Disclaimer:

Love Hina and Mahou Sensei Negima is the creative property of Ken Akamatsu, who created this wonderful anime/manga series. Shingetsugan Tsukihime and Fate/stay night is the creative property of TYPE-MOON. Anything not attributed to Akamatsu-san or TYPE-MOON belongs to their respective owners, such as references to Cowboy Bebop (the Swordfish II) that is a creation of Sunrise and Shinichiro Watanabe, BLEACH is a creation of Kubo Tite, and vice-versa. This story is written purely just for fun, guys; please for God's sake, don't sue me! I'm just a high school student with too much free time on his hands! On the other hand, any specific author created characters I created for this fic (despite how unoriginal they may be at times) are mine. So without further adieu, let's get on with the show!

The Surgeon General's Warning:

Read at your own risk. Multiple pairings inside folks, with KanaxKei and KanaxNegi, just to name a few! You never know what you're going to get so read on (I might even do some alternative stuff, if you know what I mean).

Blue Blue Glass Moon, Under the Crimson Air

I Wanna Go To A Place...

Chapter 21:

Friendship

A Love Magister Hina Negima! fanfic by James "Ray" Edwards

"Oi, Sakurazaki. Oi! Sakurazaki!"

Who was calling her now?

"Sakurazaki! Where do you think you're going?"

Where was she going? It was a good question, in fact.

"Wait up! What's the rush, Sakurazaki?"

There was no rush. Simply, she was going nowhere. The world was over for her, absolutely.

"Dammit, Secchan, knock it off with the cold shoulder act already!"

Secchan?

Setsuna stopped dead in her tracks as the wind howled, sending her raven tresses fluttering in its currents. The leaves of the trees and bushes that lined the sidewalk on either sides, providing shade and shelter from the sun and the harsher elements, rustled in harmony. For a moment, she could imagine that she was not here in Mahora City, a heady wave of nostalgia flooding her senses, but somewhere else far, far away from the present.

Her vision was blurry, something watery clouding her piercing sight, yet if she looked hard enough, Setsuna thought she could make out a figure: long ebony hair tied up into a high ponytail, steel-green eyes that could have passed for an olive green, tall and graceful, beautiful, flawless skin, and the noble bearing of a samurai. It was so familiar to her, a girl on the verge of becoming a woman. She had seen it many times, admired it many times, laughed, smiled, cried...

...and envied.

But that was all over now, and soon, even this dream would end.

"Phew, finally! I figured as much that'd --- get your attention. Always one for --- propriety, aren't you? You really do --- have a way of bringing out --- the worst in some people, Sakurazaki," said the voice between tired breaths. "Running away like that! I've had to --- chase you --- all the way across-! Oi, Sakurazaki --- you're crying."

What?

There was a rustle of cloth of being drawn, and before Setsuna knew it, a comforting hand clasped itself on her shoulder while the other dabbed at her cheeks with a handkerchief. The raven-haired girl tensed up and closed her eyes, willing herself futilely not to move, even as she trembled with unspoken broiling emotion. Her hands clenched themselves into fists. It was shameful for a Yojimbo to show such emotion in public. She had to hold them in; she just had to!

"Maa, maa, Sakurazaki, you're really a handful sometimes," the other girl breathed heavily in her stoic yet amiable mezzo-soprano, wiping away the last of the tears before pocketing away her handkerchief. "Come on, I'm tired. Let's take a seat over there in the shade."

"Why?"

"Hm?"

"Why are you being so kind to me --- Tatsumiya Mana?"

Setsuna opened her eyes and was greeted with a rare sight indeed. The lovely shrine maiden with her natural tanned skin, a glowing golden brown, allowed herself a small smile. In spite of her great allure, emotion rarely ever reached that glamorous complexion. Mana was a paradox like that; she had all the beauty in the world but could hardly express her repressed feelings. Effortlessly, she was eloquent and well-mannered (to a grievous fault), and had demonstrated many times that she could fit in well with any crowd once they got over the initial shock of her exotic charm. Only when she was exhausted did her emotional restraints loosen somewhat; hence, her more open behavior now.

It was probably part of the reason why she took part in a multitude of sporting activities; her favorite being the Biathlon Club.

"Do I need a reason to help a friend?" asked the dark-haired beauty, her hypnotic eyes a visible shade of lilac.

Setsuna averted her gaze, a faint blush creeping up her cheeks. The strange comforting warmth wormed its way into her gut. For various reasons, she always felt --- inadequate in Mana's ethereal presence. "Bakamono --- how many times do I have to tell you. We're comrades, colleagues --- not friends."

"Hmmm, considering you owe me about six-hundred thousand yen, I say that makes us pretty good friends."

The raven-haired girl jumped neatly ten feet into the air with an absurd expression of pure outrage. "WHAT! I DO NOT OWE YOU THAT MUCH, YOU THIEVING TANUKI! YOU SAID IT WAS TWO-HUNDRED THOUSAND YEN YESTERDAY!"

"There we go; that's more like the Sakurazaki Setsuna I know."

"Huh?"

"So what's troubling you, Sakurazaki? It must be something big if you can shut out the whole world and run away from it without glancing back."

Setsuna frowned. "What do you mean?" And was it my imagination, or did Tatsumiya-san's eyes just change to an amber color? Ohhh, that girl vexes me!

"I see, so you really don't know... Well, to make a long story short, Sakurazaki, you've been wondering around campus, aimlessly, with no purpose or direction, moving through the motions; your eyes hollow, and your haggard face sullen, like a lost child..."

"'A lost child'?"

"...and when I saw you (call it bad luck, maybe) and called out to you, you just started to run blindly with little regard for any sense. You were like a woman possessed, running for the sake of running only, not caring of where you were or where you were going, just as long as you were moving somewhere --- it was fine."

"That's-"

"Absurd? No; I don't think so; far from it actually because it happened all right. I tried getting your attention many times, but I didn't get through to you until just now when I called you-"

"Don't say it," the raven-haired hissed suddenly with a harsh scowl on her face.

Mana's tone did not waver in the slightest at the curt retort. She was good like that, her emotional restraints had already snapped back into place, and the verbal blow washed over her like it was nothing. Her amber eyes, however, seemed to brighten even more. "So I see --- that name carries a lot of pain with it."

"It's none of your business, Tatsumiya-san."

"Pushing away people who want to help you --- haven't we done this before, Sakurazaki?"

"I never asked for your help."

"Alright, I won't push you anymore than I already have today. Still... It amazes me how irresponsible you people can be; you people who can so freely express your feelings."

Setsuna gave a start, seething audibly with a hiss. The subject of emotions was a --- sore spot between the two of them. It made her feel guilty just to think about it, but why should she care what the raccoon girl thinks? They were colleagues, comrades, working partners --- not friends. So why bother with her feelings?

"I guess, that's why Kami-sama put people like me on this earth," said Mana as she turned away. It always did end up like this between the two of them, has been for well over three years now, with neither side being able to open up truly to the other. Maybe it was her inability to express herself. Maybe it was just the raven-haired samurai being her usual stubborn, guarded self, but the end was always the same. "Look into your heart, Sakurazaki. Can't you see it's clouded right now?"

"I said, 'it's none of your business,' didn't I, Tatsumiya-san?"

"Un, I heard, but for the sake of efficiency, I recommend you take the rest of the day off."

"Wh-What?" Setsuna blurted out.

"You'll just be a liability if you go out on patrol as you are now. Mahora City is a fairly safe haven, but if we run into trouble, you can bet that it won't be just any ordinary problem."

"'A liability'? Me? You must be joking!"

"I'm not kidding, Sakurazaki. You owe me enough money as it is, and I don't want to have to bury you too. Not even if you do have a death wish."

Setsuna snarled angrily. How dare that girl accuse of her such dishonor? She had no intention of taking her life, and certainly not while she still had a purpose to fulfill. Until that fateful moment arises, she will continue to perform her duties without fail "And what's that's supposed to mean, Tatsumiya-san?"

"I'm just simply protecting you from yourself. I don't know what's eating you. Maybe it was the incidents this morning with the exploding trashcans. Maybe it was the new girl, Urashima Kanako. Maybe you felt guilty over Kagurazaka Asuna. I don't know."

"I'll deal with that troublesome girl myself soon enough. I won't allow Urashima to do as she pleases."

"So are you saying that because of Kagurazaka? Or is this something else?"

Setsuna bristled hotly. "It's none of your business, Tatsumiya-san. Haven't we been over this already?"

"Fine," Mana replied to her in an equally curt tone of voice. She was honestly starting to become frustrated by the stubborn impertinence of the girl she considered a friend, in spite of all their differences. "However, that doesn't change the fact that we still have the rest of the day off, you know."

"So?" Interesting, I think that's the first time the raccoon girl has ever used that kind of tone with me. It just proves that even she has her limits.

I wonder if I said what I really felt, would it make a difference? No. I guess not. Even if I said it, it wouldn't matter because there's no passion in what I say. I wonder if it's because of my eyes? "Following up on my recommendation, I suggest you spend the afternoon at Mahora Central Park. You obviously need some time alone, time to think, Sakurazaki. I can handle tonight's patrols myself."

Setsuna scoffed stubbornly. "As if you can order me around, Tatsumiya!"

"Do you want to fight?"

The wind howled through the path, crashing through the bushes and trees as an audible symphonic burst of rustling leaves filled the air. Their clothes and hair fluttered moodily in the wind, a reflection of the tangible tension building up between the two girls. Though they were both unarmed, an electrifying sensation could be felt emanating from the both, foreshadowing of a battle that could erupt at any moment.

"Do this for yourself, Sakurzaki," Mana told the stubborn girl. Her hypnotic eyes had changed to a subdued lilac hue, baffling her "friend" yet again, as she turned around to face a wary-eyed Setsuna. Even she did not know fully why her eyes did that, but there was little doubt to her of the power they held within. "You could argue that I'm not in any better shape than you are, but --- I'll tell you this."

"What?"

"I can see perfectly, Sakurazaki Setsuna."

The raven-haired girl made a face. "And what's that supposed to be? More of your cryptic-"

"You'll destroy yourself if you keep this up, and you need that time alone to yourself. I can see it happening right in front of me. You can probably fool someone else, but you can't fool me."

"Tanuki."

"Stubborn Samurai Girl."

"Hmph!"

"If you want, I'll even knock off a hundred-thousand yen from the debt you still owe me."

"Che, do as you wish, Tatsumiya-san. I don't need your pity."

"Stubborn and proud. Then again, you're a good person like that."

Setsuna blinked as a faint blush graced her cheeks. She had not expected those words to come out from Mana. Agh! The girl vexed her so much! "W-What?"

"I wonder if all confusing people are like that?"

"'CONFUSING'? You're one to talk!"

"Hm, enjoy your afternoon, Sakurazaki," Mana bid her cordially as she turned to leave for good. "Oh, and one more thing."

"What now?"

"You have my phone numbers, both of them, don't you?"

"Of course, they were written on your business card."

"Ah, yes. We're having sukiyaki tonight up at the shrine. If you wish to join us, just give me a call."

Setsuna was speechless. Again, her earlier question came to mind. Why? Why was Mana Tatsumiya being so kind to her for? They only had a working relationship and nothing more. Why?

"To answer your question again from earlier."

"Huh?" Was the confounding girl psychic as well too?

"It's because we're friends."

Mana left.

"The sakura in Mahora are a little bit different than other places. They're late bloomers in a way. Even after the leaves have set in, like magic, they can all fall away and the flowers will come. Maybe you'll catch glimpse of them, eh, Sa-ku-ra-chan?"

The wind serenaded the raven-haired girl in a private concert, playing with her hair as the leaves rustled in a pleasant hum. Setsuna could feel the warm growing in the pit of her stomach, a feeling of --- happiness. Quickly, she crushed the "vile" feeling, balling her hands into trembling fists. Happiness was not something she deserved, especially not someone as despicable as she was.

Never her.

"You baka-m-mono --- h-how many times d-do I have to tell you. Tatsu-miya Mana. Comrades, colleagues, working partners...We're not friends. Dammit!"

She was crying again.

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes:

Phew, now that we got that last piece of setup (trust me, it'll all make sense later) out of the way, I suggest you guys buckle your seatbelts. It's going to be pretty much all downhill racing from here with a few plateaus to catch your breath. What's the deal with Mana's eyes? What the heck was Motoko and Setsuna's relationship exactly, and how does that play out with Konoka? And how much money does Setsunareally owe Mana? Mehehehehe, we'll just have to wait and see...

Congratulations to making it to chapter 21, folks, and I sincerely hope you enjoy the ride! Remember, I always encourage each and everyone of you to feel free to comment, review, and/or discuss the story. Your comments can really make a difference, I assure you, and if you're up to it, feel free to ring me up on AIM, or even send me an e-mail (although you really don't need to boost my ego too often). You know how to get in touch with the meister here. And with that said, it's time to say hello to the Extraordinary Reviewer Guys from our last line up:

To the Dude Who Claims No Psychic Powers, Mister Havenoname, true that and you can expect somewhere along the ride downhill.

To the Man of Sherlock Holmes, Mister Alpha Draconis1, oh, don't worry about a thing. After all, today's loser can be tomorrow's winner, and you bet there's going to be plenty of battles, re-matches, tag-team, hell in the cell, and I might go for some whip cream, bra and panties, bikinis, beach volleyball extreme, etc. Hehehehehehhe - MWHAHAHAHAHHA!

Well, that wraps it up, folks, so until the next time we meet (probably next Monday): RET-SU, GO! FIGHT ON, FIGHTERS!

Omake!

Naze Nani Glass Moon Desu

New Pairings Sighted?

SetsunaxMana --- The Yojimbo and Gunslinger Ane-san? Was it meant to be? Sounds like a fine recipe for mayhem!

And where would we be without the...

Episode Preview!

Chapter 22:

That Weird Girl

"Dou-duuunn! Whiiirrrr! Kyunn-Kyuun! Boom-boom! Ba-bang! Alright, my little birds, are you ready? Let's wrap this show up!"

Tsudzuku!