Kingdom Hearts: Sin Angel
Episode 4: Brave New World (Redux)
(New part of Disclaimer: I don't own Negima, Ken Akamatsu does. Simple as that.)
"Earth again… I didn't think it was possible," Cygnus mused almost quietly as he and Sora stepped off of the bullet train.
"I'm trying to figure it out myself," Sora added as he stood alongside his dark-skinned opposite. In his view he saw what reminded him of the previous Earth's Japan, except far more traditional in design. "It's like stepping into a mirror. It doesn't feel the same as your earth did."
"Gawrsh, maybe it's an alternate universe!" Goofy offered his suggestion.
"You make that sound so simple…" Cygnus muttered. "But until we figure this out, I guess your excuse will have to do—" Cygnus twitched just moments before a crowd of girls swarmed by him and ran over the boy like road kill. Sora, Donald, and Goofy jumped out of the way and glanced back in horror as the girls virtually ignored the poor boy as they trampled him and took a look at the expansive traditional city before them.
"Kyoto!" One shouted happily.
"This is the famous Kiyomizu Stage, isn't it?" One girl with two long braids of blue hair pointed out. "They use this place for dancing and enacting play in honor of the Bhudda goddess Kannon-sama. The phrase 'I'm going to jump off the Kiyomizu stage' originated here. As well there were two-hundred and thirty five reported cases of people actually jumping off… the survival rate however, was eighty-five percent… surprising isn't it?"
"Whoa, she's a freak!" Another girl exclaimed, amazed at the small girl's knowledge.
"Yep, Yue really loves those Buddha statues from the shrine…" another girl explained.
The girls continued chatting animatedly and marveling over the city of Kyoto. Sora walked over and peeled Cygnus off of the ground. "You okay?"
"Do I look okay?" Cygnus grit his teeth in response before shaking himself back to normal. "Meh, I've suffered worse. Hnn?" He looked over to see two girls staring off into the sunset. Sora looked over as well, wondering what caught the dark boy's attention.
There they saw two girls, both less talkative and rowdy than the others. Like all the girls before them, they were dressed in a school uniform that consisted of a white shirt under a red vest, a tie, and a pleated skirt. The first girl, one with long, dark hair, mused happily, "This brings back memories, doesn't it, Secchan? See, there's the river where we used to play together!"
This other girl, one with a ponytail tipped to her left side, merely looked at the first girl before giving a slight bow… and leaving. The first girl could only sigh in slight disappointment.
This didn't go over too well with Cygnus, who immediately ran over to the girl's side. He took a small jeer at the girl leaving before he addressed the first girl before him. "Tch. I don't know what's going on… but are you all right?"
"Ah!" The girl turned to see Cygnus. "I'm okay." She looked over Cygnus. "I haven't seen you around before. Are you new here?"
Cygnus exchanged looks with Sora before facing her. "As a matter of fact, umm… we are! My name is Cygnus, and this is my friend Sora," As Cygnus swept a respectful bow, he noticed that Donald and Goofy had suddenly vanished. He couldn't do anything but ignore that for now.
The girl giggled a bit. "My name is Konoka Konoe, I'm pleased to meet you!" She shook Cygnus's hand with both of hers, making him blush slightly. "Our class is touring here, so if you stick close by, you won't get lost." She heard someone call her name. "Ah, I gotta go. Maybe we'll see each other again?"
"S' fine with me," Cygnus grinned. "I'll see ya around."
The girl left, leaving the dark kid to stare wistfully after her. "Dude, I think she likes me."
"Don't let it get to your head," Donald reappeared, smacking the boy lightly. "That sort of thing is called 'meddling', and it's not what we're supposed to do on planets!"
"Yeah, 'muddling' is bad." Goofy added.
"'Meddling!'"
"Tch. You're no fun." Cygnus objected.
"Come on, guys, let's keep moving," Sora decided to can their argument and follow Konoka's advice.
Looking at the large group, perhaps the most unique of them all was not a girl at all but a scrawny, red-haired boy who looked no older than ten. He wore a casual suit and tiny bifocals, giving him a far more mature air. When the girls had fled downstairs to see more sights, he followed them slowly. A large wooden staff was strapped to his back. Intrigued by this, Sora, Cygnus, Donald, and Goofy followed him from a distance down the stairs as he took in the surroundings as well.
"Ah… Kyoto's nice, isn't it?" The boy marveled, appearing to talk to no one.
Not noticed by Sora until it began to look around, a small white creature resembling a ferret began to look around. "Ah, big bro, that's Kyoto for you!" The creature began to look around more cautiously before pulling out a manila envelope. Its voice dropped to a whisper. "I got this from the Principal. He said to keep this stuff handy while you look for your father's holiday house."
"Ummm…" The child looked through to see a small packet of papers and a smaller envelope. "This is the home turf of the Kansai Magic Association…"
"EEE! Aren't they the enemy?" The ermine nearly exclaimed.
Back where they stood, Sora deliberated. "This looks like we wandered right into a potential conflict."
"Aww, don't tell me we're gonna nose in someone else's business a SECOND time in three minutes!" Donald grumped. "We're already meddling as it is!" He took a glare at Cygnus.
"Hey, the girl might like me, okay?" Cygnus retorted.
"Says you."
"You're just jealous."
"Shut up, both of you, before we get—" Sora started to hiss, but stopped as the boy and his pet looked in their direction. Sora finished in deadpan, "…found out."
It was a deadlock for a good ten seconds before both parties screamed in panic. "We've been discovered!" The boy cried out.
"We're doomed!" Donald cried out.
Sora, always one to be the mediator, immediately stepped forward to pacify everyone. "Hey, everyone calm down!" With everyone's attention on him, Sora moved towards the kid. "Ummm… I'm not sure what's going on here but… don't worry, we won't tell anyone!"
"Too late for that," Donald muttered rolling his eyes.
The boy looked at Sora with questioning eyes. "Who are you?"
"I'm Sora, and these are my friends, Donald, Goofy, and Cygnus!" Sora answered. "Ummm… we're sorta lost, so we were hoping we could tag along with your group."
The kid seemed to like the idea. "Sure, Sora!" He shook hands with the spiky-haired kid. "My name's Negi Springfield! And this is my pet Kamo-kun!" The small ermine waved. "My class and I are taking a field trip here…"
"Negi-kun! Over here!" A girl shouted from up the stairs.
"Ah, must be going!"Negi exclaimed, following the girl, leaving our heroes to think once more.
"He and his… class?" Sora puzzled.
"Hmph. I thought I heard someone refer to a 'Negi-sensei'… but how could a shrimp like him be a teacher?" Cygnus added.
"I'd say things got a lot more interesting, let's follow him!" Sora exclaimed, and the four of them bolted up the stairs.
----
"So if you make it from this rock to the other one without opening your eyes, you'll find success in love?" Negi asked one of the numerous girls.
"Yes, yes!" She answered.
Sora and his entourage arrived at the top of the hill to see two stones arranged roughly twenty meters away from each other. Both stones had a charm slip and some decorations, obviously meant for some special occasion. The four otherworldly heroes simply watched in interest.
One tall, blonde girl stepped up. "As class president, I'll be trying this test!"
"No fair! I'm going, too!" A second girl with strawberry-blond hair piped up.
"I will, too!" A third girl, a shy creature with purple hair and bangs covering her face, shakily stepped up as well.
The girl known as Yue stepped up, putting her hand in the air as the three challengers prepared themselves. "Ready… go."
With their eyes closed, the three girls tried to find their way to the opposite rock. Unfortunately the purple-haired girl immediately veered off into a corner and crashed into a wall. "So much for that one," Cygnus muttered under his breath.
The blond girl came to a stop. "I feel bad for Miyazaki-san and Makie-san, but for one such as I, who has been trained in martial arts, this isn't even a challenge!" Focusing herself, she chanted "Yukihiro Ayaka style Mind's Eye of Love technique!" With that, even though her eyes were closed, the girl known as Ayaka could see the other rock clearly. "Target acquired! I'm going for it!" She burst out into a full sprint towards the other end, laughing maniacally the whole way…
…up until she stepped on something. Coming to a reluctant stop, she opened her eyes.
There were frogs. Lots of them.
"AIYAH! FROGS!" She squealed, rendering the class into a psychotic frenzy.
"Frogs?.!" Sora exclaimed. "And so many…"
"She doesn't seem to care," Cygnus pointed to the purple-haired girl, who had successfully made it to the rock without opening her eyes. "Maybe I was wrong about her…"
"Is this the work of the Kansai Magic Association?" Negi whispered, almost to himself.
"Most likely, but be strong, big bro! They could be just trying to intimidate us!" Kamo whispered.
He pulled out the envelope that he had been holding earlier. "Thank goodness this is still safe."
An unknown force snatched the paper right out of his hands. That wasn't good. Negi looked to his left to see a winged creature stick out its tongue at him before fleeing into the forest. "After him!" Kamo commanded, and Negi chased after it immediately.
Sora and Cygnus weren't about to be left out. Seeing the creature they immediately recognized it as a familiar enemy: an Air Soldier. "Heartless!" He exclaimed. They immediately began to chase after it as well, catching up to Negi in the process.
Surprised by their sudden acquaintance, Negi asked, "You guys?"
"You've mentioned a Kansai Magic Association several times now," Sora explained. "If they're the guys controlling that Heartless, your class could be in serious trouble!"
"That's what that creature is?.!" Kamo exclaimed.
"Yes!" Cygnus affirmed. He snarled as he put on an extra burst of speed, trying to catch the Heartless before it could get away.
The Heartless managed to make it to a small clearing, where a shadow of a girl stood in wait. Cygnus was about to charge when the girl showed herself in clear view, holding a sheathed sword…
Her sword sliced in a wide arc in the air.
The Heartless went down in one strike.
Cygnus skidded to a stop to see the girl holding the envelope. Negi and Sora came behind. "Wait— huh?"
The girl walked over to the three. Cygnus recognized her as the girl who gave Konoka the cold shoulder. She brushed right past him, although she whispered a small warning. "Stay away from ojou-sama." As Cygnus's brain stabbed itself in confusion, she walked over to Negi. "Negi-sensei. You dropped this." She handed over the letter to him.
"Sakurazaki-san?" Negi blinked, obviously recognizing the girl. "Thank you! You saved my life back there."
"It would be wise to be more careful, we are no longer in Mahora Academy… and the darkness looms everywhere," she flicked a glance at Cygnus. She began to walk off… but then noticed Sora. She seemed somewhat surprised by his appearance, because she said, "I didn't expect to see you so soon. We should meet later." With that, she walked off.
Cygnus, finally in mental working order, snarled and decided that the girl was up to no good. He had noticed something drop when that Heartless fell, so he searched the ground until he found it.
He found himself looking at a small, rectangular piece of paper with Japanese kanji written on it. "What's this?"
Negi and Sora came over to where Cygnus was. "It's a charm…" Negi answered.
"Is that how they're controlling the Heartless?" Sora asked.
"Big bro! It feels rather suspicious that Sakurazaki-san was around just as that creature showed up, isn't it?" Kamo pointed out.
"My sentiments exactly," Cygnus murmured. "She could be a spy for them!"
"A spy?" Sora blinked. He thought for a moment before facing Negi. "This looks a bit more complex than we thought. Maybe we need to keep an eye on her for now." Sora also wandered what the swordswoman could want from him… maybe he could talk to her later.
Negi sighed. "We're in for it now."
----
Couldn't things go normally once? Asuna Kagurazaki pondered as she went looking for Negi. The tall redhead had figured that funny incidents with frogs would've been yet another magic induced disaster on Negi's part. But then some weirdoes showed up… and then another fiasco involving rigging a waterfall with sake. Dragging all those girls to bed before the other teachers caught on was a chore on its own. Now she wanted answers, and Negi was to most likely to have them.
"Negi! Hey Negi!" She called out. She found him in the foyer, talking to those new guys again. She walked over, which immediately caught his attention over to her. Seeing as he was looking at her she continued, "I managed to get all those girls back to their beds… but what's going on? And why are they here?" She pointed to Sora and his friends.
"Well um… the truth is…" The young boy groped for words.
"Just tell her, big bro!" Kamo suggested.
"We think Class 3-A might be targets for the Kansai Magic Association," Negi sighed.
"What?" Asuna blinked in near disbelief. But it made sense. Only a magic association would try and screw things up royally by means of magical frogs. "I knew those frogs were suspicious…" She glanced at Sora. "But who is he?"
He looked at Sora. "He and his friends just happened to stop by and lend a hand when I needed it."
"Hi," Sora waved meekly. He introduced himself and his friends. "Don't worry," he added. "We work with magic, too."
"Ah, okay!" Asuna bowed. She found Donald and Goofy to be far stranger than the mere appearance of Sora or Cygnus, but she pushed that thought back into the recesses of her mind. "I'm Asuna Kagurazaki. Sorry that Negi got you mixed up in all this."
"Heh, that's all right, we help people for a living!" Sora grinned. He turned to Negi. "We'll lend a helping hand, too!"
Negi smiled. "Thank you, Sora-san, Asuna-san." Kamo leapt up to Negi's head, surprising Donald and Goofy as he spoke to Asuna.
"Ah, that's right! Big sis! You know anything about a Setsuna Sakurazaki? She might be a spy!"
"A spy?.!" Asuna blinked in confusion. She furrowed her brows in thought. "She was a childhood friend of Konoka's… but I haven't seen them speak to each other…"
"Wait!" Negi dug in a bag and produced a book. Curious, Sora peered over to see that it was in fact, a class roll. He saw several familiar faces, most of them being the girls he encountered earlier. Negi pointed to Setsuna's face. "Ah! It says she's from Kyoto!"
"She's from HERE?" Cygnus blinked. "Then that means—"
"She's the spy!" Kamo exclaimed. He scrambled down to Negi's pocket and picked up an unusual card. This card had a picture of Asuna herself wielding a large sword. "I figured it may come to this, that's why I saved this card!"
"What is that?" Asuna pointed at the card.
"The Charta Ministralis, a proof of contract!" Kamo explained. "Your bond as a partner with big bro is in this card! A pactio!"
"Huh?" Goofy blinked. "Gawrsh, what's a pactio?"
"Ah, you're not from around here, are you?" Kamo scampered over until he was between Sora and Cygnus. "You see, magic users around her must chant spells to use them, leaving them vulnerable in the heat of battle. That's why they need a bond, formed by a pactio!" He held up the card. "This pactio makes the person on the card stronger when they use the power of their mage partner! She can even use the weapon on the card!"
"Really?" This caught Asuna's interest. "How?"
"You summon it by calling out 'Adeat!' It means 'come forth!'"
"Interesting," Sora grinned. "How do you make this pactio?"
"Maybe you should make one with Cygnus, Sora!" Goofy suggested. Cygnus raised an eyebrow.
"You sure you want to do that?" Kamo grinned. "To form a pactio, you have to stand in one of my homemade pactio circles… and kiss!"
"WHAT." Sora's jaw hung open.
"On the lips!"
"AWW HELL NAW." Cygnus objected, disgusted at the thought. Sora shared that same sentiment.
Even Asuna did. "Don't remind me…" They had formed it in earlier times, to take down a classmate that at one time tried to do them in… But she wasn't fond of kissing the ten year-old boy on the lips.
Negi sniffed himself. "Ummm… It's about time for the teacher's bath."
"We'll talk later, then," Asuna nodded.
Donald inadvertently sniffed Cygnus. "You need one, too."
Cygnus sniffed himself. "Ouch. You're right. For once."
"HEY!"
"Donald, we need to make sure the girls are safe, ahyuck!" Goofy said before dragging him away from Cygnus.
"We'll meet later," Cygnus said to Sora before going off with Negi. "Treat Asuna with respect, okay?"
"Like I wouldn't. You're the one to talk," Sora retorted with a grin. Cygnus merely stuck out his tongue.
Asuna blinked at the exchange of words. She sighed.
"Hey, wanna go outside?" Sora offered, an innocent smile on his face.
Asuna thought for a moment. He seemed innocent enough, and she could use the fresh air… "Why not."
"Okay!" Sora burst outside, almost mowing down a maid walking in. He crashed into her cart and fell onto the floor. "Oww… Sorry!" He moved to help her move her kart back in order.
The maid bowed, her long, black hair still staying behind her. "My apologies."
"Umm… that's okay," Asuna walked past her, bowing to her as well. She turned to Sora. "You need to watch where you're going."
"Uhhh… Sorry, I got a bit carried away. Been a while since I've seen the night sky," Sora answered as the two of them walked off.
Once inside, the maid put on a large pair of glasses, her apologetic demure now a sinister one. "Ah, so he's here. Just like they said he would… Time to get to work!" Small monkeys popped out of the laundry cart, apparently chattering their agreement.
----
"A child teacher, eh?" Cygnus casually asked Negi. The open-aired bath in the Arashiyama Hotel seemed to do wonders against both his attitude and his body. Negi and Kamo sat opposite of him next to a tall rock, relaxing in the water as well. "So it's true."
"Yeah," Negi answered. "It's my dream to become a Magister Magi… a powerful mage, just like my dad. I graduated at the top of my class, and my next part of training turned out to teach English to these girls." He chuckled nervously at this. "My dad had a holiday home here in Kyoto, so I arranged a field trip in hopes I could find it. This Kansai Magic Association thing just turned out to be a surprise complication… Plus the fact that one of my students could be in on this, too," He looked dejected for a moment, but his previous perk returned quickly. "That's why I'm grateful I have you and your friends' help, and Asuna's as well!"
"Yeah!" Kamo spoke up. "You and your buddies showed up at the nick of time! We may have not known how to deal with those shadow creatures!"
"Heh, thanks," Cygnus grinned. His smile faded slightly. "I'm looking for family, too. I was split from everyone I knew aside from Sora and his buddies about three months ago."
Their conversation was interrupted when they heard one of the doors slide open. "Hmm? Is one of the male teachers coming in?" Negi asked.
So it turned out to be a surprise when a certain girl with a one-sided ponytail walked in, wearing only a two piece bathing suit. She had taken to bathing herself calmly while just on the other side of that rock, the other three were panicking.
"Sakurazaki-san!" Negi hissed in panic.
"That damned woman…" Cygnus snarled, remembering her earlier actions and her vague warning to him. "Negi, we can't pick a fight with her here, we need to get out of the way!"
"Big bro! Cygnus is right! We've got to avoid her; we stand no chance of winning!" Kamo said. Negi nodded in agreement.
"Hmmm…" Setsuna began to speak, and the other three quieted down to listen. "Things aren't adding up. The Keyblade Master has made his appearance with a dark child. I thought Negi-sensei would've done something by now, being a mage…"
"H-How did she know I was a mage?.!" Negi asked quietly, his voice strained. "I haven't told that many people!"
"C-curse her… two steps ahead of everyone," Cygnus snarled. He turned to Negi. "She could be a spy after all." He summoned his Keyblade, the weapon of his heart taking the dark shape of a giant, black and red key.
Big mistake.
Setsuna immediately sensed the dark aura. "Who's there!" Immediately flinging an empty bucket against the rock, she watched as the wooden bucket fell to pieces, getting a reaction from two shapes in the back. "Found you, you won't get away!" She pulled her sword to her side and charged towards the rock. "Shinmeiryuu secret technique... Zanganken!" With one smooth stroke, Setsuna severed the rock (and a tiny piece of Negi's hair) with her sword, an amazing display of strength.
Negi, Cygnus, and Kamo squealed in horror. Having barely avoided death, they scooted away. "She amazing!" Negi breathed.
"Damnable woman!" Cygnus cursed again. "Negi, you know of an attack that can blow away weapons?"
"Yes, I do!"
"Prepare to use it when I say so!" Cygnus began to climb up the rock, still hidden from Setsuna's view. "Until then, hide!" Focusing back to the task at hand, the dark kid growled, having had enough of that girl picking on him and his friends. It was going to end here.
Still only seeing movement behind the rock, Setsuna charged closer. That was until a dark shape leapt over the rock and slammed down, forcing her to block the surprise attack. "WOMAN! I WILL BE YOUR OPPONENT!"
Cygnus stared down the girl, his Keyblade in hand. Ignoring her bikini and the fact that he was only clad in a towel. He swung his Keyblade in a mighty arc, trying to overpower the girl with strength alone. However, she easily deflected most of his attacks. His sword skills are unfocused… it's doubtful he's with them, she thought as she dodged more of his furious swipes.
She's too fast! I can't get a hit on her! Cygnus was forced to go on the defensive as she led several successive attacks against him. He dodged to the left as another swipe tried to sever his torso.
The good news was she was now in position.
Seeing this, Cygnus bellowed, "NOW!" hoping that Negi got the message. He then dismissed his Keyblade with a wry grin.
He did. With a small chant, he unlocked his magic power. "Ras tel ma scir magister…" Unveiling a tiny wand, he pointed it at Setsuna's sword. "Flans Exarmatio!" A powerful burst of wind blasted Setsuna's sword away from her. Hot steam burst in the air, slightly impairing everyone's vision.
That didn't stop Cygnus, though. Summoning his Keyblade back, he flipped it and swung with the smooth side. "I WIN."
He missed.
By that time, Setsuna had seen where the burst of spell came from. The mysterious intruder was vulnerable, and hopefully she could scare the dark boy into not attacking. Rushing over to the other intruder, she slammed one hand across his neck and another in his private area. "Who are you? If you don't answer, I'll crush it and snap it off!"
The mist had cleared. Much to her horror, she found the person she was threatening was none other than Negi. The boy shuddered in shock and fear. "N-Negi-sensei?" Negi seemed to only answer in incoherent babbling. Seeing what she was doing to the boy, she immediately removed her hands. "I-I'm sorry Negi-sensei! Attacking the vitals is just a basic theory and… no, I'm sorry, Negi-sensei."
Cygnus stomped over to the other two. "Damn it, woman! The kid had nothing to do with all this, and then you go and traumatize him like that!"
"That's right!" Kamo hopped on top of Negi's head, pointing an accusatory paw. "You've done it now, Setsuna Sakurazaki! You're a spy for the Kansai Magic Association aren't you!"
"No!" Setsuna denied her charges.
"Don't give me that," Cygnus jeered. "Prepare yourself!" Cygnus began to charge towards the girl, only to fall flat on his face into the water. Five humiliating seconds later Setsuna saw a tiny white flag being waved from the water.
"I'm not your enemy!" Setsuna stated boldly. "I, seat fifteen Sakurazaki Setsuna, am sensei's ally!"
Negi only blinked in slight confusion.
Cygnus rose out of the water. "Tch. No time to be toying around with you," In an attempt to save what little dignity he had left, he stormed away.
----
Konoka happily shuffled over towards the bathroom in her slippers. "Secchan should love the snack I left on her bed!" She said. Sliding open the door to the bathroom, she was greeted with a strange sight.
Small monkeys had perched themselves all over the bathroom. At the center was a woman in a large monkey suit, seemingly expecting her arrival. The woman inside the suit sneered at Konoka. "Welcome to Kyoto, Konoka-ojou-sama."
Konoka only stared in surprise.
----
From the baths, Setsuna and Negi heard a scream that was quickly silenced. Setsuna immediately recognized it. "Konoka-ojou-sama!"
Negi hopped out of the bathwater and wasted no time in getting dressed. Setsuna followed suit.
----
Gazing out into the night sky, Asuna pointed to one of the stars. "So the planet you come from is one of those stars?"
"You could say that," Sora answered, a small smile on his face. "Many of the planets are so different and yet so alike… My world is a huge beach I called home. Once all this is over, I can go back…"
Their talk was interrupted when a huge shape flew out of the hotel and landed in front of them. Sora and Asuna found themselves face-to-face with a woman in a giant monkey suit. In her hands was an unconscious Konoka.
"W-what are you doing?" Sora asked, clenching his fists.
"Konoka!" Asuna gasped.
But the woman left no answer. Instead, she chucked out two charms, each turning into a familiar monkey Heartless. When the creatures jumped to attack Sora, she finally said "Goodbye!" as if she were casually leaving an old friend.
Sora blocked their assault and smashed in one with his Keyblade. The other, however, performed a sliding kick and knocked the boy right off of his feet.
"Asuna-san!" Negi called out, arriving on the scene with Setsuna.
"Negi!" Asuna pointed towards where Sora was struggling with the Powerwild Heartless.
Setsuna leapt into action. With one smooth stroke she sliced the Heartless in two.
Sora recovered. "Thanks!"
"She's getting away, we need to catch her!" Negi pointed towards the fleeing woman.
----
"Hmph, that was easier than I imagined," the woman mused, her dark plan coming into fruition. She ran through the streets with the unconscious Konoka in her arms. "When I bring Konoka with me, the Kansai Magic Association will…"
"Hold it right there!" She heard a voice shout.
"Tch!" She turned to see four familiar faces: the child mage, the older girl with him, the Shinmeiryuu girl and that spiky haired brat. Apparently the latter was the one who shouted it, as he continued, "Let the girl go!"
"Persistent people," she murmured as she continued her escape.
"Gah! She's escaping into the station!" Kamo exclaimed.
As she escaped into the train, she faced our heroes with another taunt. "Play some more with my friends!" She threw a selection of charms, each turning into a Heartless.
"Not this again!" Sora snarled as he unleashed a Strike Raid to the first Powerwild's face.
Negi ran forward, unlocking his magic once before chanting, "Septemdecim Saggita Lucis!" Seventeen arrows of light blasted all of the Heartless before they could launch an effective counterattack. Negi smiled as the Heartless disappeared.
"Nice!" Sora grinned as the four of them plowed their way into the station. Seeing the empty station, however, Sora blinked in confusion. "This place is closed already?"
"Not really, I think the Heartless may have scared away all the passengers!" Asuna answered.
All four hopped into the train just before it took off. Seeing the fleeing monkey lady, Negi pointed. "There she is!"
Seeing that the group spotted her, she chuckled lightly. "Hmmm… guess I'll use the second of my Charm-sans." One of her tiny shikigami monkeys pulled out a charm and threw it against the door window just as it closed, separating the group. "Charm-san, Charm-san, facilitate my escape!"
The charm glowed with power before a huge wave of water burst from it, sweeping the group off of their feet and submerging the entire carriage in water They all screamed as the water wreaked holy havoc in the train.
"What kind of power is that!" Sora exclaimed as he tried to grab hold of a rail.
"Ho ho ho! That's the power of charms my dear boy," The woman taunted. "You can all have fun drowning in the carriage! Bye now!"
While the others panicked and quickly lost air Setsuna struggled quietly. To fall for such an enemy trick… I guess I'm not qualified for… Konoka-ojou-sama…
That memory came back. That cry for help when Konoka was drowning in the river…
Her failure there was NOT happening again. She opened her eyes and unleashed yet another attack. "Zankuusen!" Her sword sliced a deadly wave of air, breaking a hole in the carriage. The resulting rush also shattered the door where the monkey woman stood, flushing out everyone into another station.
As the group collected itself, Sora was the first to speak. "Thanks for saving us back there…" he then turned to the monkey woman. "You see that! That's our power!" He got into a fighting stance with his Keyblade. "Give back Konoka!"
"Ah… you're the boy with the key…" The monkey woman mused. "I'm impressed with the lot of you so far but… I'm not giving Konoka-ojou-sama back." She turned tail and ran again.
"Ah, wait!" Negi said, but she was nearly out of sight, forcing the heroes to pick up and run after her. "S-Setsuna-san! What's going on?"
"I thought they were just picking on us!" Asuna added. "So why are they kidnapping Konoka?"
"The truth is… back before all this started, there were those in the association that objected to Konoka-ojou-sama leaving to attend Mahora Academy…" Setsuna answered as they continued running. "It's most likely they're seeking to use her powers to gain complete domination of the Kansai Magic Association."
"What!" the others exclaimed simultaneously.
"She has powers?" Sora blinked, obviously missing something. From his earlier encounter she seemed pretty normal… But if the Heartless are involved, she must have some sort of power… could she be a Princess of Heart?.!
Any more questions were jilted when another swarm of Heartless greeted them. Sora remembered these bee-like Heartless from before. Cursing under his breath he whipped forward and spun around, using a Fire spell to knock them down in a swirling tornado of flames. Setsuna finished them off with a flurry of sword attacks.
"This must've been planned from the beginning!" Setsuna said. "Thank goodness I'm here." With that she took off, leaving the others to chase her.
----
"You've done well to follow me this far," The woman chuckled as she faced down the others in a long stairway. She was out of the suit now, docked in the maid's clothing she had earlier. The unconscious Konoka rested in the monkey suit's grasp. Setsuna was in front, with Sora right by her side. Asuna and Negi were further back. "But this is as far as you go. It ends here. Play with the last of my Charm-sans." She pulled out another charm.
"I won't let you!" Setsuna roared as she leapt to attack.
"Charm-san, Charm-san, facilitate my escape!" The woman chucked the slip towards her. "Charm technique "Dai" character burn!" With that chant a huge burst of flame shaped like the "Dai" character exploded in front of her. Setsuna stepped back, weary of the intense heat of the flames. "That fire repels any normal person. So… guess this is goodbye then."
The game wasn't over yet. "Ras tel ma scir Magister…" Negi's chant began. "Freyt un Vende… Frans Saltatio Bleuerea!" This powerful form of wind swept forward in an arc, blowing away the flames with ease.
"What?" The woman blinked in shock. "How are you so powerful?"
"That's what you get for underestimating us!" Sora boasted. "Game's OVER!" He chucked his Keyblade at her in a perfect Strike Raid maneuver.
And it would've hit, too, had there not been someone raising the earth to block the attack.
"What?" Sora blinked, seeing his attack deflected. However, one look above the impromptu tower of earth revealed who was standing on top of it. "AH!"
"Yo Sora. Long time, no see," Terra sneered down on him. Her blond hair covered one of her eyes, giving her a far more menacing look.
"Terra!" Sora recognized her from an earlier attack back on the former Earth. "What are you doing here?"
"I was told a brat like you would show up to mess up my plans! So I hired protection," The woman sneered. She turned to Terra. "I'll leave them to you, Terra-han."
"With pleasure," Terra grinned, clenching her fists. She turned to Sora, hand outstretched. "I didn't get to fight you last time, so let me show you how I play." Her eyes glowed yellow, and shards of earth flew towards Sora and the others.
"Whoa!" Sora and Setsuna dodged with agility, but Negi and Asuna, who didn't see the attack coming, barely avoided the attack. But Terra's assault did not stop there. She jumped up and drop-kicked Sora into the ground followed by a rush attack towards Setsuna. She could barely recover before Terra picked her up and chucked her into Sora. Both of them struggled to keep up with Terra's wicked attacks.
"We have to help them!" Asuna shouted, looking at the fight. She turned to the ermine. "Oi, Kamo! What's that word that activates this card?"
Kamo stuttered in surprise. "U-um it's 'Adeat'!"
"Here goes nothing… Adeat!" The card with her face shined with a white light, temporarily blinding her for a moment before she found herself holding…
…a giant paper fan.
"What the hell is this?" Asuna glared back at Kamo and Negi, both who also looked surprised at her possession.
"That's funny…" Negi scratched his head. "Maybe you don't have enough power to reach the sword yet?"
Asuna just shook this off. "Gah, I guess there's no helping it!" She ran forward, charging with all her might. "RAUGH!" She swung the paper fan to Terra's stomach while the girl was distracted.
Much to her surprise, the attack actually hurt.
"W-what…?" Terra staggered back, shock and pain registered in her features.
This obviously shocked the monkey woman as well. "How is that girl able to harm Terra-han with just a paper fan?"
"Hey!" Terra turned to the woman. "Get out of here! I got these clowns!"
"I guess that works!" Asuna said with a grin. "Sora-san! Sakurazaki-san!"
"Right!" Sora answered. "Let's pound her!" He leapt to attack, Keyblade poised for a perfect strike.
"You won't be so lucky anymore!" Terra countered with more shards of earth, forcing Sora to dodge before he could land his attack. Setsuna and Asuna pressed attacks as well, but Terra blocked their onslaught.
"I think I'll be taking my leave now…" The woman stepped back, away from all the chaos. She moved to pick up Konoka…
"Oh no you don't! Ras tel ma scir Magister…" Negi held out his wand. "Aer Capturae!" Bursts of wind shot out from his wand, moving in to bind the woman…
"AIIIE! Help me!" She tried to hide behind the unconscious Konoka.
"Ah!" Seeing that Konoka was now in the line of fire, he shouted, "Diverge!" The arrows of wind flew away and dissipated. Seeing her blink in confusion unharmed, Negi shouted, "Let go of Konoka-san! That's cheating!"
"Hahaha… I know your type. Backing away at the slightest chance that the hostage could get hurt," She stood up, carrying Konoka over her shoulder, her rear to the crowd. "Why, this girl certainly came in handy… I think I can keep using her like this!"
"What are you planning to do with her?" Sora had stopped fighting Terra long enough to ask the question.
"Good question! I believe we'll use this new power of darkness to make her our puppet. It'll be great!" She stroked her chin thoughtfully.
"What?" Sora blinked.
"What did you say?" Asuna and Negi whispered simultaneously.
Setsuna clenched her teeth.
"Looks like we win this time!" The woman chuckled in a singsong voice. "So long, you green-bottomed brats!" To accentuate her point, she smacked Konoka's butt tauntingly.
That was a very, very bad move.
Firstly, this put Terra into deep trouble. When Setsuna moved immediately to help Konoka, the earth wielding girl tried to stop her. That ended in failure when Setsuna stomped on her face to catapult herself further towards the insidious charm wielding woman.
Secondly, during her speech, she hadn't noticed the dark shape forming behind her, the teenage child summoning his own Keyblade. The moment she finished her taunt, the person barked, "DAMN YOU WOMAN!"
Shocked, the woman turned to face an extremely angry Cygnus. The boy's hateful face twisted into an evil sneer. "Do me a favor." He whipped his Keyblade back in a calculated fashion, his smooth side toward his victim. "JUST DIE!"
"Cygnus! NO!" Sora shouted.
Too late. Cygnus smashed his Keyblade into the woman's stomach, sending her airborne with ridiculous ease. Konoka fell out of her grasp, but Setsuna caught her safely in midair. The woman disappeared into the sky with a ding.
Terra groaned. This was a failure… she would be hearing about it from Slade. Seeing how livid everyone was… it was best to retreat. "Tch. I'll return soon enough." And with that she disappeared under a wind of dirt and dust.
Since Konoka was safe, Sora stomped over to the dark kid and grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt. "CYGNUS YOU IDIOT! KONOKA COULD'VE BEEN KILLED!"
The realization hit the boy like a ton of bricks. Backing away from Sora, he muttered softly, "I just wanted to save her… that damn woman…"
Seeing Cygnus was more or less actually feeling sorry, Sora simply sighed and chastised him. "Just watch it next time."
"Cygnus did what he could," Negi said, stepping up behind Asuna and Kamo as they appeared above the stairs with them. "It's going to be a while before that crazy monkey woman returns…"
"Dah! Speaking of that, she said she was going to use drugs on Konoka-san!" Kamo exclaimed.
"Don't tell me that—" Setsuna began, but shifted gears and changed her attention to the girl in her arms. "Konoka-ojou-sama!" She gently shook her.
"Aaah?" Konoka stirred, awakening from her slumber. "Secchan…" Seeing the girl smile and the others gather, Konoka continued. "Ah, Secchan, I had this strange dream that I was kidnapped by monkeys… but Secchan, Negi-kun, and Asuna came to save me…" Sora and Cygnus face-faulted for being left out, but shook that off.
"It's okay…" Setsuna almost purred.
Konoka's eyes widened. Then, with a tearful smile, she said, "Thank goodness… Secchan doesn't hate me after all."
Everyone but Setsuna and Konoka blinked in confusion over that statement.
Setsuna only gasped and blushed slightly. "Ah! I wanted to talk to Kono-chan as well and—" she caught herself. "AH! I apologize!" She stepped down to a bow in front of Konoka, who stared back, flummoxed. "I am merely thankful I am able to protect Kono-ch… ojou-sama. I wish I could do so from the shadows, but…" She stood up quickly. "I-I'm sorry!" She burst away and ran down the stairs!
"Secchan!" Konoka called, but it fell on deaf ears.
Asuna thought for a moment. There had to be more from this story, judging by their reactions to each other. Cygnus picked up on it, too, but wasn't as fast as Asuna on offering a solution (not that he would've come up with a good one). "Sakurazaki-san!" She bellowed.
This had caught Setsuna's attention. She looked up to see Asuna waving at her. "Let's all meet tomorrow, okay?"
Setsuna looked at her for a moment, before smiling softly, acknowledging the request and sprinting off again.
Konoka blinked, but Asuna turned to her and smiled. "It's okay."
"Good thinking, Miss Asuna," Cygnus added, rubbing his chin thoughtfully and adding a rare title of respect. "That Setsuna is something else." He turned to Konoka. "Please forgive my umm… less than sane actions back there. I'll help too!"
"Yeah, we're all here to help!" Sora added cheerfully.
Konoka smiled.
Cygnus grinned like he just won the lottery.
Sora noticed this and said, "You know what Donald said."
"AWWWWWW." Cygnus crashed.
------
"You've taken quite a bit of damage, Miss Amagsaki," Slade stated calmly, watching as her paper monkeys tended to her wounds.
"Th-that damn dark child came out of nowhere…" The woman grimaced as one of the monkeys tended a sore spot under her chest. "But next time I will be prepared."
"It appears we've underestimated the Keyblade masters as well as the child mage," Slade answered.
Terra returned in a flurry of dust. "Slade. I have contacted the other two. They'll be here in two days."
"Good," Slade turned away. "We'll see if the boy and this Sin Angel member are what they say they are. The girl will yet be ours."
-----
Having seen most of the fighting between the Keyblade Masters and the wicked charm woman (and having to restrain himself from helping the former), the short figure shrouded in black rubbed his chin. "Heh, if this is just day one of this so called field trip, I can't wait until I can play!" Deciding to check on his partner back in that Mahora Academy, the figure placed two fingers on his head. Psychic communication was new to him and still wasn't a strong point, but he decided to try it out anyway. Vexen! Yo Vexen!
----
Vexen, the man in question, was surprised to be contacted. …-u find Ansem's stuff yet?
Not yet. The cloaked man answered. Why are you bothering me now?
…bored! That, and I wanna tell you the Keyblade wielders kicked ass, as usual!
Why am I not surprised. Vexen grinned under his hood slightly. Sora held his own against him in a previous fight. You can help them tomorrow. Meanwhile, I've met somebody… fascinating on this end. He shut off the link and turned back towards the subject of his interest.
"I still don't get why you're here, old man," the girl stared coolly at the cloaked person before her. She had long, blond hair and dark blue eyes. Although she looked no older than ten, she spoke with maturity beyond her years. A much taller and more mechanical girl with green hair flanked her side, staring emotionlessly.
The cloaked man removed his hood. "As I said before… you fascinate me, Miss Evangeline," Vexen gave a soft smile, something that wasn't quite his usual self. "Your powers are unparalleled for someone in such a tiny body… my colleague and I recognize when someone is stronger than we are."
"Hmmm?" Evangeline raised an eyebrow in interest. It's not often she gets a flatterer ignoring outside appearances (well, mostly.). "Keep going."
"I would like for you to show me your power." Vexen stated.
"What?" Evangeline's small grin dropped, replaced by annoyance. "That can't happen, not here."
Vexen thought for a moment. "Ah, that. The curse." A smile he dropped earlier had returned. "I believe I know enough magic… I can at least alleviate some of the effects."
"Really?"
"In essence, I can restore you at full power. That man's strength is not impossible to overcome… Besides, it's about time you escaped this place, isn't it?"
Evangeline thought this over. This mysterious man was entirely unreadable… and yet it appeared that he was hiding nothing. The girl answered, "Show me you're telling the truth… and maybe, just maybe I'll show you what I'm capable of," Evangeline smiled wickedly in the darkness. "Chachamaru."
"Yes Master," the robotic girl beside her responded.
"Let's go."
"Oh, and one more thing," Vexen added. "The Keyblade Masters are here. They too need to see your power… although for entirely different reasons. I'll be waiting patiently, Miss Evangeline." With that, Vexen disappeared.
"The Keyblade children…" Eva thought for a moment. "This just got interesting."
(Oy! Longer chapter than I imagined! I hope I have introduced you well to the world of Negima. But suit up folks, this arc is gonna be a long one. There's a lot of introductory stuff here as well.
Next chapter takes us to the day after. The villains have disappeared for now, but that doesn't make things problem free! A love confession, a relationship explained and a cross with the Sin Angel all await next time on Kingdom Hearts Sin Angel!
Footnote on Japanese honorifics:
-san, -kun - usual titles for people you're not TOO close to. –kun is preferable for boys
-sensei - teacher
ojou-sama - address for ladies far more important than you are.)
P.S: I've saved everyone's previous reviews, so don't panic that yours are gone!