Maburaho: The Dynasty

Finale – Christmas Night

Written by Spiritblade

Disclaimer: Maburaho, White Wolf's Exalted and Jigoku Shoujo aren't mine. I am only borrowing them so that I can write this story. This is for all of you who had been waiting for an end to this story. I apologize profusely for not updating this story in a long time. It was a side project and held a lower priority than my GSD and Angel Halo projects. But three years is a long enough wait. Let us bring this symphony to an end. I hope that I do not disappoint, as I feel like my humour is on a permanent leave of absence and I have not watched Maburaho for a long time now.

X X X

Christmas Eve – I have always loved Christmas Eve. The hours before midnight are magical ones. Families prepare gifts, lovers exchange vows and friends raise a toast to the end of a hard but fulfilling year. It is a time to celebrate the future and bid farewell to the past. And it is on this night that my fathers' – plural, as you do remember that the magical mishap brought about by his resurrection had caused him to split in ten identical copies, all of whom married ten different women – families gather on my mother's palatial estates to welcome the new year.

But tonight…tonight will be different. Mother took a leaf out of Aunt Rin's old and very much loved classical stories and had the Millennium Throne Sky Resort constructed high above the Pacific Ocean. It is here that my family will be gathering for Thanksgiving. Beautiful, is it not? It cost trillions of dollars to build, but the investment was well worth it. Within three months of the Sky Resort's completion and grand opening, thousands of reservations were made by those who wanted a chance to quite literally bathe under the light of the stars. Oh, do be careful. I know you can fly, but taking a drop at this height will be a lesson in how quickly one can wet one's undergarments. And fear not, I took the precaution of having my staff equipped with familiars and artefacts in the event that such a thing happens.

I'm sorry, what? You've forgotten who I am? You have. That befuddled look on your face says it all.

Understandable; it has been a long time since we last met, and you've had a busy three years. Come, sit down. I will have my maid bring us some tea while we wait for our guests to arrive. First off, my name is Kazetsubaki Raiha. I am Kazetsubaki Kuriko's eldest son, and director of the Kazetsubaki Conglomerate's Advanced Magical Security Division. Yes, my mother decided after I graduated from University that my abilities were best suited for making sure other people don't get shot at. And yes, it is a stressful job. Few job descriptions will ever ask its applicants if getting shot at with bullets and Charms is acceptable to them.

Good thing I have my siblings and my wife to cover my back.

What? Don't tell me you did not know I got married.

…

…..

….…I see. Your teacher did a Taro Urashima on you, citing that this was the best way to make sure your skills and Disciplines were up to snuff? And she did what…? You're kidding – she actually did that? God, she's a slave-driver. My mom and your teacher will get along like a house on fire. One question: did you tell your teacher where you were going? I hope you didn't, because my pocket will sport a very big hole if she does decide to come. My mother will be unable to resist challenging her. Keeping in shape is one way of making sure my father does not go after other women – which I SERIOUSLY doubt he does, as taking care of my giggling horde of siblings and half-siblings is a full-time (and overtime) job and that he is not a skirt-chaser like some of my half-siblings – and her way of 'relieving' stress. And don't look at me that way.

(And why not…? We all know what your mother does when she's alone with your dad. It's the reason why you have so many siblings in the first place. – Ed.)

True – but I don't have any reason to complain. In an estate as big as the one I grew up in, the company of those you trust is a thing more precious than anything you can buy. Huh, sorry… the editor got my attention for a minute there. Yes, I am married. And yes, she is here on the Sky Resort with my twins. Yes, twins – One boy and one girl. My wife's servants are crazy about them, same as my mom. Not that she – my wife, I mean – is complaining. It allows her to catch up on sleep.

And…sorry, you were saying?

Yes, the rumours are true. My wife is not exactly…human. But is that so strange? You yourself are courting a human sorceress from Kaguya High, aren't you? Oh, don't look so surprised. My younger brother studies there, too. Huh…? You didn't know he studied there? I'm not surprised. Keeping a low profile is something he's good at. Collecting information and discerning the motivations of others comes a close second. If you thought that James Bond was the pinnacle of his profession, wait until you see what my brother will be like once he graduates from Britain's Academy of Military Intelligence.

(You're kidding. James Bond and Mr. Bourne were bad enough. The collateral damage and sheer mind games the two – particularly the second – can play, is enough to have a hardened counter-intelligence agent tender his resignation within the hour! – Ed.)

No, I'm not. My little brother was inspired by said individuals and took their tricks of the trade a step further. And do remember just who we are. Mom's a powerful mage. Dad's a powerful mage with enough power to split the world in two without trying. My brother takes the power that is our birthright and marries subtlety to it. You will never see that thunderbolt coming until Death herself taps you on your shoulder.

(Ouch. Has he…? – Ed.)

Not yet. But the last letter I received from him tells me it is only a matter of time before the school's resident delinquents find out the difference between a Charm used to intimidate others and a Charm used to send one across the River Styx. Charon will be very displeased that a dozen souls got into Hades illegally. That old buzzard will most likely fax my office an invoice for said souls – and let me tell you that the exchange rate from Hadean gold these days is through the roof. How much? Trust me, you DON'T want to know. You ever get one of those coins, you're one lucky man. There're plenty of people across the world that will pay an Emperor's ransom to get one.

Why are they so valuable? Simple: you can have Charon do YOU a favour. That includes dragging an errant soul off to Hell before their time. He likes doing that. And whatever you do, don't ever condemn an innocent soul. You WILL pay the Creator and the Adversary for that, with interest. There is nothing both powers hate more than administrative lapses. And when they find out you're the cause, kiss your ass in both this and the after-life good-bye.

Yes, like Hell Girl. But let's not discuss her. Yes, I met her. She…wanted me to do her some favours. No, nothing of that sort; I am not above dirtying my own hands if need be. If someone offends me, they will wish my brother had been the one they faced down. She simply wanted some top of the line kimonos Aunt Rin's clan had been producing. Why she asked me to do it? Simple – if Hell Girl gets within the city-limits of Kyoto, the equivalent of a nuclear missile gets thrown at her by the exorcists of the Kamishirou clan. And then, we will have to deal with the murder of one of Enra-Oh's most powerful emissary – something everyone would like dearly to avoid.

But, for now, let us return back to the original topic of our conversation. Yes, my wife is not human. She's, as you already know, an angel. Yes, an honest-to-God Angel. Yes, with the wings, the halo AND the flaming swords. Retainers included. Hentai sense of humour included. Plans of making sure I – and what few sons I will have – will be swarmed by my daughters, included. And scheming to ensure that said sons have their own harems.

What? You think the succubi are the only ones with that perverted mindset? God's daughters are worse, especially when they get it into their heads that you're perfect for…you know. And they're twice as energetic. My mother is planning on ensuring that the family estate has an extra wing for my girl – correction, girls – and our brood. And yes, for once, the paparazzi have gotten their facts right, even if it has gotten several of my said lovers very, very unhappy.

(Please stop making innuendoes, Raiha-san. If the fan-fiction feds get on my case, I will have no choice but to bump the rating of this story up to M. And after six plus chapters, it's going to cost us customers. –Ed.)

What? Don't deny it, Spiritblade. Don't think that I have not been keeping an eye on you! Those erotic stories you've been writing have been making many of my employees hotter than Hawaii in summer! It's embarrassing when you walk in on them being frisky.

(You make it sound as if I committed a crime. –Ed.)

I wouldn't call it a crime. But it can be considered an abetment of one, albeit of a degree that will bring about a few days in a prison and a hefty fine.

(My backers will be annoyed if you try to make life difficult for me. – Ed.)

Backers…?

(Oh, you did not know? Your mother and your wife are funding my work. If they finds out I'm in the cooler, you'll be in more trouble than you know. –Ed.)

You are starting to think and talk like my mother, Spiritblade. I see that life has been giving you some of its harder right hooks. But, you do have a point. I concede this battle. I am not crazy enough to take on my wife, my mother and your supporters all at once. I will run out of lives before they run out of Charms. Hold on a moment, I have a call.

…Yes, I see. They're here already? That's fast. It seems we will have to adjourn our little conversation to the main hall. Our guests have arrived. No, allow me. I'll gate us there. Who arrived? Several of my half-siblings, of course – and they brought their brood with them. Yes, several of them have married. It is a good time for my nephews and nieces to get to know one another. Oh, and your teacher is here as well. Remember what I said earlier about your teacher going to burn a hole in my pocket? Well, it's going to happen. I suppose my hoping that thanking her in private is going to be out of the question, then. For what, you ask? My mother and I wanted to thank her for training you. Here, take this.

Oh, don't look so surprised. Aunt Sayumi's family had had her eye on you for quite some time. She tendered a request to me, and I pulled a few strings and called in a few favours to have you trained for the position you will eventually take. Strong as our family is, it never hurts to have those you trust to watch over you while you rest. The vampires have the werewolves as their daylight guard. We will have Magic Knights as ours, trained in the same arts as the Lycans are masters of and which the vampires have mastered in their centuries of unlife. And yes, you have earned it. Let none dispute your right to be what we have made you into.

Now, let us be off.

Let us celebrate a new year, bid farewell to the past, cherish the present and look to the future. The newest chapters of the stories of our lives are yet unwritten, and the Fates and the Almighty wait with baited breaths to see what will be written on those pages. We live in a world where the Almighty's blessing is made manifest in the powers we wield and in the presence of mythical beings that stride amongst us and love us as they had for centuries beyond counting. The First Age did not end with the passing of the Solars. It did not end with the War in Heaven. It will not end, for the powers that be wish it to endure. All that live within Creation are stories to its creators. And those who can dream, those with the strength of heart and can sing back to it and give it hope and make strong its soul and heartbeat.

(Indeed. For beyond the strictures made by the mighty are things that wealth cannot buy and power cannot grasp…- Ed.)

Amen.

Fin.