Kingdom Hearts: Sin Angel
Episode 5: Nodoka
"A-um… Negi-sensei…" Nodoka Miyazaki sat on her knees, facing a miniature doll of Negi. "If it's… okay with you, would you like to ga… guh…you would like to come with us, wouldn't you?" The shy girl was of average size and she had a heart-shaped face nearly covered by her purple bangs.
"Nodoka! Time for breakfast!" Yue called out, appearing in the doorway. "Everyone's gathered at the front hall on the first floor."
"Okay…" Nodoka acknowledged as she went to get dressed. Brushing away her bangs and tying her hair back, she gathered her courage. "All right!" She would make her move today.
----
"Hi, Sora-san!" Negi greeted the Keyblade Master as he sat down at the table for breakfast.
"Hey," Sora returned, somewhat tired. "Sorry if I come off dazed, last night was a pain."
"Cygnus told us about the whole chase last night," Goofy said to Sora as he, Donald, and the aforementioned dark kid arrived at the table. "Is Miss Konoka okay?"
"Yeah," Sora affirmed. "We just need to watch out for that crazy woman again…"
"Negi-kun! Sora-kun! You both look tired," the long-haired Konoka herself appeared, a gentle smile on her face. "Thank you for helping me last night! I don't understand what happened, but I know you guys came to help, and Cygnus-kun helped Secchan rescue me!" She shot Cygnus a bright smile. The dark boy proceeded to almost melt in pleasure until Donald smacked him again.
Cygnus was about to curse out Donald before something else caught his eye— Setsuna Sarukazaki eating silently on the other side of the table.
Konoka noticed her as well. "Secchan! Come over here with us!"
Unfortunately, Setsuna didn't take to this request very well. She got up… and tried to walk away.
"Secchan, why are you running away?" Konoka asked, sadness creeping into her voice.
"I-I'm not running away!" Setsuna stammered, carrying her lunch tray and fleeing as fast as she could, ignoring Konoka's pleas and Negi's protests.
"Tch. You call that guardianship?" Cygnus retorted.
Setsuna twitched, but continued her escape.
"And you thought I was bad news for Konoka? Get back here!" Cygnus moved to stop her, but his effort fell short when Donald stuck out a foot, causing the dark kid to fall flat on his face. Ignoring the laughter of the other girls (and Sora), Cygnus bounced back up, his face etched in absolute fury. "DAMN YOU, DONALD!" Without warning he grabbed Donald's neck and began shaking it violently. Sora's laughter stopped abruptly as he tried to separate the two. Only Goofy smacking the dark kid with his shield stopped his attack.
It was like the Three Stooges all over again.
Sighing, Asuna turned to Konoka. "You mentioned she was a childhood friend of yours… what happened between you two?"
The long-haired girl took a sad sigh. "I… I haven't told you this story but…" seeing Negi turn his head and the others gather around in attention, she waited a moment before continuing. "Before I started living with Asuna over at Mahora, I lived here. I was raised in a huge, quiet mansion. As I lived deep in the mountains I had no friend to call my own…" Her mind drifted back to the first day she met Setsuna. The shy girl had appeared with visiting Shinmeiryuu swordsmen… and they had introduced her to the lonely girl. "Secchan was the first friend I ever had. She was learning Kendo. She protected me from things like scary dogs. She was always there for me if I was in danger…" Her most idyllic times in her childhood were always with Setsuna. Up until that day… "Even when it looked like I was going to drown in the river, she tried her best to save me…" The terrible rush of water seemed to flood her thoughts as she remembered trying to keep afloat. Setsuna had tried to rescue, despite her minimal swimming experience or strength. "In the end, we were both saved by the adults. She said she wanted to become stronger to protect me… I just wanted us to keep playing. But after that day, Secchan became busier with Kendo training, and we didn't meet that often. Then I moved to Mahora…
"I was able to meet Secchan again when she moved there as well, but…" Tears began to form. "It was like I had done something wrong… Secchan wouldn't talk to me like she did before…"
"Oh…" Sora said, a sad tone creeping into his voice. That statement last night… was that what friendship drifting apart felt like? He knew the feeling… his spats with Riku during their previous adventure nearly drew a wedge between their friendship. He scanned around to see everyone else's reactions. Negi, Donald, and Goofy also looked pretty crestfallen. Asuna was too busy trying to comfort Konoka to really look sad, but Cygnus…
The dark kid had his face etched in a sad sort of consternation. He glanced over to the tearful girl, sadness in his eyes. As if a violent thought suddenly crossed his mind, he clenched his fist and stood up suddenly.
Sora quickly caught on. "Cygnus. Don't do anything stupid."
Cygnus stared at Sora for a moment, his face in all seriousness. He then broke into a grin and gave a thumbs-up before walking off in semi-pursuit of Setsuna. Sora watched him disappear before going back to finish breakfast.
-----
"So far, so good!" Asuna said to Negi and Sora as the three of them gathered in the foyer where the other students had congregated. "Thank goodness we managed to get Konoka back from that monkey lady…"
"Yes," Negi nodded. "But she could come back, so we need to keep an eye out on things."
"Where's everybody going today?" Sora asked, as he noticed that several students were putting on shoes and gathering things.
"We're going to Nara today," Negi answered, his face lighting up. "It's a scenic park with a petting zoo and a Buddhist temple and a lot of other stuff!"
"I haven't picked up on any Heartless activity, so maybe I could join you guys and hang out." Sora smiled. However, a new train of thought occurred to him. "I'm not sure if they'd come back though…"
Sora's ponderings were ignored by Negi, however, as the boy was lost in his own thought. What should I do as a teacher? Everyone's going in separate places in Nara. And I can't deliver that note today… He mulled this over, unaware of the shy Nodoka slowly approaching him.
Even her approach was ignored as the hyperactive Makie flew in out of nowhere and threatened the child-teacher with a bear hug. "Negi! Come with our group today!"
"Ah!" Ayaka, the blond class president, heard this and countered with her own preposition. "Makie-san, Negi-sensei is traveling with Group Three today!"
Sora just blinked, feeling embarrassed over the growing number of girls that were arguing over the kid. Not certain on how to deal with the situation, he, Donald, and Goofy simply fidgeted as the arguing continued.
This stopped, however, as Nodoka Miyazaki gathered all of her courage and shouted above the rest. "N-Negi-sensei!" The entire room dropped into silence as the nervous girl continued. "I-if you'd like to, could you come with our group today?"
Negi blinked. "Uh…" Now that he'd thought about it, Miyazaki's group was most likely to be attacked by the Heartless and that monkey woman, as Konoka, Setsuna, and Asuna were in her group as well. Sora and his friends would follow wherever he went, so… "Yes, I'll go with your group today, Miyazaki-san!" After a bit of silence, the other girls cheered for Nodoka.
Sora simply grinned before Goofy commented, "I think Negi's even more popular with the ladies than Sora, ahyuck!"
Sora face-faulted.
----
"Wow…" Donald grinned. "This sure is nice!" The now eleven-strong group strolled though the park. It was a rather nice place, with people scattered about the walkway. Small concession stands were placed evenly around the walk. There were deer milling about the walkway, unconcerned (or just unafraid) of the humans around them.
As the others took to looking around the park, Cygnus kept his eyes on Konoka and Setsuna. Setsuna seemed to shy away from the group as much as possible, while Konoka was more than happy to tag along with Negi. "Hmph," Cygnus rubbed his chin.
"What?" Sora asked.
"I don't get that woman," Cygnus continued to stare down Setsuna.
"Not this again," Sora sighed. "Why are you obsessed over her anyway? We already know she's not a spy." Sora looked over for a moment to see Nodoka gain an audience with her two friends. Apparently they didn't seem to mind Donald or Goofy, as the two were standing in perfect sight and earshot of the girls and they did nothing to stop them. Sora didn't think anything of it as he turned back to Cygnus. "Listen, maybe she's trying to muster the courage to—" He quickly noticed Cygnus was gone. "Huh?" He saw the dark-skinned teenager sprint after Setsuna, Asuna, and Negi. "Hey, wait!"
----
"It doesn't look like that monkey lady isn't coming, is she?" Negi asked Setsuna and Asuna as they walked down a separate path.
"Nope, don't think so," Asuna answered, looking around.
"We should be okay," Setsuna added. "Just in case, I've sent shikigami over to the other groups. If something happens, I'll know." She turned to the other two. "I will do my utmost to protect Konoka-ojou-sama from the shadows, so please go and enjoy the school trip."
"What's with the shadows? You can be by her side, you know," Asuna persisted. She noticed Cygnus come up, and she continued. "She doesn't see you as a failure."
"Leave the shadows to me, woman," Cygnus said, giving Setsuna a wicked smile. "They don't suit you."
Attacked on two fronts, Setsuna stuttered a bit before she countered. "N-no. Someone like me shouldn't be making carefree conversation with—"
"Not this again!" Asuna sighed.
"Tch. What do you have to hide?" Cygnus persisted.
"I have nothing to hide," she leered coldly at Cygnus.
It wasn't very convincing, however, as Cygnus kept his snide grin. That was, until Sora caught up to them, "Cygnus! What's the big idea?"
"Huh?" Cygnus blinked. However, Sora's arrival unfortunately signaled a high-class assault in the form of several girls, Donald, and Goofy drop-kicking everyone but Negi.
"Hey Sora! We need to keep an eye on that temple over there!" Donald shouted as he and Goofy shoved a protesting Sora away.
"Yeah Asuna, let's see the Buddha Statue!" Yue and the last member of the group, the dark-haired Haruna Saotome, easily dragged Asuna away.
"Hey Secchan! I brought odangos! Want to eat them together?" Konoka dashed after a panicking Setsuna, holding a plate of the delicious snacks.
"I-I-I'm sorry ojou-sama, but I have an urgent task that—" Setsuna began as she tried to run away,
"OH NO YOU DON'T, YOU GET BACK HERE." Cygnus bellowed, chasing after both girls.
Negi stared at the rest of the group as they mysteriously abandoned him. Confusion distorting his features, he shook it off before realizing he wasn't entirely alone. Nodoka was still there, shaking with both anticipation and nevousness. "U-um… Negi-sensei?"
"Miyazaki-san." Negi greeted kindly. "It looks like everyone else has left. Want to walk by ourselves?"
"Y-yes! Gladly!" Nodoka answered happily, still stuttering.
It looked like her friends' plan worked.
----
Setsuna finally came to a stop nearby a set of trees. Having successfully escaped both Konoka and Cygnus, she paused to take a look around. It appeared she had ran to the edge of the park, as there was nary a soul around. Just her, a few trees, nature itself…
…and a short, hooded figure in a black coat.
"Hey, whatcha runnin' from?" The figure asked.
"I'm not running from anything," Setsuna answered. Taken aback by the figure, she quickly asked, "Who are you?"
"The fastest thing alive!" Sonic the Hedgehog removed the hood, showing his cobalt visage to the girl. She nearly jumped back in surprise. "Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog!" He stepped toward her a bit. "I know when someone's running away, I run all the time!"
"W-what?" Setsuna blinked. "Who are you to question me?"
"I saw your adventure with Sora and Cygnus last night! Going through all that trouble to rescue your best friend, only to run away when she talks to you!" Sonic explained. He then smirked. "Tch. And you call yourself a guardian."
Setsuna took offense to that, especially since Cygnus said the same thing earlier that day. "I will protect Konoka-ojou-sama with my life!"
"Oh really? Then prove it," Sonic grinned, materializing the giant axe/shiruken that served as his weapon. "How about it, a friendly fight? I've been itching to see what my ninja axe can do."
Setsuna unsheathed her sword, stepping into a fighting stance. "I don't fight for fun but… to prove to you, Sonic, if that's your name—that I take my job seriously… I will do it."
"You're already way too serious!" Sonic crowed, flinging his weapon towards her like a lethal boomerang. She dodged the attack with ease, sweeping forward and slashing down on Sonic with her sword. At least, she would have if Sonic was there. "Too slow!" Sonic taunted as he picked her up and chucked her backwards.
His speed… he's even faster than the dark child! Setsuna thought as she sailed in the air. She had to dodge the ninja axe a second time as it swung back into Sonic's grasp. The blue hedgehog zigzagged towards her and swung his weapon in a mighty arc, but she easily blocked it. They clashed weapons a few times, with Sonic zipping around in an effort to confuse her.
Sonic jumped up and began to spin rapidly. His signature move, the spin attack, was now augmented by his weapon, increasing range and power. He barely missed Setsuna with a homing attack, and a second time had her sprawling on the ground despite her deflection of another attack. Setsuna recovered quickly and flipped out of harm's way as Sonic slammed down where she stood just moments before.
They clashed weapons again. Both combatants bounced off of trees, slicing at each other. Sonic shot forward once again…
…and went entirely too low, allowing Setsuna to stomp him into the ground.
Sonic recovered with ease. "Not bad," He grinned. "But let me show you how it's done!" He lunged once more.
Setsuna answered with her own attack. Both combatants stopped, however, when a dark Keyblade soared right between them and lodged itself in the tree behind them.
"What the hell is going on!" Cygnus bellowed. "I've been meaning to have a talk with you—dude, Sonic?" Cygnus's anger gave way to complete shock.
"Hey, Rob! Long time, no see!" Sonic grinned and gave a semi-salute. "How's it been hangin'?"
Cygnus stared blankly for a moment, unbelieving that Sonic was in front of him. He then did something completely random.
"Sonic!" He ran forward and hugged the blue hedgehog with childish glee. But that didn't last long. "AUGH, your quills!" He shook off the pain and winced at his throbbing arms before noticing Sonic's black coat. "You're with those Chaos Saint guys now, aren't you?"
"You could say that." Sonic shrugged, internally amused at Cygnus's display of affection. "Don't get me wrong, I'm still a good guy! But these guys have opened up a whole new can of worms." Sonic looked past Cygnus to see Sora and the red-haired Asuna running up behind them. "Hey guys, nice you could join the party!"
"Sonic?" Sora blinked. He'd only seen the cobalt wonder twice, one of those times frozen in a crystalline darkness. It seemed both weird and relieving to see him back to life.
"A b-b-blue hedgehog!" Asuna nearly jumped. "Now I've seen everything!"
"Lemme be the first to tell you that you probably haven't," Sonic grinned at Asuna. He turned to Sora. "Longer time, no see! How's things with you?"
"Good, I guess," Sora answered. "But what's with you? Why are you here?"
"To help out, of course!" Sonic gave a thumbs-up. "That's my job as a member of the Sin Angel… to help you guys out with your troubles!"
"Really?" Cygnus asked. He had to wonder about something though. "So why did you pick a fight with that woman?" He jerked his thumb at Setsuna.
"It was just a friendly fight, but she's way too serious!" Sonic answered. He turned to Cygnus. "But I would've thought you had more respect for the ladies, Rob. Where'd your game go?"
"WHAT."
Sonic laughed. "She has a name you know."
Cygnus gritted his teeth.
"Tch, I'll chat later, I gotta split!" And with those words, Sonic dashed away in a flash, leaving the group in a confused state.
Sora looked behind him to see a girl running up in the distance. "Ah!" He recognized Nodoka as she came closer, but her face was tear-streaked and she looked terribly distressed.
"Honya-chan?" Asuna said, referring to the girl by her nickname. "What's wrong?"
----
"You confessed to Negi?.!" Asuna exclaimed in shock.
"Y-yes—I mean no—ah, I wanted to, but I was too clumsy; I messed up badly," Nodoka sniffed. The other four had sat down around her as she sniffed and wiped the tears from her face. She looked up, seeing as she didn't recognize half the people around her. "I-I'm sorry, venting my personal issues around you," She said.
"That's all right," Setsuna answered.
"I don't want to sound insulting, but what do you see in Negi?" Sora asked Nodoka. "He's a pretty nice guy, but he's only ten years old."
"Th-that's because Negi-sensei is…" She looked skyward. "Normally he's the child everyone sees. But sometimes he has such an adult-like, strong demeanor that I wonder if he's actually older than we are."
"R-really?" Asuna blinked, somewhat disturbed by this revelation. He always seemed like a brat to her, albeit a precocious and reserved brat. He had trouble controlling the class when he first started teaching at Mahora Academy. But he did have his moments…
"I'm satisfied by just looking at him from afar… That's all the courage I have," Nodoka nearly whispered.
Cygnus stepped up and faced her. Unfortunately he had to grope for words. "So… uhhh… what were you going to do?"
Nodoka answered him, a shy smile on her face. "I'd thought I'd tell him how I felt."
"What happened after that?" Asuna asked.
Nodoka giggled. "I wanted to thank you, Asuna-san and Sarkurazaki-san. Cygnus-san, you too. I thought the both of you were scary, but that's not true, is it?"
"Eh?" Setsuna and Cygnus blinked, wondering what made them 'scary.'
"Awww, Cygnus isn't scary!" Sora said, a mischievous grin on his face as he casually put his arm on Cygnus's shoulder. "He's got more bark than bite, just like a… a poodle!"
Cygnus stared at Sora for a brief moment. "I… I hate you."
Nodoka giggled again. "Ah… I feel relieved now! I'm going! Bye!" She stood up and ran off, leaving the other four once again confused.
"I noticed we're getting more confused lately," Sora stated the obvious.
"Just shut up." Cygnus snarled, still smarting from the poodle jibe.
"We should follow her," Asuna said, to which there was general agreement.
----
Negi wandered the park, once again alone. The air felt nice, but more pressing matters were at hand. Nodoka Miyazaki had been acting strange all day from the moment they went to the park. She was extremely nervous the entire time they were at the temple, and a particularly embarrassing moment had her flee the place entirely. He figured that with his luck, he'd see the panties of his entire class. Not a gentlemanly thing to do!
Hoping to improve matters, he set out searching for Nodoka. "Miyazaki-san! Where are you?" Seeing no answer for a moment, he began to think out loud. "This trip has been troublesome, considering that letter, Konoka-san, and that monkey woman… And I think Sora-san has brought troubles of his own."
"Negi-sensei!" He suddenly heard. Turning around, he saw Nodoka running up to him, coming to a stop five feet away and trying to catch her breath.
"Ah, Miyazaki-san!" Negi greeted. "I was wondering where you went!"
"U-um… the truth is…" Nodoka began.
At this moment, Sora, Asuna, Setsuna, and Cygnus ran into the scene, hidden in view from the other two by a row of bushes. "They're here!" Sora whispered. All four crouched down into the bushes.
At this, Kamo randomly popped up from his hidden perch on Asuna's back, also interested in the new development. "Just as I thought! She really is serious about it!" He whispered.
"Say what?" Asuna hissed.
But their bickering was silenced as they turned back to observe Nodoka and Negi. The girl took a deep breath. "Negi-sensei… I liked you since the day we met. I love you, Negi-sensei."
Negi stared in absolute shock. And in the bushes, so did everyone else.
Nodoka continued bashfully. "I understand something like this is trouble for you, since we're student and teacher and all… but… I just wanted to tell you how I feel." She stepped back. "Excuse me, Negi-sensei!" And at that, she sprinted away into the wilderness.
Negi continued to stare blankly in space, in complete and utter shock over what just happened. Now with the added problem of Nodoka's confession, plus the sheer madness of the events over the past few days, Negi's brain began to figuratively melt. And from that, there was only one thing he could do.
Negi fainted.
"Negi!" Asuna rushed to his side, immediately trying to help him recover. Sora and Cygnus scanned the area in hopes of no one else spying on them during a particularly vulnerable moment. Setsuna however, looked on to where Nodoka had made her escape.
She has great courage… Setsuna thought to herself as the rest of the gang panicked over Negi's condition.
----
Nodoka came to a stop, alone in a forest nearby the temple area. Catching her breath once again, she began to voice her thoughts. "I… I really did it."
She could hear clapping. She turned to see a small figure shrouded in black, smirking at her from under his hood. "I'm impressed. There's more courage in your heart than I thought!" The figured walked toward her as she nervously backed away. "There's nothing to be afraid of, I've come to lend a hand."
"W-why?" Nodoka stuttered. "Who are you?"
"Hehhehhehhehheh," Sonic the Hedgehog laughed again. "Hey, Miss Miyazaki…" He began as he removed his hood. "Do you believe in magic?"
----
Setsuna trekked back to the hotel alone, having made a second sweep around the area after feeling a hostile aura. The source turned out to be a group of Heartless attempting to sneak attack Konoka, but she managed to defeat them before her charge could even catch on. She couldn't quite allow herself to relax. These dark creatures were after Konoka, and for that she couldn't take any chances that the Heartless could try again.
So focused on her thoughts she was that she barely noticed the dark-haired teenage lying casually on the base of a nearby tree. Catching sight of him, she recognized him from their earlier encounter the day before. "Yusuke Urameshi." She bowed respectfully. "We meet again."
He cast an eye in her direction. "You look like a lot's on your mind." He jumped back onto his feet before facing her. "So. The Heartless are after Konoka, aren't they?"
"Yes. And Sora and the dark child showed up just as you said," Setsuna answered.
"Heh, knew the dark boy was coming back. Ever since his mom showed up at Blood's place," Yusuke thought back to the dark-skinned woman he saw before he left for this planet. "But he ain't important right now. I got a feeling that Konoka might need more protection than you or that school of yours can offer."
"Am I not worthy of protecting Konoka-ojou-sama!" Setsuna bristled at the comment.
"Hey, don't take it that way," Yusuke was feeling way too lazy for a fight, not to mention he wasn't really trying to upset her. "As a matter of fact, we could use your help, too."
"My help?" Setsuna calmed down.
"The Heartless are devious bastards; they're gettin' smarter and more ruthless to boot," Yusuke answered. "You could hole up at Blood's place with Konoka and I'm positive that the Heartless won't be able to touch her… or you."
Setsuna had to think about that. It was a tempting offer to say the least… Yusuke was certainly helpful, but… "I need to think about that."
"I ain't in a rush," Yusuke shrugged. "Just think about it. I'll see ya later." He gave a casual wave before walking off.
Setsuna stood there for a moment, his offer still ringing in her head. She wasn't truly attached to this land, or to that many people, but if Konoka-ojou-sama didn't want to leave…
She decided to save that train of thought for a later time. Setsuna quickened her pace to a mild jog and headed back towards the hotel.
----
"Hey Negi, you alright?" Sora crouched down slightly, so his eyes were even with Negi's. It was later in the evening, and everyone had returned to the hotel to charge up for tomorrow. Minus Asuna's fretful concern over the boy (which was covered by a thick façade of "I don't care, he's just a brat."), only Sora regularly visited him. Asuna and Donald were out on patrol to watch for Heartless, and Goofy and Cygnus were… somewhere. "You seem pretty dazed."
"A-a-a-ah…" Negi continued to stare, but once he recognized Sora in front of him, he quickly shook this off. "Oh! Sora-san! I'm okay… it's just that…" Negi wasn't sure if Sora needed to know about someone's confession to him, unaware that the boy already knew from him spying from the bushes. "I don't think I should talk about it. Not here."
"You can talk about it when we go patrolling outside," Sora offered along with a cheesy smile. "I know a lot is on your mind."
"Thanks, Sora-san." Negi smiled softly.
"Oi! Sora!" Cygnus and Goofy came down the stairs. Cygnus swaggered towards the taller boy. "You haven't seen the Sakurazaki woman around, have you? She didn't come back with us when we got back here."
"What's with the concern over Setsuna anyway?" Sora eyed the dark kid suspiciously. "For the last time, she's not a spy!"
"It's not that!" Cygnus retorted. "She thinks I'm bad news for Konoka, yet she treats her supposed old friend like the plague! She's a hypocrite, that's what." Unbeknownst to him, the girl in question had walked in and stood behind the angry boy. Sora tried to point this out, but Cygnus was too busy ranting. "And another thing…!" Finally seeing Sora's pointing finger, Cygnus stopped. In a deadpan voice, he asked, "She's right behind me, isn't she." Sora nodded. He turned to Setsuna, who was not amused at being the subject of an angry rant. Cygnus politely cleared his throat and said, "Now if you'll excuse me, I must come to the reasoning of why I hate my life." And with a speed that would've made Sonic proud, Cygnus darted out of the room before anyone could think of retaliating.
"He's different," Setsuna muttered before turning to Sora. "I saw Asuna and Donald on the way back. It's almost your turn to do the patrol."
"Okay," Sora nodded.
"I'll go too, ahyuck." Goofy added.
"Me too…" Negi said. "I have this weird feeling that it isn't a good idea for me to be here right now."
----
How right he was. There was a devious scheme afoot, and although there was no evil involved, Negi staying behind could blend in some disastrous results. Two people, however, had different plans for this change in events.
"Tch, how insensitive!" Sonic remarked as he sat outside Nodoka's window. The girl tried to hide her nervous feelings with almost no success. "You make a confession and everybody's trying to steal him from you. Heh, strangely enough, this makes things a little easier."
"E-easier? How?" Nodoka asked.
"From what I've learned, Negi's leaving right now and won't be back until this game the girls set up is nearly over," Sonic explained. "You'll have to deal with the fake that he left using that shikigami magic. But once he comes back all you need to do is wait at the foyer and he's as good as yours! Considering the stress the poor boy's been through, I think it might be best if you wait for a better time to tell him you know about his magic." Sonic stood up and faded out of sight as he saw Nodoka's friend Yue appear.
The shorter, blue-haired girl immediately said, "Nodoka, they're calling our group. Let's go."
Nodoka shivered. Competition wasn't her strong suit. "Y-Yue… this is just a game after all…" She tried to placate her friend's quiet fervor.
"No." Yue answered simply. She turned to Nodoka with a soft smile. "Negi-sensei is one of the most honest people I know. You've chosen the right boy. We're going to win and get you a kiss, Nodoka!" She pumped her fist.
"Y-yes!" Nodoka answered, leaving the room with Yue. She looked back at the empty window, seeing Sonic just long enough from him to give her a thumbs-up and disappear into the night.
----
Negi, Sora, and Goofy wandered outside. The clear night and cool air did little to placate their weary nerves though, as the presence of Heartless was easily felt.
Sora twirled his Keyblade, ready to strike at a moments notice. "Asuna said there was Heartless out here," He nearly growled. "We need to be careful."
"You think they were summoned by the monkey woman?" Negi asked.
"Not sure," Sora answered.
"Over there!" Goofy yelled, pointing towards the woods. There stood a large group of Heartless, most of them Shadows and Neoshadows. A few seemed to be more refined versions of the Powerwild Heartless they encountered yesterday. Two Shadows scampered to the front and leapt to attack.
"Let's do this!" Sora bellowed, meeting the Shadow in midair and smashing it apart with a Keyblade combo. Goofy followed up by crashing into several Heartless with his shield.
Negi stepped forward. "Saggita Magica Seris Lucis!" Seventeen arrows of light smashed through a group of Heartless, destroying them instantly. Unfortunately the Heartless began to swarm the three of them. "We're surrounded! I can't use my magic if they're this close!"
Sora gritted his teeth. This wasn't going to be easy. Even as the Heartless launched into attack, Sora was thinking, trying to get help, a power boost, anything… But despite their best efforts, the Heartless were too much. Their flurry of attacks felt like drowning in a sea of black. "No… it won't end this way!"
As if on autopilot, Sora leapt into the air and let out a scream, which activated a burst of energy that knocked the Heartless back. He landed back down, his baggy pants and shirt no longer black but now a vibrant red color. Goofy disappeared, and at this a second Keyblade appeared in Sora's hands. The closest Heartless, a Neoshadow, perished under a flurry of quick strikes.
The other Heartless didn't even stand a chance.
With Sora now keeping the Heartless down with ease, Negi was free to cast his Saggita Magica once more. The powerful flurry of light arrows sliced through Heartless just as easily as Sora's newfound power. After about five minutes of the two of them royally kicking Heartless butt, the creatures were no more, and they stopped. With nothing more to fight, Sora's clothes faded back to black, and Goofy reappeared, a nonplussed look on his face.
Negi turned to Sora, a large smile on his face. "Wow that was awesome!"
"Hehheh," Sora bashfully rubbed his neck. "To tell you the truth, I have no idea how I just did that."
"Huh?" Goofy was still confused.
"Heh," Negi's face fell. "I'm not as strong or as smart as you… and considering all that happened today, I don't know if I'm strong enough to keep going."
"Hey, don't feel so down!" Sora tried to cheer him up. "I couldn't have beaten those Heartless without your help."
"That's right!" Goofy added. He then sank back to his confused state, scratching his head. "Though I don't know where I was…"
"Thank you," Negi said. "I guess things have been getting complicated… with Konoka, that monkey woman, the Heartless, one of my students confessing to me…"
"Umm… Asuna told me about that," Sora added quickly.
"S-she did!" Negi asked, his eyes widening in surprise. "B-but if that gets out I might get fired from my teaching position!"
"Don't worry, I have a feeling everything will go fine," Sora smiled. "That girl knew you couldn't answer her and she was okay with that. She admires you… so why don't you settle things with friendship?"
Negi nodded furiously. "Thank you Sora-san!" He looked around. "It doesn't look like the Heartless are coming back. Let's go back inside."
----
And as the three heroes arrived back at the hotel foyer, it looked like a madhouse. There were several girls squatting further back, there was a mess of towels and pillows everywhere, and the entire place was still screaming of activity. "What's going on here?" Sora asked with a raised eyebrow.
Negi noticed from one side that Nodoka was approaching him, with Yue not far behind. "Miyazaki-san!"
"Ne… Negi-sensei…" Nodoka whispered.
"Um… about this afternoon…"
"No, we don't have to talk about that!"
"I… I'm sorry Miyazaki-san." Negi bowed. "To like someone… I still don't understand. I mean, I like you but… as a student, as a student!" He hastily corrected. "Just as I like all my students. I can't give you a proper answer but… how about we start off as friends?"
Nodoka stood silently for a second, then smiled. "Okay!"
After an awkward silence, Negi spoke up again. "L-let's get back."
"Yes!" Nodoka agreed and began to walk towards Negi.
This is the exact moment Yue and Sonic saw golden opportunity. Almost as if they had coordinated this from the beginning, Yue stuck her foot out and tripped Nodoka. Sonic pulled a fast one and managed to trip Negi as well before anyone even registered that they saw him.
Both Negi and Nodoka fell into each other, their lips colliding.
"Awah! I'm sorry!" Nodoka blushed heavily.
"I'm sorry too!" Negi backed away nervously.
Sora thought something about that accident was odd. His suspicions were confirmed when he heard a voice yell "GOOOOAAAALLL!" right outside the window. He turned to see Sonic pump a fist in victory.
"Huh? Sonic?"
Sonic realized just a moment too late Sora saw him. "Wha? Oh, oh SHIT." He sped out of sight, and Sora groaned. That hedgehog has some explaining to do.
(Heh,a new chapter at last. Writing Sonic in this episode was a hoot. I hope to get episodes out faster.
NEXT TIME: Negi, Sora, and Asuna finally pave a secret mission to get to Kansai headquarters, but it looks like the bad guys are on intercept mode! And Cygnus finds out he's not the only one with feelings for Konoka!
Note: Honya is Japanese for "bookshop", hence Nodoka's obsession with books and her nickname being Honya-chan. )