebration activity to get to!"

"Er…what class celebration activity?" Kain asked, slightly afraid.

"Karaoke."

Mai froze in the act of closing the last window. "Karaoke?" she asked, almost dreamily. "Really?"

"Yes, but only if we actually get out of here." And Miki disappeared.

Kain sighed and scratched his head. "Well, that doesn't sound too bad, but…."

"Kain-sensei, if you were thinking something like, 'I wanted to go train', or something like that, forget it," Momo informed him. Sweetly.

"That's right," Kagome agreed. "You promised us you'd have fun with us and enjoy your summer break. So, first thing's first: we join the class in our karaoke celebration!"

The author is not well-traveled enough nor informed enough to know whether there are any karaoke rooms larger than the tiny booths presented in most anime. Specifically, he has doubts that any entertainment sites of this genre offer rooms large enough to accommodate twenty-nine energetic teenagers. However, since this story has robots, vampires, mages, time-travelers, shinigami, demons, spirits, and who-knows-what-else, an extra-large super party karaoke room is certainly not beyond the realm of plausibility. So, convenient to Mahora Academy is a super-sized arcade/karaoke palace, with one super-party room available for times (and pocketbooks) like these. If the reader has a problem with the existence of such a place…you've probably been reading the wrong story for 6+ Acts.

In any case, all twenty-nine were there…this particular site was one of the many buildings within the extended 'city' of Mahora, on the school grounds.

As the noisy class filed in and started making their orders, Mai immediately headed over to the remote and began preparing song requests. Miki, however, stopped her. "No, no, Mai. We've got to have some order in this setting, after all. There are two rules to this karaoke session: first of all, our singers will be determined by random 'wheel of fortune' selection." She pointed to the side wall, where a large pie chart evenly divided the twenty-nine youngsters (Kain included) into sections. A series of lights ran around the outside of the 'chart', one for each section, and Izumi pushed a button on a remote she held, causing the lights to flare up and then die in succession, creating a 'spinning' effect around the circumference.

"Compliments of S*ny," Izumi noted cheerfully.

"The second rule is that we have to wear these costumes while we perform." She motioned to a large stack of boxes with plastic-wrapped cosplay outfits in them—each one was individually labeled. "We have that screen to change behind." She pointed out the hanging screen off to the side.

"Screen…change…costumes…?" Kain muttered, obviously displeased.

"Don't worry, Kain-sensei, you are exempt from the costume requirement," Riza informed him. "While it might be fun to dress you up in a sailor fuku, we understand we haven't the slightest chance of succeeding. And, of course, we need to keep you from the screen to avoid having any 'accidents', such as seeing your students naked. As amusing as that would be."

Of course, the three laughing girls didn't realize just how un-amusing several of their fellows found the idea. Chisame was inspecting the costumes while Hinagiku demanded angrily, "Why do we have to change, anyway? Aren't our regular clothes fine?"

"Of course not!" Miki insisted. "Plain karaoke would be boring. We could add penalty games instead, such as stripping the losers each round, and that would also be highly amusing, but that would probably drive our poor sensei off as well, so we'll skip that for now. Besides, rich girls never go for a cheap thrill when they can use an expensive thrill instead. I spent a lot of good money on these costumes…you wouldn't dare suggest I put all that money to waste by giving up the costume karaoke idea, would you, Hina?"

Hina, a girl who was only wealthy by fortunate circumstances after being in massive debt by unfortunate circumstances, had a frugality very similar to certain butlers-in-debt, and the same appreciation for monetary expenditures. "Er…no…of course not," she muttered.

"Hey…Hanabishi…where did you get these costumes?" Chisame demanded crossly, but carefully.

"Hmm? Oh, from the internet idol Chiu-chan's new online cosplay shop. Great, aren't they? They're really similar to the ones we had for the Festival diner, as well…."

('Ah, why me…oh well, at least these idiots are helping my new business…amazing how my artifact let me set that up….')

"So, if we're all ready…" Kanade began, taking charge. "Let's see our first contestant!"

The remote flashed around the name board. Mai perked up in expectant excitement…and then deflated when it fell on Yuki Nagato.

The girl's reaction was, of course, nonexistent. As usual, she didn't react to…well, anything, really. They had to find and press the outfit into her hands, then tell her to change several times. She stared at the clothes, then looked over, blankly, at Kain. Kain shrugged and smiled, not even knowing what she expected. Finally she began to undress herself, and then the girls had to shove her behind the screen, since it seemed she hadn't understood that part, either…and/or didn't care.

But the girl did look quite like a cute little doll in the shepherdess dress. That left only the difficulty of getting her to actually sing, which she finally did…and not too badly, although she had difficulty with the inflection. The energetic organizers all agreed together that she was visually a hit, and at least they got the most difficult class member out of the way to begin with.

One by one the girls were chosen, donned their cosplay, and sang with varying degrees of enthusiasm. There was quite a collection of outfits. Among them, Rei was put into a sexy nurse outfit, Miyu dressed as a nun, Momo was subjected to a school swimsuit, Kazumi had to endure the same maid outfit she wore during the athletic festival main event, Izumi got the bunny girl outfit, Hinagiku got a biker girl outfit, Erika the 'sexy Santa girl' outfit, and so on. The board seemed to be well-designed, as it never selected a singer more than once as it made its choices through the afternoon and into the evening.

Kain took his turn somewhere in the middle, and he actually made his performance with a mixture of pleasure and trepidation. He enjoyed music, even liked singing, and had a decent ear for music, but he was quite self-conscious about standing out in this manner. Nevertheless, he did quite well and was satisfied with his performance, although he would have felt better about it had he not fallen immediately between the two superstar singers, Rakasu (dressed in a Disney Princess dress) and Alyssa (dressed in a child's kimono and makeup from classic/feudal Japan).

Mai awaited her turn with less and less excitement and finally resignation as the turns came and went without her. She, like most, wasn't really paying close attention to who was left, but in fact she was the last one to perform…and celebrated when her name lit up. She didn't even complain as she dressed herself into a sexy police uniform—the ridiculous blue uniform that substituted a miniskirt for pants.

Once everyone had their turn, they started doing random duets, and amazingly, Miki had come prepared for costumes for certain pairs—for instance, when Hinagiku was paired with her near-twin (although bigger-busted) Rakasu, they were each dressed (with help) in a green dress that Rakasu had worn during one of her major concerts and had their hair set in identical pigtails.

(For those who are wondering, Miki's outfit—selected by her own two friends—was a Lum outfit).

They started in the afternoon and continued on into the night….

F I N

Author's Note: Finished Class & Karaoke

This rather brief chapter has gone long enough…and it's interesting in its own ways. I'm still adapting from the original Negima as we end the '1st Term' arc and shift gears into summer. Negi's request of Asuna was mistaken for a love confession by Asuna and then by Nodoka and Yue, who stumbled on the pair alongside the demon Haruna. Ah, I had no reason for that.

Interestingly, I think the karaoke celebration is the thing I have the most desire to make notes on, despite the fact that it was only a small portion of this chapter. I think the main reason for this is because it's actually a My-HiME scenario. I've mostly been stealing (er, borrowing) scenarios from the original Negima and Hayate the Combat Butler (usually anything involving Hinagiku), with some occasional Fortune Arterial adventures. While they did, in the original Negima, after class was released for the summer, head out to karaoke in celebration, it was only mentioned in passing and nothing was shown of it. However, I've been threatening for a while to have a My-HiME karaoke match, and this was the perfect opportunity to have it. Fans of that anime may recall that about episode 16 Midori took all the HiME girls who had helped against the Searrs Foundation out to celebrate at the karaoke place, and she had special costumes and the participant selector, all as I've had here. She also drank heavily and got Sister Yukariko drunk while she was at it. Naturally, the Baka Trio is an excellent choice for a group that would follow Midori's footsteps (except for the alcohol) since she can't be present….

It's mostly pointless, but I enjoyed throwing it in. As I say, it's nice to adapt another anime I've got in here rather than the 'big three'.

Well, we're done here. On to the next one!