Mahou Sensei Kain Act 1

by Chris-Sasami-Bunny

Kain Lockheart, teen Mage prodigy, is asked, as a task to becoming an Archmage, to teach at an all girls class in Japan of students his own age. All the while, he must hide from them the existence of magic and try to find his missing father. Will he succeed, or will trouble follow him everywhere? Crossover includes characters from Inu Yasha, Mai Hime, DNAngel, and much more!

10. Chapter 10

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 Eight: Demon-Touched, Part II: Of Disciples and Contracts

"You can help?" Mai asked in disbelief. "Forgive me for my lack of faith in a talking rodent…."

"Ermine, ojô-chan, just as you said before. And as I said, I'm not really a cute harmless animal. Don't get caught up in appearances, especially where magic is concerned. Although, to be specific, together we can help Kain out—help grant him total victory." He seemed like an ordinary ermine, but his speech, gestures, and, now, smug expression warred with her sense of reality.

"Okay then," Kain interrupted, "what are you talking about, Kamo?"

"Well, it's like this, Kiddo. I was watching the fight. From what I saw, you've definitely done your homework and trained yourself pretty hard. Magic and fighting-wise, you're definitely a match for that little Alyssa one-on-one. It's a much tougher proposition, but with some training and strategizing, you could probably take out the robo-girl with your combination of fighting skill and magic. But alone, against both of 'em? Kiddo, you haven't got a snowball's chance in hell."

"So…what do you suggest?"

"Well, obviously, you need a partner or two. Someone to even the odds."

Kamo had told Mai exactly where he was going with this already. "You're not saying I should use my students in this battle, are you, Kamo?"

"Of course I am. I won't mince words. After all, if they hadn't shown up, you wouldn't be here getting this advice now, would you?"

Kain reddened and started to stammer a retort, but Erika cut in, "He has a point, Kain-sensei. Well, Tokiha-san aside, I have as much responsibility to help you, since, as Student Council Vice-President, the students are also charges under my care."

"Using that logic, we ought to go get Hinagiku_-san to help us as well," Kain put in dryly.

"Wouldn't be a bad idea," Kamo said. "The more, the merrier, as they say."

All three of them stared at the magical ermine for a moment. Then Erika said, "That logic aside, my family is part of Mahora's Magic Council. I have plenty of reasons to be concerned about this. If you insist we not tell the principal or the rest of the council, I'll agree with you, Kain-sensei, but you won't be getting rid of me."

"Me, either, for that matter," Mai muttered. "Okay…I know I shouldn't even be here, shouldn't know about magic, and I really don't belong here…but…I can't just turn a blind eye to what I've seen. To think that people like that are in my class…I'm not sure I even know how to act around them any more. I'm certainly not going to sit back and watch them hurt my friends."

"Well said, Ojô-chan," Kamo applauded. "You both sound quite determined. Will you refuse their help, Kiddo?"

Kain hesitated. He felt he really should, that he should try to handle this all on his own, but the responsible part of him was insisting that he was already being reckless to the point of stupidity in choosing not to seek help from his elders in the school. "I guess not," he sighed. "I really don't have any right to refuse them, especially if they're already going along with my selfishness this far."

"Right," Kamo agreed. "Well then…Mai-chan, is it? How would you like to make a contract with Kain and become his disciple?"

"Eh? Disciple?" Mai wasn't very familiar with the word, and wasn't sure she liked the sound of it.

"Are you talking about a mage-guardian contract, Kamo-kun?" Erika asked.

"That's right! As a member of Mahora's Magic Council, you sure know your stuff, Erika-chan. Like I said, I'm a magical spirit of binding and contracts. That's my specialty."

"So what's this contract thing about?" Mai demanded.

"Well, mages don't fight like ordinary people," Kain began.

"Really? You don't say?"

"What I mean is, mages…well, mages aren't really known for going to war with big armies. If they did, there'd be no magic secret, and a lot less of the world to care about it. But that's neither here nor there. Mages who train to fight can inflict massive damage all by themselves. However, they still can't deal with every problem on their own. They form partnerships, usually with mages who specialize in different types of magic or warriors who can do what they can't. Mages who exterminate monsters or demons, who go adventuring and treasure hunting, usually travel like that. At the very least, a mage will have a familiar or elemental companion that can help them. Contracts, though…well, mages can boost power by signing contracts with magical forces. I'm not too familiar with contracts between humans…."

"It's hard to do properly," Erika explained. "Kain's right…usually a contract is formed between a human and a greater power, either Infernal, Elemental or Celestial. The human's essence can provide a center to the power, and the other party provides power to the human. In a way, many spells are small contracts on their own, drawing on the power of other planes. However, it is possible for two humans to share such a contract. It's a tradition for Archmages to have disciples—Archmages have a cause, a quest, a reason for their existence that drives them to reach the highest levels of magic, and their disciples are their loyal friends and followers who are devoted to using their skills on their behalf, furthering that cause. In ancient times, it was common for Archmages overflowing with power to form contracts with those disciples. The art has largely been lost, now…one of the reasons Kalan Lockeheart, Kain's father, was considered such a great Archmage was that he supposedly had renewed the ancient contracts with his companions."

"Heh, that's right, and I can assure you it's no rumor, Erika-chan." Kamo looked smug again. "I'm responsible for it."

He stopped when he saw Kain's open-mouthed stare and stuttering attempts to speak. "Y-y-you mean you knew my father, Kamo? You never said anything like that to me!"

"Ah, did I forget to mention that?" Kamo said innocently. "Well, Kiddo, it wasn't the time then. Yeah, I traveled with your pops a bit and helped him out some. I'll tell you a bit about it sometime. Now's not the time…now the issue is your little adventure.

"Magic contracts between humans usually need an anchor because even mages don't have enough magical power to share it freely with their disciples. And that's where I come in. I serve as the anchor, link the two who make a contract through me with the magical plane, and voilà! Instant power-up. The mage and his disciple can boost their power directly from the magical plane, communicate freely, transport one to the other's location, and, because it's me, the disciple is even granted an artifact through the contract." He turned his attention more fully to Mai. "If you really want to get involved in the affairs of the magic realm, Mai-chan, you can't pass this offer up. With this boost, Kain can depend on you. Without it, well, you shouldn't stick your neck out."

"Is that so…well…should I…?" Mai turned imploringly to Erika and Kain.

Kain shrugged. "I…certainly don't want to pressure you to help out. I can tell you're the type who'd prefer not to be involved in anything strange. Maybe you're already in too far…and that makes me feel guilty enough as it is. It's your decision."

"Kain-sensei's right," Erika agreed, "and it's a serious decision, too. You could say…well, if you make that kind of contract, it wouldn't be just to help out against Alysaser…there'd be no going back at that point. I don't want to say you could never go back to a normal life, but…it would be that much harder. Far harder than walking away right now."

Mai hesitated. "What about Sendô-san? Why couldn't she make a contract with Kain-sensei? Are you targeting me, Kamo-kun, just because I'm normal and don't already have my own magic…?"

"Well…that's not entirely right," Erika sighed. "I…can't make that kind of contract with Kain-sensei."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm a vampire. I…hate that part of me, but I have to feed on human blood to survive. And that need for blood is…stronger than just hunger or thirst. It's an addiction…we can be overcome with bloodthirst, if we desire someone's blood strongly enough. Mage blood is…special to us. It's more desirable, makes us stronger, and…makes our bloodthirst worse. When I first met Kain-sensei, that vampire part of me smelled the strong magic in his blood and…wanted it badly…."

"I was wondering why you ran away from me the first time we met," Kain said dryly. Mai, recalling seeing the event, silently agreed.

"Eh…you remember…? I'm sorry. Yes, that's why. I've never felt bloodthirst that strongly before, especially after just meeting someone. I'm kind of used to it right now, but…if Kain-sensei and I made any kind of contract, it would just make it worse…."

"Erika-chan is a vampire, and that brings her trouble," Kamo supplied, speaking up to spare Erika from the difficulty of her task. "Vampires have their great power but, as she said, the bloodthirst is a price that comes with it. Vampires are actually used to making contracts, but in their case, since they are a race of power, they tend to be the master of the contract. They make humans into 'Servants', granting those humans immortality like they possess, but in return the human is bound to the vampire's will and becomes their permanent blood bank, as it were. If Erika-chan made a contract with Kain, even if it wasn't a vampire-Servant contract, the kiddo would end up becoming her food source."

"Er…." Mai hesitated, unsure of how to respond to that.

"In any case, for now that leaves it all up to you, Mai-chan," Kamo continued smoothly. "So, have you decided? Or do you need more time?"

Mai wasn't sure she'd ever be ready to make this kind of decision. It all seemed so crazy, so serious now. She really should just throw her hands up and walk out on all of it. She hadn't been forced to learn about magic, hadn't been coerced into coming. She'd seen Kain use magic, and then, except for that crazy incident in the library—which, as far as she could figure out, wasn't even Kain's fault—it hadn't really mattered at all. She'd been half afraid that, since her discovery of the secret, her daily life would consist of helping Kain track down missing exotic magical pets, dealing with crazed teenagers overcome with love potions, or seeing odd spells transform her classmates, or, worse, take off all their clothes for no good reason. None of it had happened…nothing had really happened until now. She didn't really want anything to do with it…but the thought of Kazumi under attack from that monster, the thought of a similar monster attacking Kagome or Momo or any of the rest of her classmates and friends…if she could do something about it, then was it possible for her to just turn a blind eye because she thought it 'didn't involve her'?

And what about Kain? That was a good question. He seemed to take his teaching duty very seriously, but why? From what he had said, this was a very unexpected stop on the road to…whatever his dream was. What was his aim?

She needed to know that. "So what are you after, Kain-sensei?"

"Eh?" Kain started, confused at the abruptness of this question. "W-what do…?"

"Well, I said before that I wanted to help you out because I couldn't stand the idea of my classmates doing such horrible things…attacking my friends…all of it. And that's true. I feel that if I know about this, and I can do something, then…I-I really just feel I should. I feel like I couldn't…not do something. But…without magic or anything, I don't know how I could stand up to a demon or a robot. Kamo-kun is probably right. If I want to help out, I need some sort of power of my own.

"But this way of getting power…this 'contract'…is a big deal, right? You say it might…coerce me into helping Kain-sensei with more than just this problem. If I become his disciple, I may have to share his dream. Before I let that knowledge help me decide what I need to do…I should know exactly what I'm getting into."

Kain nodded. "Well said, Tokiha-san. As I said, I was assigned to this school as part of my quest to become an Archmage…a master of magic, a mage-hero, dedicated to helping the people of this world and the magic world. My father…was a genius mage beyond compare, and he saved the magic world from a terrible crisis. But he disappeared around the time I was born, so I never knew him. I was raised in a small town in Wyoming, the most middle-of-nowhere place you can get in America, very isolated, but I heard stories about his exploits. Even the people of this school, those who know magic, anyway, all seem to have heard of him.

"Ever since I was born, I've walked in his shadow, and I've chased it. I've wanted to meet him…and to become someone just like him. That is my two-fold journey. Everyone thinks he's dead, but…I know he's alive." Kain reached up and grasped the collar of the white cloak he always wore. "I know it. I will find him someday. To do that, I feel I have to walk the path he walked, see the things he has seen…so I am following his path as best I can, by becoming an Archmage. At the same time, by doing so, I might become a hero even half as great as he was. That…would be more than enough."

Mai continued staring in admiration even as Kain fell silent. She envied him, more than anything, right at that moment. She had never even given thought to what she wanted to do with her life…she just lived day-to-day, enjoying the small things, and making sure she kept up with her myriad obligations. But Kain had his entire life planned out before his eyes. He was determined and set, even though evidence and obstacles stood in his way. He wanted to go out and be a hero, but instead he was spending his time teaching a bunch of middle school girls. He bore it with a smile, with patience, without complaint, because he believed he would reach his goal someday. He knew he would….

What was Mai's plan? Go to high school? And what about after she graduated? Work part-time forever? She was an orphan raised by the school, and it was all she had ever known. As the ward of Mahora Academy, they had taken care of all her needs since her arrival, which was as far back as she could remember. She never really felt sorry for herself because she had no parents, no home, no family—she was cognizant of what she had, very cognizant, and she worked part-time simply to fray the costs of her upbringing, even though the principal had assured her many times that it wasn't necessary. She had always felt…a bit of pride about that. She wouldn't survive on pure charity, no matter what it took from her. But that pride melted away before this iron will.

She couldn't possibly bear that kind of magnificent weight…she couldn't possibly walk side-by-side with someone so much more magnificent than she was, someone who made her realize her own insignificance. And yet….

And this was the most dangerous thought of all for her to have, especially about a boy like this, but hearing that story, looking at him there, lost in his dreams about his father, feeling his determination…she couldn't disappoint him. She felt she couldn't walk away from that kind of dream….

"I don't know if I'm a hero, Mai-chan. I'm not that great. I'm still just an insignificant human, too weak to do anything about the real evil in this world. But I'll help those close to me, and they'll help those close to them, and maybe, in that way, we can make some small difference in the grand scheme of things. And I won't give up, either."

Mai blinked as the odd memory fled as soon as it had arrived. She wasn't sure what, exactly, had happened, whether she'd recalled a distant memory or had a brief daydream; she had no idea what words she'd heard or images she'd seen. But somehow, the moment made the decision for her.

"All right, Kamo-kun," she agreed, turning back to the ermine. "I'll help out. I'll make a contract with Kain-sensei, and help bear his burden as long as I can, even if it's only while he's here at school. It seems the least I can do."

"Eh?" Kain broke back to reality and fidgeted. "Ah…thank you, Tokiha-san…."

"Glad to hear it! Now, you two stand right there, face each other, and pucker up!"

The temperature in the room dropped nearly ten degrees. Celsius.

"Wait, what?!" Mai and Kain shouted in unison, whipping their heads around to stare at the spirit.

"Didn't I mention that? You have to kiss to complete this contract. C'mon, get those lips moving!"

"Now hold on here…."

"I wasn't expecting this…."

"It's just crazy…."

"Right?" the two finished together, glaring at Kamo.

"C'mon, kids, you're teenagers, kissing each other should be second nature, right? Just one meeting of the lips and it's all over."

The spell was completely broken now. Kain and Mai looked at each, looked away, blushing, and turned back to Kamo.

"I…I don't think we can do this, Kamo," Kain finally managed.

"I mean, a k-kiss…we're teacher and student, among…other things…."

Erika picked Kamo up and stared at him. "What is the meaning of this, you perverted hamster?"

Kamo sighed. "Okay, would you rather do it the vampire way? Drink each other's blood?"

All three teens started at this announcement. Erika dropped Kamo in shock.

"Nothing's ever easy," Kamo said. "Okay, it's true, it's not an easy thing for you two to kiss, and it's actually better that you feel that way. The thing is, this contract is a serious deal. It binds two souls together. Not as big a deal as marriage, but in some ways you could consider it the next best thing. I was half-serious about the blood—that is one way to do it if you're into that, taking a vital part of each other. That is how vampires make contracts with their Servants, after all. I know that'd be nearly impossible for you guys, and to be honest, I don't like it much either. The kiss is best.

"See, the strength of the contract is determined by the strength of your feelings for each other. A kiss is good because it can artificially raise those feelings. That surge of emotion at the moment I bind the contract gives it its strength. Without some show of emotion to seal the spell, it won't last and it won't provide any real power."

All three teens were silent. Kain sighed. "Well, it's late, and I've had way too much stimuli today," he muttered. "Now wouldn't be a good time to make any of these kinds of decisions. Let's go get some rest and maybe we can watch Alyssa tomorrow and see where we stand with her before we go doing anything…making any rash…before we…before this is settled."

The two girls agreed with him, and they started for the door.

"As you like," Kamo agreed calmly, hopping onto Kain's shoulder. "I'll be sticking with you now, Kiddo, regardless. Just make sure you make up your mind quick…you never know when the little demon princess will come after you again."

Kain hardly slept that night. His mind was too full of too many things. Alyssa and Miyu's real identities…Kamo's sudden, convenient arrival…Erika's own identity…the concept of contracts Kamo had presented to him….

But what occupied his mind the most was that Alyssa had mentioned his father. He had been involved with her somehow. Well, of course, he had sealed her here in this school, but why? She had disappeared for so long; there had been no trace of her. Did she come out of hiding to confront him, or did he track her down for some reason? He didn't know, but, in truth, she was a clue to finding out more about his father.

He was afraid. Afraid of what the two might be able to do…to him and to his students. But more than anything, he was excited about the possibility that had been placed in his path.

Kain walked into the class and observed his students. They were all present and accounted for. Miyu's expression was as blank as ever in her seat in the back corner. Kazumi, in the middle of the room, was staring at him somewhat intently, although she looked none the worse for wear. He wondered how much she remembered.

And then he looked in the other corner at Alyssa. She smiled evilly at him.

He ignored her smile and got on with his lesson. Considering the situation, it could be said he showed remarkable composure and aplomb in the face of two horrors lurking in his class, but he didn't think of it that way.

Still, there was a marked difference in his attitude and teaching that day, and the class, of course, noticed.

"What's up with Kain-sensei?"

"I don't know…he seems angry…."

"I don't know about angry, but he's got something on his mind…."

"What do you think it is?"

"Don't know…."

While they whispered to each other, Kain, oblivious, continued his teaching.

About halfway through the class Meia knocked and opened the door. "Alyssa-chan…the principal would like to see you."

Kain stared impassively with the rest of the class as Alyssa calmly rose and followed the teacher out of the room. He then resumed the lesson, ignoring the redoubled and more intense whispering that followed this.

Miyu met Alyssa as she was coming out of the principal's building. "What was it?" the gynoid asked blandly.

"Just a routine check-up at a slightly non-routine time," Alyssa sighed. "I think the old man is just fishing for information. He's suspicious about last night's non-incident, but he doesn't know anything yet…."

She paused and smiled at the new arrival. "Well, hello, Tokiha-san. I didn't expect you to be the one to meet me today."

Mai glared at the beatific little girl. "What are you up to, Alyssa-chan?"

"Business it's best for you not to get involved in, Tokiha-san. I'd hate to see you get hurt."

"Hurt, like Yoshida-san? Like Konoe-san? Like Sendô-san and Kain-sensei? You don't seem that concerned about who you hurt…." Mai paused, then continued more softly, "They say you're some kind of…of demon, Alyssa-chan. I still can't believe it, even after what I saw last night. I remember you…last year…singing, alone, up by the tree…you were so beautiful then. How can someone who can make something so beautiful do these kinds of things?"

Alyssa cocked her head at Mai. "Surprising, but it seems they've told you everything. Well, it's as you see…and as they say. I'm not actually human, but I do a pretty good impersonation, don't I? But don't sound so innocent and naïve, Tokiha Mai. I know history is your weakest subject, but you should know that humans are capable of doing so-called inhuman things while wearing angelic masks. Deep downs, humans are vile and selfish creatures themselves, after all. You and the rest of your class are not so different. Jealousy…that is your trademark…."

"That's a lie!" Mai hissed. "Okay…maybe there are people like that out there, but there are plenty of good people, too! People like Kain-sensei…people who care more about others than themselves…."

"You can believe that if you want," Alyssa shrugged. "It doesn't really matter to me. I have my own objective, and what you and I believe about humans makes no difference. If you object to what I believe, or what I'm doing…what are you going to do about it?"

"I-if you try anything again, I'll stop you!"

"Quite a bluff, Tokiha-san. Do you really believe you can? Even with Kain-sensei's help? Well, you don't need to worry about it right now. I don't have enough power to 'try anything' for a while."

Mai blinked. "Huh? What?"

"It was a full moon last night…the last night of it, until next month. They did tell you I'm a sealed demon, right? My powers are gone. Only during the full moon, when dark magic is at its strongest, can I do anything. I'm not a vampire, so I can't really take blood myself, and I can't summon any minions to do it for me until next full moon. Come, Miyu."

Alyssa started walking past Mai. "You are full of righteous indignation, Tokiha-san, as misplaced and misguided as it is. But there's nothing you can do about it right now. You have a month to strengthen your resolve and come up with a way to fight me, if you really want to. Until then, let's enjoy class, shall we?"

Mai watched her go. She clenched her fist in frustration. She really was powerless, and caught between three separate desires. As she was now…she couldn't do anything….

Kain looked up in surprise as the shadow loomed over him. Erika gestured towards the student council building. "Let's continue from last night," she murmured, and started away immediately.

Kain had been seated at his usual place in the academy square at the base of the fountain. He gathered up his materials and hurried after her.

He wasn't too surprised to see Mai standing at the entrance to the building, waiting. Nodding, she joined the two of them as they entered.

Once again they went to the side room near the top of the tower, and Kain was surprised to see it occupied this time. A tall young man was seated at the desk, dressed in the uniform of Mahora's boy's high school. His unkempt blond hair and bright blue eyes gave away his identity. Standing next to him was a man of the same apparent age, wearing glasses over his own blue eyes, with his long silver hair tied in a ponytail. The blond man was immediately wrapped in a smile as they entered, while the other one remained as stone-faced as certain robots.

"Ah, so this is the famous Kain Lockeheart-sensei, isn't it?" the blond man asked, smiling widely as he rose. "Ah, and even Tokiha Mai-san. How honored our little office is!"

"You must be Sendô Iori-san," Kain replied, "President of the boy's high school student council…and Sendô-san's older brother."

"Older brother?" Mai gasped. "So he's…also…." She looked around nervously, somewhat afraid to finish the thought out loud, especially in the company.

Her eyes widened in shock as Iori was suddenly in front of her, cradling her jaw in his hand and lifting her head to lock their gazes. "That's right, Tokiha-chan," he murmured, "I am also a vampire…."

"That's enough, Nii-sama," Erika growled, shoving him away. "I brought them, so what do you want to know?"

Iori returned to his desk, clucking nonchalantly. "I was just curious as to what my dear little sister was up to recently…."

"I already told you about last night!"

"Yes, and you wanted my advice. Well, first, I must not be rude. I don't think the two of you have met my dear assistant, Tôgi Seiichirô-kun, have you? He's my vice-president and faithful assistant. Don't worry, he knows all about the 'secret' too." The long-haired man nodded politely, but his expression seemed to show he didn't care whether he was acknowledged one way or another. The silent, seriously dutiful type.

"You might be interested to know that no one knows anything about what happened last night," Iori continued casually.

"What do you mean?" Kain demanded cautiously.

"Exactly what he says," Kamo replied, manifesting from nowhere and climbing onto Kain's shoulder. "Your little incident last night was not observed by any academy officials."

"Eh? None?" Kain was flabbergasted.

"Where'd you come from all of a sudden?" Mai muttered.

"Someone used magic, powerful magic, to mask everything that was happening," Kamo explained, ignoring Mai. "I'm not sure who it was. It wasn't the kind of magic I'm used to, either. It actually felt…no, that doesn't matter. In any case, it wasn't Alyssa or her robo-girl. Alyssa doesn't have the power for that kind of spell and the 'bot doesn't have the capabilities. I don't know more than that."

"I know about it only because Erika came here last night," Iori picked up. "This room, if you haven't guessed, is a special room reserved for…the more interesting student council members."

"I was wondering why there was blood in the refrigerator," Mai noted dryly.

"Yes, that's Erika's special stash just for her use, though! No one else here uses it…."

"Nii-sama!"

"Eh?" Mai started. "Then…how do you…get blood…?"

"How indeed? You know, Tokiha-chan, Erika's probably debunked most of the vampire myths for you, but the one about a vampire's bite inducing euphoria in the victim is actually true. How would you like to donate a little to my…."

A vase sailed through the air and impacted squarely on Iori's face. Amazingly, it bounced onto the desk and rolled around harmlessly, not breaking from either impact.

"Erika-chan, that's rather dangerous," Iori whined. "That's an expensive vase…."

"Then maybe you'll remember to keep stupid expensive talk to yourself!" the red-faced Erika seethed. "Baka Nii-sama…."

"In any case, you're saying the principal is completely unaware of what happened last night?" Kain ventured.

"To be perfectly honest, that's right," Iori sighed. "Well, he wouldn't want me to tell you, but under the circumstances I think it's best. Erika says you suspect the principal left you with your current class because he wants to see what you'll do with Alyssa-chan. That's mostly correct. He wasn't sure if she'd risk completely exposing herself by going after you, and wanted to see how you would handle it, for good or ill. If you succeeded, it would go well towards moving you on your path to Archmagehood…if you couldn't handle it, well, you would learn a valuable lesson about how great the world is, and that, too, would have helped you. Of course, he wanted you to be under careful surveillance during the event, with several members of the Magic Council in the shadows watching, ready to intervene if things went awry. For whatever reason, something clouded us all even as we watched. We all felt magic being worked, we sent various forms of reconnaissance spirits and spells out to find the cause, but none of us found anything. But Erika tells me the three of you confronted Alyssa and her robot bodyguard, Miyu Greer. This is most intriguing…."

"Please try to take this seriously, Nii-sama…."

"I am, I am! Well, what are you going to do now, Kain-sensei? I haven't let the principal know about anything yet, but we should probably inform him and take steps. After all…taking this seriously…if something is strong enough to block the efforts of the greatest mages in Japan, we need to subdue Alysaser and find out if she knows what is doing it."

Kain was silent for several moments. "We probably should," he agreed, then shook his head. "But still, I'd rather not have anyone else know. I want to deal with Alyssa on my own, as her appointed teacher, and also as her target, as the son of Kalan Lockeheart who sealed her. Can you keep this a secret from the principal?"

"Oh, not a problem. I've been around longer than he has, so I am certainly more than capable. And I'm willing, too…I'd like to see how this all plays out."

"Wait…you're older than the principal?" Mai gasped.

"That's right…we vampires are immortal, you know; didn't Erika tell you?"

Kain and Mai turned to Erika, who blushed and stammered out, "N-Nii-sama aside, I'm the same age as Tokiha-san and Kain-sensei!"

"Okay…but, Sendô-senpai, what are you still doing in school if you're that old…?"

"Ah! Excellent question! I have four things in this school I'm keeping an eye on," he replied, winking. "One of them is Erika. The other three…are a secret.

"In any case, Kain-sensei, do you have any idea how you're going to deal with Alyssa? From what I heard, you didn't fare too well against her last night."

"Eh, well, in her sealed state her magical power is kind of weak, so I'd be fine, but having Miyu with her is a problem…."

"Which means," Kamo finally broke in, "the kiddo needs to make a contract with one of these two lovely ladies to give him the equalizer…."

"Oh! A contract, like Kalan-dono made? An excellent idea, Hamster-kun!"

"Ermine, you bloodsucking…."

"So, Erika, why don't you make a contract with Kain-sensei? Kaya-chan would be most pleased if you took him…."

"Shut up, Nii-sama!" Erika shouted, red-faced and far angrier than Kain had ever seen her. She composed herself and continued, "We couldn't make a contract together, end of story…."

Iori shrugged and turned back to Mai. "Very well then. Are you interested, Tokiha-chan? The fact that you're here seems to suggest you're willing to stick your neck into this, to all our surprise, but you can't accomplish very much without any magic or training…."

"I know…Kamo-kun already went over all that…."

"In any case, we aren't decided about anything as serious as contracts right now," Kain agreed hurriedly. He sighed. "I wish we had a little more time to think about this and prepare…."

"Oh! I think we do." Mai haltingly told of her encounter with Alyssa earlier that day.

"You confronted the little demon princess?" Iori wondered aloud with a smile. "My. I really didn't think you'd do anything like that. Well, that is good news, and rather obvious when you think of it."

"Yes, the full moon would increase her power," Kain murmured. "But does she really have none left…?"

"Oh, your father's seal was so strong we honestly believed she wouldn't have any at all. That's one of the reasons we let you teach her class; we didn't think she'd even be able to do something, but the thought was, if she did have enough power to cause trouble, you would be a great test dummy for it. In any case," Iori continued before Kain could comment on that rather interesting reference, "it's better news all around. That should give you a month to really decide if you want to try and resist her, or explain everything to the principal, or investigate the mysterious power cloaking her, or prepare for your fight to the death with her. And I think a month is more than enough time for you to come to grips with whether you want to be serious about contracts or not. I should say, with someone like the binding spirit around, you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth."

"In any case, Nii-sama," Erika interrupted, "thank you for listening to us, and thank you for your hospitality. We should go before we bother you any further." With a bow, she ushered the other two out.

"So, that's your brother," Mai mused sheepishly. "He's an…interesting person…."

"He causes me nothing but trouble," Erika sighed, then softened. "But even though he's unreliable, we can trust him. He won't interfere at all, and if we ask, he would help us as much as he could. Well, what now, Kain-sensei? Are you going to wait a month before doing anything?"

Kain paused, considering. "Not a month, certainly. I'll keep an eye out tonight, just in case, and…I'll think about what to do. Whatever it is, I'm going to start tomorrow. I can't afford to drag my feet."

"I see. Well, let us know if there's anything you need us to do!"

"I will," Kain said, but, unusually, he was not feeling totally honest about it. They had pressured him into accepting their help last night, but this was his business and worry, and if he didn't have to involve them, he wouldn't.

He hurried out first and caught sight of Kazumi heading to the dorm. "Yoshida-san!" he called.

Kazumi paused and turned around. "Eh?" She started at the sight of her teacher. "K-Kain-sensei! H-how do you do…?"

"Fine. Yourself? Are you all right?"

"Er, y-yes. I'm fine. A-about last night…."

Kain tensed.

"I-I don't really remember what happened, b-but…I think I was attacked…d-did you save me…?"

Kain somewhat relaxed. "You don't remember anything? Are you sure you're all right?"

"N-no, I don't really. I remember seeing you there, but…that's all…what did happen? Was it…serious…?"

"Well, the memory loss is more serious…it might just be from shock, but you should probably check with a nurse to make sure you didn't suffer any lasting harm." There was likely no way to explain away the torn clothes and such she suffered, especially since she had been put into Kagome's care and she was clueless as to the real events, but feigning concern over the minor amnesia he'd helped cause was a good way to explain his efforts to discern how much she might remember or suspect. "In any case, I…well, I did save you, I guess. A beast of some sort made its way onto the grounds and attacked you, and I managed to scare it off. Must have been an animal escaped from a local zoo or something. I'm glad you weren't hurt."

"Ah, no, of course. T-thank you for saving me…."

"It was nothing. I've got more things to do, Yoshida-san, so I've got to run…see you in class tomorrow!"

"Y-yeah…bye…."

As Kazumi watched Kain walk off, two figures came up behind her. "Kazumi!" Yukari cried, grabbing her from behind. "What was that about?"

"Eh?! Ah, Yukari-chan…."

"We've hardly had a chance to talk to you!" Matake exclaimed. "You were in Kagome's room last night, you had a torn uniform, and you ran off to school this morning before we had a chance to talk to you! What happened?!"

"Ah…well…."

Another small drama played out in the grand stage of Mahora Academy, where the stage of a grand battle was just being laid….

Author's Note: Character Introduction: Kamolai, Iori Sendô and Seiichirô Tôgi

As I noted, the vampires are from Fortune Arterial mostly as they appear in that work, which explains Erika's hesitancy to make a contract with Kain (besides the kissing thing, which most middle schoolers would be adverse to). In fact, Erika's implied initial reaction to Kain is based on the first meeting between the protagonist of that work, Kohei Hasekura, and Erika. She greets him as soon as he enters the school grounds for the first time, introduces herself, and goes to shake his hand. Just as he's about to take it, however, she feels an overwhelming bloodthirst (desire to suck his blood, specifically, in this case) and flees the scene, leaving the ignorant Kohei very confused and hurt. Erika's reaction there is that there is something special about Kohei, a mystery that is implied and secretly pursued over the course of the story, although the reason for the parallel here is obvious and stated—Kain's strong magical power and the special nature (taken from other magic + vampire works) of mage blood when drunk by vampires. In any case, the strengthening relationship between Kohei and Erika as they interact and work together and the equally strengthening desire Erika must fight to feed on him is a continuous theme of Fortune Arterial. It is a theme that will follow Kain and Erika as they work together on this incident and others that will occur in the future. And, again, I will show this scene in a later mini-arc.

Lots of long-winded explanations here, but we're setting the stage for this climactic battle and several more to follow. The next chapter will have a bit more action and interesting events in it, and the final battle with Alyssa should follow that. Please bear with it.

_ Now, Kamolai is an obvious adaptation of the perverted ermine companion of Negima, Chamomile. To be honest, the Negima storyline is so impressive to me (at least the parts that happen after the initial senseless poor mage causing indiscriminate fan service episodes) that it inspired several story ideas. For one, I decided on a similar (read: blatant rip-off, like this story) storyline to use in the saga of one of my major story heroes, Karl Frederick Corbin. Karl Frederick Corbin is a high schooler from Florida who is plucked off earth and deposited in the magical world of Mandaria, a Heroes of Might and Magic-styled world of high magic that is on the path to destruction due to the never-ending war between the forces of good, evil and neutrality. He has been summoned as the prophesied savior. Although he is not the traditional normal person-turned magic hero (he is a jock, albeit a highly intelligent one, more interested in basketball than video games, role-playing games, anime and the like), he becomes a Master of Magic and saves the world, although not in a way anyone expected. Afterwards, he is given the chance to go home, but instead chooses to use his new powers to help save other troubled worlds. I had already developed several other story ideas for what has happened to him after this time, and have part of one story written up in my collection of partially-started stories, as well. However, after getting into Negima, I decided that his first experience with world-saving post-Mandaria would be a similar universe, magic teacher and all. I also decided to give him a companion similar to Negi's Kamo-kun, and thus Kamolai (with a remarkably cheap rip-off name) was born.

Part of the reason for this double coverage of the same concept is because of how cool the Pactio system from Negima works—like Bleach's zanpaku-tô, it's a magic system that is unique and very interesting. A contract between two characters produces a magic tarot-like card with all sorts of abilities, not the least of which is the inclusion of a powerful, unique artifact that can be summoned, artifacts with unique and awesome abilities of their own. One of Negima's smaller flaws is that they never give a good reason for why such powerful artifacts are made so easily, so the character of Kamolai explains this better. He's not merely a magical ermine with some weird magic, a perverted streak, and a desire for 'ermine dollars'; this Kamo-kun is a magical spirit whose essence allows him to bind humans together and supply them with power. He shares a portion of Kamo's hentai streak, but not to the extent he steals girls' underwear and nests in it; rather, he just likes to assume the form of a cute animal so that girls with treat him affectionately, and for whatever reason he enjoys it (he has a kind of lecherousness picked up merely from contact with humans, as greater beings in fantasy fiction often do from their interaction with mortals). He was not saved by Negi while engaged in ecchi activities as Kamomille was; he saved Kain from trouble the danger-seeking boy was involved in because he actually knows his father. He presses for contracts because, as a spirit of contracts, he draws sustenance and pleasure from the use of his magic to such ends. He is only semi-heroic, but he is more heroic than Chamomile, and should be relatively amusing. As a heroic spirit going about aiding human heroes, he has been planned into many stories of mine recently, besides his 'origin story' with aiding Karl—he is scheduled to appear in the 4th 'season' of the Magiverse/Anime Story, helping Ryan and co. bind the Magiverse together to prevent it from collapsing.

Obviously, his presence here and this information means that he'll be helping Kain out by binding him into contracts with the girls. Will he end up with a Negima-like harem? Almost certainly. This isn't spoiler; it would be spoiler to note which ones actually make the contracts with him. Wait and see what it takes to convince them….

_ I took the opportunity to introduce Iori and Seiichirô (here, the left and right, with, in the middle, Seiichirô's little sister Shiro). They are, of course, actually from Fortune Arterial. Iori is actually shown in a serious light here (with serious business going on) but he normally causes a lot of trouble, especially for Erika and Kohei. Among other things, he's always trying to institute embarrassing and provocative school events, he has (on multiple occasions) switched the male and female bath signs so Kohei would walk in on naked girls (first Erika, and later the whole harem), and he encourages Kohei to try to seduce Erika (or vice versa). Seiichirô is also forced to try and keep him in line. Seiichirô is normally just the treasurer, but since there are multiple student councils here, it was convenient to move him up to the vice president of his council. He's a mostly minor character, all the more minor for the small part the Sendô family plays in the story. The Tôgi family is a human family, dedicated to the service of the Sendôs throughout the generations. That little sister, Shiro, who may or may not appear in the story at some point.

Now, hopefully this will put a pause on the 80% dialogue chapters…