A/N: To make up for last chapter, I give you a rapid update...
Tikigod784: Well I couldn't have Grievous and Starscream duking it out again now could I? And thanks, I try my best with villains...
TzuiAssassian: DAMMIT. Ah well. Here's more Luke craziness for you then.
Watch Wannabe: I've been playing RA3 lately so I thought it'd makea nice reference. Well, we also have Negi and how his preparations to go to the magic world are skewed...and the twins will have their pranks.
Chapter Twelve: Mornings after are always awkward…
Kazumii Asakura was prowling the streets. That in itself meant trouble. Throw in the fact she was skipping classes, and that trouble could easily be converted into havoc. The reporter had spent many hours the previous night gathering whatever information she could on this strange "Luke" character.
Her computer had almost dissolved too, but then again the school mainframe had been acting up lately. Anyway, what she had found had sent thrills of excitement coursing through her. Whatever it is she had stumbled into, it was either a governmental conspiracy, or a major mage secret!
It had started out innocently enough, her searching the usual places for data on the guy, such as government records, Google, hospital databases, some phone listings…the usual.
Nothing. Zilch, nada. As far as the internet was concerned, a person by the name of "Luke Mason" either did not exist or wasn't worth being concerned about. That hadn't been really shocking truth be told. Relishing this challenge, Asakura began to dig deeper. Matching descriptions, speech mannerisms, anything. That had turned up a lot of data which would let her home in on his personal details.
His speech, accent, British. Yet his demeanour was not as traditional as stereotypes would have led her to believe. Polite speech, almost noble, though tainted with connotations he was obviously familiar with. Strange outfit, militaristic, blue. Several countries had blue uniforms, though nothing that particularly matched the boy's outfit. Probably custom made in that case. Lots of places could have produced it for him though. The pocket watch, gold, unadorned, with a gold chain. A common item, so another dead end.
The reporter had nearly given up when she found it. A small, private site, probably created by a civilian somewhere, caught her eye. Hating to admit she was clutching at straws, she nevertheless clicked on it and began to read. The more she read, the wider her eyes grew. She had stumbled onto something legendary. Literally.
From what the red head gathered, it seemed that "Luke" was somehow linked to a being known simply as the Paladin. Rumours abounded of this figure's origin, but what was known was that around its appearances there was always this one person, this blonde boy, always checking the time on his watch. But the duo's appearances were hard to track down. And neither of them exactly tried to mask their presence. It was as if fate had ordained them to play the supporting cast in whatever event they appeared in. They never took centre stage, always being right on the fringes.
During a civil war somewhere, Luke apparently was a member of the UN forces sent in to restore order. Exactly what happened was still hazy, but it seemed like the guy had gone off on his own the minute they reached the capital city. Listed as a deserter, the forces had posted a warrant for his arrest and moved in on the seat of the government. According to news reports, after a fierce battle with over fifty people wounded, they took the building where the military junta was hiding and taken the enemy leaders prisoner.
But the truth had been hidden. An official document of the incident someone had managed to obtain a copy of revealed there had been no battle. The UN forces marched right in without meeting any resistance. Upon reaching the enemy leaders, they found all of them in shock. A headcount then showed that one of the instigators of the regime was missing. When asked about this, the shaken generals simply mumbled something about a demon and a knight.
Whereas before the reporter would have dismissed such ramblings as a hoax, after being exposed to magic, she wasn't so sure. A picture appeared, apparently snapped by a reporter attached to the UN forces. It was out of focus and rather shaky, displaying some buildings, and leaping between them, what could only be described as an armoured figure. Not Luke, but the Paladin.
Of course, the possibility of those two being one and the same had occurred to her. But she decided to reserve judgement on that. Instead, she had continued reading the site. Things went from strange to bizarre.
Form conjecture, it seemed as if the Paladin was an ageless being in the background, never hiding, but never taking centre stage either. And the boy with the pocket watch was always with him, his dress changed from time to time, but it was undoubtedly the same person. And he had access to time magic.
It was the only thing that made sense to her. Here, a photo form 1945, the soviet assault on Berlin. She could see Luke in the background, playing cards with a couple other soldiers. Another taken by the same source showed the ruins of a tiger tank, a knight silhouetted above it. And then a video from a battleship, where Luke could be seen strolling casually in the background, a sling over his arm. Twenty minutes later, when it came under attack, somebody with a sword could be seen directing the guns, mostly obscured by the smoke. And then another photo, this one from the nineteenth century, showing Luke again, grim faced, standing behind a family which cancelled their tickets for the Titanic. He also had a small scar on the arm that had been bandaged in the photo taken later in the timeline.
Asakura had pretty much been convinced she needed to hunt these guys down. They seemed too interesting to simply always be in the background. And thanks to her, the Paladin would become known throughout the world, along with his partner, Luke. And she would be famous for revealing the shadowy secret of the two background characters.
Finding Luke would lead her to the Paladin. A knight of time, aiding humanity, never expecting reward or even recognition. A true hero.
With her resolve fully determined, Asakura decided to go out and find Luke the next day. Until then, she had painstakingly begun looking all photos taken in Mahora, overcome with curiosity. If he was here, then so was the Paladin. Maybe someone had seen him without realizing it. And also, had the pair visited Mahora at all?
The reporter had been disappointed. Nothing at all amidst the nearly endless supplies of photo material, stretching back to the founding days of the journalism club, showed the pair. Even the special, part magical checker she had downloaded from the mage net found no matches. Eventually she had surrendered to sleep.
And now she was out and about, hunting for her elusive prey. When she found him, she would have the story of the century! No, the story of eternity!
"I don't care if you are a ninja, I demand my right to a phone call!" said Luke in mild annoyance, glaring at the kunoichi.
"Oh calm down de gozaru. I'll be taking you to the proper authorities soon enough," she replied, finishing her breakfast. "And I've missed classes today because of you too."
"Fine, I apologise for that then. But please, can you let me down?" he begged, swaying slightly.
"No. After you tried to escape the last fifteen times de gozaru, I am not about to give you the benefit of the doubt," she replied nicely, smiling at his suspended form.
Luke just stared back at her sullenly, tied up and hanging upside down from a tree. "I prefer to think that you would act the same way."
"Of course. Though my first attempt would have been successful."
"No doubt," Luke said dryly, letting his gaze wander around the packed up camp. Personal hammer space was a really useful thing to have. Nature hadn't been disturbed, and there was nothing to betray the fact someone had set up camp, had several meals and trained ninja skills here at all. Only to be expected from Miss Nagase, he thought with a small smile.
"Ok, we're going now, said the ninja, standing up and slinging the backpack over her shoulders.
"Finally!" cried Luke in happiness. "I was wondering how much longer I'd have to hang around!" A kunai sliced the rope holding him up. "AACCKK!!"
"That was for the bad pun, de gozaru," explained Kaede with a grin as she watched Luke stand up groggily, rubbing his head. "Now come on, time to go," she said, indicating he should go first.
Sighing in defeat, Luke threw up his freed hands. "Alright, as you wish Miss Nagase. Where are we going anywhere?"
"To see my teacher. He usually knows what's best to do."
"What, that kid?! HAH. Negi's so clueless most of the time…" the youth trailed off, his hearing registering what he was saying. He turned his head.
Kaede was looking at him, eyebrow raised. "And how do you know Negi-sensei, de gozaru?"
"Erm, I ran into him yesterday?"
"Aha. And he happened to tell you he was my teacher?"
"…ok, look, we both know where this is heading, and frankly, I think neither of us wants to repeat last night once more. Can we just go already? I'm cold, stiff and hungry," said Luke dejectedly, walking off, Kaede following.
At last some maturity, she thought, smiling. Though he is still far too open with his thoughts…