DISCLAIMER: Negima, its associated hotties and their sexually-ambiguous adventures, belongs entirely to Ken Akamatsu, he of the hot, cosplaying wife. (Seriously, that woman is fine.)
WARNING: Okay, so after some reader input, I feel the need to put this here. This fic is the product of Cloverfield's somewhat-addled mind, and may include the following: traces of OoC (because I like to find character flaws and turn them up to eleven, and will indeed distort any characterisation for my own twisted purposes); crack (because more often than not this was written late at night, or when drugged up on sugar); elements of porn (because I have a dirty, dirty mind and like seeing two girls grope each other); and bizarre plotlines (there's really no excuse for this one, just bear with me). Most significantly, this fic should be treated as AU, because that's how it was written; I started writing this fic shortly after reading the Budokai arc of the early chapters of the manga, and though I am indeed following the scanlations as they are released, this fic does not. As such, please consider all canon events that take place after Chao's return to the future and the summer break chapters of the manga to not have taken place for the purposes of EB, including but not limited to Asuna being a pretty, pretty princess who may or may not be related to Negi, the whole journey to the magic world and any subsequent pactios, and the sheer awesomeness that is Jack Rakan. Also, please be aware I tend to write really, really long chapters at sporadic intervals, so it is very unlikely this fic will be updated on a regular basis, but it will be updated. (Considering one of my friends / sounding boards actually knows where I live and is not afraid to threaten me with leading you all to my doorstep with pitchforks and torches should I fail to update, you should have no fears on that regard). I think that's all I need to warn you about, and if you spot anything else you think should be in here, please let me know.
PREFACE: First things first, I just want to say that I'm sorry this took me so long. A lot of things have been going on in my personal life of late -me losing my job of three years and heading into my final year of university for example- and I've not really had the time or the inclination to do this story justice.
I'm not giving up on Egg Belly. I love it too much to do that. But these 15,000 words or so have languished on my computer for a while now, and I didn't want to make you all -my wonderful, supportive readers- wait any longer than I already have, so I've tidied up what I have and worked it into a chapter for you. I'm sorry this chapter isn't as long as it normally is; I'm just gonna have to try and make it up to you all somehow…
Huge, incredible, Jack-Rakan-level-of-sheer-epic thanks go to Toratchi888 for being my editor; without him putting the boot in I wouldn't have gotten this far (and this chapter would not be nearly so nicely edited), so go give his awesome Negima fics some love! XD
Egg Belly.
Part Eleven
Library Island glowed in the afternoon sunlight. Streams of glittering dust motes drifted through the wide corridor, seeming to float on the light as they wafted through the shelves along with the cool breeze flowing smoothly through the building. Somewhere, the faintest murmuring of distant waterfalls could be heard, adding a susurrant hush to the slow, soft chorus of gentle sounds that filled the echoing space: the rustle of pages turning, the quiet whisper of students talking, the gentle clatter of trolley wheels…
Konoe Konoka leant against a railing, holding an armful of books; her pretty features were tired, dark smudges framing her unfocused gaze. Slowly, hesitantly, she reached out a hand towards the shelf as though to part the leather-backed tomes before her, ready to slip another of their kindred back home where it belonged- and stopped.
A few steps away, unnoticed, Yue watched a shadow flicker over her friend's face and felt something in her chest tighten. Brushing her thick, azure braids back overher narrow shoulders she straightened her stride and stepped from the dusky cool of the towering bookshelves, reaching out to lay a gentle hand on her classmate and friend's shoulder.
The brunette jumped at the soft touch, face flushed and a little guilty. "Yue! Uh, sorry, I know I was supposed to have these shelved fifteen minutes ago. I'll get right on that-" said the young mage in a flustered stream, before bumping into her trolley and sending a clatter of books to the floor. Both girls winced, the universal reaction of bibliophiles anywhere where the objects of their obsession suffered, and knelt to gather the books back up.
"You know, Konoka, I think it might be a good idea for you to go home. It's pretty obvious that your heart isn't in it today…"
Dismayed, the brunette shook her head. "I can't just leave- I promised I would help. And besides, what kind of club member would I be if I left you to do all the work?"
A few moments of companionable silence passed, in which the duo checked for damage to spines, rumpled pages and the like. Eventually, all books were deemed undamaged and returned to the trolley in perfect order… leaving the young brunette with nothing to hide behind. Yue sighed, somewhat awkward in the face of her friend's obvious distress, but pure of intention nonetheless.
"I meant what I said, Konoka. We can handle it if you take a break for one day, and it's not like we're without help, either." Here a gentle smile tinged only with the slightest hint of mischief spread slowly over Yue's otherwise serious features. "It's about time we broke in the new recruits from first year, after all."
"I guess," began Konoka, and was quickly silenced by a determined nod from the acting head officer of the library exploration and expedition club.
"Good. Go home, get some rest, and come back in a few days after whatever's got you antsy has blown over. If you can wheel the trolley back to the reference desk on your way out, that'd help." Said Yue briskly, scooping up an armful of books and striding towards the ziplines that linked the multi-tiered stacks with a no-nonsense manner that Konoka found simultaneously comforting and disconcerting. Watching her friend's back for a moment or two, Konoka shook herself and tried to pull her thoughts back from where they had wandered.
"And, Konoka…"
"Hmm?" closing her hands about the metal handles of the book trolley, the young mage half-turned to see gentle eyes smile back down at her from the abseil platform.
"Be careful, okay? I know there have been a lot of things going on in your life lately, and I know that you and Setsuna-san can handle whatever troubles you but… I want you to know that I- we- all of us here in the library club- are here for you." At the brunette's wide-eyed look, Yue flushed a little, fidgeting awkwardly with her leather gloves.
"Yue… I-"
Holding up a hand, the pint-size philosopher shook her head. "Don't say it. I'm not… not good at the whole comforting thing. But I want you to know you've got us all backing you up." Looking away from brown eyes warming with slow understanding, she reached for a clip and made it secure, cheeks dark with embarrassment. "I've gotta go check on the other two- make sure everything's going well down in the 300's. You take care on your way out, alright?"
Looking up through thick lashes, Yue sighed as a smile, the first genuine one that she had seen all afternoon, slid across Konoka's face. Shoulders relaxing, she took a backwards step, swung herself out from the rail, and pushed off, the tightness in her chest loosening as the brunette waved goodbye down at her from the higher levels.
Trying not to think about anything but the feel of cable feeding smoothly through the gear under her steady hands, Yue let her mind clear from all but her steady descent- and nearly dropped past her target platform as Haruna bellowed cheerfully up at her.
"Yo, Yuecchi, any news on what's got Konoka so blue?"
"Paru, you shouldn't just call out like that… people are trying to study-" Nodoka, twisting her hands together behind their brash friend nevertheless stepped up to the ledge, and secured the lead line with swift, surprisingly steady hands.
"Nothing to worry about bookstore- this part of the stacks is pretty empty after all. And hey, if they don't like it, they can always go and study elsewhere, you know." Smile slipping just a little, she shrugged and forced a grin that didn't quite meet eyes far too solemn behind glinting glasses. "So. Any goss we should know about?"
Yue shook her head in the negative, swinging the ledge gate closed and unbuckling her harness. "No. Konoka seemed upset and distracted and I was not about to trouble her further. I know it probably isn't anything to do with school- if it was, she would've come to us earlier. So that leaves family, something to do with her magic lessons under Negi-sensei and Eva-san or… Setsuna-san."
"I don't think it's, um, problems of the heart," said Nodoka and flushed as Haruna cocked an eyebrow. Ducking behind her bangs, the third member of their club bit her lip. "Not that I know much about, um, relationships, but, uh, she seems pretty… happy with her… love life." Haruna chuckled and Nodoka, her face darkening to another shade of pink, hastily adding "Not that I've been watching them or anything! Um."
"And where, exactly, would you be getting this impression from, hmm?" Haruna, amused, crossed her arms as Yue sighed and Nodoka purpled, clutching the railing as though it were a lifeline.
"I've been reading a lot about les- uh, relationships from a female point of view lately, and, uh, she doesn't exhibit any signs of relationship stress- at least, not of the kind that we could assume stemmed from her lov- partner."
"So that's what you've been reading before bed. Didn't know you had it in ya, bookstore." Here Haruna grinned manically and Yue thought that a shark eyeing a drowning swimmer could not look more enthusiastic. "I'm sure your, huh, research has come in handy." The obligatory suggestive eyebrow waggle followed and Yue could not help but sigh as Nodoka flailed her arms and babbled in an attempt to dispel suspicion, an attempt doomed most assuredly to fail in the face of Haruna's ingrained perversion. Deciding that if action was not taken to draw the topic back to the task at hand all progress would be lost, she cleared her throat and (eventually, and through any number of meaningful looks and exaggerated coughing) managed to get her companions attention once more.
"What Nodoka has or has not been reading is not the issue here- we can talk about this later, Paru, it's really not that important at the moment. What matters is that a classmate of ours is upset, and, for whatever reason, we don't know why, it is our duty as members of the library expedition club -no, as her friends- to find out what is bothering her, and do our very best to alleviate that." Realising with some embarrassment that she had, in fact, begun to pace in a circle, Yue stopped and let her arms drop somewhat awkwardly to her sides. "The only thing I'm not sure of is how, exactly, to find that what that reason is."
A moment of thoughtful silence passed with heads bowed, arms crossed and eyes narrowing thoughtfully as the gentle, familiar noises of the library washed over them, the clatter of books on shelves and the rustle of pages as the gentle sussurance of muted conversation rolled about them like froth on a wave.
Some time passed when Haruna straightened, lifting her head slowly. "We could always… use that." A nod at Nodoka here, and the girl in question frowning gently.
"I don't know, Paru… I think that going into someone's thoughts just to find out something that I could so easily ask about is a little… lazy. Not to mention the whole question of privacy. I mean, how would you like it if I went rifling through your head at the slightest provocation? I have no right to pry into Konoka's secrets, and I don't think I'd feel comfortable using the diary for that purpose."
Haruna tutted. "Easy there. I'm not debating the ethics of the situation. I know that it's wrong to go rummaging around in someone's head for everything but the most urgent of situations- but you can't tell me you haven't been worried about her." Taking her glasses off to polish the lenses with the edge of her shirt in a gesture meant to busy her hands more than anything else, the young woman sighed.
"I'm not saying we go all out here, just a quick peek, and surely something like this comes under an exception to the rule. I just wanna know what's got her so down lately and see if I can help- and I get the feeling that whatever it was, it's only gotten worse than since yesterday. Time's running out- what if something horrible happens because we didn't step up and try and figure it out?" Slipping her glasses back on with a squint, a quick and dirty grin flashed over her expressive face. "And besides, bookstore, I think if you went rummaging in my head you'd be the one that went away uncomfortable."
Ignoring Nodoka's splutter, Yue nodded. "I understand your concern, Paru- I feel the same. However, I do agree with Nodoka that using the Diarum Ejus on an unaware and non-consenting party is a violation of privacy and user privilege, if thoughts could be considered as the medium in question; I certainly believe that such a breach of confidentiality is tantamount to providing details of patron use information to third parties in the name of consumer research. If we consider the work Information Ethics in Common Information Practice, as edited by Gorram and Blakely-"
"Yeah, I think we get the point, Yue. No need to launch into an essay here." Haruna cut in dryly. "And besides, as soon as I said it, I thought you might say no. So, I prepared a Plan B."
Yue's eyes narrowed. "Plan B?" even in a monotone, the diminutive library officer managed to sound sceptical.
"Yup," said Haruna, rocking back on her heels smugly. "And don't say it like that- it's nothing underhanded, I assure you. See, all we need to do is get Asuna on her own, and then let events unfold as they will…"
Unhurt by her friends healthy -and quite reasonable- reluctance, Haruna nevertheless managed to win her colleagues over to her point of view, even if Yue claimed to reserve judgement until she had actually seen the plan work. As it was, there were still quite a few hours to pass before closing, and a whole another day before she could put her idea into action. And so, the girls made their arrangements to drop by for a visit to the top floor of the dorm tomorrow morning, ostensibly to return some borrowed books to the brunette in question, but in all actuality to determine for themselves, once and for all, what exactly was bothering Konoe Konoka and what could be done about it…
"Hey there- we're coming in!" Haruna, cheerful as always even early on a Friday morning, poked her head around the alcove, Nodoka and Yue following in her wake.
"Oh, hey guys- didn't expect you 'til later. I thought you were dropping by around lunch time." Asuna, hair brush in hand, jerked her head towards the couch. "No need to stand on ceremony- sit, sit. Negi, move those books off the couch will you?"
"Well, as delicious as Konoka's lunches normally are, we thought we'd swing by a little early and share this cream cake." Nodding at Nodoka -who shyly proffered the confection in question, a luscious sponge draped in folds of creamy icing and lathered with strawberries- The bespectacled mangaka kicked off her shoes and stepped up onto the carpet. "Yue found this great little shop down by the station, and well, we thought it'd be a nice treat for everyone."
Negi, moving forward to take the cake from a flushing Nodoka, smiled sweetly. "Wow, girls, that's so nice of you. Here, let me- I'll get some plates and cut it up." moving into the kitchen, the boy-mage neatly side-stepped his red-head roommate. Asuna, speaking around the ribbon held in her teeth, mumbled something that could have been "Awesome! Cake!" as she tied her hair, bells jingling as she finally settled the mass of red into twin tails.
"So anyway, speaking of the young miss, where is she? Over at the girlfriend's room again?" Haruna, plonking herself down on the couch, cocked her head to the side, her question just a shade too innocent. Asuna, shaking her hair back over her shoulders with another tinkle of bells frowned just slightly; there was something ever so subtly off about the way the mangaka had said that. Hell, the girl hadn't even squeezed one bawdy joke or suggestive smirk into that small sentence.
Then again, concluded the redhead as Negi returned with plates adorned with the most delectable strawberry sponge she had ever seen, maybe she's just being mindful of our naïve young teacher, and the rumbling of her stomach drowned out her qualms.
"Yes, I believe Konoka-san and Setsuna-san had a mind to run some errands this morning," said Negi, passing out each serve. "However, I am sure that if we were to call them, they would certainly return early-"
"I wouldn't worry about it, sensei; if they only have a few things to do, then they'll be back soon enough. As long as we save them a slice or two, it should be fine." Yue, taking a moment to savour her cake, promptly took another mouthful of the creamy concoction- and just as promptly choked and spluttered, nearly dropping her cake in her lap.
"Yue!"
"Whoa, hey, you okay? Here, give me that," Asuna, leaned across the table to grab the plate before the shorter girl, nearly doubled over coughing as she was, could drop it. Nodoka, the very picture of concern, rubbed fruitlessly at her colleague's back as Yue hacked into a shaking hand. Haruna, leaning over her shoulder and rubbing also, sat back suddenly, whipping her head around to face startled Negi.
"Quick, sensei- run down to our room downstairs, there's some cough medicine on the kitchen bench!"
Mouth hanging open, fork slack in a raised hand, impaled strawberry trembling on the tines, the boy-teacher blanched and jumped into action as another fit of choking racked the blue-haired. "Right! Keys!" thrusting out a hand, he snatched the bundle from Haruna's grip, all but throwing his plate into Asuna's stunned hands as he leapt over the coffee table and bolted for the door. "Don't you worry, Yue; I'll be right back!"
Silence fell in the wake of Negi's departure; as soon as the boy had disappeared out the doorway, Yue immediately sat up straighter and stopped coughing, Nodoka's hand falling from her back, face grim.
Haruna, rolling her head back and forth over her shoulders to straighten up the kinks, leant forward and rested her steepled fingertips against her mouth. "Now that chibi-sensei's out of the picture -for a few minutes at least, there's at least twelve keys on that ring and it should take him a while to get the right one, let alone figure out which bottle on the cupboard is the real McCoy- let's get down to business."
Asuna, still struggling to wrap her mind around the fact that Yue had apparently been faking this whole time and that this all was some strange display meant to get Negi out of the room, managed the highly intelligent "wha-?" to express her confusion. Blinking a few times, the redhead pinched her nose with a pained expression. "But you- and she- and the cake- okay, so what the hell is going on?"
"Sorry we had to do this to you, Asuna, but we really needed to talk to you alone. Without Negi-sensei," said Yue firmly, wiping away tears of exertion. Fake or not, coughing like that had shaken her small frame from head to toe.
"That's right," squeaked Nodoka, somewhat ashamed. "I'm sorry we had to play a trick on you and Negi-sensei like this, but it really was the only way."
"Yeah," said Haruna, and for the first time in all the years Asuna had known her, something like genuine sorrow had crept into her voice. Swallowing as though to clear a lump in her throat, the bespectacled mangaka nodded firmly. "Look, this is about Konoka. She was with us in the library yesterday afternoon, and… it just wasn't working, you know?"
Yue, wiping the last few droplets from her eyes, sighed heavily. "it was obvious something was wrong, so I told her she could always talk to us about her problems…" trailing off here, the young woman turned to Nodoka, who twisted her hands in her lap nervously.
"I just don't know what to think… what to do to help… she's my friend, Asuna. I don't like knowing that something so… so big has taken place and she might not be able to cope…"
Finally understanding where the conversation was going, the redhead's eyes widened.
"So you guys… you all…?"
Haruna shook her head sadly. "For such a thing to have happened… and for it to be someone I know and care about… and for poor Setsuna-san to be involved as well… it's just too much!" here, something like bitterness choked her, and the young woman hastily turned her head away as tears dripped slowly down her cheek.
Asuna felt her heart melt. "Oh, Paru…" reaching across the bench, she gathered the crying girl's hand in her own and gave her fingers a reassuring squeeze. "I know it's hard to get your head around, and I know it's hard to just sit back and let the two of them deal with it, but you know Konoka- she's a big tough girl, and of course Setsuna's behind her all the way. If anyone could cope with a surprise pregnancy and oncoming parenthood, you know it'll be them." Trying to let her confidence show, Asuna smiled at her friend and classmate, who only bit her lip and started to shake. Next to her on the couch, both Nodoka and Yue looked pale and shocked, eyes wide and surprised.
"Oh, Asuna…" gasped Haruna, more tears burning hot trails down her cheeks.
"There, there- it'll be okay Paru-"
"Of course it will be." Suddenly, shockingly cheerful and with something like victory gleaming behind her glasses, Haruna snatched her hand from the redhead's sympathetic hold and fairly bounced onto her feet. "Hah!" Almost putting out a startled green eye with a jab of a triumphant finger in Asuna's direction, the foxy young woman burst into laughter. "I knew it! I damn well knew it! Well, no, actually I didn't- there's no way to tell by looking at her that dear Konoka has a bun in the oven- but now that you've told me everything, I know it now!"
Planting her feet square on the carpet, toes wriggling into the soft fabric in sweet satisfaction, Haruna wrapped her arms about herself. "Ooh, that feels so good to know something so… so… powerful." Lowering her head a little, the light spilling from open windows glinting off her glasses hid her eyes behind a veil of radiance. "I mean, just think about it. No doubt Konoka told you this in confidence… no actually, you were probably there when she found out. You're her best friend after all."
(And dazed as she was in the face of such a shocking tirade, Asuna had to wonder- was that just a trace of bitterness there, just a merest breath of hurt feelings? Had the library girls always felt like this- one of a group of friends, but never the best?)
Oblivious to the thoughts blazing through the redhead's mind (or quite possibly simply unable to stop), the mangaka continued with barely a pause to draw breath. "You'd know that she's pregnant, but I'm fairly sure Negi doesn't- cute as he is, our teacher can't keep a secret to stop himself being turned into an ermine. And Setsuna knows too? Of course she does… I know Konoka, and I know how crazy she is about that samurai chick, and if what you say is true and it's their little baby -how the hell that happened I have no idea, remind me to grill you about that later- there's no way she wasn't going to break that news. And judging from the fact she wasn't crying absolute buckets yesterday, her chicky took it well enough. So," and here she spun on her bare feet and began to pace, eager steps eating their way back and forth across the carpet. "The only thing left to ask is… what do we do now?"
Silence, rang loudly in the room- and then, shockingly, the jingle-jangle-crunch of keys hitting the wooden doorstep.
"I-I-I don't…" Negi, one hand limp and empty where keys had slid through nerveless fingers, stood numbly in the open doorway. "…understand. Konoka-san is… pregnant?"
As one, Asuna, Haruna and Nodoka turned to face the young mage, his warm brown eyes wide with shock. "Oh, geez…" mumbled Haruna, shoulders slumping as whatever manic energy had fired her up before abruptly burnt out. Moving into the room, Negi laid a glass bottle -the cough mixture meant to lure him from the conversation in the first place- on a hallway table.
"But isn't… isn't that a good thing?"
More silence; Asuna opened her mouth once or twice as though to say something and gave up, turning a helpless gaze onto the other girls.
Slowly, as though moving through treacle, Yue brought a delicate hand up to cradle her wide forehead. "I knew we should've closed the door."
The sunlight was soft, warm, caressing as it fell across the young couple in the park… but all the summer sun in the world would do nothing to warm the icy daggers of fear twisting in the two girls' bellies as they held hands, not like lovers do, but like gripping a lifeline- as though any moment now they expected to be wrenched brutally apart.
The brunette - her normally gentle, laughter-filled eyesgrimly resolute - rubbed away tears with her free hand, soft lips pressed determinedly together. Her lover -narrow eyes sharper than any blade could ever hope to be- stared into the middle distance, gaze focused beyond the bleached-blue sky. A tension crackled between the two young women, almost tangible where slender fingers tangled together, and whatever fear it was that plagued them could do naught but weaken in the face of such resolve.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared, Set-chan. But I said it before, and I'll say it again- no one is going to take you away from me."
"I feel the same way, Kono-chan. We've gone through a lot to get to this point, and I will not suffer any attempt to separate us." Sighing, she brought slender fingers up to rub at her creased forehead, eyes closed in thought. "However, there is very little we can do if I am forced to leave the academy- or, if your father decides to return you to Kyoto, as he would have every right to. Teenage pregnancy is not something to be taken lightly, Kono-chan, and although I would say there are some extenuating circumstances excusing us-" and her lips twisted wryly "-I doubt an 'oops' is going to be acceptable in our case."
Konoka hmphed and crossed her arms. "This is all Chamo's fault. If he just told us what we were getting into…"
"...it wouldn't have stopped you, and you know it." Setsuna shook her head, wry smile growing just a little wider. "You were wearing your special underwear, Kono-chan- even without the aftermath of the battle, I know you probably planned on… well…"
Watching a pink flush spread over her usually calm-and-collected girlfriend's face, Konoka giggled. "Okay, so maybe I was. There's nothing wrong with wanting to go all the way with the woman you're very much in love with, and maybe it didn't go quite as planned, but we were together and that was all that I wanted." Her eyes a little dreamy, Konoka smiled at the fond memory, standing out amongst the terror of pursuit and the horror of the bloody aftermath. "But it doesn't make a difference, anyway; what's done is done and can't be undid. All we have to do is stick to our guns, Set-chan. If we tell them before they find out, and put up a united front while we're at it, there's no way they can separate us. Even if they try, I won't let them." Serious now, she smacked a dainty fist against her open palm. "I don't care if Grandpa says I'm supposed to marry some random guy I've never met, and I don't care what daddy has to say about 'losing my virtue'- I love you, and I'm having this baby with you. And, and if we have to leave Mahora, we're leaving together."
Setsuna reached for her hand, squeezing gently. "I love you too, Kono-chan." Turning her gaze to the heights of the school buildings in the distance, the dean's office towering over the smaller buildings clustered around it, the hanyou swordswoman grit her jaw and chased away the shuddering nervousness that had roiled in her blood since realising what Eishun's visit would hold for them. The foreboding that weighed heavily in her gut became a little lighter; in the back of her mind the demon stirred, incapable of understanding her feelings of trepidation: if there was a threat to one's mate, one's egg- then one removed the threat and was done with it.
I don't think it's going to be as simple as that. Even if the demon saw such interference as an obstacle to be struck quickly and violently from her path (the bloodier the better; there was no room for mercy in the defence of one's nest, and if that meant maiming her enemies as a means of warning against further attacks, so be it) the more rational swordswoman in Sakurazaki Setsuna knew it to be not so.
Eishun-sama is not a beast; he is a just and honourable man who has safeguarded the Kansai Magic Association in the place of the ojou-sama, and I doubt he will tear us apart so cruelly if we go and explain what happened calmly and clearly. No doubt he will be shocked, but with luck, we should hopefully be able to garner his support and ask for his advice. At any rate, he won't be arriving until this afternoon, just before the security meeting preceding tonight's patrol. That gives us time in which to plan how exactly to explain that in a few months time, the Konoe clan is going to get a little bigger…
"Set-chan?"
"Hmm? Sorry, I was just thinking." Looking down to the slender fingers tangled with her own, Setsuna felt her heart squeeze in her chest, heavy with the love she felt for the woman whose hand was so very warm against hers.
I will not let us be parted. I will not, and I will fight for you, blade and claw and wing if I have to. (The demon agreed, ruffling feathers and tensing talons in the darkness of her subconscious; the two very different sides of her spirit in true accord, united in their love for Konoe Konoka and their as yet unborn child- and more than prepared to lay waste to all that stood before them if need be.)
"We should head back… Asuna's probably wondering where we got to. Come on, Set-chan; we can think about it some more after lunch." Standing, the brunette reached out to the slender woman seated on the bench before her- and without hesitation, Setsuna took the proffered hand.
"You're right. Some things are better thought of on a full stomach."
Tangling her fingers with those of her love, Setsuna headed back to the dorms more confident than she had felt since before finding out she was a mother-to-be, certain that whatever faced them next, it would be easily surmounted, just as long as she had her Kono-chan beside her.
"Seriously, Asuna. I left you alone for two hours. Two hours, and already you've managed to spill the beans to Haruna, Nodoka and Yue, not to mention Negi of all people." Sighing, Konoka ran a slender hand through brown hair, disapproving gaze heavy where it fell on the girls -and lone, somewhat puzzled, teenage boy- gathered before her on the couch. "I'm starting to think I should've just made a statement for Asakura and published a damn press release."
"Um… I'm sorry…?" If it were possible for the redhead to look more sheepish than she already did, Setsuna for one would have been very surprised. As it was, the swordswoman merely crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back into the couch as Asuna squirmed. Konoka, standing before her, took half a step backwards and fell heavily into the cushioned seat beside her girlfriend.
"And don't think I'm not cheesed at you either, Paru. I mean, really, gossip-mongering is one thing, but taking advantage of Asuna, who, let's face it, isn't the brightest crayon in the box-"
"I suppose I deserved that," mumbled the abashed schoolgirl.
"-just to further your own curiosity? That's… kinda lowdown and dirty. I would've expected better of you, and I certainly didn't think the both of you'd go along with it, either." The last directed at a shame-faced Yue and Nodoka, the latter of whom looked as though she'd burst into tears at any minute. Haruna, shifting uncomfortably on her cushion, flushed and scratched absentmindedly at the back of her neck.
"I know this looks bad, Konoka, but really, my intentions were pure- well, mostly," amended the mangaka at the incredulous look sent her way. "And the other two aren't to blame for this. It was my idea, I just dragged them into it." Steeling herself for a tongue-lashing (Konoka could mother-lecture like the best when she was in a mood) Haruna pushed her glasses back onto her nose. "So, if you're gonna get mad at someone, let it be me."
"That's not true, Paru." Shaking her head with enough force to set her hair whipping back and forth, Nodoka drew herself up to her -full, albeit diminutive- height, blue eyes determined. "We're just as much to blame." Turning back to the brunette, her sweet face narrowed with just a touch of anger. "We were all worried about you, and if maybe you had just talked to us about the things that've been bothering you of late, then we wouldn't have had to go to such extremes! Um, I mean…" wind gone from her sails, she slumped a little, hanging her head forward and shielding her eyes behind her fringe.
"She's right, Konoka," agreed Yue softly. "We worry about you too, and though we know you have plenty of support with Setsuna-san by your side, it would do a lot to ease our fears if you would confide in us as well. Though I admit Haruna doesn't make it easy to trust us with your secrets." Though dry humour warmed her words, Yue gave the girl seated beside her a reproachful look.
Haruna, still flushed with embarrassment, held her hands up in surrender. "Look, I'm sorry alright? I know, I know, curiosity killed the cat-girl and all that, but really, give me a chance will you? I haven't gone and blabbed to anyone yet… well, except Negi, and that was kind of an accident. Eh heh heh…"
Resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose, Konoka let her gaze fall on her young teacher, perched on the edge of the coffee table, quietly thoughtful as he took in the conversation flowing about him. "Negi? You haven't said anything yet. What…" swallowing down her nerves, Konoka dragged in a deep breath. "What do you think about all this?"
Starting a little, the boy in question looked down at his hands, knotted anxiously in his lap. "I won't deny it hasn't been a shock, Konoka-san. I mean… as your teacher, I suppose I should be disapproving- in principle, at least. You're in your last year of high-school, and should be considering your future path and aiming towards university, not preparing for the birth of your first child. You too, Setsuna-san," the boy added, a small note of hesitancy creeping into his voice. "And whilst I am not one to talk about the impropriety of children born outside of wedlock, something I personally consider a little old-fashioned, particularly in regards to my own heritage- and I'm getting off track." Bringing a long-fingered hand up to knead at his creased forehead, their young teacher frowned.
"What I'm trying to say here is that I think your timing is a little poor, and although I understand that this situation is not exactly your fault -and believe me I intend to have a few strong words with Chamo about leaving important information unsaid when I find him- I do, however, expect the pair of you to take responsibility like the mature, intelligent young women I know you to be." Nodding, Negi let slip his teachery façade a little, a warm smile creeping across his features. "All of that said, I can't help but feel happy for you as well. A baby! That's wonderful news, and I hope the both of you will consider me as a candidate for godfatherhood- I'd make a jolly good one if I do say so myself."
Konoka and Setsuna looked at one another, relieved smiles breaking out across their worried faces. The brunette sighed and took her lover's hand, turning back to their young teacher with hope in her eyes. "You'll support us then, Negi? We have to break the news to my father and grandfather somehow, and I get the feeling things will go smoother if you can vouch for us."
"Of course!" Negi mock-frowned at them both, mouth twitching with a boyish grin where he tried to school it into a stern grimace. "I'm offended you think I wouldn't."
The brunette laughed then, a small burst of sound, more out of relief than anything else; but it was catching, and before long the whole group of them had collapsed into giggles, even Negi letting loose with a few hearty chuckles.
"Hoo," sighed Haruna a good ten minutes later, wiping away tears from eyes still scrunched with mirth. "Oh man, it feels so good not to be fretting. I mean, damn, but if you've been all freaked out like that for that past couple of days Konoka, I'm not surprised you seemed a bit depressed. I tried it for half an hour and I nearly had a heart attack." Wiping her glasses and sliding them back into place, the vivacious young woman slumped back against the couch. "Seriously though, what do you want us to do now? Spilling the beans about you two knocking boots was one thing -and that was mainly because you'd gone and hooked up right under my nose without even sharing the dirty details- but this is a whole 'nother ball game. If you ask me to -and as much as it pains me to keep a secret this juicy to myself- I'll keep my mouth shut."
"That's right- now that we know, we're not going to tell anyone if you don't want us to." Yue leant forward a little at that, young face serious. "That said, I don't think you'll be able to keep this a secret for too long Konoka- at about three months you'll start to show and from then it's only a matter of time before it becomes obvious."
"We're going to talk to Eishun-sama and the headmaster tonight." Setsuna, quiet for some time, spoke with calm confidence. "After that… well, we'll see."
As though the swordswoman's words were the catalyst, silence fell heavily upon the small group, each member drawn into their own thoughts. It took a little longer for Asuna to speak up, but when she did, it was slowly and with great seriousness that she brought her thoughts to bear.
"Okay, so I've got a question. Negi," she began, and the boy in question tilted his head at her tone, "why doesn't this bother you?"
"I'm sorry… I'm not sure what you mean, Asuna."
"Maybe I'm not saying it right…" The redhead frowned, bringing her hands up to rest her chin on them. "Look, Konoka and Setsuna are both girls, right?"
"Of course. And two lovely young women at that." The beaming smile the young man -boy, thought Asuna, still a boy no matter how you paint him, even for all his fancy words not yet a man- sent at the ladies in question made the brunette giggle and the swordswoman quirk a dark eyebrow.
"And Konoka's pregnant. With Setsuna's baby."
Negi waved a dismissive hand. "Yes, yes- generally that's the way it works. It's the miracle of new life Asuna, but I'm not sure what your point is."
Asuna felt a muscle twitch in her forehead. Nearby, and trying not to show how very amused she was, Haruna sniggered. Yue, without knowing exactly what was to come next, nevertheless felt trepidation curdle in her stomach.
"Look, Negi, you know where babies… come from, right?"
The boy teacher blinked, once, twice- and then his face lit up with sudden understanding. "Oh. Oh. Yes, of course I do." Sitting up a little straighter, Negi brushed unseen dust from his trousers and cleared his throat with a faint harrumph. "Although I am a little surprised you would come to me of all people to ask this, I appreciate the confidence you have placed in me, and as your teacher, I suppose I can explain…"
"Oh, this is gonna be good," whispered Haruna in an aside to Nodoka, who flushed bright pink to the very roots of her hair, having caught on to where this conversation was heading with alarming speed.
Oblivious to the growing puzzlement on the redhead's pretty face and the sly grin spreading over Konoka's, Negi coughed gently into a fist. "You see, Asuna, when two people love each other very much-"
"What?" yelped the teen, getting the message horrifyingly quick, "No. No, god, no. N. O. I am not having this conversation, and especially not with you."
Confused but somewhat relieved (he had not been looking forward to trying to explain this particular topic to any of his students should it arise), Negi's shoulders slumped. "But you said-"
"I know where babies come from," blurted Asuna, hiding her eyes behind her hands in shame. "And stop laughing, Haruna, it isn't helping." Peeking through her fingers at a thoroughly befuddled boy-teacher, she sighed. "What I meant, Negi, was whether you understood the… uh, mechanics. Um. You know."
Her young teacher crossed his arms. "Asuna, if you are trying to ask me, in a manner I can only assume is your attempt to be tactful, whether or not I understand that it is -without medical assistance- impossible for two women to conceive a child, then I can lay your fears to rest and assure you that whilst I may be young, I am not as dumb as I look." Negi, smiling benignly up at the redhead, suppressed a chuckle. "Really, Asuna; you have an awfully low opinion of me sometimes. I am perfectly aware that it was most likely a side-effect of their pactio that caused Konoka-san and Setsuna-san to conceive."
"Then why did you let me believe you didn't, you little twerp! Argh!" tugging at her hair, the fiery schoolgirl rounded on Haruna, who had long since collapsed into laughter beside a mortified Nodoka. "And you! Stop laughing at me, dammit!"
Choking back her giggles with a sound best described as snerk, the mangaka shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry, Red; you're just so funny when you're mad. You look like you're gonna pop a vein or something."
"Haruna!"
"Asuna having a fit aside," said Konoka, finally deciding that perhaps now was a good time to move on, "Set-chan and I are going to have lunch, and then get ready to face the music. Daddy's going to be here soon, and we can't put it off forever." Standing, she stretched her arms out with a groan, rolling her head from side to side as the joints in her neck and shoulders popped. "I can only hope breaking the news to him and grandpa goes as easy as breaking it to you lot."
"Which I believe is our cue to leave," said Yue, planting her hands on her knees. A determined light glittered in deeply expressive eyes; curiosity flickered over Nodoka's face- Yue only got that look before embarking on a particularly intriguing research project. "Come on girls, we'd best head back- we've imposed on Konoka and Setsuna-san enough for one day."
"Hey, this is my room too, ya know," grumbled Asuna, but there was no malice in her words, and she too hugged the members of the library exploration club farewell. Bidding the girls and their teacher goodbye with a wave, Haruna turned to her fellow club member with a look of interest.
"Whatever are you thinking about? It looks like you've had an idea or something. You couldn't wait to get out of there."
The shortest member of their trio shrugged, heavy braids slumping over her shoulders.
"I'll tell you about it later. For now, we should get to the library. I… I think there's something we can do to help here, but I need to look something up first…" brushing short locks of azure hair from a wide, clear forehead, she set her determined gaze upon her companions. "You'll help me, right?"
Nodoka nodded, fringe flopping into her eyes in a tangle of soft violet, said "Of course! I'd like to see you try and stop me," and then flushed at her own boldness. Yue turned towards Haruna, who merely grinned, and slapped her diminutive friend on the back, hard enough to make her crumple a little as her knees threatened to give way.
"You got it, Yue. Let's hit those books!"
Konoe Eishun, captain of the Kansai Shinmeiryuu and current acting elder of the Kansai Magic Association, would not have considered himself a harsh man. He knew that he was, perhaps, a little rough around the edges; years of being a swordsman and widower had not exactly given him the best understanding of women, even if the woman in question was his daughter. Sometimes he wished that he had spent more of her youth with Konoka; gotten to know the complex young lady his little girl had become- but the duties he had inherited from his position, the responsibilities he had taken on in place of her mother and would hold until she was of age, left him with little time to think back on his regrets.
But even if he did not play as big a role in her life as he could hope, he knew his daughter was a good girl; he knew she worked hard at school, didn't stay out late partying and tried to make him and her grandfather proud in any way she could. She studied magic under Evangeline, and hile an undead sorceress of unimaginable power and soul-stealing evil would not have been his first choice as a teacher, he knew that in due time she would become every inch the mage she held the promise to be, and take up the mantle of elder of both the Kanto and Kansai Magic Associations when she came of age.
I am a lucky man to have such a wonderful daughter. If your mother were alive to see you Konoka, she would be so proud.
With all of this in mind, Eishun nonetheless found himself acting in the finest tradition of fathers everywhere when he walked into the dean's office to find his daughter waiting for him, seated on the edge of her grandfather's desk; his stomach immediately dropped down to his shoes, leaving the hollow space behind it bubbling with dread as the apple of his eye, his one and only daughter lifted her pretty face, turned big brown eyes up to him and said softly "Daddy, we need to talk."
Oh gods. I knew was too good to be true. Having a wonderful daughter like this, it's too much and now something horrible has happened…
She has cancer. She's joining the eco-commune at the university. She's been expelled- no wait, her grandfather's the dean, there's no way that happened. She's decided to elope with Negi. Her roommate's gambled away the rent money and now she has to live on the streets… Don't worry honey, I'll support you! You can come back home with me!
"Daddy?" Smoothing her hair back from her face, Konoka bit her lip. "This is… hard. A lot of things have happened since I saw you last and… and it's not easy to just…" Swallowing, she looked down at her feet for a moment, swinging back and forth to bump gently against the wood panelling of the desk, and Eishun felt his heart twist in his chest that his own child was so nervous about speaking her worries to him. "Please, can you sit down? It's kinda hard to talk to you when you're looming in the doorway…"
"Uh, right." Drawing closer to the desk, he took an uneasy seat in front of her. "Konoka? Honey? You know whatever it is that's bothering you, you can tell me, right?" Looking up at his little girl, he felt another little twist in his chest, and a sudden pang of longing for his late wife. Every day she looks more and more like you… Shaking his head to dispel his nostalgia, he tried to reassure his daughter with a smile. "I'm your father, and I'll love you no matter what you have to say."
Looking a little startled and liftingher head up once more, Konoka smiled back at her father, who shifted his gangly frame uneasily in his small seat. "I know. I love you too, Daddy."
A thought struck him then; glancing quizzically around the room and noticing that his father-in-law was very conspicuously absent, he blinked up at Konoka. "Where's-"
"Grandpa? I asked him to wait outside for me. We talked to him earlier today, just before you came in. We thought that… that things might go easier if I talked to you alone, and grandpa agreed."
'We' talked to him earlier today… who's 'we'? Eishun fought to keep his face schooled into an expression of parental concern, even though sudden foreboding pricked him. I think I know where this is going and I'm not sure I like it… Giving no sign of his suspicions, he merely nodded. "Fair enough. Whenever you're ready."
Steeling herself in a manner that Eishun would have found shockingly familiar if he could only know what he looked like when preparing to go into battle, the brunette clenched her hands on her knees and sat up straighter. "There's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to spit it out." She dragged in a deep breath, and closed her eyes. "Dad, I'm gay."
Eishun blinked.
Okay, so I wasn't expecting that, was the first dazed thought to come to mind. He'd been vaguely expecting something along the lines of 'Dad, I have a boyfriend' or possibly 'Dad, I've decided to drop out of school and follow in Evangeline's footsteps as an evil, conniving supervillain' although he had to admit the last was a bit of a long shot. But this…
He blinked again, unable to do much else, and then felt a sudden rush of guilt as Konoka peeked out at him through one half-opened eye, only to flinch and slam it shut when he opened his mouth to speak, as though afraid to hear what he had to say in response. He frowned, brows pinching tight across a broad forehead, and lifted one hand to run through dark hair.
"Konoka, I… I won't say I'm not a little shocked, because I am, but…" Taking a deep breath, he let a soft smile ease across his mouth. But you're my daughter, and I love you, and that's all there is to it.
"I admire your bravery in telling me that even though you were scared of how I would react." Reaching across, Eishun took her small hand in his own, large one and shook his head at the fine tremors making her fingers jitter against his. His daughter opened her eyes slowly, something like fear fading from them at the gentleness of his tone.
"Thank you for telling me. I can see why you were nervous… but… well, it's not that much of a surprise. I mean, you were very vehement about not liking any of the men your grandfather tried to pair you up with in those o-miai's." He smoothed a calloused thumb over her knuckles, wondering at the hope welling in soft brown, and felt himself chuckle a little. "I can even remember you telling me when you were six that you were going to marry Setsuna-san when you grew up."
"Really? I- I don't remember that," mumbled Konoka, face suddenly a little paler, sweat peppering her hairline. He supposed the shock of… well, coming out with it, as it were, was finally sinking in and gripped her hand a little tighter.
"It's okay, honey. It's… a little strange to think that one day I might have a… a daughter-in-law instead of a son, but it's not bad. Just a little different." Leaning forward impulsively, he scooped his little girl into a hug, felt her stiffen- then relax and throw her arms around him like she used to when she was smaller, the rush of memory bringing the faint sting of tears to his eyes.
"Oh Dad… I'm so relieved… I don't know what I would have done if you'd taken it badly," sniffled Konoka, rubbing her head on his shoulder. Brown hair tickled against his cheek, and Eishun felt something warm twist in his chest. Sitting back, he smiled as she scooted back onto the desk, dainty feet bumping once more against the oak panelling.
Wiping away the merest traces of tears from her cheeks, his daughter sighed and bunched her hands together in her lap, visibly nervous once more, and Eishun felt his smile falter a little.
"There's more though. More to… tell you, I mean."
"More?" More is not good. More is never good.
"Uh-huh." Konoka looked down then, soft brown eyes flicking to her feet, the floor, the door behind Eishun- anywhere but his face. "Dad, this next bit… it might be hard for you to hear. But I want you to know that I'm… I'm still your daughter. And no matter what you think of me, I want you to know that I believe- no, I know I'm doing the right thing." The small hands bunched in her lap flattened out, palms smoothed flat and pressing on her knees. Finally raising her head, Konoka nodded determinedly at her father, a steely glint flickering in her gaze. "It's a long story- I want you to promise me you'll listen, that you'll let me finish no matter what I have to say."
Eishun felt something a little like awe at the resolve in his daughter's eyes, and knew, suddenly and quietly, that his little girl had grown up in the few months since he had seen her last; he'd looked away for a mere moment, and when he looked back it was to see a young woman before him, not the child he had left behind.
"I promise. Go on- I'll listen."
"Thank you." Konoka took another deep breath, straightening her back and gathering her thoughts. A moment passed, and then she closed her eyes and began to speak. "Dad, a little while ago now I entered into a probationary pactio with Set-cha- Setsuna. She and I are partners now. And since then, a lot of things have happened…"
And as the words poured forth, as his daughter explained the circumstances surrounding her pactio with the young woman he had charged with her safety and given the role of her bodyguard and the events that followed, Eishun felt himself grow still, falling into the unnatural calm that always took him over before battle. What Konoka told him was… unbelievable, to say the least, certainly shocking, and when she began to explain the symptoms that had caused her to visit the doctor, something icy clawed in his gut.
But he was a warrior of the Shinmeiryuu- and above all else, her father. He would not shy away from what his daughter had the courage to tell him -and as events unfolded in her clear, youthful voice, he was certain it took a considerable amount of courage to speak to him so candidly. Regardless of his pride in her honesty, however, was the fact that one of the main parties involved in the events she was outlining was one Sakurazaki Setsuna- and he had more than a few things to say to the young woman in question.
"This one would find it easy to believe you are preparing for a war, Mana-dono."
Sometimes it was easy to forget that Kaede was a ninja, shinobi, onmitsu- one of those trained in the secret arts of stealth and assassination. Most days, Kaede wore the mask of a lackadaisical half-wit, a slack smile and merry, slitted eyes the perfect cover for her true skills.
But not now. Mana eased a twitchy hand from her hip -it said something about her state of mind that she had gone straight for the holster even in her miko robes and hakama- and turned to where the shadow of a tree fell just a little thicker in the torchlight flickering over the courtyard. Around her -bearing wooden torches, lanterns and in a few cases, halogen spotlights- mages from the Kansai Magic Association swarmed about her shrine, tampering with the wards and barriers laid down by her bloodline and maintained for centuries; the casual invasion of her home had her on edge even though she was sure their intentions were pure.
The lithe figure of the kunoichi peeled herself away from the darkness shrouding branches draped heavily in leaves, blurring into focus even as the mottled edges of dappled shadows smoothed over her youthful face- but dark, slitted eyes were anything but childlike at this moment; something wary glittered in their depths.
You are a warrior, and one trained in the art of chi-manipulation. Of course you feel it too.
Kaede smiled, disarming, but the guile in her eyes belied the gesture. "Surely we are in no danger here. Not in the depths of your shrine, not with the wards so recently renewed, not with so many of the Shinmeiryuu patrolling the grounds so vigilantly."
Mana said nothing, and Kaede's smile turned sharp. "Though that assumes that you trust them, Mana-dono."
The mercenary-turned-miko snorted. "I trust no-one. A lesson you'd better learn if you want to live long enough to use all of those ninja techniques you spend your whole weekend practicing in the mountains."
To her left, a group of young women -all of them miko, guided by a swordswoman in a business suit, her sharp voice cutting even as she chanted sutras for the protection and security of the shrine whose ancient walls housed centuries of spiritual power- fell silent, and the surge of power that crackled in glowing lines across the courtyard in weaving traceries of magic swept up her body, sending a shudder to ripple down her frame. Mana gritted her teeth against the sudden, bitter taste that flooded her mouth; she knew the reasons for these new barriers being laid, but that didn't make her comfortable with these strangers here, and their strange magic even less.
"Ah? So Mana-dono has been watching this one, then?"
Not even the teasing edge to that too-silken tone was enough to stir anger in her. It was too obvious that the young woman's words were an attempt to provoke a reaction, make her forget the tension that tightened her shoulders and made her jumpy; break the mood that had settled over her since the botched attempt to burn the shrine down around her. Letting a sighing breath trickle through her teeth, Mana forced herself to loosen her jaw and eased her shoulders back a little, and brushed a few strands of the dark hair swinging in a loose fall down her back away from her face.
"It was too clumsy."
Kaede nodded, the motion curt and businesslike, dark eyes flicking from miko to swordsman to mage as the patrol groups surrounding the shrine changed guard, under the watchful eye of a deputy swordswoman. "Yes. If our enemies had bothered to study your strengths, they would have known that you are no easy prey. There was no way that such a poor effort was genuine; perhaps not even a failed attempt to measure your abilities. The demons summoned to assault the shrine fell far too easily to be considered an actual threat, and though damage was sustained, the shrine proper remained mostly intact. If anything, such an excursion should only bolster our defences- now that we are aware of their intentions, it will not be easy for such an occurrence to be repeated."
"Mm." Which makes me think there is more to this than even your assessment has revealed, Kaede- but you know that, don't you? 'Our' enemies indeed. How many nights have you spent watching my shrine?
"This was a distraction, Mana-dono, and a poorly thought out one at that. Our enemies have perhaps sought to discomfort us, by making such an easily rebuffed foray. If it had succeeded, I've no doubt your death and the destruction of the Mahora wards would have served them well, but I am confident that this attack, failed or not, was not merely a tool to gauge your skills and the strength of your defences. Though their purpose remains unknown, I do not believe that it was something so simple."
If she strained herself, pushed the limits of her perception, she could catch the merest edge of intrigue from the dappled, broken aura that shrouded the young woman lurking beneath the largest cherry-tree among the many that lined her courtyard; trained as she was to conceal herself in plain sight, Kaede had scattered her chi and even though Mana knew exactly where she was, her senses struggled to place the faint traces of life she could feel pulsing in bright points in the mottled darkness of the tree's shadow as a human being. But combat experience won out, and even with eyes closed against the jarring sense of wrongness that was unknown magics twisting alongside her father's wards, Mana knew the frown that creased Kaede's face as though it was in plain sight.
You're good. Given time, you could be great. Pity for you I'm better.
"When does Mana-dono expect their next gambit?"
Not if. When. You assume they will attack again, and though it is almost positive they will, I would say nothing is certain in this case.
"When whatever it is that they -whoever they are- is trying to distract us from is finished." And if by 'us' Mana meant not so much the mage-teachers and members of the magic associations that called Mahora home, but rather her own self, present company included… well, the ninja had proven herself dependable of late, and while still a few years of battle-experience below her own level of skill, she was getting there. She sighed, but quietly; her breath barely stirred the few stubborn strands of dark hair that slipped over her shoulders.
"Are you worried?"
The kunoichi's words in the dark were a knife in her back: quick, sharp, to the point. There was no playfulness in those words, no tease or taunt; even the thoughtful tone that had coloured Kaede's words as she explained her reasons for believing the attempted destruction of her shrine a mere gambit was gone. Just a careful, measured neutrality, as though she believed that any trace of concern meant her question would be dismissed out of hand.
Mana frowned, not sure if she wanted to turn around to face the woman behind her. "I'm head of the security patrol. I have no room for doubt-"
"Commander, the wards are progressing smoothly, but we require your assistance in moving onto the main shrine; the barriers there require the presence of a family member."
The sudden appearance of a small cloister of mages to her left broke her thoughts; nodding acquiescence and giving assurance that she would enter the inner sanctum shortly, Mana watched the group depart with something like cool indifference. The moment, whatever it was or could've been, was gone; nothing but silence from behind her. The rustle of leaves in the gentle breeze suggested movement, but that too could be a mere mask for the stillness the kunoichi could draw about herself like a tattered cloak, and even that action was in itself the perfect disguise for Kaede's effortless, unnoticed disappearance.
If I ever want a straight conversation with you, I'm going to have to pin your shadow to the wall first.
"Commander?"
"I'm coming." Leaving her thoughts to the shadowed the courtyard in the heavy boughs of the surrounding trees, Mana walked smoothly up the path to the shrine proper, shoulders as straight and undoubting as they ever were. She did not look back.
It was the way that she walked into the room -calmly, confidently, with the air of one well-prepared for battle- that surprised him the most.
Eishun thought her knew Setsuna fairly well: for the majority of her short life, the young woman had been under his command as both captain of the Shinmeiryuu and acting elder of the Kansai Magic Association, and he had been responsible -if not directly, then as overseer for all students based in Kansai- for the early years of her training as a swordswoman. Setsuna was, in his opinion, a brave, bright, bashful girl with an inferiority complex and a belief her mixed heritage made her unfit for all but servitude; and also a skilled student of the blade and committed to the absolute protection of his daughter in a way that only reminded him of his own attitude to his wife in their youth, leaving Eishun confident that there was no guardian more dedicated -more devoted- to Konoka than the young half-demon.
Seeing the grit and determination in dark, serious eyes -the girl's less-than-human traits carefully sealed away beneath layers of disguising magic to avoid conflict among the less-liberal members of his sword school- as she had knelt and laid Yuunagi before her, one slender hand pressed against the naked blade even as she begged for the chance to serve the young heiress, her child's voice clear and unwavering… well, he had seen no reason to turn her down, even if she was unusually young for the position of bodyguard.
(In retrospect, this was probably his first mistake.)
But reminiscing aside, the young woman that closed the small distance between the door and his daughter with quick, quiet steps was worlds apart from the half-starved orphan that had come to his door so long ago, or even the reticent, school-girl-swordswoman who had pledged herself to his service not much longer after that. The Setsuna he knew, the Setsuna that had proved herself a shy but skilled student and sworn death before dishonour in Konoka's name, the Setsuna who blushed and stammered and called herself unworthy- that girl was long gone, barely a shadow of the woman before him now.
There was no doubt in her stance, no fear in her eyes; her voice, when she spoke to greet him, did not shake. Even Konoemon, sweeping regally into the room and closing the doors behind him with a lazy flick of his hand (the briefest flare of magic glowing at his wizened fingertips) seemed impressed, eyes twinkling with barely suppressed delight as Setsuna reached out and took Konoka's hand in her own, startling a soft sound from the young woman seated nervously on her grandfather's desk.
Dark eyes, shading to a smoky silver where the afternoon light struck them, met his own, unflinching in the sudden tension that twitched in his temple and ground his teeth together. He had promised himself he'd hear the girl out, for Konoka's sake if nothing else, but that gesture was too much like defiance for someone who had already dared so much.
Because there was a difference between daring and disobedience, and her actions crept far too close to insubordination; he'd overlooked the rules about fraternisation for the sake of his daughter -Setsuna was her first, and for the longest time, her only friend- but this was a few steps beyond that entirely.
"Really, Eishun; you look like you've swallowed a lemon. Anyone would think you'd been told you were going to have a root canal as opposed to a grandchild." Konoemon chuckled as he crossed to his desk, taking his seat in the plush leather chair behind it even as Konoka flushed and shuffled backwards on the desk. "Today is a day of happy news! You should be pleased that your daughter has shared such joyous tidings," and here he beamed at the young brunette, old eyes soft with mirth and affection and perhaps a touch of mischief, "although I must say the circumstances behind such a development are a little unexpected- and quite possibly in direct violation of a number of school regulations." He winked at Konoka then, and she lowered her gaze a little, face flushed and suddenly shy, fingers squeezing Setsuna's hand a little tighter.
Something sharp ached in Eishun's chest, twisted in his gut; but it did not show on his face and no-one else noticed, so Konoemon continued blithely on.
"This situation has certainly thrown a good many of my plans out the window, so to speak, but all in all, I must say that I am more than happy to be a great-grandfather. Though I did not expect to be one so soon," and a note of faint disapproval crept into the elderly mage's cheerful voice, a momentary flash of sternness passing over his wise face, "I do understand that you were both unaware of the greater consequences of your actions, and the circumstances were quite… unique, but that is no excuse for carelessness; I expect the both of you to take full responsibility."
The two young women before him looked at each other a moment, something meaningful passing between them, and when Setsuna next spoke, it was without taking her eyes from Konoka's sweetly smiling face. "Of course. The ojou-sama- I mean, Kono-chan and I have talked about this, and we've decided that although we didn't expect it, we're going to take the opportunity we've been given." Setsuna managed to tear her gaze away long enough to favour Konoemon with a small but determined smile. "If… if magic has given me the chance to have a baby with the woman I love, to stay by her side as more than… more than just her bodyguard, then there's no doubt that I'll do just that-"
"No."
The word slipped out before he could stop it, and once it was spoken Eishun found he didn't really want to. The sound hung thick and heavy in the air, the room rippling with tension as Setsuna's head turned unerringly towards him, shock and disbelief and something like anger warring in her gaze -and the thought that how dare she, how dare she look at him with anger, when it was her that was doing the wrong thing here, her that had overstepped the boundaries of her relationship with his daughter, and if anyone was going to be angry here, it should be him! churned hot in his head.
"Daddy?"
Eishun dragged in a deep breath through gritted teeth, and the fact that the air tasted sharp and bitter helped his fraying nerves not at all. It had been a very, very long time since last he felt rage like this, a snarling, clawing beast in his belly- not even in battle was his calm so easily lost. He had, over many years, earned a reputation for being cool and collected even against insurmountable odds; in the skirmishes of his youth, against human or demon alike, he had easily proven himself better than his enemies in composure if not also skill. And when rage had woken in him, it had been controllable, manageable, a dull burn in the back of his mind, just another weapon in his armoury… but this, this-!
This was a twisting clamour in his blood, a burning backwash in his mind, a taut anger drawn tight in his shoulder and blurring his vision… a fury unbefitting a man of his stature, his position, his age; certainly immature, certainly irrational -Setsuna was just a child after all; no one could expect her to take her vows of loyalty seriously- in the face of his daughter's explanation, but no less infuriating. He swallowed hard, throat tight and clenched, just like the long-fingered hands that twisted into fists by his side and managed to take a step towards the desk, towards his daughter and her bodyguard-
-who noticed the strain on his face, the thin lines of his mouth drawn tight, the vein that pulsed erratically at one temple even as the swordsman struggled to take calming breaths, the tense and miserable anger in sombre eyes burning behind their glasses… and let her hand slip loose from her lover's hold, taking a small but enormously significant half-step forward-
-placing her slender frame squarely between Konoka and Eishun.
Anything he might have said caught in his throat, stuttered and died as outrage crashed through him at that last, unmistakeable gesture of defiance.
...what? You would- you would dare to stand between me and my daughter…?
As though she had heard that unvoiced thought, Setsuna lifted her chin, looking up at him with eyes that flashed silver, demon burning through the dark shadows of her normally unreadable gaze -she's broken her seal, broken it just like her vows, the demon in her has free reign just as I knew it would- shook her head, one hand coming to rest oh-so-casually on the strap of her shoulder bag, the soft cloth sheath where he knew Yuunagi was hidden-
-and even as Konoemon cleared his throat with an urgent harrumph, lifting wrinkled hands in a peaceable gesture and Konoka took a trembling gasp-of-a-breath, it was far too late-
-and Eishun exploded forth a blur of movement, lunging for Setsuna before she could even blink.
"Daddy! No-!"
Eishun's sword came free in a wicked flash of steel, the slats of sunlight pouring through wide windows casting brilliant rainbows from its razored edge; the swordsman swung his blade up and around even as Setsuna somersaulted backwards from the desk -small feet pushing off the heavy wood with a muffled thump as she propelled herself up and out, ponytail swinging and a handful of dark strands fluttering down where the edge of a blade caught her hair- drawing the danger out and away from Konoka, and ripped Yuunagi from her sheath in a hurried movement that scattered scraps of fabric in a drifting cloud.
"You traitor," growled Eishun, bringing steel against steel in a ringing clash that sent tremors of shock racing up the swordswoman's slender arms, "how I ever trusted you with Konoka when you could betray us like this I will never know!" shoving forward, Eishun snapped his leg out, trying to take Setsuna's feet out from under her; only a quick-thinking backstep and slide sideways -bringing her wakizashi up for extra support as Eishun brought his blade crashing back against her nodachi in a screech of steel- saved her from a toppling fall.
I've never- never seen Eishun-sama so angry…
The demon inside her was screaming, enraged and calling for blood to be spilt as recompense for this insult, and a small part of Setsuna couldn't help but agree. All she had done was serve her ojou-sama as the young heiress's needs demanded, as bodyguard, friend and finally lover- that was no reason to try to part her head from her shoulders, right? It wasn't like she'd broken any rules-
"I swore to the Shinmeiryuu, in word, blood and deed, that I would not fail you; I swore to your father that every breath I drew would be to ensure your safety-"
Crippling guilt twisted like a knife in her gut and Setsuna barely held off another blow that, had it landed, would have shattered her bones and split her flesh; a sword just as cold and sharp as her remorse flashed and spun out from her clumsy block, coming in for another slash; Eishun snarled, teeth bared, and sent her skittering back across the polished floorboards with a vicious, double-handed swing.
"You swore to protect her, even from yourself! Liar! Deserter! Oath-breaker!" His voice was thick with anger, hands shaking about the hilt of his sword- but Eishun's sudden, shocking loss of composure was not enough to dampen his skill, and a blisteringly fast slash that tore the air with a shriek knocked Yuunagi from her grip in a flash of blue light-
-sending the half-demon to her knees, hands numb to the elbow, her blade clattering onto the floor, too far away for her to reach; Eishun, before her, sword lifting, her own reflection splintering across the rippled edge as she saw her death foretold on mirrored steel-
"Set-chan! Set-chan! Daddy, STOP-!" Konoka screaming even as her grandfather held her back, the air around her shimmering with heat as her gathering, uncontrollable power threatened to scorch them all, Konoemon raising a hand that blazed with magic-
"Eishun! Stop this madness, right now!"
Thooooom-!
Eishun's eyes blew wide as coils of twisting light snaked about him in a rush of bone-shaking magic; his breath burst from his chest in a ragged gasp as the headmaster's spell tore his katana from his grip and sent it spinning across the room to knife upright into the floorboards, where it came to a stop with a tortured thrum-mm-mm; the swordsman himself was thrown in the other direction, lifted bodily from his feet and slammed into the wall, cracking the plaster with a heavy whump and sliding down to the floor in a shower of brick dust and cracked stone.
"That is enough!" snapped Konoemon, stepping forth from his desk, one arm holding Konoka securely across the shoulder as tears glittered in her soft brown eyes. "I am ashamed to call you my son-in-law! You nearly killed the poor girl! She's a child, show some mercy."
Eishun, rocking onto his side, coughed and spat blood onto the floorboards, the bands of power binding him tight and restricting. "She is no child- and the moment she broke her vows to the Shinmeiryuu, the moment she placed her own desires before her ward's needs, she lost whatever right she had to claim mercy from me." He lifted his head, dark hair dusted with flakes of plaster and streak of red dripping down from his forehead; turning his gaze to the cowed half-demon, still kneeling in shock where she'd nearly lost her head, he spoke, voice soft and miserable.
"You… you swore, you swore to me, to Konoka, that you would always and only be by her side, as her protector against all the dangers of the world. And I believed you. I left her in your hands, Setsuna, because in you I saw her safety, and for a while you were the best bodyguard I could hope to give her. But now… but now I come here to Mahora after hearing of the wards weakening and demon incursions, only to find that you have not only overstepped the boundaries and, and, and gotten her pregnant -gods alone know how- but forsaken your duty."
Setsuna shivered, and in the back of her mind the demon, quivering with rage, fell silent. Something like despair swept up and over her, even the blazing surety that her love for Konoka was right, was good and true, flickering a little in the face of crushing doubt.
I just… I just wanted to be with her. I just wanted to love her. That's not wrong. It can't be…
"Perhaps I was wrong to entrust her to you. Perhaps this was all a mistake on my part."
Konoemon frowned, face etched with lines of worry. "Eishun, what are you saying? These girls love each other, are meant to be with one another- surely that they've gotten a child together against the odds is a sign of that if nothing else. You can't think to tear them apart-"
Eishun shook his head, wincing as the bonds about him drew tight. "You don't understand. I am not just Konoka's father, I am acting elder of the Kansai Magic Association -a charge you gifted me with, Father, at least until Konoka comes of age- and the captain of the Shinmeiryuu. What Setsuna has done defies me in all of these roles; she has betrayed my trust in her as my daughter's companion, betrayed my trust in her as my vassal, and, most of all, she has betrayed us all as a swordswoman sworn to protect and uphold until death. She has broken Shinmeiryuu law. For her actions, there is and can only be one recompense: death."
...what?
Konoka's reaction was swift and immediate; tearing herself from her grandfather's hold, she raced to Setsuna's side, dropping down to wrap her arms around the shell-shocked young woman, pulling her partner close to her chest.
"You can't. You can't. I- I- I won't let you. She's my partner. If you, if you kill her- you kill me too. And my baby." Her voice broke on the last word, tears finally spilling free, pouring down her cheeks in fat droplets. "I won't let you, Dad. I don't know how, but I'll stop you."
"Konoka…" Eishun hung his head, face hidden, and Setsuna could not tell if it was anger or sadness that choked his voice.
Konoemon waved his hand; the glowing bands of power lashed about Eishun's chest and arms collapsed into nothingness, and he slumped, dragging in deep gulps of air. "You cannot. If you hurt her, Eishun, if you take her life- you will not be forgiven. I admit what you say she has done is a serious transgression-" Konoka's head jerked over to her grandfather, something like anger writ in her eyes for this betrayal of support, even with tears still on her cheeks, "-but death is not the answer. Even if Shinmeiryuu law calls for it, surely there is another way…?"
"Exile."
No. No! I won't leave Kono-chan, I can't-! I won't be taken from her side!
"Setsuna… Setsuna must leave. She must leave, and never again come back."
Konoka cried protest, and Konoemon frowned, opening his mouth for rebuttal- but by then Setsuna was already standing, pulling her startled lover upright with one gentle hand curled about her arm, and over the roaring of her pounding pulse in her ears -the demon enraged and howling at the thought someone would dare try to part them from their mate, their egg- she heard herself speak.
"No."
It was almost shockingly easy. She hadn't ever expected to be capable of such, such defiance -gods knew she owed more than just her life to Eishun, more than merely her life; everything she had now was partly due to the decision to take her in the swordsman had made so long ago- but now that she was actually standing, and had just told her captain that no, she would not allow herself to be exiled, would not allow herself to be taken away from the woman she loved because of some law made by some old guy in a funny hat -Konoka's words from weeks before ringing clear and sharp in the back of her mind- there was no doubt that it was only getting easier as the seconds passed, even if something like fear twisted low in her gut.
But as her hand slid slowly down Konoka's arm, tangling their fingers together, the chill in her veins melted away in a blur of warmth and confidence.
No. I have made this decision. I will not back down. I will not be afraid.
Breathe. Remember to breathe. In. Out.
In.
Out.
"No. I'm not leaving." The words came easier now as the tension in her chest loosened, slipped from her lips as though it was the simplest thing in the world to deny her own death sentence -because even merely exiled, it would be death without Konoka, no life at all without her Kono-chan, without their child- even as Eishun's eyes burned holes in her where his gaze fell.
"What." The word forced itself through gritted teeth, the swordsman smashing a hand into bloodied floorboards, and wood creaked as Eishun pushed himself upright, plaster dust cascading from him in little drifts of white. His fingers twitched, reached for his belt- but Eishun's katana was half-way across the room, blade still vibrating against the wooden floorboards it was embedded in.
Taking a step forward, Setsuna tugged Konoka behind her, placing herself between the young heiress and her father once more. Swallowing down the tightness in her throat, she steeled her nerves and spoke. "I'm not- I'm not leaving." Straightening her spine, the young hanyou pushed her shoulders back, shifting into a relaxed stance, and though her sword lay some few metres away from her, there was a readiness in her posture that had not been there before. "I am Konoka's bodyguard, and even if you say I have broken my vows, that will not change." The hand not tangled with Konoka's own lifted gently, slowly, delicate fingers outstretched-
-and Yuunagi, awaiting her master's call as ever she did, rose and shimmered, the merest lacing of willpower and chi rippling across metal, sending the nodachi flying across the room and coming to rest in Setsuna's hand. With deliberate care, the young woman swung Yuunagi down and across her body in a single graceful movement, the long blade coming to bear in a low and defensive guard.
"I will protect her. I will always protect her. I love her, and I'm not leaving."
Expression twisted with disbelief, Eishun stood and stared, heedless of the blood that trickled red through the plaster dusting his face. Dark eyes slid from the blade's sharp edge and to her face, to the pale and unwavering eyes of the young swordswoman before him and he felt a swift stab of pride that even in the face of his not-inconsiderable anger, even with the knowledge that her actions amounted to treason and her death most likely awaited her, Setsuna was determined to stand by his daughter's side.
Shaking his head -her actions were still unforgiveable- his eyes narrowed sharply. There was no mistaking that stance, the subtle positioning of her sword and body between Konoka and himself; though her posture was non-aggressive, purely defensive, the hanyou could shift to attack in a heartbeat- and the determination that flickered in her gaze told him that if she believed it necessary, she would strike.
"Are you… challenging me?"
Turning slightly, Setsuna drank in the sight of the woman behind her -soft brown eyes glowing with anxiety, pretty face worried and dainty fingers tightening on her own- and dragged in a deep breath.
"If… if that's what it takes to stay with Konoka, then… yes." Silvered eyes flicked to Eishun's face, her gaze hot and intense. "Konoe Eishun, captain of the Shinmeiryuu, acting elder of the Kansai Magic Association, father of the woman I love- I challenge you."
End Part Eleven
ENDNOTE: …
…
…
(Takes a look at the cruel cliffhanger)
...I'm sorry? (hides under desk)
Please don't be mad, I promise that the next chapter will be better than this one. I just want to say thank you for all of your continued support- you guys have no idea how much it means to me that there are people who read my work, and enjoy what starting out as a silly, one-off idea I had one lazy afternoon.
One more thing before I let you go: to all those readers who leave me anonymous reviews, I love them all and I'm very grateful, but please don't ask me questions- I can't reply, and it kills me that I can't answer you!
To all my readers, thank you once more, wish me luck for the job interview I have tomorrow, and I'll see you in part twelve!