Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).
Chapter Two: Beloved Reunion
"Riku-san and Kaoru-san are all right?" Kain demanded excitedly. "That's great!"
"In Avalon," Kamo agreed smugly. "They're safer than anyone, that's for sure. We'll definitely be seeing them in Orimus, no problem."
"That leaves three we haven't heard from at all," Chisame remarked. "Hinamori, Ayase, and Fukukaichô. However," she added easily, clapping Kain comfortingly on the shoulder, "if it's those three, there's a very good chance they're doing just fine wherever they are, right?"
"T-that's true…."
"Hinamori," Aiden murmured with a chuckle. "If it's Momo, she's probably well off, too. She's probably in Soul Society."
"I'd say that's a good bet," Kamo agreed. "I can tell you through my power that her card and artifact, and therefore, her, are nowhere in this world. There's a very good chance, almost a certainty, that your students were sent, first and foremost, to any place connected to them. Momo certainly would have been drawn to the Soul Society."
"But if that's the case, why hasn't she contacted us?" Chisame demanded. "It's been almost two months…I don't know much how this Soul Society works, but to be silent that long…I heard she even sent letters there from the school (somehow or other…)."
"Because of the condition of this world," Kamo explained. "Cutting Arcanus Myrror off from Earth caused a time distortion between the magic world and the old world. Although two months have passed for us, less than a week has passed back on Earth. And Soul Society is actually connected more to Earth than Arcanus Myrror, so, in our perspective, only a few days have passed for them over all this time."
"Really? That would have been nice to know earlier," Chisame muttered. "Well, I guess it wouldn't make too much difference in our strategies, but at least it means our families back home won't be missing us yet."
"Right. In any case, even if they got Momo recovered quickly and prepared what they could, it would be longer than this before we'd hear from them. As for Yuecchi…something's up with her, but all I can say is that she's all right for now, wherever she is…I've felt her using her contract card recently, although it seemed cut off for a while before that." Kain stared at Kamo in shock, but the ermine continued, "Erika-chan is the one I'm worried about. She has no contract card, and while she can handle herself, if she gets caught in a bad place…her dependency on blood, her status as a vampire, so many things can go wrong for her. But…on the other hand…at least there've been no news about a rampaging vampire, outlaw vampire being caught, or anything of the sort, and I've been checking everywhere for all those stories constantly, so there's definitely hope."
"Yeah…."
Aiden considered Kain for a moment, and then said, "Well, you can worry about it, Kain, but it won't do any good. They're your nakama, right? Your comrades? You have to believe in them. Of course you're doing all this for their sakes…but you can't do anything for them now. All you can do is prepare yourself to help them when the opportunity comes. So, that means we need to get back to it. So, show us how you're doing. Activate your 'True Kanka'."
"Right." Kain did so, swiftly, almost too naturally, and power began to flare off of him. His hair seemed to lighten, his eyes radiated visible energy, and an aurora radiated out from his shoulders. The air around crackled with energy and a clear sky almost seemed to be storming just from his presence.
"Nice, nice." Aiden nodded. "It's definitely a good start. You're more than ready to take care of your tournament…you need to head back to help your friend Kenjirô finish up your league."
"Right." Kain let the power go and smiled slightly. "I can't wait to see what he thinks of this…."
8-8-8
The giant rock floated through the skies over Kanev, a piece of the former floating land rendered a novelty by the disaster that had befallen it twenty years ago. Inside the massive rock, hidden with an entrance in one small black cave, was an iron-bound fortress. And within three figures of varying sizes considered the matter at hand.
"The magical currents will reach their full potential in three weeks' time," Dynamis grumbled. "Everything is on schedule…."
"Of course," replied Eminus. "That's the purpose for which we were made, after all. Still, I think being on schedule will be a bit boring…."
"Says the one who didn't lift a finger these past two months," Nagi chuckled. "There's been lots going on…and not everything in our favor." He turned to his left, where a shadowed body floated inside a giant tank of some amber liquid.
Suddenly there was a flash, and behind Eminus a figure appeared. "Good day, Eminus-kun," Kinue greeted him. "I have a report…the two princesses are almost to Orimus, along with their many bodyguards…."
"So, they've made it past the plethora of bounty hunters…" Eminus murmured. "Being wanted criminals is making their journey difficult. Despite the efforts Nagi engineered, there was no success in taking them, and that opportunity won't come again for a while. With security more lax at the Festival, we will have better opportunities then. While the Crystal Princess is no longer necessary, she will certainly be useful…and more than that. Keep up your surveillance."
Kinue sighed. "Ah…but I'd rather cut them up, not watch them…especially since it's so tough with Erika-ojô-sama here right under my nose but beyond my reach."
"Enough. Put up with it for just a bit longer."
"Right." Kinue's expression became excited again. "Well, in any case, I have other news. It seems Kain-kun completed his tournament alongside little Kenjirô-kun, and they're heading to Orimus for the preliminaries of the Kalan Lockeheart Cup…and, furthermore, Kain-kun has begun training under the tutelage of Aiden Rylack."
Dynamis raised his head and noticeably tensed, despite his heavy clothing. "Aiden…Rylack…."
"Is that okay?" Kinue asked carefully, some unfathomable emotion on her face. "At this rate, Kain-kun may…."
"It's fine," Eminus replied. "With everything going so well right now…Kain-kun's the only fun I'll have. I'm really looking forward to our next meeting. After all…he's the only person…to ever hit my face twice…."
8-8-8
November 11th, 40 km east of Orimus. A flying airship, approaching the capital.
"Thanks for the lift, Dolphin-san," Hinagiku thanked the aquatic individual, a man (woman?) who really did look like a land-walking two-legged ocean mammal.
"Yeah, yeah…that isn't really my name, you know…."
Hinagiku apologized while the rest of the group stared out the window. "An island floating in the sky…I wonder what it'll be like…" Kagome murmured.
"Bah, what do you think?" Inuyasha grumped. "It's a floating island. Big deal."
"In any case, you girls need to make sure you keep a low profile," Kajirô murmured. "You're still wanted criminals, you know."
"Ah, c'mon, Kajirô-kun, don't be so serious!" Mai scolded. "I mean, this will be a pretty big thing, you know? None of us are used to magic like this…."
"Well, even if it's a festival, it will be dangerous if you girls are found out," Yoshimori agreed. "Just make sure you're in disguise by the time we land."
"Oh, I see it!" Shippô yelled excitedly. "There it is! The legendary floating capital of Orimus!"
It wasn't just a floating island…it was a collection of small landmasses hovering in the air, with mountains, forests, large sections of city, and even rivers and streams running through it and down off the side to create beautiful crashing waterfalls, and a lake in the middle of one of the larger landmasses. The girls all caught their breath, and even Inuyasha grunted a comment about it.
"Orimus' end-of-the-year Memorial Festival," Tokine narrated. "It starts on the 13th and then runs through December to New Year's. It's intended as a grand gathering of all nations and races, to meet together, mingle, interact, and pray for peace. It's the greatest festival of this world, held every year here in Orimus."
"And that barely scratches the surface," the dolphin pointed out. "Even if you say 'praying for peace', that doesn't mean it's a stiff and formal religious ceremony or anything. It's a time of enjoyment and thanksgiving, business and pleasure! They have a pretty huge emphasis on discouraging discrimination against race, gender, social status, nationality, religion, and all the rest. Because of that, there are merchants, mages, beastmen, elfin folk, young and old, male and female, even wanted men and rogues from all over the world. It's absolute chaos! You can't wave your identities around, but as long as you're circumspect you should be fine there.
"It has duels, gambling, games, businesses, vendors, and everything you could imagine. And that's all on a normal year. This year is the twentieth anniversary of the end of the war, so it'll be even bigger and busier! I expect all you kids to have a good time and enjoy yourself to the fullest! But, make sure you keep your wits about you, okay?"
They finally settled down in the city's 'airport' and departed. With their 'criminals' properly disguised, they headed out into the big city….
And stared at the teaming streets of strange individuals. "It's just like the costume parade at the Mahora Festival," Kagome giggled. "Except that this time it's all real!"
"Even someone like Inuyasha doesn't look out of place around here," Shippô agreed, inviting punishment from the hanyô.
"Jeez, the name of Kalan Lockeheart is everywhere," Yoshimori murmured. "Look at that…'Kalan manjû'for goodness' sake…."
"Well, it's just food," Tokine chuckled. "Why don't we at least try them? Then we can say we've eaten 'Kalan manjû', at least…."
With a chuckle of his own, Kajirô purchased one for each member of the party, which they all consumed with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Then Kagome grew excited again. "Oh, look! Mai, Mai, look!"
"Hmm? What is it now?"
"Kain-sensei!" Indeed, a large flag advertising the Memorial Festival's fighting tournament—the 'Kalan Lockeheart Cup'—was headlined by an image of Kain's older alter-ego. "And Kenji-kun, too!" she added, noting the hanyô next to him in the image (but Kain's face, of course, was the most prominent one).
('Kain,') Mai thought with relief and a bit of pleasure. ('Look at you, trying to act all cool.')
"It looks like we'll really be able to see him soon," Hinagiku said with a relieved sigh.
"It almost seems like that's the only thought that got you on the airship and up here to this floating island," Yoshimori needled her.
"S-shut up! Don't talk about that! Don't mention the floating! This is solid ground, right? Solid ground…under our feet, we are fine…."
"She's almost okay with them now as long as we don't mention them, or as long as she isn't able to look at how high we are," Kagome remarked to Mai happily. "Hina-chan seems to be leveling up her willpower, too…."
"S-stop making fun of me…."
"If only others could level out of their faults so quickly," Kajirô sighed. "Especially Isumi-chan."
"Eh? What about her?" Tokine asked, surprised.
"She's disappeared again."
Indeed, a quick glance around revealed that their personal child priestess had indeed vanished once again. "She's blessed, so she never seems to actually get in trouble," Yoshimori sighed. "Still, I can't believe how frustrating that girl is…."
"How'd you manage to travel with her for over two months?" Inuyasha said.
"I guess we better split up and look for her," Mai sighed. "At least she isn't one of the ones with a bounty on her head…."
"That's true," Kajirô agreed. "And those bounties are still going to make our lives difficult. Still, we can afford some distractions right now, so it's not a big deal…as Yoshimori-san says, she is blessed, so she'll be fine. Perhaps we should split up our wanted women as much as possible for now, to keep from drawing too much attention?"
Kagome nodded. "Probably for the best. I see the 'Hotel Vivanica' that was recommended to us. Let's meet up over there in two hours. For now, Inuyasha and I will go this way."
"Kaji-kun and I will head this direction," Hinagiku put it next, selecting a path that, probably not coincidentally, led the furthest into the city proper and farthest from the island's 'shores'.
Mai glanced over her shoulder. "There's…something I've got to see. I think I'll head up towards that plaza there. I'll be good on my own, so I'll see you all later."
They watched her go. "That's…the Crystal Princess talking?" Kagome asked Hinagiku. The other girl shrugged. "You know, I was told that when we were scattered at the Gateport, we were sent to places our 'souls' or whatever might be connected to, so I ended up in a land my ancestors came from. That would also explain why we haven't heard from Momo, if she was sent to the Soul Society, which the last note we got from Kain-sensei's group suggested. But shouldn't Mai have arrived here, if she's a princess from this land?"
"She couldn't have," Tokine denied with a shake of her head. "It's because of what happened to this land. The disaster that destroyed it left it warped and distorted…for years, it was like a polluted or radioactive location. Magic wouldn't work at all, or only chaotically. It's only become inhabitable again over the last few years…many of the previous Festivals took place in the area around the country, not near the capital itself. Even now, warp magic like that wouldn't touch this place."
"Will that interfere with our plans to gate home from here?" Hinagiku inquired.
"I don't know for certain. I hope not…in any case, we should get looking, too. Yoshimori-kun and I will go this way…."
Mai's attention was split as she wandered about, part of her analyzing the lay of the land, memorizing locations, making plans for escape routes, and all the habits she'd acquired over three months of being on the run. One part was lazily riding on a small bubble of recollection from her previous 'life'. One was earnestly searching for clues of Isumi's passing, and the other was thinking about Kain, and the rest of their friends, so long separated….
She had chosen a place Hinagiku would never have followed her to, a walkway running along the 'shore' of the floating island. She paused in wonder to gaze at the clouds lining those shores like the sea, the floating marine life swimming through the air, and, most particularly, a temple-like gazebo some distance off in front of her. Memories burned at the back of her memory. ('This feeling, being above the clouds…scenery you never got in the old world. This place, so familiar…some of the happiest of my old memories….')
She traveled along the shore, heading for the gazebo, the voices, scenes, impressions flashing across the back of her mind. She arrived at the location and gazed across it in satisfaction. ('Yes, this is….')
"Hey, Mai, over here! Over this way!"
It was a voice she hadn't heard in years, but it was instantly recognizable. "Kalan," she murmured happily, and started up the steps toward the voice. She passed through the pillared arches and gazed across at the cloaked figure standing at the edge of the balcony.
Kalan turned and smiled at her. "Come on, the view's much better over here," he invited her.
Mai felt that she was a tiny child again, gazing up at the towering young man. Then, as her two realities clashed a little, the image faded…but, as she ran up the steps to pursue the retreating figure, she spotted a new figure in his place, one that, nonetheless, was nearly identical. Kain looked at Mai in shock, wonder, and surprise. "Mai…."
"Mai!" he finally cried excitedly, turning to her.
"Kain!" Mai returned, running his direction.
She threw her arms around him, much to Kain's surprise, but, almost instinctively, he returned the embrace. "It's really you," she murmured.
"Mai," he murmured back.
"I knew you were safe," she said, "but still….I'm glad to see you, Kain…."
"Y-you too, Mai…it's been…so long…."
"Ah," Isumi murmured from right next to them. "Mai-san and Kain-sama are sharing an intimate embrace…it seems they are much closer than teacher and student…."
This brought them apart in a hurry and they stared at the girl. "I-Isumi-chan!?' Kain sputtered. "W-what are you doing here? W-we, uh, we were just…."
"There you are," Mai said with a sigh, recovering from the surprise and embarrassment more quickly (due to sad recent practice). "You have got to stop getting lost." She turned an embarrassed smile on Kain. "Isumi-chan and some others came through to help us right before all the Gateports went down. We've only made it this far thanks to them…."
"Ah…sounds like you've had a time of it…."
"Oh, you wouldn't believe what we've been through! See, this one time…."
Mai began to describe some of her adventures to Kain, he listened with rapt interest.
"It certainly sounds like you've been busy," Kain laughed. "Magical beasts, bounty hunters…and the Obsidian Star…." There was a dangerous glint in his eye as his voice went low.
Mai looked at Kain closely. "Is it just me…or are you a little taller?"
"H-huh? W-well, maybe…."
"Wait a minute." Mai stood Kain up and suddenly began to inspect him, looking him over. Carefully. "You…what have you been involving yourself in all this time?"
"W-what are you talking about, Mai? You're talking strange…."
"No, no…you're…well, something's different, I can't put my finger on it, but it's definitely something!" She leaned in to glare at him. "You haven't been using my absence as an excuse to go and push yourself waaaay too hard again, have you?"
"A-ah, well, it's not like that," Kain murmured.
"No, it certainly is," Mai retorted. "Lemme guess. Considering this is you, you've been worrying yourself sick with guilt all this time, convinced that it's all your fault we ended up like this, and because of that you've gotten to the point where you have no choice but to 'get stronger' and did some crazy training to level up…." As Kain recoiled from the bull's-eye hit, she suddenly added, "Let me just say one thing: it's absolutely not any fault of yours that any of this happened, and nobody blames you for it in the slightest! So stop worrying and feeling guilty, all right?"
"Ah…right," Kain agreed easily. Mai stared at him in surprise. "But…making sure all of you return to Earth…and to Mahora…safely is my responsibility as your teacher. That's all."
Mai appraised him once again and smiled. "Well…I guess that part of you has grown up as well." She sighed. "Still, it's such a shame…we came here to find things out about Kalan…about your father…and we've ended up just in this kind of mess…."
Kain shook his head. "No. Actually, I've managed to pick up quite a bit of useful information about my father…."
"What, really!?" Mai burst out excitedly. "What?"
"No, I'll explain it all later, when there's time…when enough of us are together. It wasn't easy information to get, but…."
"Oh, here you are. Who's the girl? One of your students?"
"Aiden…." Kain turned and Mai looked in surprise as the fedora-adorned man approached.
Mai gazed at him in wonder and then smiled. "Aiden…so this is the 'useful information about Kalan' that you've picked up?' She rose and turned to the man. "Aiden…it's been a long time…."
Aiden stared at the girl quizzically. "Do I…know you…?"
Mai stared back, then smiled. "Well, of course you do! It's me, Mai…I should hope you remember me better than I remember you, considering…."
"Mai…little Mai!?" Aiden replied, almost shrieking. "Holy…wait, what!? You're…not a kid, you're…wait a minute….
"The 'Mai' on that bounty list is our little Mai!? What are we doing standing around here for!? We've got to go save her, we have to…."
"Easy," little Chisame said, leaping into view and kicking Aiden in the face. "She's right here and she doesn't need to be rescued. Get a grip!"
Laughing, Kamo came into existence on Kain's shoulder. "Really, Aiden…you had the name and the picture. You never even suspected it?"
"Of course not!" Aiden said almost hotly, brushing at his coat. "The last time I saw Mai…heck, the only Mai I remember is a little girl not big enough to go to kindergarten! And her name was Mai Alusia Hairen Takiva, not…what, Tokiha Mai? And she wasn't…so big…."
"Oi, where are you looking?" Mai asked carefully, trying not to sound too put off.
"Ahem," he coughed into his hand. "Anyway, why didn't you mention that, Kamo? Kain?"
"Never thought of it," Kain admitted simply. "I was worried about everyone…Mai's connection to the Crystal Princess was the least of my concerns."
"As for me, I knew you'd react this way," Kamo chuckled. "And I knew it was pointless to worry. Kain's needed you a lot more than Mai up to this point, you know."
Aiden sighed. "You're right." He stared at Mai again. "Well…I'd heard Takamichi had taken you to Japan after Gato died. So they finally fixed your, uh, growth problem? How'd you end up here?"
"It's a long story," Mai sighed.
"They…took her memories away," Kain explained. "She was just Tokiha Mai, a normal middle school, until I, uh, arrived at Mahora…she caught me using magic my first day there, and since then she was always neck deep in my adventures…until she'd gone so far we couldn't keep her back anymore…."
"I don't remember everything," Mai added. "I'm still…mostly Tokiha Mai…but I remember all of you…and I feel relieved knowing you're with us now, Aiden." She bowed to the man.
Aiden chuckled. "You better stop that…I'm an old man, and I shouldn't be getting too deeply involved in this now…but if it's you saying things like that I might be sticking my own nose in too far…."
Mai finally turned to the little girl with cat-ears who had been observing this scene in bemusement. "Is that…Chisame-chan?" she said finally.
"In the flesh," Chisame replied half-cheerfully. "Great disguise, huh? Anyway, I've been his proxy babysitter for you, and since you're here now, I'll turn him back over to you."
Kain chuckled in reply.
8-8-8
"WHAT!? Aiden Rylack of the Red Wings…Kalan Lockeheart's personal friend!?"
Most of the party was suitably agape at the VIP Mai had brought with her. They were excited to see Kain again, of course, and they greeted Chisame warmly and were relieved to have Isumi back, but for most of them, having braved the dangers of Arcanus Myrror for some time, the presence of Aiden Rylack was like an unexpected bonus.
"The famed 'Mage-Killer', 'Archaeologist', 'Master Treasure-Hunter'," Kajirô murmured. "We really have a member of the Red Wings here with us…."
"Oh, hey! If you're a friend of Kalan, you must have known my father!" Kagome said excitedly.
"Ah…you must be Higurashi Kagome, Eishun's little girl, right?" Aiden laughed. "Ha! This is a shock! How'd that straight-laced old samurai wind up with a beautiful daughter like this?"
"Is this guy really supposed to be somebody important?" Inuyasha, debonair conversationalist, demanded dourly.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome insisted harshly.
"Only to certain people," Aiden replied flippantly.
"Aiden Rylack is one of the most famous people in this world," Yoshimori informed him, but without much enthusiasm. "Well, being sealed away for fifty years, he's as foreign to you as all the rest of the stories you've been hearing. But now that Kalan Lockeheart is missing and presumed dead, he's considered the strongest human alive in this world." Inuyasha did grunt an acceptance from this reply.
"Well, there are all sorts of stories," Aiden said humbly. "I get names like 'Mage-Killer' and 'Ultimate Warrior', but really I'm just a simple treasure hunter, and I've been retired from that for a while now. I just came out of retirement to give you guys a bit of a tour of this world, and then, since you got in trouble, I decided to give you a bit of a hand with getting out of it. But I'm not a hero anymore, so I wouldn't expect too much of me. It's this generation's turn to play hero…."
"So you say," Isumi replied quietly. "But Aiden-sama is very pleased to be back in the fight again…."
"Ah, c'mon, little girl, don't play games like that with me…."
"Well, we'll see how all that goes," Kain replied standing. "In any case, let's get down to business. I've given you all the rundown of what's happened so far with everyone, but I'll recap: we're here with three main objectives: 1) Gather our party safely together here, 2) Find the Gateport and activate it and return to Earth, and 3) Do what we can to (safely!) interfere with the Obsidian Star while we're at it. Three is of minor importance; to begin with 1), we have Nanami and Rei out on their new stealth ship, gathering those of our comrades that they can; they already have several gathered with them. The other part of 1) involves freeing Izumi-san and the others from slavery, which should also be no problem—Kenjirô and I will do whatever it takes to win this tournament, and we should be more than capable at this point. That leaves 2)—and I'll need to have help with that point, once we've gathered a few more members."
Everyone looked at him seriously, and he continued, "Only a few of the islands of Orimus still float in the sky like this. The Gate should be somewhere around those ruins of the fallen city, but its exact location is unknown—most of the city is still specially controlled by the Halteese Republic, and information on the lost city is still heavily classified. If Yue were here, her artifact could probably get some of that information, but for now, we'll have to rely on regular reconnaissance."
"It's…the fallen city, down on the ground, right?" Hinagiku asked, perking up. "I think I would be a great help in finding it…!"
"Anything to get off the floating rock," Kenjirô murmured.
Kain shook his head. "No…it's too dangerous for you, Hina." As Hinagiku began to grow irritated at this dismissal, he continued, "Certainly, you are strong, Hina, but it's really more a mission for stealth…if fighting becomes involved, it may already become a lost cause, because it means being found by local authorities or Eminus' group. I'm thinking of asking Akari-san and Kiami-san to take care of it, with help from Rei and Nanami aboard the El-Hazard. For now, however, all of us can keep our ears open in case we hear something."
Hinagiku sighed and leaned back. "Oh, well, fine…."
"If they're disciples of the Yokohama schools, they're the better choices," Aiden agreed. "The biggest worry, of course, is the potential threat of the Obsidian Star, right? You girls might be tough, but some of you might attract more attention from them. Two masters of ki won't stand out as much, and they're far more used to hiding themselves."
"Exactly," Kamo agreed. "For now, everyone here should stay put. Don't worry—if you're stir crazy, I'm sure you'll get lots of opportunities for action. But for now, you should just relax and maybe enjoy this Festival."
8-8-8
Eminus and Kinue stood on one of the little 'asteroids' floating around the capital, watching the festive lights and fireworks in the darkness. "Ah…a Festival of Peace! It looks like fun," Kinue giggled. "So, they're starting the real festivities the day after tomorrow?" She glanced at her commander. "But, you're not that interested, are you, Eminus-kun?"
"I could say the same about you."
"Hehe…I've never gotten along with ordinary people that well. That's why I left the Sendô family, after all. But it's okay…blood and fighting are enough for me…."
Eminus suddenly grabbed Kinue and dragged her behind a larger rock outcropping. The woman yelped in surprise, but a moment later a ship burst into view from below and began to 'sail' through the sea of clouds around the various rock outcroppings of the foreign land.
"Oh…an airship? Those ships are becoming more and more common here in Arcanus Myrror…for a while, nobody wanted to use them for anything more than a rich man's ferry…."
"Just as a shadow mimics that which casts it, the magical world mimics the old world," Eminus replied. "With greater ships and aircraft becoming more prevalent weapons on that side, politicians who receive news from the old world have to imitate the fashions…but this one is of particular note. It is a flagship of Haruka Armitage, the Continental Orb Topaz." In response to Kinue's quizzical tone, he expounded, "She is a Crown HiME contracted to Yukino Chrysant, a senator of the Halteese Republic. The HiME of Garderobe were given unilateral authority over the Festival's security, due to their neutrality, and they have called on their graduates to assist them—an interesting political situation that lets each country feel involved in the defense while leaving all the power in the hands of Garderobe and its 'owner'. So that ship is loudly skulking around, looking for miscreants like us….
"Of course, even so, all three of the major powers have their own ships skulking around as well. This is a 'peace festival' in name only. Still, all of this political blundering is fortunate for us. With everyone's attention on each other, it is so much easier for us to make our moves unnoticed."
"Ah…well, I'm bored and frustrated," Kinue said brightly, "so can I go slice the people on that ship up?"
"…Were you even listening? We need to keep a low profile for a bit longer. Although I daresay you wouldn't have any problem slicing the people on that ship up, excepting, of course, the commander herself (if she is present)."
"If you say so." She glanced slyly at him. "So, this is it? The culmination of your plans? After all this time, I still don't know quite what you're after. What is the Obsidian Star's goal, anyway?"
"Quite simply, it is survival," Eminus replied in his same dull, bland voice. "We must have this world in order to survive. Our straits would not be so dire had Kalan Lockeheart not defeated us twenty years ago…now, this is our last chance."
"Indeed it is…which is why everything must be ready."
Nagi appeared behind them. They turned to him as he was joined by Van, Legretta, Dist and Arietta. "Everything's proceeding smoothly…our only setbacks so far have been for bonus points. Ah, but such bonus points…."
"You're still not done?" Eminus demanded. "As you say, nothing extra is necessary…."
"Indeed, but it will change the scope of everything," Nagi replied. "Once more, just to keep Kain-kun and his little Girl Scout troop on their toes, I'll say hello to them all."
"You may do as you like, as long as you don't endanger the overall objective."
"There's no chance of that. It's finally time; Van wants his share as well, of course, but this time I'm going to be putting my own pets to work…my real prizes."
There was a low-pitched whine as the sky behind him suddenly seemed to tear open, like monstrous mouths opening, nothing but blackness within the several tears. Three figures stepped out of them, all white-clad with swords and strange partial face adornments.
"Oh? So it seems you've completed your Soul Reaper friend's work. That is…interesting…."
"Because of this, I won't be requiring any of your little girls for the time being. But you have your own work for them, right? I'll leave you to it." And the boy and his collection vanished.
Eminus nodded as Alvaris appeared on his shoulders. "Let us begin."
He pulled a collection of cards out of his pocket and spread them out like a large poker hand in one hand. "Come, my disciples: Ellis, Vira-Lorr, Fyuria, Zerva, Luana, Winfield, Elaine, Yayoi, Sherufanir, Valeria, Noah, Faina, Lavinia, Ryuryu, Kairen."
They appeared before him to the accompaniment of magic circles, lights, and similar effects. They all, even Winfield, took a knee to present themselves to their master. "How prompt…" he murmured with a small smile.
"Can you tell us at least one thing, Aiden-san?" Hinagiku asked the man before they parted for the evening. "What is the objective of the Obsidian Star, anyway?"
Aiden chuckled. "What do you expect? They're an evil magic organization…they're out to 'destroy the world'."
"T-that's a little…."
"Simple? Childish?" Aiden smiled enigmatically. "Well, they are beings not of this world, or any familiar even to the most studied mages. They didn't come here to this world to have tea, after all. We don't understand everything, but from what we do understand, we know this: regardless of what their overall goals and desires are, if they accomplish them, this world as we know it will come to an end."
F I N
Author's Note: The Gathering
Perhaps that should have been the title of the chapter. The Gathering, not Author's Note.
We've skipped a bit of stuff, but we're getting to the meat and there wasn't much else to talk about…everyone's circumstances being in Orimus will be revealed (including how Izumi and the rest of the slaves and their ilk arrive) as they come up. Most of the details are unimportant. After his training, Kain returned to the tournament for the last few rounds, he and Kenjirô qualified for the preliminaries of the Kalan Lockeheart Cup, and so they came over. Aiden, of course, is following them, as is Chisame, the last member of the team left with Kain right now…until the reunion. Kain and Mai's reunion is emotionally significant…but all are happy to see each other again. Some of the added side characters have interesting ways of getting along and dealing with these others around….
The Aiden/Mai connection was one of the more difficult portions to plan out right. Ryan has been one of the most vocal in discussing how 'his character(s)' would handle certain situations and adjust to them, and his input has been invaluable. One of the random things I hadn't thought of was how Aiden perceived the Crystal Princess. Originally he would have been in the camp of 'if it's that dangerous, get rid of it'. But with a soft spot for kids, he couldn't really do anything himself, and would have grown fond of the child over the years of adventure with her. And, with her tragic circumstances leaving her in an eternal-child curse, he would have felt fiercely protective of and concerned about her. Not enough to abandon his own career to run around 'heroing' with Kalan, Eishun, Jynx, Takamichi and Gato—he felt she was in good hands traveling with them—but he would have been thinking about her for a long time…. There was even a suggestion that, if Mai were out in the wilderness lost, and not with Kain when they met, he would go storming off to rescue her most of all, knowing that she is potentially (because of her tragedies) the most vulnerable, as well as the one targeted by the Obsidian Star. That might have been interesting, but would not fit into my story. What do I do, then, without ruining the character…? (Incidentally, it's almost amusing he freaks out over a little danger Mai might be in after subjecting Kain to a death experience…. But it defines his character well.)
Then I realized that he never had to know…Kamo has been giving Aiden most of the low-down on Kain's adventures and circumstances, and so the details are up to him. Chisame talks about her a lot, but she is the kind to call her classmates by their last name, and always calls her 'Tokiha'. And Kamo, being more in tune with everything and even more pragmatic when necessary than even Aiden, would have, as he stated, simply neglected to mention her. Sure, Aiden's heard of Kain and his class, he's seen the bounty boards, but it's been ten years since he's heard anything of Mai, her Japanese name is completely different (not to mention written in an entirely different language with a completely different alphabet), and she is much older than the eternal child he's used to. Sure, he'd probably heard from Takamichi those years ago that Mai had been left in the care of Mahora, might even had heard that her age problem had finally been reversed, but those little clues are not necessarily enough to prompt him to realize her identity offhand…sure, if he had been studying her, but right now, he's more interested in Kain. He's expecting Kain. He's not expecting Mahora to send the Crystal Princess right back into the middle of this mess!
So, with all of that, here we are prepping the stage for the big event. Let's continue on….
