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: Journey to the Past
Wednesday, March 5th.
"Kain-sensei."
Kain started and glanced over. It was late in the evening, close to the school's lenient curfew, and he had been enjoying a few quiet moments by sitting at his desk, writing. He had been totally alone one second, but now, standing next to him, was….
"Sakura." Kain put his pencil down and swiveled his chair so he could face the girl directly. "What brings you here? I don't think I have any pressing needs…this couldn't be your promised 'third wish', could it?"
Sakura giggled. She was dressed in the outfit that he was still having trouble thinking of as 'habitual', but he realized it did certainly belong to her more than others—her haori and shihakushô. "No, of course not," she denied. "You're right, you don't have any need for a genie at the moment; rather, I'm here to ask your help. There's something we should take care of."
"Take care of?" Kain raised an eyebrow. "Really? This sounds serious…."
"Well, it both is, and isn't…it's nothing major, from most perspectives, but it would be grave from the point of a view of a time cop-like personage…."
As Kain's stare turned more quizzical, she suddenly moved to the window and opened it, then slipped outside. Bemused, Kain swept up his cloak and followed her. She stood on the air outside his window, and he flew over and hovered next to her. "A 'time cop'…we have to do some essential time traveling? What's this about?"
"I'll explain as we travel. Technically, we can start from anywhere, but I think it's best to start from the World Tree." She started that direction.
Kain followed her, and she explained, "A little less than a year ago, while traveling abroad, your class became targeted…by the Obsidian Star. However, the attack was foiled before anything came of it, and, as nearly all those girls were ignorant of the secret of magic, nothing noteworthy came of it. However, the question is…what did happen…and who prevented it…?"
They alighted down by the tree, and Sakura turned a mischievous smile on Kain as she finished.
Kain returned the look with a neutral stare for several long seconds. "Yes…I heard something about that before. The fake nun, Sonia Shaflnarz, said that 'Kain Lockeheart' and a member of his class, probably Kazumi, had foiled an attempt against them while they were at Mykonos Island. So…since it 'already happened', we have to go back in time and make sure that it does happen? Is the reason you're here for this because of the 'contract' you made with the time of this world or something?"
Sakura shrugged. "Who knows? But now would be a good time. I'm sure that even our most ardent readers have completely forgotten about the entire scenario with the fake Sister Fortesia and her suggestion of time travel, but it's better to tie this all up neatly, wouldn't you say? Leaving any threads dangling is just…untidy…."
"Yes," Kain agreed. "The Obsidian Star is gone, so whatever happened in the past doesn't matter…it has no bearing on anything important going forward, but the Writer simply must address all his insane plot points and deal with all his choices, mistakes or not….
"In any case," he continued, slipping once again behind a swiftly-rebuilt Fourth Wall, "what we discussed in that basement suggested that Kazumi would have/will help with this…apparently she caught sight of us that night. Obviously, she would have followed us, gotten involved and/or helped out somehow, and then we had to wipe her memory and send her back." He smiled slightly. "Of course, sometimes the obvious answer isn't the correct one." He turned around and addressed himself to thin air. "Why don't you two come on out?"
There was silence for a brief moment, then Yukari lowered her mask, revealing herself and Kazumi. ('The Guze Mask,') Kain thought, recalling his dream adventure from earlier.
"It's eerie how you can even remember me," Yukari muttered. "But, I guess you already explained that…."
"Yes, quite. I just sensed you, but even for me it's not easy to do so. I assume you were just returning for the night and caught sight of us, and decided to sneak after us and investigate?"
"That's right," Kazumi said boldly. "Sakura-chan…where are you taking Kain-sensei…?"
"Well…taking him?" Sakura smiled mischievously. "We're going on an adventure, actually. I guess…." She turned to Kain. "Shall we bring them along?"
Kain shrugged. "Why not? If they're willing, of course." He addressed himself to the pair. "Well, we're taking a little trip into the past to take care of some semi-dangerous business, it seems. Do you want to come with us?"
The two exchanged a glance, then boldly declared in unison: "Of course!"
"Fine then." Kain turned back to Sakura and nodded. "We'll all go together. Let's get on with it."
Sakura nodded, then turned to face the tree. She drew her sword and inserted it into the air, where it disappeared with a light blue glow all the way to just above the hilt, and turned it like a key. "Unlock," she commanded it.
"You have to treat it like a door to the Seireitei, that Senkaimon?" Kain demanded.
"Not really," Sakura denied, smiling back at him over her shoulder as a door appeared and opened in front of her, revealing a shimmering white portal. "But since that's what I'm used to, that's just how my mind manifests most of my doors between dimensions. C'mon, let's go!" And she jumped into the portal.
Kain leapt in after her without hesitation. Yukari and Kazumi quickly followed suit.
8-8-8
They looked around at the scene when they arrived. Late afternoon…a European-looking town by the sea, it seemed. Kazumi and Yukari gasped, and Yukari spoke first. "This place…it's Mykonos Island!"
"Yes…." Kain glanced at her with a small smile. "So this is really it; the place you guys went to for Golden Week."
"Yes…I remember that too," Kazumi murmured. "What that fake sister said in that weird dungeon…back before I learned anything about magic…I've never forgotten that day…."
"Yes, it is 'that day'," Sakura commented. "Right now, down in that town, most of Class 3-A is enjoying itself…."
"W-we really…traveled back in time…?" Yukari sounded awed.
Kain chuckled. "Yes…even after magic, time travel seems even more amazing, doesn't it? Sadly, now even that's starting to get old hat to me."
"Say that, I may leave you here and see how you like it," Sakura warned him with obviously fake venom.
"In any case, what's our destination?" Kain demanded suddenly, turning to her himself. "I understand our general objective—make it so that 'Kain Lockeheart' interferes with the uncle of Sonia Shaflnarz, but where exactly do we go for that?"
"We'll have to look around," Sakura said without concern. "I don't know everything, after all; let's just make sure we avoid running into Class 3-A…."
"What?" Yukari demanded, almost crossly. "That isn't a problem. Did you forget that I'm here?" She held up her mask in annoyance. "Just hold hands with me, and we'll go about without anyone noticing us."
"B-but…we're in the past…what if it makes everyone forget about our, uh, past selves?" Kazumi demanded, obviously concerned.
"Ah, don't worry, Kazumi! Magic can be strange and silly sometimes, but there's no way it would do something that stupid. Our 'current selves' have nothing to do with our 'past selves'…isn't that right?"
"Probably," Kain agreed. "Listen to your friend, Kazumi; it's pretty reliable for us."
Her fears assuaged, Kazumi took Yukari's hand, and Kain took hers and finally gave his to Sakura. Thus properly hidden as Yukari led the way with her mask, the four began to wind their way through the streets of the small town….
8-8-8
The man surveyed the sheet in front of him: a roster of Mahora Girls' Middle School Class 3-A. "So, these girls…are they really a threat to the magical society, Mister Horius…?"
The blond-haired mage smiled. "Of course they are. Although Mahora Academy is maintained and operated by mages, most of its students and even a good portion of its faculty are ordinary people, completely unaware of the secret—blissfully removed from its troubles, as you and your family are currently, Mister Solger Shaflnarz. But there is a hidden danger lurking with them—not the girls themselves, at least not at the moment. Their teacher, however, is a mage, and a truly dangerous one. He is Kain Lockeheart, the son of the infamous war criminal Kalan Lockeheart and the most terrible persona of the last century, the Queen of Calamity, Aeli Kanna. Although just fourteen years old, the young man is already an accomplished mage with a brilliant and conniving personality. What he is capable of…considering the disappearance of his parents years ago and the persecution his mother received…is terrible to think about. Although they should be ignorant, he has slowly been influencing his students and drawing them into the magical secret…he could be seeking to create a kind of magical army or unit of his own."
"Hmm…and yet the magical society allows such a potentially dangerous individual to roam free?" Solger glanced up at Horius, raising his eyebrows.
"Alas, while the deeds of his parents are well-known, they were not, naturally, universally hated," Horius replied easily. "Mahora Academy in particular was always closely allied to Kalan Lockeheart, but has too much influence and power to be easily punished by the wise councils of Arcanus Myrror. Even now, they hide their heads, afraid of what that Academy and its allies could be capable of. We had a recent member of ours, Pakrov Eminus, gathering intel on them in Kyoto, and Kain Lockeheart himself led an invasion force with several of his students into the city and drove him off; they say he even had an Infernal at his beck and call. The Kansai Magic Association, which had initially offered support of our actions, was naturally bullied and cowed by threats from the boy, and allowed him free reign during and after the battle. It is clear that at the current moment our actions against him are limited; and that is why a man like you can be of assistance to us."
"Yes, I was wondering about that," Solger replied dubiously. "Obviously, I'm eager to rejoin the magic realm, and my family has exceptional potential and talent for the art just as they ever have; furthermore, it seems that Kalan Lockeheart stopped my brother in his own efforts ten years ago, but still, pitting me against a foe of this caliber…."
"Naturally, we could not ask you oppose him directly. But there is a unique opportunity at this time; Kain Lockeheart, arrogant after his victory, has allowed a large contingent of his class, almost completely ignorant of magic, to come here, to your home of Mykonos Island on this little vacation. Once your family served as the magical stewards of this island, but since they withdrew from the magic circle, there has been no real magic on the island, and no local magical powers. They will not expect any kind of attack at this point, from this place; even at this time, if he does suspect something from us, the Athens Magic Society, he will not expect anything from someone who is not, legally, an acknowledged mage. And since these girls are as of yet uninitiated into magic…."
"Even as I am now, it would be easy to capture or kill them. Granted. But even if I did such a thing, what would it benefit, and would it be worth the cost? Eliminating a few more potential partners of his would merely anger or alert him, and if he then came after me for revenge, I would be doomed…."
"Of course! But I never suggested anything as dark as killing one of them, or something as foolish as trying to hold one hostage to threaten and manipulate him. There are better ways, my dear Solger." Horius removed a shimmering orb about the size of a golf ball from his robe. "You should have enough talent to operate this. It's a kind of magical hypnosis device, but very powerful. You can use it implant subtle programming in the subconscious of your victim, magical control so deep it is virtually undetectable. As of yet, these girls are uninitiated, but obviously dear Kain will continue to bring them into his agenda one-by-one. By planting one or perhaps two carefully-controlled spies in that herd, we can gain a significant advantage over him."
Solger nodded. "Ah. I see your logic now. Yes, I was wondering why my potential re-initiation would be something so dangerous, but in this case, the timing does rather nicely coincide with such a potential. It is fortunate for you I came along, eh?" He took the orb and examined it. "It is rather like some of the toys that remain in our family, if significantly more powerful. I think I know how to make it work. I simply need to abduct a couple of these girls that are particularly close to him, program them and return them before anyone is the wiser. I just need the perfect target…."
Horius leaned in and extended a finger towards a portrait. "Might I suggest this girl to begin with; weak of constitution but quick of wit and mind, and particularly worshipful towards Kain Lockeheart. With her charms and her dedication, she is a particularly choice girl for the boy to target soon."
Solger examined the picture of Kazumi Yoshida. He nodded again. "Yes…she looks perfect. Particularly worshipful towards Kain Lockeheart, you say? Then it should also be easy to isolate and trap her, then…."
"I shall leave it to you." Horius rose and began to depart, but suddenly he stopped and turned back. "Oh…just in case…I do have one other gift for you…." He placed a sword on the table, a katana with a silver guard marked with a strange symbol. The scabbard and barely visible blade of the just-unsheathed sword were both black. "While this method will minimize your risk, there is a chance that you could be discovered and your life would be in danger; therefore, you should keep this sword for protection. It is demonic, but it is powerful, and will allow even an inexperienced mage like yourself to compete against the likes of Kain Lockeheart and his allies. It, too, is a risk, and therefore a weapon of last resort; but I do not wish to leave you entirely at the mercies of any enemies who would come after you."
Solger shuddered, but took the sword with grim determination, snapping it back fully into its sheath. "Yes…I understand. I will indeed only use this as a last resort, but I will keep it, just in case. I thank you, Mister Horius Corai. I will contact you when my part is complete."
As Horius left the small mansion in the twilight gloom, a soft chuckle sounded behind him…and Nagi Homura appeared in the air behind him. "How clever…and cruel you are, Horius. Manipulating a poor desperate dog like that to doing our dirty work…."
"This newly appeared Kain Lockeheart is an interesting twist," Horius replied, smirking, without turning around. "Well, we knew about his existence since long before, when we took Aeli Kanna…but now he has appeared, perhaps without all his father's insane power, but certainly with enough potential; even the brat Eminus took an interest in him. I should like to dig my talons into him sooner rather than later. He is quite right—it's an absurdly lucky coincidence that he should stumble onto one of our bases, our conspirators in the Athens Magic Society, when he came calling for a chance to rejoin the magic realm. It's absurdly lucky for us that he came at this time, right after we've had our first good look at that man's son, and at a time when his innocent, helpless students are right under our noses and so far beyond his reach. There is no risk in this ploy; at best it will get us a free spy into Mahora and next to that boy, and if he fails, there is no real loss to us."
"What if he is caught by allies of Mahora, and they use magic to force him to give you up?" Nagi pressed.
"That's why I gave him that sword. Well, losing it would be a small setback, but I already lost the chance I really wanted; that hanyô swordsman Eminus found was the son of the famed swordsman of the west, Kôtarô Hanatabi, and he would have been an ideal little servant with a weapon like that in his possession, but since he was captured before I had the chance to meet him in person and hand it over, it seems unlikely I'll be able to make that kind of use of it; the odds of finding another such swordsman to enslave with it are low. If that man uses it—and, if he is confronted by any proper authorities, he will—he will be consumed by it, and the sword itself will serve as evidence to why he did what he did."
"Oh, of course…that sword is actually a demon sealed by the boy's father back during his adventuring days, isn't it? Yes, if that sword 'possessed' him, of course he would want revenge against the offspring of the sword's mortal enemy." Nagi chuckled again. "You are too clever for your own good, Horius. You and your brothers are doing fine carrying on the work that the real Eminus no longer can. Yes…I'd very much like a spy inside Mahora right now…there are things I'd very much like to see…."
"I imagine…including that other girl that interested Eminus so, yes? Do you really think it could be her? I thought she died when Shabrinigdo's avatar was unleashed…."
"Even Gato Kagura Vandenberg died confronting it, but it was defeated," Nagi admitted. "Naturally, after no further word came of her, after her presence vanished and Takamichi Takahata assumed the load of the last member of the Red Wings actively carrying out their ideals, we all assumed she had perished in that battle. But doesn't it make sense? That he would place her in the Academy's care?"
"Yes…although it doesn't make sense that she is the same age as Kain Lockeheart now," Horius mused. "If the wizards of Mahora managed to unseal the chronomagic bind in her core, they are better mages than I gave them credit for…or perhaps the battle with Shabrinigdo did break something in her after all. Regardless, that's just speculation, and whether it is true or not, security at Mahora will be far tighter in the near future. I do hope this Solger doesn't blow it; we really do need that spy in Mahora now, to confirm this for ourselves…."
8-8-8
We see three of the girls on vacation relaxing in their room—Yukari, Kazumi, and Matake, dressed in robes as they are preparing to bunk down for the night. Again, we must note—these are the 'real-time' versions of Kazumi and Yukari, not yet introduced to magic, not the time-traveling pair accompanying Kain and Sakura.
"This place is a blast," Yukari chuckled. "It's so interesting; a real symbol of Greek society and culture, a pleasant little town. Even more surprising, it's got a surprisingly decent amount of Japanese speakers, so we don't always have to rely on Rakasu-chan or Caria-san to translate for us…."
"I hear Yuki-chan's been a surprisingly ready translator, too," Matake noted. "But you're right about the Japanese influence—I've heard the Sanzen'nin family has connections here, land and mansions and everything, and they've employed most of the locals at one time or another. That's why so many speak Japanese, and why those three made sure it was one of the stops on this trip." She stretched. "Well, it's been a nice distraction, but I'm honestly looking forward to the end of our trip—then we'll be in Athens, and we'll see some real sights!"
"Maybe…but while it's historic, I like the atmosphere here a lot," Yukari countered. "Everyone sees Athens. Not that I won't get pictures of the Parthenon and all the rest…." She turned to her more reticent roommate, who was staring out the window. "What do you think, Kazumi?"
"It's nice," Kazumi agreed easily, turning back to smile at her friends. "I…also really like it here. It's warm and humid, but not too hot…the people are relaxed and friendly and patient with us, and the food is good. I would like to learn how to cook some of this local food so I can make it back home."
"You really do seem to be enjoying yourself," Matake chuckled. "I guess the only way it would be more perfect would be if Kain-sensei were here to enjoy it with us…right, Kazumi?"
"E-eh!?" Kazumi shrieked, panicking slightly. "T-that's not it, Matake-chan…."
"Ah, that would be better, wouldn't it?" Yukari pressed her. "Aren't you missing him right now…?"
"W-well…." Kazumi trailed off and turned back to stare out the window, trying to smother her embarrassment. Then she started. It had to be her imagination…right? After all, they'd just started talking about him…he couldn't possibly be there. But that figure she just spotted out her window…that cloak, it had to be…. "Kain-sensei…" she murmured.
Her two friends noticed her sudden change in posture and attitude and stared at her quizzically. "Kazumi? Are you all right?" Matake demanded.
"I-I need to go out for a bit!" Kazumi suddenly declared, bolting for the door.
"K-Kazumi! Hey!" Her two friends pursued her.
Kazumi, surprisingly, quickly outdistanced her two more athletic friends, but then again, it was dark and she had a better idea of where she was going. However, as she investigated the hill where she could have sworn she'd seen her beloved, she slowed down and glanced around nervously. "Was it really…my imagination? I was sure I saw him right here…." She shook her head. "No…I must have been…he wanted to stay in Japan, there's no way he'd suddenly be here…."
Then she felt a strange prickling sensation on the back of her neck, a sudden sense of wrongness and terror. She glanced back behind her…just in time to watch the darkness engulf her, before she had a chance to scream.
8-8-8
Luckily for Kazumi—or perhaps it was simply fated to be—four unseen individuals witnessed the abduction. "We wandered around all day and didn't find anything," Kain noted. "But now…."
"Was that…me?" Kazumi breathed. "So I was…abducted…?"
"Yes…I remember this night so well," Yukari murmured. "We were panicked when we couldn't find you, and finally came running back to the inn to tell everyone…and we found you asleep in your bed, with no memory of anything that happened. We never did figure out what it was about…but I guess now we know. So we have to go rescue Kazumi, huh?"
Sakura giggled. "Well, it's natural for the heroes to go save the damsel in distress, but it's rare the damsel in distress gets to rescue herself, right, Kazumi-chan?"
"Just how minor is this?" Kain mused. "Kazumi abducted in the middle of the trip…and we have to come from the future to deal with it? It somehow just gets swept under the rug, but…." He glanced over at their guide. "Just why exactly did we have to be the ones to do this, Sakura? Your past self is here, too; why couldn't you have simply dealt with it?"
"I'm not sure," Sakura admitted. "Actually, I never knew anything about this before it was over…but at times I get impressions and messages from my sword when I'm involved in other worlds in this fashion. I had a clear message that it was important to bring you here to deal with this. I don't think it's a matter of you being the only person who can; perhaps, rather, doing this is somehow for your benefit."
"Well, whatever, we're here already, so the why doesn't matter!" Yukari insisted. "Let's go save Kazumi already! The fact that we're here means we must have succeeded or are going to succeed or whatever, but that isn't a good excuse to slack off!"
Sakura giggled again. "You're a wonderful companion for this type of adventure, Yukari-chan. You're right, of course; Kazumi needs rescuing. So, let's follow that abductor!"
8-8-8
Solger examined his patient. "Honestly," he muttered. "Is this girl really a Japanese middle-school student? I don't see how any red-blooded teenage male could resist such a fine specimen if she knew how to properly use those assets of hers…." He suddenly shook his head from side to side. "No, no! That's not the purpose of this exercise. Although, should she succeed in gaining his confidence, or more, all the better."
Other than kidnapping her in the first place, it must be noted, Solger was not doing anything particularly vile towards her at present—she was dressed in the same robe she'd been wearing when he picked her up and, other than remarking upon her womanly charm, he had done nothing to take advantage of the situation. Kazumi was lying on the table, seemingly asleep and peacefully so, eyes closed and perfectly still, breathing regularly.
Solger raised up the shimmering orb Horius had given him. "Well, first off…we need to discern the nature of this mind so that we know how to code it…."
Images in Solger's mind's eye began to float up like bubbles in a liquid tank of some sort. Pictures of individuals…obvious friends and schoolmates in the same uniform, parents, a young boy that was probably a younger brother, a corgi dog, and, predominantly, one red-haired young man. "I see…this innocent girl is cripplingly shy and unsure of herself. She therefore clings the more strongly to supportive friends, and to a seemingly caring young teacher her age. Desperate for attention and support, for the comfort and security that the devotion of a young man like that might bring. In a way, it's poetic…it is little different than my own desire for the comfort and security a life of magic could bring me, to be part of that society, that world, once again.
"In any case, we can now make the twists and fixes to make this mind more at ready to worm its way into the teacher's circle…."
"I'd rather you not, to be honest. I don't like my students, past or present, getting unnecessary twists and fixes in their minds."
Solger glanced up and staggered backwards, his eyes widening in shock as he beheld the figure who had not been there mere moments before. The somewhat thin figure, markedly shorter here, by comparison at least, than he had been in Japan, but bold and imposing, dressed in that unforgettable combination of blue power suit and white cloak. "Y-you!" Solger gaped in fear. "Kain Lockeheart! It can't be! You…you're supposed to be back in Japan! How could you be here…how could you know to come here…!?"
"Well, I had to have outside help," Kain responded with ennui. "But the specifics don't matter, right? I have no idea what you're trying to do here, or why, but I'd like Kazumi back. I won't have you doing anything to her."
Solger's lip curled up in a rebellious snarl. "Really…someone like me doesn't even register to you, does it!? I'm just some meaningless thug, is that it!? Your family has already done enough, you know!"
"Oh, dear, we have a drama queen here," Kain sighed. "Look, I'm not sure what my 'family' has to do with it, but I don't see how that's my problem, or becomes Kazumi's problem…."
"Then know this well!" Solger insisted. "Our family was once powerful mages, until my grandfather got bored with it! 'The magical life isn't for me!' he said. He married someone from outside and settled down to a normal life of boring normalcy! We became nobodies! Sure, so everyone on this island had given up magic! Sure, so they had just witnessed recent problems like the mage-vampire wars, a couple World Wars from the mundanes, and the more localized problem of the cursed Castle of King Midas, but still! The entire island gave up on magic, and just like that, we were nobodies! But maybe we wanted back! And my brother tried, and, ten years ago, Kalan Lockeheart, or some stupid relative of his, or something, put a stop to that and forced him to give up his quote-unquote 'evil ways'! So he moved to Japan, abandoning our ancestral home, and then turned into a chef and died eating poisonous blowfish he failed to prepare correctly, thus leaving his daughter, my niece, poor little Sonia, an orphan!"
"Hey, I'm not going to have to make another trip through time to deal with that, will I?" Kain asked Sakura while Solger continued raving. "All the stories make it sound very obscure, like they actually expected me to time travel back to then as well and put a stop to the first magic-reentry attempt…."
"I think the author was just unsure how much he wanted a silly side story to emulate the original Combat Butler," Sakura replied sweetly. "But I think it was one of the last actions Kalan Lockeheart took before he saved you and gave you his cloak. We shouldn't have to worry about any more time-travel adventures."
"Really, why does everyone feel they need to interfere with us!?" Solger continued. "We just want to get magic back! We just want to return to that feeling of superiority, of control, of life! Where's the harm in that!? Okay, well, so I just kidnapped some innocent girl and am performing some shady magical experiments on her, but still, that wouldn't even have been necessary if we had just been given proper admittance to the magical realm! And you, of all people, getting in my way! Aren't you just admitting nobody innocent schoolgirls into this secret right and left!?" He glared at Kain accusingly.
"He's got me there," Kain remarked to his companions. "Although I think several of your classmates would violently object to being called nobodies."
"Aha! You admit it! So, then, are you really going to interfere with me!?"
"Well, yeah," Kain sighed. "Regardless of the circumstances, I can't go letting you do things to my precious friends and students, past or present. I'm afraid that I'll have to make you let Kazumi go."
"Really!? You really will!? You conceited hypocritical brat!"
"Look, can you just let her go peacefully and not make such a scene?" Kain pleaded. "Really, I do pity you. You're just a victim of circumstance. Both this time and ten years ago, your family seems to have just lucked into the wrong group. You aren't communicating with the proper magical authorities; you've been played for patsies by the Obsidian Star."
"The who!? You won't trick me by telling me such flimsy lies!"
"He's been out of the magical realm for several generations," Sakura pointed out. "He's obviously never heard anything about the Obsidian Star or the part they played in the last war."
"Oh, well, I guess that's true…." Kain sighed and tried again. "Look, just give it up already, okay? Maybe your family isn't meant to rejoin the magical society. At least, not right now. In a few years, the Earth might become more magical, of course, and then it would be only natural to…."
"Don't try to placate me with lies! I've had enough of it!" Solger hopped backwards and reached for the sword that was lying on a nearby desk. "You are Kain Lockeheart, mortal enemy of my family! I never expected to confront you directly, and I may not survive, but even if I don't, I will go down fighting to avenge my family honor! Prepare to die, Kain Lockeheart!"
Kain stared at the sword and started as he recognized it…from a rather unlikely source. "Wait! Not that sword! If you draw that, then…!"
Heedless of his warning, Solger pulled forth the blade…and howled in demonic glee and rage as the energy poured into him. He held the scabbard in one hand and pointed the sword Kain's way as he stood there, grinning, black-purple energy rising up to almost obscure him and the entirety of his eyes turning red and glowing with menace.
Kain cursed. "That sword…it's the same thing they gave Kenjirô back then…."
Solger leapt at him. Kain conjured a mana blade and blocked the attack. They danced and dueled for a few moments while Kain's companions looked on.
"I guess you're not taking this seriously, either?" Sakura asked curiously. "Even with that sword, you should easily be able to deal with a novice like him."
Kain glanced over his shoulder at them. "Well, yeah, obviously…but I'd rather find a way to do it without killing him if I can. That might be a long shot, but I can't just carelessly let him die. Why don't you three take the past Kazumi and get her out of here, so I can do what I need to without any other distractions or problems?"
At their arrival, Sakura and Kain had broken their link and advanced forward so Kain could present himself and Sakura could add commentary, while Kazumi and Yukari had remained back, still holding hands and with Yukari still employing her mask. Now Sakura shrugged and started for the other Kazumi lying on the table.
"You think I'll let you!?" Solger suddenly released a blast of demonic energy that repelled Kain and, in the same instant, swung his sword to send a rending streak of dark power between the table and Sakura, bringing her up short. "Come to think of it," he continued triumphantly, leaping for the table himself, "now that I have the object of my revenge here, I don't need this girl anymore! Her life will fuel my hunger…!"
"No!" Kazumi broke her grip with Yukari and dashed forward. She cupped her hands by her pendant. "Phoenix!"
Solger was actually brought up short by Kazumi's appearance. "What!? There's…two of you!?" Then he glanced up at the flaming bird that had suddenly appeared, and watched as it spat fire at him. He blocked the fire of the bird's breath weapon, resisted it, and then cut it aside. "Well, regardless, your life will taste even sweeter, little copy magic-user…!" And he started for Kazumi.
Then Kain was there in front of him, running him through. He gasped as the mana sword pierced his heart. "Sorry," Kain murmured. "It was a little too much. I can't let you hurt them…regardless."
Kain reached over and took the sword from Solger's hand. Solger's face took on an even more pained expression, he hissed in agony, and then collapsed to his knees and finally the floor. The scabbard fell from his limp other hand, and Kain retrieved it and sheathed the demonic sword.
Yukari and Kazumi stared at the man in horrified fascination. "Is he…really going to die like this…?" Yukari breathed.
"He is," Kain replied. "It's unfortunate, but it's how it goes right here. The minute he drew that sword, his life was consumed by the blade, and even separating him from it would end his life at best. I pity him; he and his brother as well were both victims of circumstance, and I didn't want to just kill him, despite everything, but he's not totally innocent. Even if it was ignorance, he chose the path of greed and hate, and now he's paying for it." Kain raised his hand, a small glow surrounded the man, and he vanished.
"W-what did you do?" Kazumi asked him as Phoenix, its own presence unneeded, also took this moment to vanish.
"Sent him to his niece, Sonia Shaflnarz. I guess that's how this is supposed to go. She'll hear his dying words about revenge against Kain Lockeheart and his student, and decide to come after me." Kain shrugged. "That's how it goes, dealing with time. What will be, will be, or what has been, will be." He turned to Sakura. "I assume that's all satisfactory?"
Sakura had retrieved the unconscious Kazumi from the table in the chaos and still held the larger girl quite easily in her arms. Sakura shrugged. "I suppose so. As 'satisfactory' as it can be; as you say, regardless, it is kind of sad how it turned out. But at least it's over." She glanced down at the sheathed blade Kain still carried. "What about that?"
Kain glanced the same direction, raised it up to examine it. "This demonic sword…I guess I should just destroy it…."
"Don't be too hasty," Sakura suddenly interjected. "You lost your sword against the Obsidian Prince and haven't replaced it, right? Why don't you use that for a replacement?"
Kain stared at Sakura for several long moments, but he seemed unable to unnerve the girl, who continued staring at him with a cherubic smile. "It's a demonic sword," Kain finally pointed out. "True, I'm part demon now, and yes, my power is enough to suppress it without any difficulties whatsoever, but it's still an evil, cursed sword, and not what I want as my weapon. Somehow, because I'm part demon, I can hear its voice. It's petulant and annoying, and it also has a grudge against my family. Sometimes I wonder who doesn't…."
"Then just find a way to purify it first, and keep it safe until then."
"Purify…?"
Sakura sighed, but not unkindly. "You silly people are all the same…you find it too easy to believe in demons and curses and the powers of Hell while ignoring angels and blessings and the powers of Heaven. Well, it's the fault of modern storytelling more than anything else, perhaps; it's easy to believe in fallen angels, in items becoming corrupted, but if good people and items can become corrupted, why can't evil people and items become purified? Isn't good supposed to be stronger than evil, after all? If that change only goes one way, that would really suggest that good isn't all it's cracked up to be." Then Sakura turned away suddenly. "Well, I should go put this Kazumi back; you should just think that over. I'll rejoin you at the door to this manor once I've got her securely tucked away and made sure she has no lingering problems, and we can go back to the future." And she vanished.
Kain glanced down at the sword again, sighed, and slipped it into his cloak. "Well…if such a thing can happen, I guess it wouldn't be bad." He turned towards the door. "Let's go ahead and get out of here. We've done what we came for."
Yukari nodded, but Kazumi suddenly burst out, "Kain-sensei…wait…." She shared a quick glance with Yukari, then continued, "There's…something I'd like to talk to you about…."
"I'll go on ahead," Yukari said brightly. "I'll see you outside." She flitted out.
Kain stared after her just a moment, then turned his attentions on Kazumi. "Yes, Kazumi? What do you need?"
Kazumi fidgeted only slightly before she steeled herself. "Being in this place again…and thinking about all that's happened…it kind of reminded me," she said. "All we've gone through this past year…it's been quite an amazing trip, hasn't it?"
"It has," Kain agreed. "More fantastic than we ever could have dreamed."
"Yeah." Kazumi brushed at her hair. "But, even so…you know, it is March now, and we'll be graduating soon. You said you would wait until graduation before responding to everyone's feelings…before making your decision, before letting us know what's really in your heart, so…we can finish up our time together without any awkwardness. Well, you never said so exactly, but that's what I interpreted, and it makes sense. But, it also seems…rather harsh and hard to gather us all together and make a big deal out of it…or to try and meet with us one at a time after graduation to tell us each individually…really, the whole situation just seems…so absurd…."
"I can't argue with that," Kain put in.
"So, while we're here together, alone, with no one else around, I wanted to receive my answer," Kazumi finished. "You asked if I wanted it back during the Fall Festival, but I agreed I would wait…but now, I think it's time I got my answer." She then shook her head and smiled sadly. "No, rather, I think it's time I got my confirmation. I'm…not the one closest to your heart, am I?"
Kain stared at her for several long breaths, then closed his eyes and, rather sadly, shook his head. "…No, Kazumi. You are precious to me, but not the most precious. Somewhere, somewhen else, we might have been most happy together…but I can't choose you. I'm sorry."
"No." This time Kazumi shook her head, and emphatically. "No. Don't apologize. You can't apologize for being true to your heart. And I won't cry." She sniffed, rubbed her wrist across her eyes, and continued with a laugh, "Well, okay, maybe a little. But I was prepared. I think…I always knew…that you were really out of reach. It's why I tried so hard, worked so desperately. But it's all right. As I told you back then, Kain-sensei, even if you reject me, I don't regret anything that happened. I think…I'm stronger for all of it. And I think I'm happier for all of it, even with this pain. But it doesn't hurt as much as I thought it would…I guess I kind of knew that since I was expecting it, it isn't so bad. It's what I needed to know. Now I can move forward."
"I'm sure you'll forget about me soon," Kain told her. "You deserve someone wonderful…and I think you'll have no trouble finding him. And you'll remember this time as nothing more than a schoolgirl's foolish fantasy…."
Kazumi giggled, shook her head, then moved forward and kissed Kain on the lips. Kain accepted the affection with tenderness, not stiff or resisting, but not compliant or eager, either. Kazumi withdrew and stepped back, smiling brightly again. "No, Kain-sensei. I'll never forget you…and I'll never dismiss my first love. I really do love you, Kain-sensei…maybe one day it may be 'did' but it will never be less than that. I don't know if I'll ever find someone I can love as much as I loved you, but I know it would be unfair to you if I didn't at least try. Thank you again, Kain-sensei, for everything…and I look forward to our last few days together."
Then Kazumi turned and started skipping for the door. "Now, we shouldn't keep Yukari-chan waiting…."
Kain smiled sadly after her, and then followed her.
8-8-8
Sakura arrived with her burden at the outskirts of the inn's grounds…and Sakura met her there. "Hello, Past Sakura," said the one.
"Hello to you, Future Sakura," returned the other.
The first Sakura handed her burden over. "I know I shouldn't ask what you were doing," the second Sakura said as she received the unconscious girl. "But I assume it turns out all right?"
"Of course it does," the first Sakura replied. "You'll see for yourself soon enough. And you'll be surprised, I know."
"Really? I look forward to it." She turned away. "And now you should be going, before this gets any weirder than it already is…or worse, before some of our classmates find us and it gets real complicated."
Sakura made her retreat, and returned to Solger's mansion right as Kazumi and then Kain emerged from the building. "Well! We're all gathered, so, let's go back!"
"So, we're going back, just like that, huh?" Yukari demanded.
"Yep." Sakura summoned the portal and glanced back at her former classmate as it yawned open to receive them. "This was just a silly little loose end to tie up. Now you can tell your classmates that you, too, have experienced time travel."
"It was better than last time," Kazumi giggled. "Even if I…was in that situation…."
"I'm sure." They crossed through and reemerged in front of the World Tree…but although she had entered first, Sakura did not actually emerge from the doorway. As Kain, Kazumi, and then Yukari stepped through and alighted upon solid ground, they glanced around in surprise and then turned as one back to the doorway, and Sakura stood there, still inside the portal.
"That's all for now," Sakura told them. "Thanks for your help! I'll see you once more, at least, Kain-sensei…I still have one wish left to grant." And then the doors closed, and vanished, taking once again every sign that she had ever been there.
They stared after her a moment, then Yukari and Kazumi turned quizzical stares Kain's way. "Wishes? What's that about, Kain-sensei?"
"She's been playing genie," Kain said nonchalantly. "In any case, it is getting late, and we do have school tomorrow, so we should be getting to bed…."
8-8-8
Back in the past, Horius perked up suddenly as the sensation hit. "That's odd…it seems Solger has died and his sword has been silenced…what just happened…?"
"I'm not sure." Nagi suddenly materialized behind him. "Something odd seems to have obscured his location…and really, mere hours after you left him? That was way too quick…."
"Agreed…I never placed great hopes in him, but something seems very strange about this." Horius cast a few spells, and his frown deepened. "Everything about the event seems obscured. Well, no matter. I was about to leave this place anyway, and after that incident, or non-incident, or whatever happened, I am convinced it should be sooner rather than later. I was going back to Arcanus Myrror anyway, to look into a few more experiments there." He rose and turned to Nagi. "What about you?"
"I'm not giving up on Mai just yet," Nagi replied. "I'm going to confirm if it's her…and we still need to get the Mana Seed from Mahora, if we can. But, it could be dangerous to approach ourselves, especially after what just happened, whatever it was that actually happened. I'm going to try something else…."
"Not hollows, surely?"
"No…there's too much danger in showing a trump card like that. But, you see…there was a powerful Infernal that was actually contracted to destroy the child Kain Lockeheart. I have one of the toys we prepared for the girl…I might collect him, give him the gift, and send him out to finish his job, and use that to confirm the truth for us…."
"Ah yes, I recall the incident…the one sealed away, while all the rest were obliterated by Kalan Lockeheart. Well, have fun. I'm off."
Nagi gazed out at nothing wistfully as Horius vanished. "Dear little Mai-chan…how we would really love to have you back, Mai-hime. If it really is you…then we should be seeing each other again soon…." And, chuckling, he vanished.
Of course, this was still in the past. We already know what happened next, as detailed in Act 3 of Mahô Sensei Kain. And otherwise this event is unimportant, as, returning to the present, we know: the Obsidian Star really is no more.
F I N
Author's Note: Time Travel Adventures
This chapter really was just tying up a loose end, one I created rather unintentionally and, because I'm me, I just had to address, even if it was meaningless.
As a reminder for those who need the refresher course, way back in the Side Stories that came between Acts 6 and 7 I stole the marathon race/church dungeon adventure from Hayate and introduced the fake sister Sonia Shaflnarz, a character who outside of that story never actually appeared in the work (she was referenced once or twice in Act 7, but otherwise that's it). The fake Sister Fortesia told a story only lightly adapted from Hayate and, instead of it involving the Mafia, instead involved the magical world, and had all sorts of hints that the Obsidian Star was involved, as well as time travel. Of course, in the original time travel was the cause—Sonia's father was a failed hit man for the Mafia who was foiled in his attempted assassination of the young Nagi Sanzen'nin by the time-traveling butler Hayate, in a story itself that started out mostly as just a nonsense out of sequence one-shot adventure, but which Kenjirô Hata ended up tying into the main storyline (naturally, the reason for the time travel is never explored, this being a senseless comedy manga). Where things got difficult was that, in the original, Hayate was required to bring his master, Nagi, with him, so Sonia could get revenge on them both. But as I was adapting it, while most of the situation was short on problems, having a Nagi replacement was tough, since Kain with full possession of his powers would have handled everything quite differently. He needed reasons to not be able to use them, hence he needed students with him who were unaware of magic, hence I decided he needed Kazumi, who was just a better fit for this damsel-in-distress role than most.
(And, yes, if you recall he was supposed to take only those outside the magic circle, and Yukiji forced her way along and, we already knew, she actually is part of the magic secret, but at the time Kain didn't know that, and honestly nor did anyone else except the magical faculty of Mahora).
Time traveling was the only reason to have Kain be part of this mess that made sense (okay, yes, I know, time travel never makes sense) so I wanted to keep the time travel aspect, but I needed a reason for Kazumi to be the object of Sonia's revenge, because the whole point becomes useless if she wants revenge on Kain alone. Hence Kazumi was somehow involved in the previous event that ruined Sonia's family. It's been so long, I'm not even sure if I intended to have Kain time travel for the first incident as well (the one involving Sonia's father, that more closely mirrors the events in Hayate), but I decided it was best in the end to leave that to the mysterious journeys of Kalan Lockeheart and give Kain only one headache of a time travel trip. I always did plan to have Sakura return to help enable the time travel for some mysterious necessary purpose (really, helping the author tie up useless loose ends), and originally I planned to have Kazumi spot Kain while he's there, follow him into danger, then get her memories erased and returned to safety. As I started writing this chapter, though, I decided instead that I should just have Kazumi time travel with him, and having Yukari unsuccessfully stalk Kain with her tied that in best. Kazumi had to show herself so dying uncle could mutter last words about the cursed 'Kain Lockeheart and his big-busted brunette student' to Sonia. And Kazumi did have this odd memory of this night in Mykonos, so I had to have her abducted so that I wouldn't have to retcon it or pull a George Lucas. Really, it's a silly and unnecessary little bit of theater, done only because I am so rigid about things being proper and in order, but I decided to make use of it…hence the sword, which we'll get into more next chapter.
I'm glad this chapter is as long as it is, because once again I'm going much quicker than I originally anticipated, but part of that is bound to happen after I gave up on having a real Valentine's Day episode with Valentine's Day hijinx. Again, I should like to have at least 50,000 words dedicated to the Act, but we're not even halfway there yet, so this last month is going to end up taking the majority of the Act. I should have enough I can do overall to make it happen, but, still….
Oh well. Anyway, let's go ahead and move on…White Day is coming up….