A/N: Would you believe that chapter 11 was supposed to be the last one for the year? It seems in my haste to wrap things up, I hadn't noticed most of the next chapter was written. My thanks to Fionn the Otaku for suggesting the main idea of this chapter.
Ken Akamatsu continues to own Negima and its characters, but if you want to give me a really nice Christmas gift Ken …. Other characters and references abound in this chapter, but I don't own any of them either. Chiho Masuda was a character mentioned in Makuhari-Fan01's story 'Chao Lingshen: Coming Home' and Councilor Ran from 'Ala Alba in the World of Magic.' I am using both with his gracious consent. Phillip Markham Jr. and other characters are the products of my imagination.
The following conventions are used: "words", 'thoughts', "spells", 'reading'
Any Other Day
Today is not like any other day … so I'm gone, I have to find my own way – Wyclef Jean
--
Mahora, Japan
If anyone had asked Ayaka how she wanted to spend a Friday evening over a holiday, sitting in a barrel full of steaming water would have been the last answer expected. As aches and pains slowly soaked away, the girl reflected that it was a fitting end to the day. And a full day it had been: catching fish barehanded, leaping chasms, climbing trees and scaling cliff faces. Though Nagase-sensei could have at least warned her that they were poaching someone else's honey; bees were bad enough but being chased by a bear was more than the class rep had bargained for. Of course, it would be perfect if a certain other person was with her.
Glancing at the second barrel, Ayaka could see little wisps of steam rise past Kaede's lightly-tanned face, and pictured her special person relaxing there instead. Unexpectedly, another's image intruded into her fantasy. A boy with a smug grin on his face stared back causing her to jerk upright.
"I was just using you," he had callously remarked between drags on a cigarette. "I figured I could just sweep you off your feet and be set for life."
"Get away from me!" she screamed.
"What's wrong Ayaka-dono?" came a frantic response. "Who are you talking to?"
Instantly the fortune hunter's face vanished and the class rep saw an open-eyed Kaede stare at her. "S-s-sorry," she apologized. "I was thinking about a very unpleasant person."
"Will you be alright?" Kaede asked.
He was so unlike anyone else she knew, Ayaka thought. Hiro had been sweet, charming and one of the few people to show an interest in her as a person. He had been the first, and only, boy she kissed. But it had been a pose and, like others before him, he had been after her family's money. How strange to think about him after so many months. "Yes," iincho-san lied and forced a plastic smile. "I'll be fine."
"So do you come up here often?" Ayaka asked, hoping to change the subject.
"Every chance I have," the kunoichi replied as she settled back into the water. "When my cousin Chiho went to school at Mahora, I would visit on her free weekends … this was our training spot."
"So your cousin trained you?"
"To start with," Kaede answered. "I've been on my own for the last few years."
Ayaka looked away, not wishing to seem intrusive, but her instructor guessed at the class rep's reluctance. "My cousin is well," Kaede explained. "After graduation, Chiho went to work as a special investigator."
--
Megalo-Messembria, Mundus Magicus
Agent Masuda glided through the halls of the Concilium Magus, making only the faintest of noise as she moved. Her light-brown hair was cut short save for a waist-long handful that hung down the middle of her back. Born out of last year's scandal, the Curia Inquisitus existed as an independent office to investigate wrongdoing within the Council. Over the past seven months, it was common enough for councilors to ask to speak with her in some inconspicuous location; this was the first time one had requested a meeting in their office.
'And such a prominent someone at that,' Chiho Masuda thought as she opened the door to Mifune-sama's office. A little, cat-eared receptionist looked up from her desk and observed the newcomer through a pair of black-framed glasses. "Agent Masuda to see Chairman Mifune," she announced.
The young woman, more of a girl Chiho thought, pressed the intercom button. "What is it Karenda-san?" they heard through the speaker.
"The Inquisitor is here Chairman-sama," the receptionist answered.
"Show the agent in," came the response.
The cat-girl stood and motioned for Masuda to follow her. Chiho was surprised by how short the girl was, even in heels. 'And speaking of short, that skirt she's wearing barely covers the essentials.'
After being ushered inside, the ornate door closed softly behind her. Instantly the agent recognized both men in the office: Chairman Mifune, who summoned her, and Ikoma-sama, the man who replaced Councilor Ran after the later was forced to resign in disgrace. "Gentlemen," she said then bowed to them. "How may I be of service?"
"Councilor Ikoma, as you probably know, oversees the Council's finances," Mifune replied as the taller man politely smiled and bowed towards her. "I'll let him explain the situation."
"My committee is wrapping up a quarterly review of the Council's spending when we noticed several glaring discrepancies between what has been spent and what was authorized," the tall man said. "Of them, the project to replace the gate stones shows such gross mismanagement, I would have to classify it as criminal."
"You wish to launch a criminal investigation?"
"No," Mifune interrupted. "At least not yet."
Eyes, still half-closed, regarded the senior councilor. "Why not if you have evidence?" Chiho asked. "Surely it would be better to swiftly deal with the issue would it not?"
"Normally I'd agree with you, but this is an unusual circumstance," the man replied. "Go ahead Ikoma-san, tell her."
"Councilor Regina Karkolova has authorized all expenditures for this project," Ikoma said gravely.
"Our mutual animosity is well known," Mifune explained. "If I bring a complaint, it will be perceived as an attack for political advantage. I am requesting you to make a discreet inquiry and determine if there's enough information to warrant a full investigation."
"And you wish me to do this without letting the Speaker know?"
Ikoma grinned as he remarked, "To do otherwise would be counter-productive."
"So what you're asking me to do is spy upon Speaker Karkolova?"
"Spying is such a sordid sounding word Agent Masuda," the tall man started when Mifune interrupted.
"In essence, yes," he agreed. "That's why I am making a request to you rather than going through official channels."
"I admit that I'd like nothing more than to see Speaker Karkolova defeated," the man admitted, "But not at the cost of destroying what remains of the Council's reputation."
"Thank you for your candor gentlemen but the Curia Inquisitus does not spy," Chiho said firmly. "Contact me when you are ready to call for an investigation."
As she left the office, Agent Masuda began to lay out how she'd have to proceed with an unofficial inquiry. Of course she had to refuse Mifune-sama, as he undoubtedly knew, but there was no way the agent could allow the matter to rest. Chiho hoped nothing would turn up, but if the search bore fruit, she'd have no choice but expose the councilor's misdeeds. Sometimes it sucked to be an honorable ninpo.
--
Granicus, Mundus Magicus
For the previous seven months, the mill throbbed with activity as the great harvest of ofuda trees was processed. Most was pulped to make the paper used to manufacture anything from magic scrolls and contracts to pactio cards. Some were turned into lengths that would later be used to fashion the highest quality wands and staves. Still others became beams, posts, planks and panels valued for creating a variety of structures from a cabinet enchanted against thieves, to ships that sailed the seas and skies, to temples that soared to the heavens.
The harvest had come a year earlier than expected, but few spared a moment of worry as they scrambled frantically to get as many trees as possible to Granicus and other ports along the Elysian coast. Most of the city's population supported the work in some fashion or other, and now that it was done, it seemed most were content to sink into a lethargic pace of life.
Brunello sprawled out his considerable bulk on a couch and gazed at the handheld game console with rapt fascination. Though it seemed lost among such huge, fur-covered hands, fingers deftly click the buttons to keep the action going.
On the display, a figure clad in a blue parka tried to cross an icy chasm via a moving walkway. Midway across, a small bird swooped down and the character swung a huge, wooden mallet in response. The battle was short and decisive as the attacking bird spun away. Unfortunately, an icicle from the platform just above chose to fall at that moment of triumph and smashed the hero sprite. With a sigh, he stared as the words 'Game Over' flashed in mockery. 'At least I wasn't done in by a topi,' he thought.
A floorboard creaked and the bear-man looked up to find his partner approaching. A muzzle covered with reddish-brown hairs separated a pair of yellowish eyes. A bushy tail, banded black, swung from side to side as the wolf-man walked. "Yo Rufus," Brunello called out. "What was the call about?"
His partner yawned widely, revealing a row of dagger-sharp teeth. "Just the mini-boss calling to see how sleeping beauty is doing," Rufus replied. "He seemed to think our friend had gotten loose."
Brunello turned to check on their captive. The prisoner's face was covered by a hood and enchanted chains bound him to a hard, wooden chair. "He's not going anywhere."
Rufus grinned upon noting the candy-heart pink console. "How's the game going?"
"Lousy," he replied as thick fingers jabbed the button to start a new round.
--
Kyoto, Japan
Cautiously Dowaito picked up the thin, metal tube of the blasting cap and thrust it through the paper wrap and paraffin cap into the explosive gel within. After repeating the procedure, tape was wound around the two sticks, binding them together. A black box containing a remote controlled detonator was secured by more tape and the whole placed into a nylon gym bag.
After pushing away from the table, the young man allowed himself to relax. "Is that it then?" a voice behind him asked.
Spinning the chair around, he readjusted his glasses and gazed through them at his fellow conspirator. Noburo, though a year older than he, could have passed for a high school student and at the moment, seemed as nervous as one. "Wires still need to be attached the detonator," Dowaito replied. "I'll do that when we place it."
"I'm not so sure this is a good idea."
"So do we just let them get away with this?" he asked. "Just let them sweep it out the door along with us?"
Cinema Village had a simple premise, immerse customers in a movie-like experience. To that end, actors wandered through the costumed crowds and engaged patrons in both impromptu and carefully orchestrated scenes from popular movies. Sometimes the customers had their own ideas and created "original scripts" to act out. Such behavior was expected, and even encouraged, as long as nobody was put in danger. This of course kept park security on its toes.
During last year's Golden Week, one such "original script" got out of hand. While nobody was hurt, the amount of CG evident indicated park staff cooperation. After an internal investigation failed to produce any conclusions, the majority of the security staff on duty that day was dismissed.
At first, Dowaito and Noburo worked within the system to get reinstated. They had even located and downloaded videos from the net that showed similar CG used to enhance a school's martial arts tournament, but management refused to reconsider. Obviously faked video proved nothing according to them, nor to the local, prefectural or federal labor commissions. After exhausting all of their legal recourses, they were left with but a single option.
"So will that blow up the Sky Wheel?" his companion nervously asked.
"No, I'd need a lot more sticks for that," he replied. "But this should do a number on the engine house."
Dowaito looked at his companion. "We're not going to kill anyone," he assured. "But if we make a loud enough noise, then someone's bound to listen."
--
Kansai Temple, Kyoto Japan
In a holding cell beneath the temple, a blond-haired prisoner snuggled deeper into the blanket as the sound of a wooden slat sliding open was heard. Her warders had been checking on her at irregular intervals throughout the evening. Apparently satisfied, the spy hole cover was pulled back and latched with a loud click. Although only an enchanted scrap of paper, the shikigami was infused with enough of her creator's spirit to feel amusement.
Outside the walls, Tsukuyomi sat patiently on her perch and observed the small group waiting at the bus stop. Four girls, a boy and their adult chaperon stood chatting among themselves. The twin blade was surprised by Cocolova-han's presence, but was unconcerned. It wasn't as if she expected to fight today.
Clothing, weapons and enough funds to see her safely out of town were waiting where Aoyama-sensei said they would be. She should have already fled, however the swordswoman was unwilling to leave before understanding just what her teacher had meant. Sensei implied that she and Setsuna were similar but Tsukuyomi couldn't see how. They were both talented and driven to improve, yet their motivations were entirely different. Her rival was also reluctant to fight, something she relished. Sempai's interest in the ojou-sama mirrored her own preferences, but surely sensei wasn't referring to that.
'At least her shukun cares about her,' the little girl thought as Konoka said something that caused her shinsegumi to suddenly blush. Contrasting the mage she was entrusted to protect with the ojou-sama left her jealous of the hanyo maid. As a bodyguard, the twin blade wasn't entitled to any more consideration than Amagasaki-han had shown. Even after breaking the woman out of her cell, not a word or gesture of gratitude did she receive. 'Not that I expected any.'
Still, that was preferable to the callous disregard Fate-han had shown. The shinmei-ryu should never have trusted the white-haired westerner, but cooperation seemed the only way to accomplish her aims. Once again Tsukuyomi had been left behind in the wreak of another failed scheme of his. If their paths ever crossed again, she promised he would pay dearly for it.
As the bus pulled up, her attention returned to group. Noting the bus number, she jumped to the ground while her quarry boarded. She would have to move cautiously, but if Tsukuyomi could track Setsuna through Kyoto then a bus posed no problem at all.
--
Cinema Village, Kyoto Japan
Asuna stared at her image in the dressing room mirror. Konoka had selected a very expensive gown for her to wear, explaining it was part of a group concept. The dress fit her well, but the teen was uncomfortable wearing something this elegant, especially something so pink.
"How does it look Asuna?" her friend asked.
"Like something Ayaka would wear."
"That's the idea," Konoka replied. "Step outside so I can see you."
Returning to the temple with Anya had surprised the others, but without question they accepted Negi's explanation that he invited his friend to see the sights of Kyoto. Konoka decided that they should all visit Cinema Village before heading back to Mahora. Of course that meant everybody had to dress up in costume.
"Oh, you look so beautiful," Konoka gushed as Asuna exited the dressing room.
"I look like a gob of cotton candy," she replied. "Why can't I wear a kimono like you?"
"Because you're the wildly rich girl who likes manga and video games," the other girl answered. "And I'm the exorcist priestess who's always getting lost."
Knocking on another door, Konoka asked, "Are you ready Se-chan?"
"Just about," came the reply.
"What's this all about Konoka-san?" Anya asked as she stomped into the main area. "Why did I change out of my school uniform to put on a school uniform?"
"Well you're the hero's friend from the high school he used to attend," the chocolate-haired girl said. "You have a secret crush on him."
"Who's got a crush on whom?"
"And you're always being called a hamster."
"A hamster?" Anya indignantly cried. "What kind of nonsense is this?"
Before an argument could begin, Setsuna appeared from behind her dressing room door and Konoka started fussing over her. The swordswoman, dressed like a maid, looked uncomfortable in the full length skirt. "I can't maneuver with this on," the girl claimed.
"It's not like you'll need to Se-chan," her partner countered. "And it looks so cute on you."
Asuna could only watch and shake her head. Her class was definitely filled with characters, each with her own set of eccentricities. And she for one wouldn't want it any other way. As strange as it sounded to say, her classmates provided a sense of stability, the anchor which held firm in the unpredictable seas she travelled. Together they had faced danger and, if the headmaster was correct, would again. Eva-chan had been taken from them and that loss struck deep within her. 'You'll have to deal with me before you touch anyone else,' she told their faceless enemies.
"Let's go see how the guys look," Konoka said and they dutifully followed their leader. No one noticed movement at the end of a rack as a costume was quickly pulled off.
Negi was waiting outside for them, dressed in butler's garb per Konoka's instructions. His smiling face took on a stunned expression as he looked at Asuna, making the girl feel self-conscious. "Asuna looks very beautiful."
Her face began to color at the boy's remark. "You all look wonderful," he hastily added and then looked at his childhood friend in puzzlement. "Why are you wearing another school uniform Anya?"
"I don't know," the grumpy girl answered. "Ask the exorcist priestess."
"Where's Markham-sensei" Setsuna asked.
"When we explained what we were doing," Negi replied, "one of the costume managers said he had something to help Phillip-san look the part. I think the staff member is a Combat Butler fan too."
Asuna snorted at the thought of Combat Butlers. 'What's next?' she wondered. 'Battling waitresses?'
Konoka dragged Setsuna off the buy a camera while Anya's rumbling stomach convinced her to spend some of the money Negi lent her on sweet bun. "You know squirt, you don't have to hand out compliments to make me feel better," she told him.
He seemed taken aback by her comment. "But I meant it," Negi replied in all seriousness. "You look very beautiful when you dress up like this. I think you look every bit like a princess."
Involuntarily, the girl winced at his compliment. During their trip to the Mundus Magicus, they discovered that she was descended from the Royal House of Vespetatia, the former rulers of Ostia. And worse, that within her was locked a terrifying power. A power that would have destroyed the world of her birth had not the boy at her side and her other friends stopped it.
For a moment, Asuna felt the siren song of the void, the place that was everywhere and nowhere at once. It was the place where that part of her called the Imperial Princess of Twilight dwelt. But it wasn't only the princess that was there; something else, something with a voracious hunger lay slumbering in that timeless place. A frightening presence that haunted her dreams and left her shaking in the morning.
"I'm not a princess," the teen-ager said aloud. "And a single mansion in Argyre isn't a kingdom."
"But if the Hellas Empire will confirm your title," Negi reminded her, "that would make you a peer of the realm."
"And a bigger target than I already am," she countered. Associating with Ayaka and Konoka had made her aware of the problems children of the rich and powerful encountered, and Asuna wanted no part of it. "Thanks but no thanks."
"Negi-san, Asuna-san," Phillip called out. The pair saw the older man walk towards them. He was dressed in a suit similar to the one Negi wore, but had on a grey-haired wig and mustache. To this was added a pair of rimless spectacles. "How does it look?"
"I hardly recognize you Phillip-san," the boy said.
Meanwhile, Asuna gazed at her homeroom teacher admiringly. She hadn't noticed how attractive he could be and though her heart was still given to Takahata-san, the student had no qualms with window shopping. "You look very …" several adjectives passed through her mind, including a few she'd be too embarrassed to repeat aloud, but finally she decided on "very distinguished sensei."
--
Steel covered with neon-filled tubes soared gracefully to 122 meters above the ground. That height made the Ferris wheel the tallest, by 2 meters, in Japan and one of the tallest in the world. As Phillip stared at the top, he imagined clouds drifting placidly by as the cars were lifted above them.
"Come on sensei," Asuna called.
"I think I'll pass," he replied. His response drew a collective "please sensei" from his students, but the teacher politely, yet firmly, refused their entreaties. Being dressed in costume was about as far as he was willing to bend.
"You go ahead," he replied. "I'll wait for you on that bench over there."
Settled on the bench, he watched the group wend its way through the line. Chances to relax were becoming rarer with this class, and as much as Phillip wanted his students to be able to enjoy themselves, he knew they had to start preparing. Yet without knowing what to expect, how could they plan? Solid intelligence formed the basis of any OPLAN; without it, they might as well fight blindfolded. Still, there were some things they could do.
Defenders held an advantage of fighting on familiar terrain. To maximize that they would need to identify all of Mahora's strong and weak points. By a happy coincidence, three members of the last group to compromise the school's defenses were in his homeroom class. 'How convenient,' the teacher thought. 'I guess we'll form an after class study group.'
Based on what little they got out of the captured succubus, demons figured to be part of the attacking force. Since demons had appeared in literature for a few thousand years, some records were bound to exist. A dedicated team of researchers would be needed and another study group suggested itself. Considering his students, Phillip could immediately identify his Comm, Intel, Tactical and Covert Ops officers. "Piece of cake," the man said as a couple of blue-suited, park employees passed by him and stepped into the small building next to the Ferris wheel.
In fact, his class seemed uniquely suited for a task like this. 'I wonder if the headmaster did this on purpose,' Phillip thought. 'That's a scary idea.'
Negi and the others stepped into a gondola-like car and began their 20 minute trip. For the moment, Phillip was content and leaned back with eyes closed. As he exhaled, letting tension out along with breath, an image formed unbidden in his mind. A crowbar wedged between floor boards and pried a couple up. Hands lowered two sticks of what looked like dynamite wired to a black box beneath the floor and the boards were hurriedly tamped back into place. "What in blazes?" he thought as eyes snapped open and began to scan the area. The pair of men wearing identical coveralls walked out of the engine house. One carried a gym bag while the other held a crowbar. Moving before he realized it, Phillip called out, "Hey! Wait!"
Before the teacher had gotten more than a few steps, he tripped over a small figure and both fell to the ground in a heap. He lay on top of a child dressed in a costume resembling some type of yellow-furred rodent. "Sorry kid," he muttered in English.
"Markham-han?" gasped a startled voice.
"Tsukuyomi-san?"
"Would you believe …" started the hesitant response when Phillip cut her off.
"No and I've got no time either," he replied while scrambling to his feet. "Got to stop those bombers."
"Bombers?"
--
"Where's Markham-sensei?" Asuna asked as the car continued its upward climb. She pointed at the vacant bench. "He was sitting right there."
"There he is," Konoka said as she located their costumed teacher. "Is he fighting with those men?"
Negi reached for the car's door but Anya grabbed hold of his arm. "Idiot!" she said. "Do you want to reveal your magic?"
"But Phillip-san," he started to argue.
"Markham-sensei is handling it," Setsuna said as her homeroom teacher blocked a punch and followed with a right cross that staggered his opponent. However, the swordswoman was more interested in the short, child-like figure, dressed as a yellow mouse. Moving with a grace worthy of a shinmei-ryu, the costumed character easily evaded a clumsy attack.
"I wonder if that's supposed to be a Liddo-kun," Konoka said and three heads swiveled to stare at her in confusion.
"Nope," Anya answered with an air of smug superiority. "That's a Pikachu."
--
'Amateur,' Tsukuyomi scornfully thought as she dodged the wildly swung metal bar. If these men were indeed bombers, they had to be stopped before sempai got herself hurt. After all she wouldn't be able to duel the girl again if Sakurazaki-han were blown up. At least the gathering crowds would assume this was yet another show put on for their amusement. A group of children wearing the same white tee-shirts with the words 'Dogora School' stenciled across the front were busy oohing and aahing over the mock fight. 'What some people will believe.
Frustrated, her opponent raised the bar over his head and brought it straight down. Not even bothering to step aside, Tsukuyomi grabbed the young man's wrist, spun and pulled. Her assailant flipped over and smacked into the pavement. The Shinmei-ryu contemptuously removed the weapon from a limp hand as enthusiastic cheers erupted.
"Are you alright?" the voice of her temporary ally asked. Markham-han had started to walk towards her when Tsukuyomi noticed his opponent pull a metal device from a pocket. While a crowbar wasn't the same as her sword, ki instantly flowed as she raised the improvised blade.
"Raimeikan!"
Lightning flashed and thunder roared. Her target lay flat on his back with wisps of smoke rising above him. As the crowd applauded, the swordswoman glanced up at the Ferris wheel. The crowbar lifted in salute then clanged to the ground as the costumed girl turned and fled to the sound of an ovation. She was no closer to her answer, but more opportunities to cross swords with sempai lay in the future. Of that, the twin blade was certain.
--
From the top of the wheel's rotation, the gondola's occupants watched as park security swarmed the ground below. "See I told you it was a Pikachu," Anya gloated. "That was a thunderbolt attack."
--
Kansai Temple, Kyoto Japan
Betrayed. That was how she felt languishing in a cell for a year as the Kansai Association leaders debated her punishment. Amagasaki Chigusa hadn't expected loyalty from mercenaries, but had from supposed allies within the magic association. Allies who, instead of working towards her release, seemed content to let the onmyoji rot where she was.
Then lo and behold but one of the mercenary children appeared, the white-haired wizard from Istanbul. How Fate had bypassed the temple's security measures was a mystery, but the boy came with an offer; her freedom in return for the construction of a handful of talismans. Chigusa created the charms and patiently waited. When the cell door finally opened, to her surprise, the little shinmei-ryu girl stood with drawn swords. "What are you doing here?" she had stupidly asked.
"Freeing my shukun," Tsukuyomi had answered. Together they fled the underground vault and reached the surface, only to stumble across a contingent of temple warriors.
"Run!" the girl had ordered. "I'll hold the guards off."
"But …"
"But nothing," the twin blade interrupted. "This is all for nothing if you don't escape."
So Chigusa had run. But instead of fleeing the city, the mage had hidden in its depths. Eluding enemies in a city of any size was easy enough; one had only to fade into its shadows. Becoming one of the denizens of Kyoto's seamier side provided concealment and allowed her to move about with some freedom.
Few noticed an outlandishly dressed woman passing by the temple. Black hair was cut short with a frosted, white stripe added to one side. Her figure was clad in a leather outfit that set every curve in clear relief. Contacts turned eyes a deep, emerald green and her left cheek sported a rose tattoo. While her appearance was designed to attract attention, no one would confuse her with a wanted felon.
During the past week, she had asked herself several times why she had stayed. "I'm waiting for pursuit to cool down," Chigusa answered, and had known it for a lie. Stalin's quote that 'gratitude is the disease of dogs' kept replaying through her mind as she glanced up the trail to the main gates. "It's not gratitude," the mage consoled herself. "I can use a good henchman."
Perched on a tree limb, she surveyed the temple grounds. A half-dozen guards escorted the unarmed Shinmei-ryu into the central courtyard. Only a handful of talismans were left, but they would have to do. If she went in quickly enough …
A cold, steel edge pressed against her throat, interrupting the mage's thought. "Were you going to rescue me?" a little girl's surprised voice asked.
"Yay," Tsukuyomi softly cheered. "I'm touched but it wouldn't do to have you captured again, now would it?"
As the blade was removed, Chigusa turned to see the shinmei-ryu next to her. The girl wore a blue satin dress, covered in ruffles with lace dripping from collar and cuffs. Her head was covered by a matching bonnet and a sword lay in either hand. Back inside the temple, captive and guards passed out of sight. "How did you …"
"That's a new look for you isn't it Amagasaki-han?" the girl asked as she sheathed both weapons.
Chigusa glared at the swordswoman who smiled in return. "It would be best to leave before the shikigami is unmasked don't you think?" Tsukuyomi asked as she held out a hand to assist her shukun down.
--
A/N: The events with Hiro that Ayaka refers to are from the separate story 'Hiro's Lament.'
The chapter title and heading are from 'Any Other Day' written by Wyclef Jean and sung by Nora Jones.
The following words and phrases are used:
Concilium Magus – Council of Mages
Curia Inquisitus - Court of Investigation
Ninpo – another word for Ninja
Karenda – like Koyomi means Calendar
Shukun – Master
Shinsegumi – Bodyguard
OPLAN - Operations Plan
And if you're feeling like there's nothing to do cause the shine has worn off that Wii or X-box, head on over to the Train Station forum and check out the Design the Mascots section. It would really make our moderator happy if you contributed a design or just an idea. Maybe happy enough we'll get to see the next chapter of 'Canon.'
