Kizuna
Saihatsu
Disclaimer: I don't own Negima. If I did, there would be more KonoSetsu moments :D
Summary: Alternate Universe. What happens when a member of one of the most feared underground assassin groups has to hold someone captive for an undetermined length of time? Lots of things – maybe even love? A KonoSetsu fic.
Notes: This fic contains elements of shoujo-ai. If you don't like it, it would be better not to continue reading.
Chapter One: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust.
And so we meet again…
"Hello! My name is Konoka. What about you?"
"S-Setsuna, Sakurazaki Setsuna."
"Ne, Secchan, will you be my friend?"
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"Setsuna!"
Steel tore into flesh. Stunned, Sakurazaki Setsuna could do nothing but stare even as the blade was pulled out and even as the body of her master fell on top of her.
And then there was darkness.
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Setsuna met with darkness as she opened her eyes. Shocked, she rose quickly, her mind only registering that she had been lying underneath a dead body after she smelled the stench of blood. Around her, the last embers of a huge fire flickered lighting up dead bodies and pools of blood. Turning around slowly, she looked over at the body that had been on top of her earlier. A spark of recognition ran though her brain and then the memories came flooding back.
For the first time ever, the Konoe family's guards had been forced to retreat to the very center of the Konoe compound. Even those of the Shinmeiryuu, who were undeniably one of the strongest sword wielders in all of Japan, had been defeated by the hands of a group of only twenty people.
Shakily, the eight-year-old Setsuna stood up and took a step, but faltered as the stench of drying blood and heavy smoke assaulted her senses. As she struggled to get up again, a figure emerged from the blanket of smoke heading straight towards her, but even as she was reaching for the nearest sword she could find, her vision began to blur, her legs began to give way, and her body began a quick descent to the floor.
The young man walked brusquely towards the young girl and chuckled. Swiftly, he carried her and walked away to where the other nineteen members of his little group were waiting.
A few hundred kilometers away, Konoe Eishun shuddered while he held a young girl protectively to his chest. His father-in-law was sitting next to him, eyebrows knitted deeply in thought.
"They weren't going to kill us."
Eishun turned, shocked by the comment that had broken the silence.
An image appeared of the eyes that stared him down when he had covered Konoka with his body to prevent her from being cut in half. They were eyes of a man who had killed before, but for a moment, he thought that he had seen regret reflected within their depths.
He remembered the blade descending faster than he thought possible before it abruptly stopped mere millimeters from his neck. A hand had grabbed the attacker's arm, and words were whispered into his ears.
It was silent for a short moment, and then the assailant had laughed, the almost inaudible sound echoing in the recesses of Eishun's mind, before suddenly turning around and walking away mumbling, "See you in nine more years."
"They were going to, but they changed their minds. They let us live. Why?"
Slowly, they turned to the sleeping Konoka and realized that the bright future they had planned for her would now be tainted by the inevitable presence of fear.
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Being able to study at Mahora Academy was perhaps a dream of almost every teenage girl. The campus itself was astoundingly beautiful. The architecture followed a classic plan, but was built so that it could be easily maintained to look new, and the garden behind the school could have been said to be a gift from Mother Nature herself.
Following the incident nine years ago, Konoe Konoemon immediately started drafting a plan for a school while his son-in-law commenced work on rebuilding their home. Three years later, the school was successfully completed and Konoemon took on a role as the headmaster. As expected, the school flourished with applications coming in from all over Japan.
And it was there that Konoka studied.
Smiling, Konoka walked to school with her close friend Kagurazaka Asuna and Negi Springfield, the young twelve-year-old teacher who was staying with them. The school year was coming to an end with only one week left before the holidays began… which meant that they had exams.
As Negi made his way to the front of the room, he noticed the sullen faces of his students and couldn't help but smile in affection.
"Okay everyone, please be seated. We're going to start our exams today with mathematics!"
A collective groan rose from his students as he handed out the exam papers. Before they could start, however, the headmaster's voice boomed over the intercom.
The school was being attacked.
Tatsumiya Mana smirked as another one of her bullets pierced through the skull of an unsuspecting guard. This mission was much easier than she expected it to be. One of the top schools in the country must have better security than this. Sighing, she nodded towards the gap that had emerged when the guards fell and her partner immediately dashed through, her body a blur, even as more guards came.
Sakurazaki better get this over with fast. With the speed of a trained gunman, she swiftly reloaded her guns and let bullets rain upon the guards once more.
Setsuna picked at the hem of her shirt. With Mana causing a ruckus outside, there were less people she had to avoid inside the school. As she ran up to the third floor, she took out the black envelope from her shirt pocket, looked at the photo inside and quickly burned it before hiding herself in the shadows in front of the stairwell. Sticking her head around the corner, she scanned the faces of the panicked students who were being escorted out of their respective classrooms for the face of her assignment.
By luck, she spotted her among the group of students that were heading her way. She waited for a few moments until her assignment walked past her hiding place, and then she quickly brought a bag, covered it over her captive's face and dashed away before anyone could catch her.
Less than a minute later, the occupants of the school saw smoke rise from outside the window and two figures disappearing in its hazy refuge. By the time the smoke cleared, they were gone, Konoe Konoka along with them.
Takahata Takamichi smiled as the news of the successful kidnapping reached his ears.
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Konoka felt herself being thrown against a wall before whatever it was that was covering her face was pulled off harshly along with the tape that was covering her mouth. It took her eyes a while to adjust to the sudden brightness, but when she did, she noticed that the room she was in wasn't a prison cell like she had expected. In fact, it seemed like a room in a well-furnished apartment. After a few seconds, she heard voices coming from behind the door.
"She is not staying here with me."
"Well, there's no way in hell she can stay with me. You know how Kaede gets when I have to share my bed with someone other than her. And furthermo--"
"No one's telling you that you have to share a bed with her."
"…………… And furthermore, she's already here. It would be inconvenient for me to drag her all the way to my apartment, Setsuna-chan."
Setsuna stayed silent, which led to Mana deciding that maybe she had to bring out the big guns to win the argument.
"Or, you know, I could inconveniently drag her all the way to my apartment and have a hot, steamy threesome with her and Kaede."
Three… two… one.
A blush appeared on Setsuna's cheeks as she stuttered out her reply.
"F-fine."
Laughing, Mana made her way towards the exit as she skillfully dodged the book that had been flung her way. The predictability of Setsuna's reaction to suggestive comments had saved her once again.
Setsuna let out a sigh as she saw Mana walk out the door. Slowly, she made her way towards the room her captive was in with a bowl of soup in one hand.
Konoka backed away from the door when she heard footsteps approaching. Hiding herself behind the door, she raised her arms up so that she could hit her captor as soon as the door was opened.
Unexpectedly though, as soon as her swung her arms downward, she found herself pinned to the wall, staring into a very familiar pair of dark eyes.
"… Secchan? Is that you?"
A moment of silence and then:
"I'm sorry. I don't believe we've met before."
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"Ne ne, Secchan… you'll stay here with me, right?"
"Of course! Always."
"Promise?"
"Promise. I'll protect you forever."
A/N: This is my first Negima fic, so I hope the characters weren't too OOC. In case you're wondering, in this alternate universe, Negi doesn't have his mage powers.
Also, if you read this, please leave a review. It'll be nice to know that there are people reading :D
