Heyyyyyyyy! XD Wow, it has been such a long time! And you know what, the only lame excuse I can give is that school has REALLY been stressful lately and I'v been having writer's block. But I fough valiantly to get this up! Thank goodness my efforts came through! Xp

So, let's get this rolling!

Disclaimer: I do not own Negima or any or its characters.

Now please, enjoy the chapter! XD

Chapter 25

"She's got a broken rib. Luckily the other one is just fractured and then she's got a few bruises here and there…but Kami…she took a lot of damage…" Konoka muttered as she continued to heal the unconscious magic sensor within Zazie's arms. That muttered statement made Zazie's heart gradually yet painfully tear in two with guilt; she couldn't stop her tears from idly sliding down her tan cheeks.

"This is my fault…" She choked out before slowly lowering her head and nuzzling her cheek against Kendra's hair; her tears falling even faster. Konoka along with Setsuna and Kaede flashed a sympathetic gaze towards Zazie, but that's all they could do at that moment.

It was a confusing yet simple answer for how to respond to a sobbing and guilt ridden friend; to comfort her as much as possible. But when that specific girl was Zazie Rainyday, 3-A's emotionless acrobat that they never thought would ever need comfort; the three girls were momentarily stumped that this imagined and nearly impossible situation became a reality right before their eyes.

But there was that key word, momentarily; it was no more than five seconds later did Setsuna and Kaede walk up to Zazie and placed an individual comforting hand on the tan demon's shoulders.

"It's not your fault Zazie-San." Setsuna interjected.

"You wouldn't have known ahead of time that the demon was going to appear…most people don't. The barrier around the school doesn't always shield us efficiently…some demons can slip through undetected…that's why Kaede-San and I came here. But apparently…" Setsuna shifted her gaze over in Kendra's direction before looking back at Zazie.

"We were too late. So if it's anyone's fault…"

"It's ours, de gozaru." Kaede finished. Konoka shook her head however.

"No, it wasn't anybody's fault. No one should be blamed for this." The mage princess flashed her sympathetic chocolate orbs at Zazie; the tan demon merely nodded in response as she nestled her cheek more firmly against Kendra's head.

Setsuna sighed before standing and looking down the path which led to Evangeline's cabin; as much as she resented the idea, she knew that what she was about to suggest had to be done.

"We've managed to knock Kendra-San out before Anima did any serious damage, but we don't really know if she's stable. We'll have to take her to Evangeline-San again." Kaede tilted her head slightly in confusion before voicing curiously.

"Who is this Anima fellow that you're talking about, de gozaru?"

"It's a long story Kaede-San…" Setsuna answered tiredly before turning around to inspect the damage.

And boy was there some damage. Several fallen trees and scorched earth were surrounding the group of girls along with patches of destroyed flora. Then there was the area where the demon's blood was splattered everywhere along with the dampness of that large splash from the stream; the mixture of it leaving boggy trails of light crimson fluid to drip languidly from branches and leaves. Then there was that specific tree trunk that received the demon's temperamental slashing to leave it as nothing more than a splinter stub. Finally, Setsuna's onyx eyes scanned for a peculiar demon carcass.

The Hanyou didn't see it.

She didn't see the head either.

Setsuna's eyes narrowed suspiciously as she turned a full circle to make sure that her somewhat tired mind wasn't playing tricks on her. She then hastily paced back over to Kaede and stated sternly.

"The demon's body isn't here." Kaede's eyes revealed themselves for a split second to showcase an expression of slight surprise before closing again. Zazie and Konoka shot an anxious glance at the silent ninja and swordswoman; the school guardians' expressions grim and deep in thought. Zazie felt her protective demonic nature flare from within as her gaze shifted about abruptly while unconsciously holding the magic sensor closer into her embrace.

"Hmmm, I don't quite sense its presence nearby." Setsuna muttered as she closed her eyes and applied more focus into sensing the demon's existence; she didn't indicate any familiar magical auras though.

"Do you sense anything Kaede-San?" The swordswoman asked with her head still lowered and concentrating. The tall ninja shook her head before smiling apologetically.

"No, I'm afraid not Setsuna-San. It seems that the demon has escaped de gozaru." Setsuna didn't like this and Konoka and Zazie appeared to be conveying similar feelings of unease. Setsuna swiftly pulled out her pactio card and pressed it to her forehead; in the end, both Negi and Konoka were going to assist the Hanyou this time…

"…A-Asuna-San?" Negi muttered meekly as he knocked softly on the bathroom door. The child teacher's red haired companion had isolated herself in there for nearly fifty minutes now. This undoubtedly worried Negi to no end and he couldn't take the silence anymore. The child wizard knocked again.

"Please Asuna-San, come out. You've been acting very strangely lately…what's wrong?"

"…" Negi received silence once again. He sighed lowly while rubbing his cheek tiredly; why did Asuna have to be so hard headed? Suddenly though, the child teacher heard a familiar voice inside his head.

'Negi-Sensei, do you hear me?' After perking up attentively from detecting Setsuna's voice, Negi replied curtly.

'Hai, Setsuna-San; what is it? Did everything go okay with the demon?'

'Not exactly…' Negi's expression turned quizzical.

'What do you mean?'

'When we got there, the demon wasn't the only thing we found.' This only confused Negi even more. Setsuna continued quickly with her report on the situation however without pause.

'It was Kendra-San and Zazie-San…they were both attacked by the demon and were injured in the process.' Negi felt himself choke on air as his thoughts immediately became inundated with frantic worry.

'N-nani?! Are they okay?!'

'Hai; luckily the wounds aren't that fatal, so I think Zazie-San will be okay, but Kendra-San…she…' Setsuna faltered in the middle of her sentence, clearly aware of the panic that it would cause her teacher to feel. Negi pushed on though; determined to learn of the whereabouts of his students.

'What about Kendra-San?' Negi heard Setsuna sigh from the other side and slowly began to sit down on the couch; something in his gut told him that he should sit down in preparation for whatever Setsuna was about to reveal.

'It was Anima again Negi-Sensei. When Konochan and I arrived…Kendra-San was surrounded by this glowing, green magical energy and was holding the demon in her hands…preparing to blow it to bits…' Negi, devastated with the news, leaned forward and rested his head within the palm of his hands. That was the last, the absolute very last, thing that he wanted to hear about his newly acquired student. After the first encounter he had with the immortal being, the child wizard knew how dangerous the magic sensor could be once under Anima's influence. Negi tried to respond, but found that his brain was overworking itself and was unable to conjure up a thought that properly conveyed what he wanted.

'I killed the demon before she could though…but then Kendra-San tried to attack me and Kaede-San.' Setsuna continued.

'We were able to knock her unconscious for the mean time but…honestly we're not sure if Kendra-San is stable and the demon's body disappeared. It escaped.' Negi went over all of the information that Setsuna relayed to him; there were still a few questions roving around in his mind.

'But wait…if Kaede-San was there, then how come Mana-San wasn't? She's usually one of the first to arrive when it comes to exterminating a demon.' Setsuna's eyes widened with realization.

'I-I'm not sure why either Negi-Sensei…maybe something came up with her, but other than that, I don't know of Mana-San's current location. But Negi-Sensei…I really think you should be here.'

'Eh? Why?' Negi asked as he turned around to look at the still locked bathroom door. He wasn't comfortable with the idea of leaving his troubled student alone to deal with her arcane personal problem. Then again, he also wasn't comfortable with leaving her other precious students in the presence of the magic sensor since her mental condition wasn't certain and quite unpredictable.

'Negi-Sensei…not too long ago, Kendra-San and Zazie-San have been planning to form a pactio with you in order to help gain control over Anima.' The mentioning of the word pactio made Negi's childish face flare up burgundy as he once again choked on the offending oxygen. Setsuna obviously suspected this reaction as she heard her teacher stutter and sighed lowly.

'P-p-pactio?! A-and with Kendra-San? N-no, I couldn't; it w-wouldn't be right-'

'Negi-Sensei' Setsuna cut off Negi's rambling sharply.

'There's no more time for hesitating. You have to do this, Kendra-San, Zazie-San, and everyone else in Ala-Alba has already agreed to the idea. She needs your help and quick.'

Both sides were silent for a few moments. Negi sighed deeply before rising from the couch and slowly trotting back over to the bathroom door. He stopped inches away from it as his reluctant brown orbs stared at the smooth wooden surface. He really didn't want to do this. It was so rare; seeing Asuna act so distant and depressed were making his worrisome teacher senses tingle like crazy. Ignoring those senses was one of the hardest things that Negi has done, but after tracking back and thinking over the current situation with Kendra, Asuna's situation would unfortunately have to be taken care of later.

'Hai, Setsuna-San…I'll make the pactio. Where are you?'

'We're heading for Evangeline-San's cabin, she should be able to get Kendra-San stable again. But this problem with Anima has to come to a stop Negi-Sensei.' Setsuna responded austerely. Negi nodded in agreement.

'I know Setsuna-San; I'll be there as soon as possible.'

'Hai, Negi-Sensei. Meet you there.' The swordswoman's thoughts disconnected from Negi's mind. As Setsuna departed, Negi hastily raised his fist to the door and knocked once again…

"Do I just care about her...or do I…like her?" Asuna asked herself in a low whisper. The confused red head was standing over the sink and staring at her reflection in the mirror in bewilderment. She didn't know who she was looking at; this couldn't possibly be her.

In the mirror, she was a mentally and emotionally exhausted girl with slightly pale features. Her head was lowered in distraught unlike how the usual haughty Asuna would have her head raised in minor hubris. Her fingers gripped the edges of the sink tightly; practically trembling from the force behind it. The red head was frustrated, perplexed, and annoyed.

Why did this mysterious new feeling decide to show up now? What peculiar event, gesture, or word triggered such a foreign emotion within her? Asuna had no idea what it was, but what she did know is that she supposedly has special feelings for Ayaka Yukihiro.

"…I can't like her…it's just plain stupid. She hates me and I hate her…I mean, at least I think I hate her. But then I like her too!? Gah! This is freakin' ridiculous!" Asuna growled as she rubbed her right temple irritably; these mixed matched ideals were getting her nowhere.

Luckily for the frazzled girl, her unorganized musings came to a stop as she heard another knock from the door.

"Asuna-San! I'm sorry but, I-I have to go!" Negi's voice resounded loudly from the other side.

"Kendra-San and Zazie-San were attacked by a demon and I have to go check on them!" Asuna's attention perked after hearing that statement. The red head had to admit, and with great inhibition, that she had grown a small soft spot for Kendra. So this left her feeling slightly worried for the magic sensor. Then, of course, she also worried for Zazie's well-being. Finally, as a coincidental bonus, this could be a perfect distraction for Asuna from her possibly romantic feelings for a certain blonde class president.

Asuna sighed as she took one more glance at her foreign reflection before rolling her eyes and abruptly opening the door.

The sudden violent swing caused Negi to squeak and jump back in surprise.

"Whoa! A-Asuna-Sa-"

"Don't think you're leaving me out of the fun baka." Asuna responded blandly while inwardly cursing herself for using her flat tone again. 'Come on, pick up the freakin' slack!' She scolded herself heatedly as Negi blinked in bewilderment at the red head's distant yet angered features.

"Wait, you're coming? Really?" The young child wizard asked with childish hope radiating from his bespectacled brown eyes. Once again, Asuna rolled her eyes before swiftly walking past Negi and heading towards the door. Without turning around, the unusually emotionless student muttered over her shoulder.

"So where to Negi-San?" Negi, finally realizing that he was being left behind, quickly reached for his trusty staff and followed after Asuna.

"T-to Evangeline-San's cabin; Setsuna-San said that I would have to do a pactio with Ken-"

WHACK!

"Itai!" Negi yelped loudly as he held the back of his stinging head.

"YOU'RE KISSING ANOTHER ONE?!" It seems that Asuna's signature flare had suddenly returned ten-fold as her bi-chromatic eyes burned holes into the young boy in pain.

"B-but I have to! It's the only way to save her Asuna-San!" Negi whined as he cautiously soothed the protruding lump atop his delicate scalp. In response, the red head huffed and continued onward for Evangeline's cabin while grumbling about a 'no good, kiss abusing, baka child'. Negi followed behind Asuna; whimpering over his assaulted head all the while…

"So…what you're saying is…Guinyard Kendra actually has a four century old and all-powerful immortal soul living inside of her head?" Kazumi muttered slowly in skepticism. The news reporter, Nodoka, Yue, and Sayo have finally found the secret that they've been looking for; but now that they knew it, they weren't sure about how to treat this important discovery.

"And you said…that he used to live a normal life…" Sayo started slowly.

"That he had a wife and a child…but then unintentionally…murdered them?" The ghostly girl felt her sensitive undead heart nearly break as her mind imagined such a tragic situation. Kazumi unconsciously reached out her hand to place it comfortingly on the ghost girl's shoulder but then halted half way. The paparazzi girl, with a slightly embarrassed expression across her face, leisurely brought her hand back down while trying to eschew from her classmates' and ermine's quizzical stares.

"That's um…very tragic to hear…" Yue commented awkwardly; her curious eyes still lingering on Kazumi's subtly uncomfortable figure.

"Yup" Chamo said as he took a long drag on another cigar. It wasn't a second later until Yue irritably snatched the stick of tobacco from his ermine mouth once again and threw that one away as well.

"I said…no, smoking, in, the library." Yue reprimanded coldly as the albino rodent pouted obnoxiously.

"But I needs my daily dosage Ane-San! You can't fight the power of huge cigars Ane-San, you just can't!" The protesting ermine's baffling response seemed to serve its purpose flawlessly; Yue was left a bit baffled. Finally, after a moment of inward deciphering, the short librarian asked.

"…Do you need shots or something?" She then sighed in exasperation while tiredly rubbing her forehead; Kazumi chuckled under her breath in the background. Chamo obviously noticed this and in response, shot the giggling pinkish-red head an annoyed glare.

"Moving on with Anima…" He started with a just barely present growl behind his words.

"He has a lot, and when I mean a lot I mean a boat load, of power. Evangeline-Ane-San wasn't joking when she said that Kendra-Ane-San's power rivaled with her own; hell, it could be a lot stronger. But then again, this Anima guy could bring some serious trouble for Kendra-Ane-San and us…" Chamo muttered as he lowered his head and thoughtfully rubbed his furry chin; his right ear twitching every few seconds. This caused the girls to unconsciously lean closer to the concentrating rodent.

"What do you mean trouble?" Kazumi asked cautiously. The albino rodent's eyes narrowed with rare graveness as his gleaming black pupils hardened with seriousness. Chamo held his answer for a silent yet suspenseful moment; hesitating on whether or not he should relay the troubling news to the girls.

But then again, these girls were members of Ala-Alba and they were technically magical warriors in their own right. Plus, he had also recently learned of the girls' plan to have Negi make a pactio with Kendra thanks to Haruna leaking the new development to him. So he figured he might as well come out with everything he knew about the immortal and give them an early warning of what dangers may come from accepting Kendra into the group.

"Anima was at first just a fun myth that was passed down from generation to generation; including stories of how he defeated all these powerful and dangerous opponents. But seeing how Anima is real and living in Kendra-Ane-San's head, he's no myth. So I'm guessing that those opponents of his aren't unreal either."

"But you said they were defeated." Kazumi interjected as she provided detectable emphasis on the word defeated.

"If they're defeated, then why would we have to worry about Anima's opponents?"

"Anima isn't the only one that's an immortal soul Ane-San…" The girls' expressions visibly dimmed with distress in under a second as their brains immediately processed what the small rodent was insinuating.

"Y-you don't mean th-that one of Anima's opponents are…i-immortal too, d-do you Chamo?" Nodoka questioned feebly; praying that the magical rodent would deny her assumption. The shy student was proven correct though when they witnessed Chamo nod his head.

"Yep, just one though. He's a pretty sick and twisted mage too; had the ability to manipulate fire and something to do with a person's mind. I think it was misery or something…His name's Igneus Misericordia and was Anima's most difficult threat; he came close to defeating Anima too. Anima got lucky though and killed the lunatic, but then…"

"He became an immortal too…" Kazumi concluded as she rubbed her right temple. This situation was becoming more and more serious as the minutes passed. What started out as an intense need to feed her paparazzi instincts soon led to a possibly alarming threat towards Ala-Alba; actually, to innocent people as well.

"This doesn't make sense though, how can Anima and Igneus be immortals in the first place? I mean, you even said that Anima was a normal man." Sayo questioned curiously. This caused Chamo to scratch his tiny head vehemently; trying to search deep into his vast mage history knowledge. He couldn't find an answer however and was feeling just as confused about it as the girls were.

That's when Chamo decided to shift his eyes in the ghostly girl's direction and immediately felt a reasonable theory dawn on him.

"Well Ane-San, look at you. You have unfinished business right? And you're still here. Anima did try to steal of bunch of evil souls to compensate for killing his family, but then he still died with unfinished business. So maybe Igneus had some unfinished business too…and it's not that hard to guess what it was. He probably wants revenge."

"Wait, wait; so let me get this straight." Kazumi stated with both of her hands raised.

"Igneus is an immortal and Anima's most dangerous opponent. Anima is living inside of Kendra-San...and Igneus wants revenge against Anima…s-so when you said that this Anima dude would be troubling, you meant that-"

"Igneus could come to Mahora and start a whole lot of trouble." Yue finished for the shocked news reporter as she tiredly fell back further into her chair and looked to the highly elevated library ceiling with a long sigh. A tense moment of wordless brooding and reeling devastation settled over them; slowly yet painfully absorbing in the worrisome possibility of being attacked by an all-powerful immortal being.

"…we've gotta tell the others about this…" Kazumi muttered as she shifted her gaze towards Chamo.

"I know this was supposed to be a secret between Kendra-San, Zazie-San, Evangeline-San and other people…but this is just too much." Everyone else nodded in agreement; it was going to be a long story to explain to Ala-Alba, but the effort would definitely be worth it…

TROT! TROT! TROT!

Severed veins and streams of crimson flapped through the rushing wind; struggling to reconnect itself with the beast's mangled throat.

TROT! TROT! TROT!

Its head was just barely connected to the rest of the bruised and beaten demonic body. The large cranium was leisurely advancing closer to the neck as the vertebrates began to reunite with a resounding click. The green demon released a low growl as the recently dead and bloody skin of its head and neck overlapped. The jade beast continued to gallop at top speed; running back to its master to inform him of the shocking news.

The beast was lucky that it never had the chance to consume Zazie and then even managed escape when the girls weren't looking. Although changes in mood could not be detected from the demon's expression; it was feeling extremely anxious.

If the monstrosity succeeded in telling its master that it knew where the long lost girl was; the demon was sure that its master would give it an award. The feral and naïve beast nearly doubled its speed to reach its destination even faster.

TROT, TROT, TRO-

The demon suddenly halted in its advancement and hunched down defensively. Its keen hearing picked up on a clacking sound just a moment ago. An ear piercing bang soon followed and the demon howled in pain; a scathing sensation erupting in its shoulder.

"Grrraughhh!" The demon growled in agony as its racing pulse seemed to throb painfully throughout every single inch of its canine structured body. Protruding from the suffering beast's wound was a copper bullet attached to the four inch long needle embedded into its flesh. The jade monstrosity's black beady eyes looked around frantically as the corners of its vision became slightly obstructed with darkness. A sense of paralysis overwhelmed the demon's buckling legs and fell to the forest ground with a deep groan.

"The poison in that dart can kill you in a matter of a few hours." A voice stated blandly. Right before the struggling demon's eyes, a persona dropped from her hidden position in the trees and landed silently. Mana strolled over to the frozen demon's figure and slowly pulled out the dart; prolonging the beast's growl of pain as long as possible.

"Let's see here." The tan gunslinger held up the dart in front of her, droplets of yellow toxin trickling from the needle tip.

"I'm guessing about half of the poison is in your body. So instead of dying in a few hours…" Mana bent down and stared emotionlessly into the emerald beast's eyes; easily detecting the glint of hatred in those beady pupils.

"…I'd say you have twenty-four hours…thirty-six tops. I'd prefer it this way anyways." Mana then slowly brought her face dangerously close to the demon's own; its hot breath puffing across her face and gently fluttering her jet black strands of hair.

"I saw what you did to Zazie-San and Kendra-San. So I won't give you the privilege of dying quickly…you'll suffer until the very end." It was true. Mana had seen what happened ever since Kendra released her immortal powers and just as she was about to intervene, Setsuna and Kaede appeared. Her two guardian partners seemed to be handling the situation good enough, so Mana decided that she wasn't needed. At least that was what she thought until she witnessed the demon's supposedly dead body move on its own and took its disconnected head along with it. Since the girls were too late to notice the demon's escape, that's when Mana finally decided to exterminate the beast herself and dish out her own personal punishment.

"You should regain some feelings in your legs after a few minutes…but that poison will kill you." Mana stood up and stretched her arms casually; ignoring the sounds of frustrated thrashing from the monster's useless attempts to move its limbs.

"Off to Evangeline-San's cabin then." Mana muttered while walking at a calm pace; leaving the soon to be deceased demon alone to writhe in its spot for a few more minutes…

"…I don' get it Anima…" Kendra muttered in confusion. The magic sensor was still seated next to the green haired immortal, watching his precious memories in the endless white void.

Anima turned his gaze to Kendra and asked lowly.

"What is it that thy does not understand?" Anima's gaze narrowed slightly in suspicion as he heard the magic sensor's voice slightly crack with an unknown emotion before chuckling quietly.

"I just don' get…how such a cute kid could come from an annoyin' Casanova like you…it's freakin' impossible." Anima's glaring relaxed immediately and was replaced with a smug grin.

"How can such a beautiful creation not take after me?" His haughty statement managed to force a few chuckles out of Kendra; rubbing the back of her neck before directing her vision back up at the memories.

"Bring down da ego a bit Animalia."

"My name is Anima…" Anima grumbled in which Kendra only cracked a small smile in response; her eyes never leaving the recollections. At the moment, an expanded view of Anima, Gemma, and his wife Stella are walking their way to the floral shop; intent on buying Gemma that special flower, a Sacred Green Thorn Apple.

Riding on past Anima's broad shoulders was his daughter; her shimmering emerald eyes scanning around in excitement at the market's bustling and loud activities. The family of three made the occasional stop of examining a stand in which the owner drew them into with his loud yet coaxing tone or even just to buy a toy for Gemma. The parents got an entertaining kick out of how Gemma would try to convince both them and herself that she didn't need any more toys than necessary; only to seemingly give in to her parents' reassurance and accept the toys gratefully.

Kendra laughed softly at the child's innocent antics and decided to ignore the small smile spreading across Anima's face; the magic sensor would allow him his peace this time and save the teasing for later. Besides, it was an unusual yet warming sight that Kendra welcomed openly.

Creaks resounded loudly as past Anima pushed open the wooden gates of the floral shop for his family to enter before him. Quicker than a bullet could be loaded, Gemma eagerly sped off to the many shelves withholding a vast array and species of flowers; astutely searching for a Sacred Green Thorn Apple. Anima and Stella giggled at their daughter's hyperactive behavior and calmly strolled behind the child; quietly scanning the shop as well. Suddenly, Anima's wife leaned in close to him and whispered.

"Did thy give Gemma a lot of candy again?"

"…I do not know what thy speaks of…" Past Anima responded nervously as Kendra succumbed to another giggle; the magic sensor felt relieved to know that she wasn't alone when it came to being afraid of upsetting her lover in anyway and occasionally lying to save herself. Current Anima just coughed into his fist; a barely visible pink hue on his pale cheeks.

"Mommy! Daddy! Look, I found it!" Gemma proclaimed loudly while eagerly pointing at something on a shelf. Past Anima inwardly sighed in relief as his wife's attention was directed away from interrogating him and calmly strolled over to the little girl.

"Oh, look, thy has found it!" Stella realized proudly as she smiled warmly at her daughter. Gemma delivered a bubbly smile of her own as Anima also stared in satisfaction at the flower while unconsciously ruffling the blonde child's hair affectionately. Something in the back of Kendra's mind ticked subtly when she witnessed the familiar gesture. 'I do dat too…' The magic sensor realized.

"Very keen eyes thy has Gemma." Past Anima praised happily as he took the flower from the shelf and headed towards the front counter.

"Anima…" Kendra started carefully as her hazel eyes sent a calculating gaze in the immortal's direction.

"Why does thy send me such a pondering look?" The emerald eyed Casanova replied in slight miff; thrown off from his host's sudden studying features.

"…when ya ruffled Gemma's hair just now…do ya do dat a lot?" Everything in the previously suspicious immortal's mind immediately clicked and fully foresaw where Kendra was heading with her questioning. He sighed slowly and stared at the happy memory for a moment longer before turning back to face Kendra.

"What thy suspects is true. Yes, I did that many times…as it was one of my very few forms of showing affection…"

"Then is it just a coincidence? I mean, I do da same thing since it's da easiest way for me to show affection but…do ya have anythin' to do wit dat?" Finally, Anima shifted his seating position and faced Kendra fully; the transfer student doing the same with her curious eyes never leaving Anima.

"My hosts in the past….they have always become influenced under me. Not just with controlling thy psyche…but also with other things. My temper…my pride…my impatience; but I believe that thy is the first one to ever possess my…" Anima trailed off as he stared down thoughtfully at his long pale fingers.

"…special show of affection?" Kendra finished somewhat unsurely as the other half of her mind began to connect the dots. An immense amount of minor enigmas were instantly becoming solved. Kendra was wondering why she had such a short temper ever since Anima appeared in her life or what it was about ruffling a person's head that seemed so fitting to her. Once again, it was Anima; it was always Anima. The discovery made the magic sensor wonder if there was anything else the forest haired soul robber was hiding from her.

"Yes, I am keeping knowledge from thy." Kendra's hazel orbs abruptly glanced up at the immortal being with a slightly baffled expression.

"…how did-"

"I live inside thy's head, remember? I know all thy's thoughts." Anima interrupted indifferently as obvious recognition slowly ebbed its way onto the magic sensor's face.

"Ah…makes sense I guess." Once again, Kendra stared at the immortal in confusion as Anima scoffed in amusement.

"Thy guess? It's a rudimentary explanation that even a peasant with intellect as low as thy's should be able to comprehend." A wide and sarcastic smile spread across Kendra's features as a vein slowly pulsed on her forehead.

"Ah, bein' quite da asshole now aren't ya?"

"Watch thy's-"

"Dirty tongue…I know Anima, I know." Kendra responded in a feigned tired tone while flashing an impish grin at the scowling soul thief. Anima turned away from Kendra with a huff and once again began to watch the memory. The magic sensor did the same; a victorious grin plastered across her cheeks all the while.

Past Anima and his family were now heading back to their home with the Sacred Green Thorn Apple encompassed quite expertly in a beautiful and white stained glass vase. Kendra's grin was reduced to a pleasant smile as she propped her chin on her hand and watched almost dreamily at the touching sight; feeling a bit confused at the same time. 'Wasn' I supposed to see da bad memories? Why's Anima showin' me dis?'

The dark skin girl's attention was immediately brought back to the memory as the calming noise of the antediluvian society was broken by the repetitive clacking of galloping horses; five horses. Seated upon four of the horses' backs were men dressed in armor of oblique colors; their facial features callous and arrogant as they stared down the market commoners. Riding on top of the last horse was another man in much thicker black armor; adorning a similarly manufactured metal mask with the barred front flipped open to reveal a pair of cold cobalt eyes. A noticeable scar was forever scathed over his right eye extending from just above his jaw to his dark gray hairline.

"Anima…what's goin' on?" Kendra asked cautiously as she witnessed the immortal focus his icy glare on the blue eyed man.

"As thy wondered just now…the forsaken memories begin." Kendra was not very penchant of the grave tone suddenly overtaking Anima's voice and immediately looked upon the memory with worry.

The crowd of market commoners immediately scurried and pulled apart; trying to give the pack of armored horse riders as much space as possible with fear stricken across their features. Past Anima automatically did the same as he handed the vase to his wife and pushed her along with his daughter behind him. He stared on warily as the five men hopped off of their horses and commandingly stomped over to a chain of jewelry stands.

"The leader of this establishment, come forth now and pay what thy owes us!" For a few moments, no movements were made and hushed whispers scattered around the horsemen frantically. Just as the leader with azure eyes reached to his right hip and sternly gripped the hilt of his sword, a robust man with short brown hair and fearful cappuccino orbs quickly snaked his way through the crowd. He promptly stood in front of the dark armored horsemen and bowed his head lowly; bending at perfect ninety degree angle despite his chubby and inflexible apparel.

"I-I-I am these stands' manager…s-sir. I-I'm deeply sorry but…we do not h-have enough money to g-give." The trembling jewelry owner muttered while tightly shutting his eyes in preparation to be struck with metal. The frightened commoner did not hear the downward slashing of the horsemen's sword over the crowd's deathly silence. He risked opening his eyes and slowly glancing up without standing from his bow. The manager neither felt relieved nor terrified; the sight made him feel apprehensive.

The leader had his sword fully unsheathed and was twirling it leisurely in both of his gloved hands; his face shadowed and examining the shining iron ore material of the blade.

"…Is that…thy's final answer?" The armored money collector asked mysteriously. The petrified manager gulped slowly and fully stood from his bow; he knew what the armored leader wanted to hear, but lying would only anger the arcane and dangerous man in front of him. Past Anima watched on anxiously; his fingers twitching ever so slightly.

Kendra heard Anima sigh irritably next to her and watched as he tiredly rubbed his hand along his face before staring down in shame.

"…I was such a fool…" The magic sensor quickly looked back at the memory; easily predicting what was about to happen after hearing the immortal's statement.

The jewelry manager quivered before finally answering with a stutter.

"….i-it is…s-s-sir…" Cobalt eyes shimmered momentarily with an unknown emotion before narrowing threateningly. The dark horsemen looked over his shoulder at his four subordinates and commanded.

"Tear everything apart and search for as much money as thy can find!" The men responded with a haughty laugh and then dashed for the stands; wrecking and destroying all of the manager's precious merchandise. Frantically looking back and forth between the chaos ensuing and the sinisterly grinning leader horsemen; the rotund owner began to feel panic rapidly seep into him. He fell to his knees and pressed his forehead to the dirt ground; bowing as low as possible.

"P-please! Spare my shop! It's all I have left! I promise I'll give thy the money soon! Please! I'll do-"

"Halt thy's tongue heathen!" The horsemen shouted heatedly as he kicked the begging owner onto his back and planted his foot harshly onto his chest. The jewelry owner coughed as his sternum compressed under the rough impact and clutched weakly at the horsemen's steel bottomed boots. The horsemen smiled wickedly as the man beneath him thrashed uselessly while shouting, no, pleading desperately for the other men to cease their malevolent actions. Sounds of jewelry being smashed under heavy boots and wood snapping from the impact of swinging swords continued to assault the hopeless man's ears relentlessly. With a defeated groan, the manager laid his head fully onto the ground and shut his eyes; trying to block out the thoughts of his life business ending and receding as far away into his mind as possible.

"Such a pathetic parasite thy is…" The leader horsemen spat venomously as he chuckled lowly at the miserable man.

"Graveling in the dirt…quite a disgusting sight for eyes-" Something in the corner of his dark blue eyes spotted rapid movement and on instinct the horsemen turned his full gaze in that direction. Suddenly, a strong rush of golden energy collided into him from the other side; effectively knocking the armored horsemen off the owner and landing on his back. The owner wasted no time to scurry away and into safety; stopping momentarily to mourn at the site of his ruined stands along the way.

"…Grrrrgh…." The horsemen grunted as he slowly sat up while hissing lowly in pain; his icy orbs narrowing even more at the green haired man standing a few feet away with his arms raised in front of him and open palms facing upwards.

"…d-daddy?" Gemma whispered as Stella protectively brought the worried girl closer to her while holding the vase in her other arm. The four subordinates quickly abandoned the stands and rushed to assist their fallen leader. The scarred azure eyed man angrily shoved them off though and glared viscously at past Anima. The emerald eyed man held his stance firmly; watching the armored man's movements very closely as he slowly raised his sword and pointed it at Anima.

"Thy has a lot of guts…" He started with a chuckle yet scowling towards Anima at the same time; emitting an anonymous killing aura about him. Reluctance began to knock in the back of Anima's head as that killing intent succeeding in intimidating him a little; Anima still held his ground however.

"So much guts…" The sword wielder crouched into an offensive stance and growled sinisterly.

"That I want to spill it all on the ground!" A raging dark purple aura began to surge around the dark horsemen's sword before slowly enveloping the rest of his body along with it. Past Anima cursed under his breath; he had hoped that this man wasn't a mage as well and that maybe taking care of this situation wouldn't have been too troublesome. Fate seemed to be playing against his favor.

With a sudden burst of speed that Anima didn't expect, the swordsman quickly appeared in front of Anima and brought down his blade. Anima immediately crossed his arms over his head and a golden shield of energy blocked the strike.

The horsemen sucked his teeth in annoyance and quickly made for a sweep kick at Anima's legs. The past immortal's legs were taken out from under him but then quickly held out his palms to the ground. A flare of gold energy emitted from his hands and pushed against the ground to vault him back onto his feet; he just barely avoided another downward slash from the horsemen.

He couldn't avoid the whip of purple energy that shot from the swordsman's shoulder though and pounded into Anima's chest. Only a cough escaped the shocked man before his body was sent flying into another stand.

Anima groaned as he slowly sat up with splinters piercing his back and arms. Multiple violet arms suddenly grabbed Anima's body and yanked him from the stand; his pinned form hovering in front of the armored horsemen. Those dark mauve arms withholding Anima was protruding from the swordsman's aura; their energy wavelengths whirling aggressively around the scarred man.

"Thy should have stayed out of this." The illuminated horsemen taunted as he slowly raised his arms and smiled wickedly.

"But thy has to die now. Ego Dico Super Atrum Miles Militis…" He began to chant the spell for his finishing move as the purple aura began to overtake Anima's entire body. The past immortal tried to thrash his away out of the hold, but the violet arms only continued to envelope him.

"Peractio Permoveo…MUCRO NEX COGO!" Thin streams of purple energy slowly slithered from the casket of dark aura containing Anima and morphed into numerous floating swords; the blades pointing at Anima's trapped form. The swords then impaled the violet coffin in one swift movement.

"Anima/Daddy!" Stella and Gemma yelled as the commoners held the females back to prevent them from sharing the same fate as Anima. Heavy tears streamed down Gemma's cheeks as she called out to her seemingly dead father; the desperate cries helping to widen the horsemen's smile.

"Let this be a lesson to all!" The cobalt eyed man yelled to the surrounding citizens while pointing at the floating purple pod.

"If any lowlife is stupid enough to defy me, then thy's fates will be the same! Thy will have the money when I come to collect it-" A sudden wave of yellow power exploded from the sac and threw everyone off their feet.

"Gha!" The swordsman yelled as he crashed into a wall and fell to the ground in a coughing fit; feeling the wind getting knocked out of him. Before he had time to recuperate, gold energy emerged from below and raised the dark swordsman in the air. He looked down to see Anima, looking completely unharmed from his finishing move, and growled angrily at the green haired male.

"Release me thy pest!" Anima stared indifferently and then slowly raised his hand above his head.

"Ego Dico Super Regimen Polus Ut Commodo Mihi Vox…" The emerald eyed man then raised his other hand.

"SEPULCHRUM TRAHO!" Past Anima brought down both arms with a yell and the armored swordsman came crashing down in break neck speed. The gravity around the horsemen seemed to immediately increase ten-fold after the fall and formed a crater around his body.

A moment of silence passed until a loud crack emitted from the motionless dark swordsman. The back of his steel helmet gradually crumbled and exposed the azure eyed man's head; thin trails of crimson streaming down the back of his neck. The four subordinate horsemen were about to aid their leader but stopped short as he suddenly jerked and sluggishly raised his head. The dark knight huffed vigorously as sweat and blood dripped down his damaged face.

Surprisingly, he then began to laugh lowly; earning a confused glare from Anima and a fearful gaze from the commoners.

"Why does thy laugh?" Past Anima asked warily. A few more coughs escaped the horsemen's throat before he smiled sinisterly and directed his gaze behind Anima.

"Because…thy is too late." The jade haired mage scrunched up his eyebrows before rapid realization seeped onto his panicking features. His wide emerald eyes turned around to see one more violet sword.

It was hovering behind an innocent person.

That innocent person was an unsuspecting Gemma.

Anima's pulse raced as he quickly ran to his wife and daughter while trying to summon enough energy for a shield; but it was going to be tough since he just performed that heavy attack on the horsemen.

"Gemma! Move!" He shouted desperately as he felt his energy reserves falling short of the amount he needed. Gemma and Stella turned around and felt their entire being swell with fright upon seeing the mauve floating sword.

It pained every single neuron cell in his brain to admit, but he knew that he wouldn't reach his loved ones in time and his energy was too low to assist him. Frustration racked his form even more as Stella and Gemma were unable to move in time and screamed as the sword bolted straight for the blonde little girl.

"GEMMA!" Anima yelled at the top of his lungs while reaching out for his daughter.

Metal ramming through flesh rung loudly in the atmosphere and all eyes were fixated on the young girl…shielded by the manager.

The robust man had both of his hands on the back of his head and was standing over Gemma; flashing a pained yet reassuring smile to her. A small pool of blood was slowly growing at his feet from the crimson fluid gushing around the sword protruding out of his chest. Gemma stared up at the jewelry owner with shocked and tearful eyes. All signs of pain momentarily vanished from the manager's face and smiled warmly.

"Do not cry…young child…" He fell to his knees as a surmountable amount of luster disappeared from his auburn pupils; the sword within him vanishing into thin cloud of purple before being carried off with the wind. Anima quickly ran forward and caught the plump man before he hit the ground and stared furiously at his dying form.

"Keep conscious! Thy must keep conscious, please!" Anima muttered while gently shaking the man in his arms. Gurgling laughter softly fled from his parted bloody lips and succeeded in solidifying past Anima's guilt.

"What for…my merchandise…my life's work…is gone…I have no…n-no reason to live now…"

"Not true! Thy's love ones, w-what about them!" The dying savior weakly shook his head however and quietly chuckled once again.

"No…no love ones…b-but…thy's child is…an important life…it must be…b-be preserved…" Anima's lips tightened into a thin line; unable to say anything else as the courageous man's eyelids calmly closed for one last time. All signs of breathing stopped and his skin was slowly dropping in temperature; he was dead.

"I am…forever grateful thy kind brethren." The emerald eyed mage mumbled dejectedly as he laid the body onto the dirt ground and sighed deeply.

"Such a sad scene; too bad I forgot to mourn." The armored swordsman, with the help of his subordinates, was leaning against an unharmed stand and chuckling darkly. Anima kept his gaze locked onto the deceased stand owner; his face shadowed and his fingers flexing ever so slowly.

"Such an idiotic move on his part! What did thy think? That thy would die a hero?! Thy only died a careless and simple minded lowlife! A worthless comm-"

"ENOUGH!" Anima shrieked raucously as he swung his arm upward and a humungous wave of neon yellow energy rushed towards the group of horsemen. Cobalt eyes widened as a rapidly growing golden reflection enveloped the hue of his pupils before the attack made stunning impact.

WHOOSH!

Only scattered armor and charred bodies were left in the after math of past Anima's emotionally fueled assault. With his arm finally dropping back to his side and panting heavily; the jade haired mage collapsed.

"Daddy!" Gemma called as she and Stella urgently ran to his aid and held him up under each individual shoulder. Anima groaned as his head hung tiredly; his entire body feeling heavier than lead.

"I'm fine…just…l-low…low energy…" Stella nodded in understanding and carefully raised Anima to his feet; Gemma holding her father's midsection cautiously.

The commoners watched the family leave worriedly; giving their support and eclectic grateful praise as they passed by. When the three passed another tall and lanky commoner wearing a dark red shirt and auburn pants, he politely handed Stella the white vase containing the Sacred Green Thorn Apple. Stella gave a muttered thanks and took the flower appreciatively before continuing to their home; accompanied by silence.

"…Thy shouldn't feel guilty…" Stella finally admitted after receiving no eye contact or response from her husband. Anima remained quiet for a bit longer until he sighed deeply and answered depressingly.

"I am weak."

"Thy is not weak." Stella interjected promptly as she shot Anima a stern look.

"Yeah! Daddy is strong! Super strong!" Gemma added enthusiastically; surprisingly feeling bubbly as usual despite witnessing a few deaths not too long ago. Anima looked down at Gemma.

"Thy was almost hurt, and then…an innocent man was killed in the process. I was too weak to protect thy two…" The despondent mage hung his head in shame as his wife and daughter stared at his sympathetically.

"Anima…" Stella whispered.

"Daddy, thy is strong…" Gemma nuzzled her head softly against Anima's body.

"Very strong…" Anima sighed once again while ruffling Gemma's head and smiled affectionately.

"Thy two truly are precious to me; my beautiful daughter…and my stunning wife." He delivered a quick peck to Stella's check in which the blonde beauty smiled cheekily in response. As the sun was setting behind them; the orange and yellow beams engulfed the three forms and made the porcelain closed leaves of the Sacred Green Thorn Apple glimmer mystically.

"…" Kendra was silent as she watched the current memory coming to an end.

"…" The jade soul thief remained silent as well; intently watching for a reaction or response out of the magic sensor.

"…Ya stallin'…" The transfer student finally muttered as her determined hazel eyes burrowed into the Casanova's form.

"Show me what I came here for Anima…I can handle it, I promise-"

"I know…" Anima interrupted gloomily as his emerald eyes locked onto her hazel orbs.

"I know that thy can handle it…I just, wanted to show thy how much Gemma and Stella meant to me…how wonderful they were…how much I yearned to protect them…but in the end, killed them…" Kendra scooted closer to Anima and examined him carefully before slowly raising her hand towards him. Her dark toned hand halted with reluctance halfway and scanned his features for resistance. When the magic sensor found nothing but despair, she fully yet gently placed her hand on his gold armored shoulder and gave a comforting squeeze.

"I know it now…I know how much ya care for them…how much ya loved them. I a'ways knew dat…ya could hold so much love, it just took a long time to reveal it 'n I fully understand why…Anima…" Anima, responding to the call of his name, slowly raised his gaze to Kendra.

"…show me da day ya killed Gemma and Stella. I want to see, know, 'n feel ya pain…" The immortal's emerald pupils trembled with repressed fear; his mind raging with the hesitance of whether or not to trust this girl with his most sacred and painful secret. Could he live through showing those memories again is what he wondered fearfully. Would witnessing the devastating recollections put him even farther under his sea of despair and self-blame? Will Kendra finally be the one to help him or will she avoid him; afraid of the murderous monstrosity that he believed he was. His rambling thoughts became unclogged though as he felt another comforting grip on his other shoulder.

Kendra was now gripping both of Anima's shoulders and was smiling as warmly and comfortingly as possibly for him.

"I won't think you're a murderous monster Anima. I know you want help…and just like I promised, I will help you."

"…Can thy read my thoughts as well?" Anima wondered in slight awe. Kendra chuckled before responding cordially.

"No…I just know you Anima. Now, show me the memories." Anima simply nodded once before the white void became the endless black sea once again in under a second; surprising the magic sensor a bit.

"Anima? Why're we in here again?" Kendra shifted her gaze around in confusion but then looked back in front to see that Anima's form was gradually being engulfed with darkness.

"Thy must experience this alone…" His voice boomed and echoed throughout the endless atmosphere and sent Kendra's spine quivering with apprehension.

"W-wait, alone? Anima, we're ya goin'?!" The feeling of his broad shoulders encased in her hands was no longer there as they were obscured by the darkness as well.

"Feel my true pain child…watch…" Despite the panic pounding through Kendra's veins, she forced herself to calm down as the immortal's persona completely vanished; she was now alone. The dark skin girl took multiple deep breaths as she waited for the dreaded memories to appear.

"Breathe Kendra…dis is it…ya finally gonna see it…just breathe-" A blinding light brought Kendra out of her calming mantra and on instinct brought up her hand to cover her currently light sensitive eyes. As her hazel orbs slowly adapted to the sudden brightness, she dropped her hand and realized what had appeared. It was another memorie, no, the memorie; depicting a small house sitting in the middle of a large grass field.

"Here it is…" Kendra muttered as she sat forward cross legged and prepared herself for the worse…

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Who's knocking on my fucking door?!" Evangeline complained loudly as she swung open her door; still in her disheveled apparel from brooding over the Anima news.

It seems that the chibi vampire couldn't get a break as she witnessed Kendra being carried bridal style in Zazie's arms with Setsuna, Konoka, and Kaede standing behind her.

"Oh great" The blonde vampire muttered as she rubbed her tired pale cheek in frustration.

"Look, I'm not in the mood to deal with your stupid problem today! And you're not bringing that pain in the ass into my cabin again!"

"B-but Evangeline-San! Kendra-San was under Anima's control again!" Setsuna argued urgently as she witnessed the magic sensor twitch slightly in the tan demon's arms.

"She's right Evangeline-San; Kendra-San needs serious attention, de gozaru." Kaede added casually.

"Please Eva-Chan! Kendra-San really needs help!"

"Who are you calling Eva-Chan girl?!" The short vamp questioned angrily before quickly dropping it and grumbling while rubbing her temple.

"Give me one good reason why I should…"

"We already gave you good reasons Evangeline-San!" Setsuna responded, this time anger lacing her tone at the vampire's stubbornness.

"Okay, and I said a good rea-"

"Move" Zazie stated lowly as her narrowed dark brown eyes glared at the chibi blonde.

"E-eh? Wha-"

"I said move!" Zazie repeated viscously as she shoved Evangeline out the way and stormed into the cabin; Evangeline gaping at her as she did so. The small blood sucker's cheeks flared red with anger but before she could yell anything in protest, the others immediately rushed in behind Zazie and closed the door. As Evangeline went over her mind how easily beaten she was on the matter of allowing access to her home, she decided her shut her mouth into a tight line and approached the group with a huff.

"Dammit! I swear you kids stress me out every day! Chachamaru! I need more tea!"

"Yes master" Chachamaru replied blandly from the kitchen.

"Now then, you said the girl went under," Evangeline felt her previous fury and fear arise within her once again as she felt his name roll off her tongue.

"Anima's…control again?" The girls nodded quickly except for Zazie as she stared intensely at Kendra's comatose form on the couch while holding the magic sensor's hand in her own. Evangeline sighed tiredly as she sat on the opposite couch.

"So I'm going to have to stabilize her again."

"Yes, you will. But, I have to tell you ahead of time that Negi-Sensei is coming as well." Setsuna informed in which Evangeline groaned in annoyance to.

"Oh come on! Boyo too? How many people did you invite to my house?! What do you think this is, a god damn get together?!"

"No, but he is performing a pactio with Kendra-San." Zazie's shoulders tensed momentarily before she slowly forced them to relax, 'it's okay…I already agreed to do this…' She tried valiantly to compromise with her jealousy as Evangeline raised her eyebrows in slight intrigue.

"Oh? Boyo's finally going to add this one to the bunch huh? That was sooner than I thought." Setsuna nodded again before turning her gaze back to her unconscious new friend.

"So until Negi-Sensei gets here, please, keep her stable Evangeline-San." The four century old vampire rolled her eyes before making her way over to Kendra and kneeling down in front of her; seating herself next to Zazie in the process. As she raised her small pale hands over the magic sensor's head to scan her condition, she leaned over to Zazie and whispered with a chuckle.

"Boyo's going to plant one on your girl, demon…do you think you can handle it?" Zazie stared indifferently at the vampire's taunting smile before murmuring lowly.

"No, I don't think I will…so I'll use you as a punching bag to relieve my anger okay?" Evangeline merley laughed in response; finding her demonic jealous side quite amusing to play with…

Fun Fact!:

'Ego Dico Super Atrum Miles Militis Peractio Permoveo Mucro Nex Cogo' is Latin for 'I Call Upon The Dark Knight Finishing Move Sword Death Compression'-This would be the spell that the dark horsemen was chanting.

'Ego Dico Super Regimen Polus Ut Commodo Mihi Vox Sepulchrum Traho' is Latin for 'I Call Upon The Guiding Heavens To Lend Me Power Gravity Pull'-This is the spell that past Anima was chanting.

Ohhhh, things are getting interesting~ Hope this chapter was satisfying for you guys to read! I promise that a lot will happen next chapter! So really look forward to it! XD

So until then, please,

CLICK THE BLUE BUTTON. -.-