Note: I don't own Negima or Magic: The Gathering. I am however the proud owner of volume 23 of Negima in Japanese. Yes I can read it.

The Einzburg-Planeswalker Chronicles

Chapter 11

Setsuna was looking outside the window at the large moon as the train continued to speed by, Konoka's head using her as a pillow as she slept. It was 3 A.M. & Setsuna had woken up for some unknown reason, couldn't sleep again, & had finally resolved to simply staying up until morning. She could see the large mountains that Hokkaido was famous for as everyone continued to sleep. True to their words, Owin & Helmer hadn't come with them, & they were nowhere to be found for all the time until the trip. Setsuna wondered where exactly they were, but knew there was no point in worrying. Her main problem was that she had been told that her favorite sword, Yuunagi, the sword she had been given when she first started training, was most likely not going to be fixed. Her teacher Yuuko-san said that she had sent to Konoka's father to see if he could fix it, but he had said that there was most likely no chance it would ever be wieldable ever again. This had hurt Setsuna, as she had truly loved that sword. It had seen so many battles with her, & had always been her constant companion, but more than that, it was the pain of learning a new style. She had found that ever since learning the warsong, she was using her Shinmeiryuu techniques far less, almost never, instead relying on Owin's teachings. Now with her sword destroyed, to be replaced with the broadsword that Owin had given her, it felt as though the part of her that began training with Shinmeiryuu, the old her, had died, giving birth to a new her. It was like a part of her died.

Konoka fidgeted on her shoulder as she tried to get more comfortable. Setsuna looked at her & her breath was taken away. Konoka was completely bathed in the moonlight, & she had looked more beautiful than Setsuna had ever seen her before. A hot blush had risen to Setsuna's cheeks she shook her head trying to get the thoughts out. Ever since she had began going to this school, Konoka had been growing from the young girl that she had played with as a child into a beautiful young woman. It was almost to the point that Setsuna didn't know if she could take it. She knew the feelings she had were completely wrong, but she just couldn't contain them. Not only was she supposed to be Konoka's bodyguard, but both of them were girls. It wasn't right for girls to…to…to….

"Kiss me…" Konoka had suddenly said, her eyes still closed. Setsuna almost had a heart attack. What had Konoka just said? Kiss me?, had she said? We mustn't do something like that, Ojou-sama!, Setsuna had though in a wild state of panic. "Kiss me…Please…" Konoka had whispered again, & again Setsuna had to keep her urges in check. I can't do something like that Ojou-sama. I…Were both girls! Girls shouldn't do something so indecent!, Setsuna thought as the blush had completely overtaken her face. She looked again at Konoka, & still the moonlight had shown beautifully on her face, her lips puckered. Setsuna's heart beat in her head as she began to get light-headed. Would this be okay? she thought dizzily. If she is asking me to, shouldn't I?. "Please…If you really love me, kiss me…Please…I want you…to be my first…" Konoka said in a whisper. Now Setsuna almost could have sworn that she was having a nosebleed. D-d-did she really just say she wants me to be her first?!!!!, Setsuna thought in a wild stupor as Konoka inclined her head in order to give Setsuna better access to her lips. Could she really mean she wants me? But…If I'm her servant, than I have to do what she says right? What should I do?. By this time Setsuna was already half-giving into her urges & half futilely attempting to stop herself. Gradually Setsuna began moving closer to her, almost licking her lips in anticipation. Her heart beat in her ears, & the world gradually seemed to fade away. They were no longer on a train, sitting down. They were in their own little world, with just Setsuna & Konoka's waiting lips. All the time Setsuna's nerves hit her with panic & anticipation. This was harder than fighting thousands of demons. Closer…closer…Setsuna could feel Konoka's breath coming from her parted lips…closer…Setsuna had to move her head or else they would bump noses…closer…their lips were about to touch…Setsuna's head was in a complete panic….

"Kiss me…Watanabe-han…"

It was like the record of Setsuna's life had suddenly scratched. Watanabe? Setsuna backed away as though as she was hit in the head. Watanabe?

"Please kiss me…Watanabe Ken-han" Konoka whispered again with a smile on her lips.

"Why the hell are you dreaming about the actor for!!" Setsuna yelled in a whisper, all the stress she had just built released.

Despite how angry she was, Setsuna couldn't help but smile & laugh to herself, it was so like Konoka. Sleep finally coming back to her, Setsuna laid back on the pillow her seat had came with, & immediately fell asleep. Of course, because this had happened, she was not awake to hear Konoka call her name in her sleep.

*******

Dominaria was as busy as it always was. The streets busted with activities as merchants peddled their wares & everyone sat to see the various street performers. Owin & Helmer walked through the streets undisturbed as they wore new disguises. Owin was dressed in a unadorned black wizard cloak with his favorite white-silver hair flowing down to his ankles, his sword hanging on his waist. He took the form of a hard-worn mercenary in his early-forties, with tight, big muscles that took shape around the cloak. He gave himself the liberty of having a scar which wound its way from his left eye down to the point of his mouth. Helmer on the other hand took the form of a wizened old mage with blue hair that reached down to his waist. He wore a finely woven cloak colored in white & blue, along with a large oak staff & his sword also hanging by his waist. Together, they looked like a traveling wizard with a bodyguard, & everyone wisely left the scary pair alone. The two brothers walked with a purpose as they cut a line through the busy streets until they reached a large castle that stood right in the middle of the town square. Owin walked right up to the handsome oak door & knocked two times, waited, knocked three times, waited, & then knocked a single time. Instantly a small square eye viewer opened in the door, & two beady little eyes stared out at them as a gruff voice followed. "Who's there?".

"Two men who could make your life very miserable if you do not let us in" Owin said impatiently. "Oh its you two" the voice said as he opened the door & let the two planeswalkers in. The old man was about in his late-fifties with shaggy white hair, tattered clothes & a limp. The inside of the house, however, was splendidly decorated with a fireplace & comfy chairs for guests to sit. "Now who might you two be wantin' to see?" the old man said as he crossed the room to a nearby cupboard. "We need to locate the planeswalker Memnoc" Owin said. "Oh Memnoc huh? Haven't heard from him in a while. Still, it's hard locating a planeswalker. Can't you just use your telepathy to find him?" the old man asked as he examined countless bottles, each one filled with odd colored dust, before shaking his head & replacing it. "If we could've done that we wouldn't need your help now would we?" Owin said sarcastically. "I'll be expecting my usual fee" the old man said as he continued examining the bottles. "Of course, Right here" Helmer said as he placed two brilliantly colored jewels on to a nearby table. The old man looked at the jewels from afar, nodded, & continued examining the jars until he found one & grunted his approval. He then walked over to the fireplace & threw the dust into the fire. Instantly the deep red of the fire transformed into a radiant blue. After quite some time, a man's face appeared in the fire. He wore a small black crown, & seemed to be in his mid-thirties. He was bald on the top of his head but had black hair on his sides, with a small goatee.

"What is it, Ivan? I'm quite busy at the moment" Memnoc said in a terse voice. Owin walked up to the fire & said "Greetings Memnoc. It has been quite some time since we last spoke". Memnoc looked at the mercenary in front of him & said "Who in the nine hells are you?" with a puzzled look on his face. "It's us, friend Memnoc. Your Uncle's students" Helmer said as he changed his illusioned face. "Oh my. Helmer, Owin, my good friends, It has been long since we last talked! How good to see you two in good health!" Memnoc said, apparently overjoyed at seeing the two men. "Indeed it has, good friend. We have something we need to talk to you about if you have the chance" Helmer asked.

"I see. Right now I am sadly busy but what about tomorrow? We can meet at my home in the plane of Sembria & talk at ease".

"That will be fine. We will be staying here in Dominaria in the meanwhile. Contact us through the usual means when it is alright for us to come" Owin said.

"But of course. I suppose you two will be not be staying at an inn then? You should do so once in a while for comfort's sake".

"It's fine. It's what we usually do anyway" Owin said.

"In that case, I will contact you as you said. Then until tomorrow" Memnoc said, & his face disappeared from the fire.

"Thank you for your services" Helmer said to Ivan as he & Owin turned to leave.

"Of course. Please come again" Ivan said with a toothy grin as he examined the two jewels. Outside the house, Owin & Helmer continued to walk down the bustling street.

"For what reason would Memnoc have in hiding himself from Planeswalker communication?" Owin asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Perhaps he is being sought out by someone? Avoiding a challenge?" Helmer suggested.

"He is being targeted? Either way, we must be careful of him" Owin said.

"Come now brother, he is our master's nephew. He treated us like brothers when we were still learning. Surely we have no need to be wary of him" Helmer replied.

"Keldon code number 14: Even friends & family can become enemies" Owin quoted, & his brother looked at him with sadness. In the street, everyone was still cowering away.

*****************

They had finally arrived at the Inn they were staying in at a mountainside. Negi tried to get his class of hyper-active school-girls under control & into their groups. By the end of the sorting, Setsuna had been grouped with Asuna, Konoka, Nodoka & Haruna. She judged that he had dileberaltly picked the members of this group as they were almost all his fighters. That meant that whatever mission he had been given, it would probably involve a battle. Setsuna began to worry. She would have rather had Konoka be away form the fighting, but being that she was one of Negi's partners, it really couldn't be helped.

It had then been decided that the girls could only leave the inn with their teachers, & that they must be in their designated groups at all times. Negi had explained to all of them that they in the three days that they would be in Hokkaido, they would all get to tour the city, then come back to the inn at about five p.m. Around the time that all the girls were getting ready for bed, & after they had had all gotten dressed in their kimonos, Negi had called all the of his pactio partners into a separate room.

Setsuna sat in seiza position with her back to the wall, while everyone else sat on comfy cushions that had been left by the inn owners. Since they had so often fought with them, Kaede & Ku-Fei had also come to the meeting. Negi finally walked into the room & sat in front of them.

"Okay everyone, I've called you here in order to explain the meaning behind this trip. Just like our trip to Kyoto, this trip is a cover for me to deliver something for a friend of the principal's. However, we should run into significantly less trouble than we did before, since Tsukuyomi & Chigusa are no longer alive. However I do not want us to be caught off-guard like we were last time. I want everyone to be on guard & to keep your eyes open for anything suspicious. It would be best if we could avoid any danger before it manages to come out" Negi said seriously as everyone silently nodded. "Because of that also want you all to make sure that the others don't get themselves into trouble or arouse suspicion. The principal told me that no one should know about his friend living here, so there should be no problems, but even so, be careful everyone" he finished.

"Negi-sensei, what kind of friend is this friend of the principal?" Nodoka asked.

"Well, apparently he is living in seclusion after some events happened, so he has quietly retired. It seemed as though he was doing some rather large research before he decided to retire" Negi said.

"Somehow that sounds rather suspicious" Asuna said with a grim look on her face. "Konoka, have you ever seen this guy before?" she asked.

"No, I've never seen him before, I don't know many of grandpa's friends" Konoka answered.

"So do you know where this person is, Negi-bozu?" Kaede asked.

"Apparently he lives somewhere in these mountains. He knows that we are coming, so we should expect to hear from him tonight. Then he will let us know exactly where he lives. When that happens I would prefer to go by myself" Negi said hesitantly.

"Oh no you don't, baka-Negi. Where you're partners so we're going to go wherever you go, right?" she asked everyone, who responded all with nods.

"That's how I thought you would all feel" Negi said with a slight chuckle. "In that case we are going to have to leave during the night-time so as not to arouse everyone's suspicions. I'll let you all know once I have received this man's message" Negi finished. Everyone then began to get up & leave. Setsuna couldn't help but wonder about what kind of man this friend of the principal would be.

**********

Sembria had become quite known as a scholarly city, being that it was one of the most visited planes in the multiverse. Located only one hundred planes away from Dominaria, it was known for the abundance of White mana flowing from it, thus becoming a sea of tranquility & peace, where the greed & selfishness of black, or the chaotic, rebellious attitude of red was strictly not tolerated. It had also become known to be the home of many planeswalkers. Planeswalkers, being a race of otherworldly beings bent on gaining knowledge, who were more adept at constant travel rather then settling down, were not known for calling any place a "home". Having a home equated to having a place for planeswalkers to challenge or illegally assassinate. Thus only the most powerful planeswalkers who were utterly sure of their abilities ever stayed in one place for more than a while, much less told others he had a home. Memnoc Planeswalker was one such person. Being trained by his uncle, the legendary master of the Einzburg brothers, he had gained a reputation of being extremely strong, & his record of three hundred ninety-five wins & zero losses also managed to scare away any courageous rookie who had decided he wanted a taste at the big time. Another notable feature of Memnoc was that he was extremely kind & caring. It had been no secret that while he had been training them, Memnoc's uncle placed more focus on the brother's training rather than his own nephew's, & yet, Memnoc did not mind in the slightest. He had known from the moment that he had met them that the brothers were meant for great things, & rather than grow jealous of the attention, he instead helped them in any way that he could, & proudly told anyone who would listen that he was best friends of two of the most powerful planeswalkers in the universe. While he was no blood relation of theirs, both brothers thought of him as such, a planeswalker brother who would do anything for them. It was this knowledge that caused such apprehension within Helmer as they walked to Memnoc's home. To think that Owin had thought of even him as an enemy showed that given the correct circumstances, Owin may even think that Helmer himself could be an enemy. This angered & saddened Helmer endlessly. Even though I've done so much for him. Even though we have been through so much together. Even though we said time & time again that we would do anything for each other. Even then he would think of me as an enemy a the drop of a hat. It had been those words that saddened him yesterday.

Keldon code number 14: Even friends & family can become enemies.

"Even family" Helmer whispered to himself.

"Did you say something, brother?" Owin asked, looking behind him as they continued to walk.

"Do you truly think that Memnoc would betray us? Memnoc, who we have always thought of as a brother? Just from such a simple thing?" Helmer asked.

"I would prefer not to think that way, but I do not want to be caught off-guard. You can never know where a planeswalker's loyalties lie" Owin said simply.

"In other words you're never going to trust anyone, are you?" Helmer asked. Owin kept silent, & Helmer sighed. Just as he thought.

They had finally arrived at Memnoc's large mansion. The home was colored white like most of the houses located in this plane. The door was large enough to fit a small carriage through, in order to match the expansiveness of the house. It was ordained with gold & silver along the exquisitely detailed carving, as the door was made of wood. Their was no doorbell or knocker on it, because instead it had a rather large & well-maintained spell surrounding the entire building. In order to test it, Owin approached & touched the force-field, which automatically repelled him. Suddenly a booming voice rang out around them.

"WHO'S GOES THERE? BE YOU FRIEND OR FOE OF THE GREAT PLANESWALKER MEMNOC?" the voice rang out.

"We be Owinheim Planeswalker & Schrothelm Planeswalker, too who have accepted the great Memnoc as allies & as a surrogate brother. We mean you know harm" Owin said to the force-field.

"INDEED YOU ARE, GOOD FRIENDS. WELL MET & WELCOME" the voice rang out, & all at once the large force field dropped & the door opened to show Memnoc there, ready to greet them. He was dressed in a lavish purple gown lined with gold along the edges, along with the same small crown that he had worn when they had contacted him. "My dear friends how good it is to see you again" he said jovially as he took both brothers in a large embrace. "Indeed good to see you again as well, brother Memnoc" Helmer said, returning the hug.

After the greeting Memnoc then ushered both brothers into his home. The walls were made of pure pearl which magnified the light in the room until it was almost blinding. They were led into a large sitting room complete with a roaring fireplace & comfy sofa chairs.

"Come sit while I make us some tea" Memnoc said as he left into another room. As soon as he left the room Owin leaned toward his brother. "Tell me, do you not think that he is being much too friendly?" he said, suspicion etched in his voice. "Really? I have always thought of him as such" Helmer said lazily.

"You're much too trusting brother. I feel as though something is amiss".

"Don't tell me it is another one of your feelings?".

"Indeed. That's why I am warning you!".

"But brother, really, Memnoc? I just can't believe it".

"Keep your guard up just in case" Owin said as Memnoc returned from the kitchen carrying a silver tray with a steaming pot, three teacups, & small row of cookies.

As he poured both brothers some tea, Memnoc said "I'm sure you two never get to know the pleasures of sitting by a fire with a warm cup of tea, do you? You ought to take some time to relax & get your minds off of things".

"Well you know how brother is, he's never quite taken to these type of things" Helmer said as he sipped the tea. Owin in the meanwhile did not drink the tea but helped himself to a cookie.

"We have something we need to talk to you about, Memnoc" Owin said.

"Always straight to the point, aren't you, young Owinheim? Well, that's a good thing about you in any case. Straightforward & honest" Memnoc said nodding his head as he sipped his tea. "What is that you wish to speak to me about?".

"Have you seen Wilhelm or had any contact with him?" Owin asked.

Memnoc's face then turned a dark color & he seemed angry. "Owinheim, you must understand we are talking about my dear uncle's killer. I assure you, if I had any kind of contact with him, I would've killed him by now. Or at the very least died trying".

"Then, do you at least know if anything of Master's is left? Any kind of scroll or document or artifact?".

"Nothing I'm afraid. Everything was destroyed, including his plane. Why do you ask?".

"The last time that we fought him, we learned that he has learned plane-infusion" Owin said. Instantly the color faded from Memnoc's face & his lip began to tremble.

"He's what?!! He's learned plane-infusion? How can that be?! The only one's who knew that technique were Uncle & Nicol Bolas! How could he have learned it?!".

"You truly don't know anything about it? Anything that Master may have left behind that would shown Wilhelm how to use it?" Owin asked seriously.

"Nothing. The day that Wilhelm killed Uncle, he also destroyed the plane on which Uncle had made his home, your own training ground. Everything that Uncle had was destroyed along with the plane" Memnoc said.

Owin sighed & said, "Then it is as we have feared: Wilhelm has gained some ally with knowledge that extends since before the Mending".

"If that is true then these are dark times indeed. Who in their right mind would trust someone like Wilhelm?" Memnoc said, his fist clenched in anger.

"Then we must be on our way. We must confer with Nicol Bolas in order to find some way to counter Wilhelm's planned course of action" Owin said getting up, Helmer following suit.

"Ordinarily I would ask you two to stay a while longer, but this takes far more precedence. If you have need of assistance, please feel free to ask" Memnoc said with a smile.

"We may have to make use of that offer" Owin said as they arrived at the door. They had just stepped out of the door when Owin stopped, turned around & asked: "By the way, Memnoc, why were you shielding yourself from Planeswalker communication?".

"Oh that? I'm running from a challenge actually. I think I've earned my time away from battle for a while" Memnoc said laughing.

Owin's eyes narrowed, & finally he said "I see" as he & Helmer left & Memnoc went back into his home.

"So now what? We see Nicol Bolas?" Helmer asked as he turned to his brother.

"I think he was a bit too quick to answer" Owin said.

"Memnoc?".

"He gave an answer we were expecting, & said it really quick too".

Helmer sighed as he looked at his older brother. "So you're still suspicious of him. Why don't you admit that he was okay? What is the matter with you brother?".

"I have a bad feeling about it" Owin said.

"Oh, great, another one of your feelings" Helmer sighed.

Then they heard Memnoc scream from inside his mansion.

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For the few people who are still reading this fan fiction, I humbly offer my most deepest apologies over how late this new chapter is. Between learning Japanese, playing Persona 4, watching Kamen Rider's Kiva, Kabuto & Blade & with my problems in real life, I have found almost no time to continue my writing. Not to mention that I have recently become a proofreader & prospective translator for a Scanlation group. I've had a lot on my plate with all this. While I haven't been actually writing the fanfic, I have been trying to use the time to work out the story in my head. Rather than write out the basic plot, I prefer to let the ideas flow through & just write where the story takes me. I find this to be the best way of writing. That being said, thank you very much for sticking with the story so far, & I hope you continue to read it.