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 29:

SAFE!

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


Thank goodness, she's all right.

Negi breathed deeply, drinking in the salutary air that his body needed so badly.

She's hurt but everything's going to be okay. I might not be an expert with healing spells, but I can still pull a few tricks on my own.

He was not breathing hard per say, yet on the contrary, the sudden pallor of his flesh spreading through his complexion, as his body's internal temperature dropped precipitously, was far from a healthy sign. Negi was freezing inside to tell the truth, but he just could not express his pain. This stark weakness was a price that mages commonly paid sooner or later, although his seniors paid a lot less thanks to their vast experiences.

The bespectacled boy had simply used too great, too suddenly, too much of his mana without taking care to properly manage the flow, resulting in a classic case of cause and effect. Being something of a gifted child prodigy, Negi Springfield had plenty of mana to go around certainly, a massive well of it, an extraordinary trait, but even if such an exceptional individual such as he expelled too much of his mana abruptly, his body would not be able to keep up with him, and this would be the result.

Mana Burn... I got a bit carried away again, Sis, thought the boy with a faint grin. Still, I'm pretty sure I banished the monster with that last shot, so I should have plenty of time to-!

Suddenly, a shrieking energy beam of blue erupted from the settling debris cloud amongst the bleachers, slicing through the smoke like a hot knife through butter. There was no time to dodge, no time to react, and it struck the line of the bluff where Negi stood. The searing heat of the explosion clawed at his side as the boy was flung brutally aside, rolling helplessly down the steep slide in a rolling bundle of flailing limbs, his precious staff separated from his side.

"Negi!" shouted a distant voice at the edge of his consciousness.

The world was a whirling maelstrom of motion and sound, tempered by pain. A weak gurgle escaped his lips when he at last smashed into ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt. Wisps of smoke rose from his singed clothes and hair, a small price to pay considering he was still alive.

However...

"Kukukuku! Hey, bouzu, that hurt you know," rumbled a deep masculine voice, "I don't know what got into you, but little brats like you really piss me off!"

Negi could feel the rippling vibration in the ground as the monster hurtled its massive bulk into the air. Knowing he did not have a second to spare, he grit his teeth, suppressing the agony that filled his body with a thousand stakes, and pulled himself back up to his feet. His vision was hazy, probably a combination of caused by his askew spectacles, which thankfully had not been damaged during his fall, but he could see well enough.

"Look out below! Ah-hahaha!"

All he saw was a black blur before the ground before him exploded violently with earthen debris. Grass and clumps of dirt carried by the whipping air shoved past him, as the bespectacled boy staggered back with a shocked yelp, shielding his face with his arms. It was during that frenzied moment that he also realized something important, and it made his blood run cold with a dread.

My staff! What happened to my staff? thought Negi in growing alarm, as he sensed a great shadow wash over him. There was something enormous in front of him, big enough to block out the sun's familiar light. No, this can't be happening! How did the monster survive my-!

"Oi, don't just stand there, bouzu. After what you did, at least you can look me in the eye."

Agh! Its breath; breathing right on top of me! It stinks! But wait, what's this coppery...

"BRAT! LOOK AT ME!" the monster howled down at him, flattening the sorrel-haired boy onto his back with shear force of its voice.

At that moment, Negi would always remember his first encounter with a Hollow, face to face. From a distance, he already thought it a formidable beast: half-man, half-serpent with two pairs of great muscular arms, green flesh, and gray scales adorning the serpentine half of its body. Now, its massive form towered above him, blotting out the sky, but the macabre white skull that it had worn over its face was missing.

The face that greeted him was a man's face, human and cruel, except a chunk of it was missing. Red blood and gore oozed down the severely burned half of the man's face, the white bone of his skull exposed for all to see. The man's burnt flesh was literally melting off his face, revealing the red muscles and tendons that held his jaws together. Half of his teeth were scorched black and the other half was a glistening white.

It was horrible!

Instinctively, Negi instantly clamped a hand over his mouth to prevent himself from puking as he propped himself up to a sitting position, and frantically backpedaled away from the grotesque visage of the monster. His stomach felt sick just looking at it, but he could not tear his stricken fearful eyes away from that man's manic, terrible gaze. There was a twisted black joy in the sadistic grin on his ruined face. How it was possible that such an abomination could still live after such a grievous wound was beyond the comprehension of the magister magi in training.

The monster chuckled wickedly, enjoying the delightful fear he sensed in his latest victim. He would deal with the girl later. This little boy would be first on the menu today! "Never seen a nightmare before, bouzu?"

"My G-God, wha-what are you?" It --- no --- He --- he bleeds blood! Red blood! Just like a person, a human! But he can't be one; it doesn't make any sense at all.

"Oh? You don't say?"

"Huh?"

"This is the first time a magi's ever shot me in the face. Ooooooo, do you have any idea how much it stings?"

"Y-You should be dead, ba-banished --- something! How can you still be alive?"

"Two reasons: One, you screwed up, amateur. Too much magic for one dinky little spell, and not enough focus. Two, you don't have what it takes to banish me!"

Negi's jaw slackened in pure awe. "...You know about magic?"

"Oh, I've eaten some magi to know the difference."

"'EATEN'?"

"What did ya expect? I'm a Hollow! Human souls are all the same to me, doesn't matter if its a magi or just some ordinary scumbag, and it looks I'm gonna eat you for an appetizer," the Hollow crooned malevolently, his murderous gaze paralyzing the bespectacled boy on the spot. He gathered one of his great hands into a fist, cocking his arm back purposefully for the kill. "But first, I'm going to grind your bones into dust, little boy, make you nice and tender. Teach you your real place. Nighty-night, and sweet dreams!"

The creature's arm shot forward at him, the punch roaring through the air with the fury of a cannon.

This was it.

This was the end.

Negi could not believe it!

How can it end like this? Nekane, Anya, Gramps, and everyone here, the Headmaster, Takamichi, Shizuna-sensei, Chachamaru-san... They're all counting on me! I can't die here now, after everything I've been through. I'm --- I'm not even eleven years old yet! There's still so many things for me to do, so many people that I haven't met yet that could use my help. And then, there's Him...

...The Thousand Master...

...I can't let him down! He said he would be watching over me, always.

Gritting his teeth, the sorrel-haired boy stared at his executioner determinedly, even as Death was a heartbeat away from showing him to the after life.

I won't cry! I won't lose! I won't-!

"Say hello to Buddha for me in HELL, brat!" the Hollow screamed at him.

The End never came...

Suddenly, a blackish red blur appeared before his very eyes, interposing itself between himself and incoming fist that would surely reduce to no more that splotch of blue and red. Ambivalence was the best word to describe the avalanche of emotions that shot through his heart in an instant, holding his breath. A heartbeat later, the world went white with a chilling crash, like glass shattering, when the monster's fist smashed into the black-red blur, before letting loose with an ear-splitting, thunderous explosion of air.

Fighting back against the tremendous force of light and air, Negi grit his teeth and bore the brunt of the worse using his free arm as a shield while the other arm braced himself up against the ground. He felt like he was going to be blown away! What was the source of this incredible force? Was it magic?

"Baka, you're really, really stupid, you know that..."

That voice! Negi's eyes snapped open, putting aside his arm, even though he could barely see a thing now. He squinted trying his best to confirm the identity of the black silhouette, a feminine outline standing just in front of him, her clothes and hair whipping backwards in the clash of air and light.

"...Negi-sensei?"

Kanako! Urashima Kanako! But how?

The blast settled, and sure enough, standing there was Kanako, her physical condition no better than she was a moment ago when she had been punted across the now scorched practice field with a single blow. She had been hurt badly, but here she was standing strong --- and holding off the Hollow's massive fist with a single opened hand.

Negi stared.

The Hollow stared.

Kanako smirked. "You're the only other idiot boy I know who would strike up a conversation with a Hollow, the vile little things."

Something glinted off the sunlight, snowflakes drifting past his face, causing Negi's eyes to widen in bewilderment, his mind whirling abruptly with questions. How could it be snowing in the middle of spring? And-! Why is it so cold? I'm shivering, freezing!

"K-Kono musume, WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY ARM?" the monster howled furiously at the black-haired girl, as visibly cooling vapors of breath were expelled from his mouth. Even a wraith of his vast years had never experienced something like this before, the sudden drop in temperature was utterly unnatural, it was still getting colder.

Negi noticed the Hollow's arm in greater detail then, the very same one that would have killed him. Shards of ice were forming in patches all across its arm, while other portions of the sickly green flesh bubbled and puss, hissing with steam and red vapors from the wraith's vaporizing blood. The Hollow's expression warped in incomprehensible agony as it struggled with some unseen force, every muscle in its arm bulging unnaturally. What was Kanako doing to it? How was it possible that she was holding off its punch with a single hand?

Kanako stood with a haughty smirk, her black hair shifting intermittently between shades of black and crimson, her eyes glowing with an eerie faint blue light. There were disruptions in the hazy air surrounding her, caused by the emanations of some energy rolling off her body in red waves. The temperature was still dropping, a white mist of freezing air joining the cool frost that began to spread across the grass beneath her feet.

"I told you I wasn't done yet," she hissed in a deadly whisper, her voice regaining its former strength. The exposed wounds and injuries on her body visibly began to mend themselves right in front of his astonished eyes, as the Hollow's arm continued to deteriorate. It was like she was draining the vitality out of the wraith's body through its arm, and the affliction was spreading through the remainder of its body!

Incredible, I've never seen any-! ...AGH!

Suddenly, the bespectacled boy latched onto his throat with both hands, a choked yelp on his lips. He could feel his eyes bulging in shock, an unnatural constriction gripping his throat, his body convulsing sporadically as he fell to the ground in a heap. Fear invaded Negi's panicked mind, joining the deathly cold that permeated through his body. It was like the symptoms of mana burn, except --- except it was killing him! Wisps of smoke rose off his stricken form as clumps of ice began to crystallize on him as well.

What!

What's happening to me!

Sis!

Ragh! It hurts! It burns! It hurts so much!

Lines?

Why --- am I seeing LINES?

Red lines?

They're --- they're like patterns --- origami?

All --- all over me!

From...

From...!

...Kanako-san?

Black.


The chilling thud of a limp body hitting the grass snapped Kanako out of the heady euphoria, a sea of power she swam in, enveloping her in its warm embrace. What was she doing? Where was she? What was this faint pressure she sensed behind her? It was weakening, just a faint whisper. A heartbeat? The light in her eyes dimmed, her expression melting into sudden realization.

Negi!

Subconsciously, she turned her head about, breaking her crucial concentration without even realizing the ramification. The horror filled her stunned hazel eyes in an instant, beholding that paling stricken form. Wisps of steam rose off weakly the boy's twitching body as the invasive shards of ice stopped crystallizing momentarily over his audibly cracking spectacles. He was on the verge of death --- all because of her, because she had tried to help.

No! Kanako's eyes quivered in denial, a reflection of the savage war raging within in her heart. This could not be happening to her!

This moment's worth of hesitation was all her foe needed. With a scream, the Hollow sacrificed its limb that had been seized by the raven-haired girl's awesome power. The arm shattered into a million scintillating shards of light, pure spirit energy, as he leapt back with a powerful whip of his serpentine tail that shook the ground, snapping Kanako out of her daze. She stumbled about, her still dislocated left arm swinging crazily with her stilted movements, causing her to wince in pain. Her body in its empowered state had apparently not gotten around to repairing that --- minor detail.

"NO MORE GAMES! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU BOTH!" the wraith bellowed in fury from high up above, its form a black silhouette against the glaring light of sun. He brought all of three of his remaining arms to bear, opening his gaping maw wide, and focused all the spirit energy he had into them. Instantly, four massive electrified crimson spheres of deadly energy manifested with a deafening roar. "SHI-NEEEEEEE!"

Blinded by the glare and the dissipating shards of spirit energy, Kanako could only cringe against the searing heat with dread, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. All she could see was those four intense crimson spheres, death incarnate screaming through the rippling air, and turning day into a hellish night for a split-second. There was no time to dodge, no time to do anything else. She did not have the focus or the stimulus to draw out her bloodline limit anymore, nor could she rely on her low supply of chakra to do her any good.

I can save myself, easily enough --- but what good would that be?

I would be just like those so-called 'friends' of that wretch, Kagurazaka Asuna; no better than them.

If I have to die here, then I'll do it proudly by Negi Springfield's side.

...It's the least I can do for the boy because...

It's all my fault anyway, isn't it, Keitaro-oniisan?

"SHOUDANFU!" shouted a drawling feminine voice confidently.

Suddenly, a powerful whirlwind gusted into Kanako's vision, carrying numerous ofuda in the form of paper seals, inscribed with glowing arcane symbols. She hardly had a chance to make sense of what was going on before her entire world went white with a deafening explosion. For a moment, she could not hear a thing, her ears overwhelmed by the noise. There was a only a debilitating whine, as she rocked from side to side in a daze, before collapsing onto her knees.

What was going on? Who the-?

"WHAT?" howled the Hollow in disbelief. Apparently, it could not believe either that fate had dealt such misfortune; first, an arm, and now, this absurdity!

The voice laughed, an older girl by the full timbre of her voice, "Maa, maa, I reckon that ain't exactly the sorta question a dead man oughta be asking, don't you think so?"

"HUH?"

"Bye-Bye. Haki!"

The electrifying scream of an immense energy blast tore across the field, the equivalent of the Hollow's original attack she reckoned, and Kanako still could not see a thing. Her eyes had not recovered fully from the first explosion, and now, this second blast was completely overwhelming her, forcing her to slam her eyes shut.

"Wha-UWARGH!"

There was no explosion this time but an implosion, much to the raven-haired girl's astonishment. All sound, all air drawn in to a single point, compressed into an incomprehensibly tight vacuum, until there was no sound left. The singularity shattered like glass, releasing a tremendous rumbling shockwave of pure force that shook the ground. Windows from the nearby buildings exploded inwards, as the foundation of the buildings withered the mighty power.

Instinctively, Kanako flattened herself to the grass in an effort to protect herself. She did not exactly favor the idea of being blown away by the shockwave, but for some reason, it never reached her. Her entire body could feel the minor earthquake from the shockwave traveling through the ground, and the trees to the rear rustled madly as their leaves were sundered off by the violent air.

"Sugoi, I reckon so that poor fella really packed a little too much reiatsu into that attack of his," the older girl noted with some bemusement in her noticeably "Southern" Kansai accent. "That's more than enough to kill your average person, let alone a say-it-ain't-so mage boy and a jacked up exterminator girl."

Questions were more than plentiful in Kanako's racing mind. As soon as the dust cleared (ignoring the occasional clatter and thud of falling debris), she looked up and gaped, her eyes widening with awe.

For a moment, she swore she saw a flicker of something ethereal. Standing there was a tall and unbelievably beautiful woman with a long flowing mane of exquisite platinum-blonde hair, garbed in the white and red robes of a miko, or shrine priestess. Red fox ears protruded through her hair, and a single lovely foxtail twitched contently, apparently unhindered by the accommodating modifications to her long red pleated skirt that resembled a pair of hakama. She was literally glowing with power, intoxicating, while a large red fox, big as a wolf, with three tails sat at ease on its haunches by her side.

"Kitsune," Kanako whispered, enthralled by the breath-taking sight.

A fox spirit.


To Be Continued...


Author's Notes:

w00t, I just made it in time for a Thanksgiving treat for you all! We've busted down another a grand's worth of hits thanks to you all, and by golly are we getting close to the good stuff for this story arc. What? Story arc? Seriously? Yup, this has all been a part of the "Day 1" Arc, which still has quite a way's to go before we can get on with the "regular" Negima storyline. Oh, but don't worry, things are only going to get more interesting once all this exposition stuff gets done.

Shoot, we're not even in the real story yet, and by God, Negi just took a nasty beating! Is he going to be okay? How's his ego going to be? It's his first day on the job and already he's down for the count. Ouch. And what's with Kanako all of sudden again? What's this weird power she's got? And who's this apparent Good Samaritan that just stepped in to save the day? Was there some hidden meaning to what that Hollow said? How are these things even manifesting in Mahora City anyway?

Well, maybe we'll find out on the next episode of Glass Moon!

Mad love to y'all! And 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 maestro here. Now before we go, let's give a shoutout to the few, the proud --- the Reviewers:

To the Esper Man, Mister Alpha Draconis1, hmm, you wouldn't happen to have watched Magical Lyrical Nanoha have you? The ermine idea kinda struck a rapport. Hehehhe, oh well, be careful what you wish for because chances are --- the Big G Money upstairs is listening in...

To the Man who Stands upon the Shoulders of Giants, Mister Keikun4238, you were probably a little disappointed by Negi's first showing, but give the kid a break here. It's his first time fighting a completely new foe that he's never seen or studied before, and he's fighting outside of familiar grounds. On top of that he was under pressure at the time, not to mention forced into an unfavorable circumstance without any time to really think about what he was doing. Also, it doesn't change the fact that Negi's still a kid and a fallible human being too, so go easy on him, all right?

He's not a hero --- yet.

Well, that wraps it up, folks, so until the next time we meet (sometime next week, I'm guessing): Peace out! Kampai!

Omake!

Naze Nani Glass Moon Desu

Episode Preview!

Chapter 30:

A Good Samaritan?

"Fuufuufuu, my ain't you a cute one, just like this little puppy here. You really put him through the ringer, you know that? I don't think I've ever heard of a Ministra Magi hurting her own Magister Magi in the process of protecting him."

Tsudzuku!