Mahora Sensei Keitaro!

Written by Shaun Garin

Love Hina and Mahou Sensei Negima! are owned and created by Ken Akamatsu. All characters used for entertainment purposes only.

Chapter 7 : Keitaro and the Twilight Princess

"So what did you get for number three?" asked Keitaro as he cradled the phone underneath his chin. One hand tapped at the notebook he held in one hand as Tama-chan rode around on his shoulder.

"Fourty over sine," said Naru on the other end. "Hey look, Keitaro, I was wondering about something. Are you planning on going back to Sasaki Seminar?"

"Pretty much resigned myself to it," answered Keitaro as he crossed the room and let Tama-chan down from his shoulder to a small bag of take out dangos. "This is my weekend anyhow so I'm probably going to take the time to attend the weekend seminars. Haitani and Shirai already got into College anyhow; Haitani got into his first choice and Shirai into his second so we won't see them around."

"And they are?"

"My friends," said Keitaro, heaving a sigh. 'Figures, no one remembers their names anyhow at times,' he thought wryly. "In any case, yeah, I'm going to Sasaki this weekend barring any teacher-based problems."

"That's good then. Hey I gotta get going. I think the brat is getting himself into trouble again."

"Right, talk to you later Naru." As Keitaro hung up, he could have sworn he heard the sound of Motoko's sword techniques being launched in the background. Turning back to his work, Keitaro stared at it for a long moment before folding up the book. "C'mon Tama-chan, lets get something to eat."

"Myuh!" agreed Tama-chan as she floated upwards to rest on Keitaro's head.

Mahora Academy City was an interesting place to live and visit. The streets and houses and buildings were all built in a European style of the Old Country with cobblestone walkways, elegant street lamps with flourishing gardens on either side of the streets. People from the youngest of all Elementary and the highest level University and College level students lived on and around campus with access to high class facilities that rivalled even the famous top-ranked school of Tokyo University. A mix of traditional Japanese food stands, western restaurants and clothing of all types that catered to the standard student to the high class tourists and people of all ages gathered itself around Mahora. Mahora also sported one of the best technological branches of the Eastern World, having robotics and technology that rivalled even the most eccentric of all people in Tokyo University and the surrounding corporations that funded the research into egotistic and unique manners of technology. Many believed that some people sold their souls to science, a scary thought indeed although it was mostly a real fact rather than hushed rumour.

In this realm of people there were two of the highest ranked scientists of the area; Lingshin Chao from China and Hakase Satomi both from the class of 3-A. Lingshin Chao was easily the wealthiest and the most popular student of her time if mainly to the College-level tech heads. It was through a combined effort of the pair of Chao and Satomi that they had created the first Artificial Intelligence known as Chachamaru, a fully functional robot girl or gynoid as the accurate term would be. With an ever growing learning algorithm imbedded into her personality matrix, Chachamaru was one of the most gentle souls that anyone could meet and deadly on the battlefield.

It was here, that a little girl came skipping into the room, poking at everything.

Kaolla Su was someone whom people feared after meeting her, if not for her brains but for her complete lack of sane reasoning. Currently, dressed in her school uniform of Hinata Junior High, she wandered the halls of Mahora Colleges' Technology Building, poking her nose into every experiment possible. One of the men, a young man dressed in a lab coat with dishevelled brown hair looked up and called out, "Hey, kid, you shouldn't be in here."

"That's not a standard seifuku," remarked another, similarly dressed in a lab coat and had messy black hair. "Wonder where she came from."

"Eeew, you use a positronic flow?" remarked Su, poking the dials. "It's better to use Mark Ten Raedon Outputs!"

The first tech boy looked affronted. "Excuse me little girl? We're using Positronic Flows because they're the best money can buy! Where else would we find Mark Ten Raedon Outputs with a budget like ours?"

Su grinned as she held up a remote and clicked a button. There was a sound of a whine of turbines and a turtle floated into the room, only this one was metallic, had a remote antenna and across the belly was written in sloppy Hiragana was "By Su". She grinned and manoeuvred the turtle around in a high speed course. "Presenting Mecha Tama Version 2.0! Now without Umbilical Cord! I have a Mecha Kamo-kun Version 1.0 somewhere around campus."

There was a loud screaming sound and a rather nasty sounding explosion from the other room. "Whoop, there it is!"

The first scientist looked at the Mecha Tama and swallowed. "I don't believe it, the little girl is using a Mark Ten Raedon Output to fuel it! And... it's practically a CHILDREN'S toy!"

"Miss, where did you get this kind of technology?" asked the second in complete and utter awe.

Su grinned. "A mad scientist NEVER tells! Nyah ha ha!" With that, she punched a button on Mecha Tama's controller that was curiously cobbled out of a N64 Controller and the pair zoomed off with Su hanging off it's wing.

The first scientist looked at the second and said, "You know, if we persuade her, we could get the funding we need for Hakase-sempai's new machines!"

The second looked at the first and grinned. "To the mecha capture pods!"

"Sure is lively here today," said Konoka as she walked alongside Keitaro and Tama-chan. "What do you suppose is going on?"

"Beats me," said Keitaro with a shrug as a parade of mechanical robots piloted by several members of the Technology Club zoomed past. "Maybe a demonstration?"

There was a thunderous detonation as many people went flying with yelps of terror and was accompanied by a loud and very distinctive laugh that sounded eerily like "Nyah ha ha!" Keitaro, Konoka and Tama-chan shared a glance and chorused, "Su?"

"Aiyeee!" With a crash and a shout of "Back, elbow, shoulder!", a distinctly charcoaled man tumbled to a halt. "Ugh," he moaned. "That girl's Mecha Tama and Mecha Kamo are unstoppable! And where'd she get that big gun too?"

"Su," the trio affirmed and Tama-chan Myuhed. Taking off into a run, several more people went flying in their direction. Ducking and weaving through the falling bodies, the trio skidded around the corner to see Su laughing on top of a broken pile of mecha. Keitaro slapped his forehead and Konoka giggled. "Oh for petes sake," grumbled Keitaro as Su jumped down from the pile of broken mecha and wound up into a spinning roundhouse kick that knocked Keitaro to the ground. "Ow."

"Heyas you two!" greeted Su. "And Tama-chan, my greatest nemesis!"

"Myuh?" asked Tama-chan, a flipper to her mouth in pointing.

"Yes! So have you decided to live in my belly now?" drooled Su.

"Myuh!" Tama-chan bit Su on the hand and Su yelped and jerked her hand back.

"Tama-chan, that wasn't nice," admonished Konoka.

"Such a evil and vile creature!" exclaimed Su. "The time for the final showdown is at hand! Come, Mecha Tama and Mecha Kamo!"

From the pile of broken machines erupted the two mechas. One was the aforementioned Mecha Tama. The other was a sleeker and more streamlined Kamo-kun type mecha with white plating, the "By Su" on its belly and a cigarette that shot a laser at Tama-chan who Myuhed in shock and flew away.

"Nyah ha ha! You won't escape!" Shouted Su as her machines went into a pursuit mode and she followed afterwards.

Keitaro sighed, got off the ground and said, "C'mon, lets see about catching up."

"There she is!" Exclaimed one of the Technology Club members. "Satomi-sensei, she's the one!"

Satomi Hakase eyed the girl who was picking up a broken Mecha Tama and Mecha Kamo as the Turtle she was chasing seemed a bit too smug for her own good. The mechanical arms on either side of her giant mecha backpack twitched and she walked up to Su. "Hey, kid."

"Hmm?" asked Su as Keitaro and Konoka caught up.

"The name's Hakase Satomi and so far, you've been resisting capture."

Su grinned. "Oh you mean those second class War Bots? Oh yeah, I've dealt with them before."

Hakase's eyebrow twitched. "Second... rate?"

"Uh oh," chorused the Technology Club and then backed off as Hakase went into a slow burn.

"Yeah," said Su, oblivious to her growing anger. "I mean c'mon, who uses Fission Generators? I'd use Quantum Singularity Regulators in those. And those lasers? They're just military grade, not Heavy Corp grades. And the turning speeds slow too..."

"Why... YOU...!" Satomi's robot arms snapped up and fired a huge beam of energy that carved its way towards Su who merely jumped away with a laugh. "How DARE you! I built and designed each and every one of those!"

"Oh, those are yours?" asked Su with the same friendly smile on her face. "Well you work with what you have."

"ARGH!" Satomi enunciated as she fired more beams of destructive energy. Su cackled and dodged and leapt up high in a spinning arc.

"ADEAT!" Shouted Su as her huge gun coalesced into her hand. Many members of the Robotics Club flinched and dove for cover. "So you wanna play rough, do ya? Take the Su Special!"

The beam of energy ripped through the ranks of the Technology Club and Satomi found herself flung back by the sheer force of the blast. Skidding to a halt and getting to her feet, Satomi's arms reached down and picked up a huge piece of cement. "You two-bit hack!" Screamed Satomi as she flung the debris at Su who laughed and returned fire.

Keitaro looked at the pair fighting it out and then said, "Konoka-chan, does your grandpa have good insurance on this place?"

"Yep," said Konoka.

"Good, I'd hate to be paying for this."

"Stand still and be vaporized!" Screamed Satomi.

"Nyah ha ha!" Returned Su as she returned fire.

"Myuh," said Tama-chan and Konoka nodded.

"Su I can't believe you DID that!" exclaimed Keitaro. "What am I supposed to tell Naru-san?"

"Aw c'mon, that's nothing," grinned Su. "My brother can do more damage than THAT!"

Satomi gave Su a death glare. "Hmph, this doesn't change a thing. I still hate you."

"I love you too," grinned Su and she kissed Satomi on the cheek.

Konoka giggled as Satomi indulged in some good old spitting and gagging. "So, Su, are you here on vacation?"

"Yup! I just decided I wanted to visit this place. Thinkin' of transferring here in the fall semester," said Su with a grin. Keitaro stumbled.

"Fall? But, that's three or four months away barring Summer Vacation!" exclaimed Keitaro. "And... you'll be in Junior High till early March anyhow!"

"Yep," said Su cheerfully. "But I wanna come here! Cause I like you and I wanna study you lots!" Su jumped onto Keitaro's shoulders and ran her hands through his hair. "You're interesting Keitaro. Your hair's so soft and your skin's like a girl..." She giggled and rubbed her face up against his, somehow contouring her body so that she was nearly bent over. Keitaro blushed. "You're so cute... you wanna sleep with me tonight?"

Keitaro went red and he flailed his arms. "Su, aren't you too young for that!" Satomi had a shocked expression on her face and Konoka was brilliant red but giggling madly.

"If you come alone tonight, could you bring a pie or something?" drooled Su. The others fell over in shock.

"Ugh..." said Keitaro. "You know Su, there's no guarantee that you'll be in my class."

"No worries!" Exclaimed Su as she waved a stack of bills with elephants on it. "I have my ways ya know."

Satomi plucked a bill out of Su's stack and examined it. "Hey, wait a minute... oh my..."

"What's wrong, Hakase-chan?" asked Konoka curiously as the group stopped for crepes.

"Su... where did you get this money?"

"From my homeland," said Su innocently. "I know the exchange rate is kind of stupid this year but..."

"Stupid? Su, one of these Molmol Dollars are worth nearly twenty British pounds!" Screeched Satomi and both Keitaro and Konoka hit the ground in shock.

"Molmol?" asked Keitaro from his prone position.

"Aw, I wanted to keep that a secret," pouted Su. "Aw well! It's true, I'm from Molmol, an island nation just straddling the international date line."

"That would explain it," muttered Satomi, having blanked out in shock. "The amount of technology in a single machine, your gun, the robots, the casual use of high level machinery, you're from Molmol, the largest technological force on the planet! But to have THAT much money..."

"I'm just well off," said Su with a grin as she pulled her wallet out from her skirt and held out a huge stack that was clearly marked in the several thousand dollar equivalents. "So, you want some? I have lots!"

Satomi whimpered. "Take me I'm yours."

Konoka leaned over to Keitaro as they righted themselves. "I think Satomi's in love."

"Or willing to call a truce," said Keitaro with a wry smile.

"Here. You want to reinforce this part to add extra thrust," said Su, stabbing at a set of blueprints that was clearly labelled "Mecha Tama-chan Version 3.0."

"But what about the heat? Maybe take that part out for more heat sinks," said Satomi.

"Naw, this'll do it," said Su, scribbling down several more things onto the blueprint.

"A nanotech heat displacement system? Su, that's going to run us into the millions of dollars!"

"No worries, I'll have it here in a few minutes," said Su with a grin. There was a knock at the dormitory door and Su answered it. "Hello!"

The man spoke in an intelligible dialect and she scribbled down something on the pad he held. "Here it is," said Su, plopping it down. The box was labelled with the three eyes of Molmol Delivery Service, any time, anywhere and instantly. Satomi grinned back at Su.

"Have I told you I love you?"

"On many occasions," giggled Su as the two mad scientists went to work. Across the room, Keitaro and Tama-chan were marking the days assignments while Konoka worked on her homework. "Hey, Kei! You going to mark all night?"

"I suppose so," said Keitaro. "I'll finish the rest across the weekend though."

Konoka yawned and stretched her back. "Hmm."

"Something the matter?" asked Keitaro.

"I was thinking that Takamichi-sensei used to give us pop quizzes. Best of ten and whoever doesn't get more than six points has to do it over till they get it right. I think the Baka Rangers are starting to slip again since Asuna and the Bakas are in a marathon study today."

"That's an idea," said Keitaro. "Thanks Konoka-chan."

"Wow, look at that moon," said Satomi as she looked out the window. "It's already dark. Su, where are you staying tonight? Um, Su?"

Su stood, staring at the moon which was glowing a warm red color. "I must go..." she said and Su opened the window.

"Huh? Su, this is really high up, I think... SU!" Satomi grabbed for Su as the girl launched herself out the window. Keitaro and Konoka joined Satomi in an effort to grab Su but the girl merely floated to the ground. With slow deliberate steps, she walked, bathed in the moonlight. "What's going on? She's acting like she's possessed or something!"

"C'mon, I have a bad feeling about this," said Keitaro as the three plus the turtle headed out the dorm.

"This way," said Satomi. "I slipped a tracking beacon on her previously. Didn't think I'd have to use it now."

Threading through the streets of Mahora, the small group soon came upon the plaza in front of the World Tree. Satomi held up the tracking device and it beeped once and died. Slapping her hand to the side of the machine, Satomi cursed. "Blast, she's not here! Where'd she vanish too?"

"Wow, it's creepy out here tonight," said Konoka. "Look at the World Tree."

Keitaro tuned to look at the World Tree. The boughs blew in an unseen wind as the red light poured through the branches and the leaves, turning the whole tree blood red. "Creepy," echoed Keitaro. "C'mon, lets try to find Su out here."

"Hold on!" called out Satomi. "Something's not right."

Konoka shivered. "I feel it too. What is it?"

You who possess the right of the pact, I am one who is bound to the Mana of the land.

A glowing ball of light emerged from the trunk of the tree and the two students and the teacher plus a turtle stepped back. The ball, glowing a soft reddish brown light formed into hands, feet and a delicate body. Clothed in ethereal silks, a womanly form emerged from the tree. I am the Twilight Princess. You three who possess the right of the pact, stand here before me. What is your wish?

"What? What's going on?" asked Keitaro. "Twilight Princess? Wha?"

"I thought she was just a legend," said Konoka softly as Satomi and Keitaro turned to her. "They say that on nights of the full moon, when it turns red, the Twilight Princess emerges from her slumber to grant one wish."

"So it is true," said Satomi softly. "The tree is magic."

Your wish is but a desire. Speak it, and it shall be done. But listen to the three rules of the Mana. I cannot bring anyone back from the dead. I cannot kill anyone. And I cannot make anyone fall in love with anyone else. Else wise, the pact will be formed.

"Um, can we get a moment to think about this?" asked Keitaro and the spirit nodded. Hunching down in a huddle with the other two girls, Keitaro said, "Okay, we have no Su and one shot at a wish of anything we want. What SHOULD we wish for?"

"Maybe more funding for the school?" asked Satomi. "The clubs drain a HUGE amount of revenue."

"Perhaps something for the students who are struggling to pay tuition," suggested Keitaro.

"Or something for one of us," said Konoka.

"Myuh," suggested Tama-chan.

The turtle proves a point. There is a long standing promise linking the one named Keitaro to another. If you wish it, I will grant a reunion with her.

Keitaro jerked in shock. "A reunion... with... her?"

"Kei-kun, bye bye!"

"I..." said Keitaro. "No, I can't wish for that. Not when there's so much we can do with it." Getting to his feet, Keitaro turned towards the spirit. "I'm sorry but can we put this on hold for a while?" he asked, a sheepish grin on his face as he rubbed the back of his head with a hand.

"Hold it, Sensei," said Konoka. The normally smiling girl looked serious as she folded her arms. "I think you should wish for a reunion, or at least the identity of the girl."

"But... all the people who could benefit from this," protested Keitaro. "I can't use this for myself. It wouldn't be right."

"Sensei, I've only known you for a day, but you're kind and generous," said Satomi. "I'd just use it to get all the technology I'd need. So it's not completely selfish."

"Myuh," added Tama-chan.

Is the wish of a personal desire?

Keitaro inhaled sharply, let it out and turned back to the Twilight Princess. "Princess, I wish for the identity of the one I made a promise to."

So be it.

Below the Princess, a glow of sigils appeared in the ancient Turtlese language as they spun around. Light flashed and the tree glowed an unearthly red light. Across the campus, Evangeline stumbled and spilled her tea. Kazumi's wand glowed the same eerie light. Headmaster Konoe looked out the window and sighed. And to the west in Hinata House, Negi Springfield felt the power scatter across the land.

The light spun into a maelstrom of power as the Princess was uplifted. From her chest, a piercing beam of light struck Keitaro into the head and he rocked backwards from the impact.

"You know, when two people who love each other to Tokyo U, they'll be together forever."

"Say Mu-chan, you wanna go?"

"Na-chan, you wanna go?"

"Lets go together!"

As the light penetrated Keitaro's mind, the clouds began to roll over the moon. Like a switch flipped to the off button, the light terminated abruptly and both the Princess and Keitaro collapsed to the ground like puppets with their strings cut. Konoka supported Keitaro before he could hit the ground and Satomi ran up and caught the girl who was surprisingly light. "Sensei!" cried Konoka. "Sensei, wake up!"

Tilting his neck back, Konoka checked a pulse. "Weak," she muttered to herself as she made sure he was still breathing. Meanwhile Satomi checked the Princess over and brushed her hair away from her face. Letting out a gasp, Satomi called out, "Konoka! I think I found Su."

"I feel sorry for Na-chan, she doesn't have a mommy."

"Hey, do you want to go to Tokyo U with me Na-chan?"

"Na-chan..."

"Mu-chan..."

"Do you think you will remember me after so many years?"

"I promise."

"LIAR!"

"Oh me, oh my," said Otohime Mutsumi as she stepped off the train. "This isn't Hinata City." She giggled and placed a hand on her head as a gust of wind signified the departure of the train and the call of "Final Train now leaving Mahora Station!" echoing in the station. "Oh dear, the last train left. I wonder if there's a hotel here?"

With that, Mutsumi stumbled off into Mahora Academy City.