A/N: Once again…I am deeply sorry for updating so late…I had planned for an update a few days ago, but then many things happened between high school graduation and other matters, and I was pulled into a whirlwind of chaos…
I am sorry. (bows) I know I mentioned about updating two days ago in my profile (I usually put update status in my profile and update the profile every day). I am sorry for not being able to update. Many things occurred, and then I was feeling sick again, and then…I am deeply sorry. I will make sure that my profile contains accurate and up-to-date information on fic writing status next time. I am sorry.
Regarding the Detective Challenge:
Thank You to everyone who has joined. Please know that you can ask questions, and I will answer to each with my utmost ability (without spoiling, don't worry). Oddities can range from something odd that happened, or something someone mentioned, or even something unmentioned.
I will keep track of the oddity count, and the person who noticed the most will receive a KonoSetsu Oneshot dedicated to them on any topic/genre they wish for me to write in. Don't worry, if you don't win, or if not enough people joins, I will do a short KonoSetsu snippet (one to two paragraphs of the subject you want me to write in) for everyone who joins.
I am also sorry to say that there are not many oddities in this chapter. However, the next chapter shall contain a plethora of them.
Explanations for Chapter Seven:
We continue after Setsuna loses consciousness, and the KonoSetsu duo had been captured. Konoka sits holding Setsuna close in the demon's cage as she waits for the half-demon to awaken. Akira (one of the ten Mahora Warriors who were captured) approaches her. Akira tells Konoka to relax, and that Setsuna has been healed and will awaken shortly. Akira worries that Konoka is exerting herself too much.
Konoka reassures to her friend that she will be fine, and Akira hands her some water. Before she leaves, Akira asks Konoka if she is falling in love with Setsuna. Konoka ponders about it, but decides to leave the thought as she attempts to give Setsuna water.
Setsuna wakes up, confused, and called Konoka "Kono-chan." Konoka afterwards introduces the 10 Mahora Warriors, Negi, and Chamo to Setsuna and they tell her the situation. With Negi's magic, Setsuna's supply of Omnyou paper is filled once more, and she uses it to create Chibis to help them. The chibis appear to help the captives, but ChibiSetsuna seems to have fallen in love with ChibiKonoka at first sight…
Reviews Replies for Chapter Seven:
Ryû: Thank You for the hint! It was very helpful. I thought I had caught all of the grammar mistakes, but it seems that I have not caught a few. Don't worry, the chibis will not disappear until much later chapters, and they can always reappear.
yashan-kun: Thank You for the review, and for participating in the challege! There will be many clues hidden throughout the chapters. I am sorry to say that those, aren't quite the ones I am looking for. Konoka's odd gleam is the newly discovered love she realized that she had towards Setsuna after talking to Akira. Sayo's ability is one of the abilities she had been trained to do as a Mahora Warrior (just like Nodoka's mind reading technique). Ayaka is holding Negi close because she is protective and clingy towards him. Please do continue trying to notice clues. I am sure you will find many.
Hirai Neon: Thank You for the review! And yes, the chibis are very cute.
The Shiny Sword: Thanks for the review! The Chibis have been let lose!
Icha-kun: Thanks for the review! I am very sorry for the wait. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
DarkRai: Thank You for the review! Don't worry, this story is not ending anytime soon, unless no one likes it anymore…Ah, don't worry. Please continue to try finding clues, I am sure you will be able to find many.
RikkaXx: Thank You for the review. ChibiKonoka is….hehe…you'll see in this chapter, and the next.
Jisatsu: Thanks for the review!! You have inspired me greatly. And yeah…hehe…the title was created with the drawing in mind. (Notice how I've always used two-word titles in this fic. The title is actually "Thirteen Captives" and the ermine part was meant for humor in allusion to that picture.)
deviantFan: Thank You for the review! I hope this chapter will be cute as well.
Disclaimer: I do not own Negima nor Love Hina. They both belong to Ken Akamatsu.
Notes: Setsuna's thoughts are in italics. Konoka's thoughts are in /italics/
Chapter Eight: Chibi Wars
"Owww!!" ChibiSetsuna cried, whizzing away from the tree that obstructed her path.
The other Chibis snickered as they followed their courageous-but lovestruck-leader, who, for the third time in twenty minutes, had dared to challenge the mightiness of the trees by ramming head first into them repeatedly.
ChibiSetsuna giggled embarrassingly, and rubbed her head to where it had kissed the tree. Slightly mortified as the other Chibis began to snicker louder, she quickly flew ahead. She motioned for the others to follow, quickly stealing a glance at ChibiKonoka, who was blushingly trying to concentrate on the task ahead. Sighing, ChibiSetsuna was quickly lost in a longing gaze towards ChibiKonoka once again.
The Chibis snuck throughout camp that way, peaking from bush to bush at the demons sitting by the fire. Earlier on, ChibiChizuru and ChibiYuuna had left to find reinforcements, and the eleven Chibis who stayed spread amongst the bushes to prepare their plan of attack.
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Like a child lost in the woods, the little chibi suddenly toddled within sight of a few watch demons who were standing guard at the edge of camp. Seeing such an easy victim to catch, the demons grinned their malicious smiles, not bothering to signal the camp of the little girl's approach as they began to close in around her.
She looked helpless and alone as she eyed the demons, round eyes threatening to glisten with tears. She whimpered as they got closer, taunting her. Quite hopelessly, she rose a hand to innocently wipe her tears, her form shaking visibly. Seeing this as a signal, they extended their claws, about to catch her. They reached closer to grab her, closer until…
Surprised were they when their hands touched nothing bit thin air- the tiny chibi easily slipped past their legs unnoticed. They turned to find her running towards the woods, and they growled, chasing after her. In less than a minute, they had reached the forest, but the chibi was no where in sight.
"Nice one, ChibiNatsumi! Hehe."
Dozens of rocks where projected towards the demons, and they roared, blindly swinging their weapons to attack the unseen enemy.
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ChibiAyaka crossed her arms, a frown appearing on her face as she watched her fellow chibis battle the demons.
"A bunch of savages, I say. Look at the way they're fightin-"
Her eyes widened, as she watched a particularly large demon trap ChibiNegi against a tree. The demon raised his mace, about to swing-
"Aieeeeeeeee!! Chibi-sensei!"
With one mighty leap, ChibiAyaka landed on top of the demon's head, stomping on it with her feet. The demon tried to throw the chibi off, shaking his head and reaching his hands to blindly grab the chibi. Yet ChibiAyaka held tight; pulling on each of the demon's ears with each of her own hands, as she held onto the demon.
"Yaahhhhhhh!!" she cried, riding the demon by pulling on its ears.
"Giddy up!!"
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The demon searched through the fighting hoard of chibis, his eyes catching sight of a particularly innocent and harmless- looking one. Seeing him look at her, the silver-haired chibi stuck out her tongue.
"BOO!" she said, raising her hands horizontally as a ghost would.
Angered, the demon kicked at the chibi, who dodged, giggling all the while.
She ran, and the demon followed her for nearly five minutes, until she turned abruptly and dove into a small clearing. The demon followed the suit, diving head first, with claws extended and ready to slash at the chibi.
BAM!
The echo resounded throughout the battle field, as the demon's head connected with something hard. The demon lost conscious immediately, and the little chibi returned, giggling once again as she examined the fallen enemy.
"That was a great illusion, ChibiZazie-chan!"
ChibiZazie nodded, as a tree suddenly appeared in place of the clearing. The silver-haired chibi flew towards the tree, then glided into it, materializing behind the tree afterwards.
"Hehe! Luckily I can pass through!"
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As the smaller form of someone who's specialty was finding breaking news, it did not take ChibiKazumi long to discover where the key to the captive cages were kept.
"Who knew, demons gossip even more than we do!" she snickered as she tiptoed towards the fire.
She slipped behind the demon carrying the keys, then waved her hands to motion to ChibiAkira flying high above. Upon seeing the signal, ChibiAkira sent a wave of water falling towards the campfire. As the demons' bonfire died, they were left in pitch black, unable to see.
ChibiKazumi swiftly bit the keyholder's hand, and the demon howled, dropping the keys into her hold. A string of curses left the demon, as he struggled to punch his unseen biting enemy, hitting his comrades instead.
With the key in her hands, ChibiKazumi slipped away, laughing silently at the demons who were blindly fighting each other.
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The crow demon shivered in fear, as the two nearly identical chibis bounced from one place to another with a thick vine in their hands, tying him tighter and tighter with the vine as they danced.
When they had finished tying him, his arms and feet were roped to a large tree branch, and he hung helplessly from it like a hog about to be grilled. The two chibis sang as they threw wood under the area where the demon hung.
"Roasting the demon!" One chibi announced.
"Roasting the demon!" The other one replied.
"Come!" The first one continued.
"Come!" The second chibi echoed.
"We're having roast demon tonight!" They finished together.
The demon closed his eyes, offering a quick prayer to all the Crow Kings of old to save him. The suspicious smell of smoke soon reached his nose, however, and he opened his eyes once again, shifting his position in the process to see the twin Chibis holding torches.
The demon's eyes widened as the chibis danced closer, waving their torches towards the stack of wood under the tree branch from which he hung.
"Mommyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!"
----------------(Back at the Kansai Temple)--
Kuu shivered in her seiza position as she watched Konoemon hold the feather near her comrade's bare feet.
"So tell me, why are all the Mahora Warriors gone? Where is my granddaughter?"
Chao shook her head, "It is not for me to say."
Konoka's grandfather laughed softly, then brought the feather to the tied up warrior's feet. Chao whimpered and twitched, then broke into a breathless laugh.
"S-stop it, aru ne! We be your warriors, aru yo! Why you torture us?" Kuu jumped up, and ran over to her friend.
Konoemon turned towards the shivering warrior with an odd gleam in his eyes. "If something has happened to my granddaughter, do I not have the right to know?"
Kuu stepped backwards, "You wouldn't, aru."
Suddenly she found herself tied to a chair next to Chao's. Thick ropes wove themselves around her, and her shoes popped magically from her feet. She screamed.
"Do you want to try it?" Konoemon asked, bringing the feather ever closer to her feet.
"Don't say it, Kuu! Don't! For the sake of the princess, yo!"
If Kuu Fei heard her friends words, she made no reply, as her eyes fixed themselves on the feather that is getting ever closer.
"I give, aru!! I give!! Konoka was kidnapped by Setsuna-kun last night! We left to go find them."
Kuu let out a deep breath as the leader of the Kanto Magic Associations threw the feather towards the floor. Slowly, he brushed his white beard as he pondered her words, then rubbed his hands together.
"Good! Really Good!" he said, as he untied the two warriors.
Kuu and Chao looked at each other.
"Hmmn…hoho. Bad Setsuna-kun, he should have known that it is not proper etiquette for a man and woman with such status to spend the night together away from home. And they've left since last night, you say?"
The warriors shivered, as Konoemon bent to help them up.
"Well, get on, I say. Go find them…"
The two Mahora Warriors rushed to the door, afraid of what might come next from the princess's grandfather.
Too late were they, however, that as soon as they reached the door, Konoemon had continued his sentence.
"And tell them to get ready for the wedding when they come back. I will be planning for it. Hoho…Setsuna-kun would make a fine grandson-in-law."
Kuu Fei and Chao Rinshen bowed their heads.
Uh oh.
------------(back at the Chibis' Battlefield)----
ChibiSetsuna flew around in circles around ChibiKonoka, as she fought against the enemy. So eager, so hyper was she that she seemed to appear in at least four places at once, making sure that ChibiKonoka did not have to fight any of the demons, nor the demons reaching the ChibiPrincess.
Bravely she swung her tiny butter knife-like sword, poking randomly in the demons' eyes and ears. From where she stood upon the tree, ChibiKonoka sweat dropped.
ChibiSetsuna seemed to be making the enemy dizzy and confused than actually causing serious injuries. The battle continued for about fifteen minutes, until one of the demons suddenly found an opening to attack. ChibiKonoka jumped, pushing both herself and ChibiSetsuna away from the attack.
They landed on a nearby bush, momentarily lost to the sight of the demons.
"Are you okay?" ChibiKonoka asked, worried as she watched ChibiSetsuna rubbed her head, eyes closed in pain.
Slowly, the smaller version of Setsuna popped open her eyes, then blushed, as her eyes focused on ChibiKonoka's gaze.
"You saved me!" she said, and suddenly gave ChibiKonoka a huge glomp.
She squeezed the other chibi in a monstrous hug, then pulled away, giving ChibiKonoka a peck in the cheeks as she did.
"ThankyouThankyouThankyou!!!"
ChibiKonoka blushed, rubbing her cheek from where the other chibi had kissed.
"Wha? What was that for?"
ChibiSetsuna gave the blushing chibi another glomp.
"Kono-san and Setsuna kissed Chibi like that last time! So I kiss ChibiKono-chan like that too!"
ChibiKonoka titled her head in curiosity.
"They kissed you?"
ChibiSetsuna giggled. "YupYup!!! I can tell Setsuna and Kono-san's heart was beating fast…just like me right now!!! Then…they looked at each other, and leaned in…And then they kissed Chibi on each side of Chibi's cheek!"
ChibiKonoka blushed darker, bringing her hands to her face.
"Something tells me that wasn't what is supposed to happen, ChibiSetsuna."
"Ehhhhh!? But they kiss Chibi because their heart beat fast. So Chibi kiss you because you make my heart beat fast, too! Here, see?!"
ChibiKonoka shook her head as ChibiSetsuna pulled ChibiKonoka's hands towards her heart.
"Oh!!! Call me ChibiSecchan!!!"
The smaller image of Konoka sighed. "I give up. Okay, ChibiSecchan."
ChibiSetsuna giggled, then flew around the bush.
"Yay! ChibiKono-chan calls me ChibiSecchan!!"
A sudden idea struck ChibiKonoka as she watched the other chibi dance, and she grinned.
"Say, ChibiSecchan?"
ChibiSetsuna stopped, and turned towards ChibiKonoka.
"Konoka and Setsuna like each other, don't they?"
ChibiSetsuna placed a finger on her cheek, deep in thought.
"Hmmn…I thinky think so! But Setsuna is too too shy to admit it!" she suddenly sang.
ChibiKonoka chuckled. "Wanna help me get them together?"
ChibiSetsuna giggled. "Okay," she said, as she pulled the other chibi out of the bush to continue their battle with the demons.
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Setsuna paced around the cage as she watched the camp's fire die out.
"What's taking them so long?"
She frowned, about to call back ChibiSetsuna using their mind link when a sudden click echoed to her ears.
She turned to see ChibiKazumi holding the key, and the cage doors open. Nodding to the chibi for a quick thank you, she motioned to the rest of the captives to leave the cage.
ChibiKazumi landed on the larger form's shoulder, and in a professional-like voice, began to report the battle status.
"We are currently distracting the enemy by splitting them into smaller groups and confusing them. We have noticed that the larger portion of the demon group have gone hunting- as we all know that demons hunt at this time of night. If they should come back before we leave, then we might be in trouble. Meanwhile, however, our methods in destroying the demons have proven to be efficient."
Setsuna sent a quick message to ChibiSetsuna to gather all of the chibis back. Then, she turned towards the group, giving Konoka a swift smile.
"So, is everyone ready for battle?"
The group of former captives cheered, raising their weapons in the air. The sound of footsteps echoed nearby in mid-cheer, however, and they all turned.
"Not without us, de gozaru."
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End.
A/N: Thank You for reading! Once again, I am deeply sorry for the late update. I hope to see you all again soon!!! (Either in the next Chapter or in Double Existence)
Next Chapter on Half of a Soul: Mischievous Trap
The captives have been freed at last, and some reinforcements have arrived. What will the outcome of their battle with the demons be? What is ChibiKonoka planning- to get Setsuna and Konoka together? And if they all arrive home safely, will a wedding be awaiting them?
psst...(sneaksneaksneak)..Note to Ryuu, Dobby, and Jisatsu if you happen to see this (puffs out cheeks)...Furu is not a Chibi!!! (runs)
