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 Five: The Captive Bird
Akari, Kiami, Hikaru and Delryn had been teleported to the battle ahead of time by the collection of skilled mages on board, and now everyone was gathered back on the great bridge of the El-Hazard…including Kagome, Hinagiku, and the rest of the party that had been in town (Natsu, of course, was quickly rendered powerless by the fact that they were on a moving vehicle, but Kain gave him a magical potion from his collection of treasures that eased his symptoms temporarily, much to his pleasure). There was some relief and joy of reunions, but it was generally subdued because of the weightiness of this new situation. Kagome and Tear were using their healing to tend to the wounds sustained by the fighters, but all were insisting on being present as Kisuke Urahara made his explanations to the party. Aiden was also present, watching from the back door.
Although Kamo led off. "Urahara Kisuke…long time no see, you old rogue!" the ermine chuckled. "Good that you've finally shown up. So, where's your little furry friend…?"
"Ahead…we'll get to that later," Kisuke chuckled, covering his mouth with a fan. Then his expression grew serious and he snapped the fan shut. "As I've already explained to Kain here, I am an old comrade-in-arms of Kalan Lockeheart, and, since your arrival here in Arcanus Myrror, I've been keeping track of certain things.
"First off, I already know for a fact that all but three members of your band are at least partially accounted for…it seems Miss Lina Inverse isn't present, but she has sent word of her situation and is simply delayed somehow. But there are three you haven't heard from: Hinamori Momo, Ayase Yue, and Sendô Erika. I am here to pass on information about all three of them.
"Firstly, regarding Hinamori Momo: some of your number have suspected that she was sent, during your mass exodus, into the Soul Society, and I can confirm the matter. I won't go into details about that here, but when Miss Tear Grants used the Gateport's energy to teleport the members of the White Wings to safety, the victims were scattered to the astral winds of Arcanus Myrror, and were drawn to those realms that had connections to them—as Higurashi Kagome, a girl of mage lineage, was taken to the land of Takamori, where her ancestors were priestesses connected to the land. Similarly, Hinamori Momo, as a hinigami, was magically transported back to the Soul Society."
"Wait a moment," Nanami suddenly insisted. "If that's true, then…why didn't Mai, who is a princess of this land, Kanev and Orimus, get transported here?"
"Orimus is in a different situation because of the war," Rin explained in the place of Urahara. "It is still out of sync with the rest of the magical world…a spell of that nature wouldn't have been able to bring her here. It's complicated, but that's the long and short of it."
"Thank you, Tôsaka-san," Kisuke said with a smile. He then continued, "In any case, I still have ways of getting information from Soul Society, even in this situation, and I have confirmed that Hinamori-chan is doing well and should be returning to you any day now. She is in no danger right now.
"Then there is Ayase Yue." He held up a White Wing pin. "This is her badge. Your Ayanami Rei-san can confirm this, yes?"
Rei stepped forward and took the badge from his hand. She held it up and let her magic work; the badge floated into the air above her hand and data began displaying in the air around it. "Yes…this is the badge belonging to Ayase Yue." She turned her cold stare on Kisuke. "Why is it in your possession?"
"Ayase Yue had a rough accident when she arrived," Kisuke explained. "She lost it then. Still, she arrived in just about the best position of any of your members, and she is being well taken care of by another one of Kalan Lockeheart's supporters. Although she cannot contact you right now, she is in good condition and will also be here soon. As I said, she had an accident that has complicated matters, but for now, she is safe, I assure you…she is not the one we need to worry about right now."
"I can vouch for that," Kamo said. "I'm connected to all the cards you contracted folks carry. Yuecchi's was silent for a long time, but recently—the past few weeks—I felt it activate, which can only mean that she was calling on her artifact, and on the contract. There have been a few instinctual draws on the power up to that point, but this full-blown activation was a sure sign that she's doing just fine. I couldn't tell anything more, though, because it's from somewhere on the other end of the world." He thought for a moment. "Also, I guess I should mention that some very interesting person used some very interesting magic on it, trying to find out more about it, not long after that activation. Do you have anything you'd like to say about that, Kisuke? I'm a little curious about her situation…."
"I'll tell you later, but right now, that's not the priority…."
"As long as Yue is safe, that's enough for now," Kain murmured, nodding. "But more importantly…the third out-of-contact person is Erika-san. I assume you took custody of Yue's badge because of that?"
Kisuke chuckled. "You certainly are sharp, Kain. Yes, I took 'custody' of Ayase-san's badge so that I could reverse-engineer it…they were marvelously made, but by someone who has no experience with Arcanus Myrror and the magic and potential present in this magic world. I've been a scientist for over a hundred years, and I've been in Arcanus Myrror for nearly that long, so no one knows this world or how to take advantage of its unique atmosphere better than I do. It may sound like I'm boasting, but I'm just excusing my theft.
"The point of it is this: I have located Sendô Erika-san. She's being held by the Obsidian Star at one of their bases, located here, in the ruins of Orimus."
Silence greeted this declaration. Just as it was about to burst into babble, Kain's power suddenly flared up, stunning everyone present. "Erika-san…she's been in the hands of the Obsidian Star for three months…?" He calmed down, letting his power go, and shook his head. "She's…the last person who this should have happened to. She's strong but…as a vampire…how is she doing about blood? Knowing them, they…they're either starving her horribly or…feeding her terribly…."
"I-I don't know," Hinagiku muttered. "We met some of them during our travels, and…most of them don't seem that bad…." Kain looked at her oddly, but she had already turned her head, trailing off and muttering. "No, that really depends," she conceded more loudly. "If it's that Nagi person who has his hands on her…that would be very, very bad…."
Kain turned a hard stare to Kisuke. "Can you take us to her, Urahara-san?"
Kisuke smiled slightly, unfolding his fan again. "She's in a major enemy lair—I can't say it's their main base, but it could be swarming with the Obsidian Star's strongest and most capable. I can take you there…but the real question is: are you going to be able to handle it?"
"We'll have to," Kain said curtly. He turned to address the assembled…honestly, army. "First, to the members of the White Wings: one of our number is, as we've heard, held by the enemy. There is no question about this. We can't begin to think of returning to Earth without her. I've been around with you long enough to know I don't need to say anything more: we have to rescue her." He looked around at all the assembled faces. "As for the rest of you…I don't have any right to demand or ask anything of you…I barely know most of you, I've only met you just now, and you've already done so much for my students, my companions, my friends. I don't have the right to even beg your help, so…."
"Really, that's enough," Jade interrupted, stepping forward with a sigh. "You're an interesting young man, Kain Lockeheart. I've never seen someone so strong-willed and impressive who was so reserved and careful with others. Colonel Jade Curtis of the Grandall military. If you're going to be talking about what's right and proper, I should be arresting you right now as the terrorist Randis Helam, an internationally-wanted criminal." He smiled slightly. "Obviously, that's out of the question for many reasons.
"The point is that all those assembled here apart from your White Wings have their reasons for being amongst the group. But we've already come all this way and gone this far for these girls…far be it from me to speak the minds of others as if I knew them, but it still seems obvious to me that we wouldn't be here right now if we weren't willing to help with at least this much."
"A damsel in distress is captive-bound!" Minsc crowed. "Her rescue is the heroic deed of legends all worthy heroes strive for! Isn't that right, Boo?"
"Fairy Tail won't back down from a fight," Natsu insisted. "If these guys have captured some of Nodoka's friends, we'll do all we can to go to the rescue!"
"I have a score to settle with the Obsidian Star myself," Inuyasha growled. "This is the perfect opportunity…."
Delryn's eye was on the man by the door, but he turned his attention to Kain and added, "I'm just an innocent bystander swept up in all this myself, but as Minsc says, rescuing damsels in distress is the kind of mandatory hero's work we live for, right? I'll help out this once."
"I hope you aren't believing that we'd actually back down from this," Rin chuckled. "We came here to help save and rescue your little class, after all. Let's get this done!"
Kain glanced around and nodded. "Thank you all. I won't say anything more about it, then. We head for the Obsidian Star's lair immediately." He turned to Kisuke. "If you would, please tell us everything you can about what we're facing, Urahara-san."
8-8-8
The El-Hazard approached the large asteroid floating in the magical air around Orimus. "That's it…their base of operations?" Kain demanded. "That's where they're holding Erika-san?"
"One of several bases," Kisuke replied. "For instance, that ray of light that retrieved their number in the battle before is called 'negación', an ability of the Menos Grande of Hueco Mundo. Nagi Homura—or, perhaps, Nagi Di Artai—is now the effective Lord of Hueco Mundo, the world of the hollows. But this base is, at least, where they are holding Sendô Erika."
Kain nodded and turned to his assembled army. "Are we all clear on the plan?"
Kenjirô smirked. "It's a pretty simple plan, really. Two forces: the main force attacks them at the entrance, distracting them and inflicting as much damage as possible, while the smaller force burrows into the bottom of their base, where Erika-san is being held, retrieves her, and escapes."
"Once Erika-san is secure, everyone pulls back and escapes," Kain insisted. "We don't leave anyone behind, but we don't linger if the fighting drags on that long. This is the Obsidian Star we're talking about, after all. We have a force, but that last battle we just had is only a taste of their power. We have no idea just what they'll be capable of."
Akari sighed. "I wish that I could go, too," she muttered despondently.
"It can't be helped," Hikaru said sympathetically. "You sustained more damage than anyone in that last battle, and, as fierce as it was, not everyone could be healed to full health. Besides, your absence is one of the selling points to the diversion—if we're keeping you in reserve because you're injured, it's just as likely that we're also holding back Mai-san, Kain-sensei, and the others."
"It certainly would seem prudent of us to keep Mai off of the front lines," Tear murmured. "But Kain-sensei is another matter…won't they be suspicious that he isn't part of the main force?"
"Perhaps," Kisuke agreed. "However, they have little reason to suspect that we'd try to make an entrance the way we're going. Most likely, they'll conclude that this is a distraction while we go after one of their other bases. It's a bit of a gamble, but it's the highest reward for the lowest risk. If it works out like we planned, both groups will encounter less resistance. If it doesn't…then we'll need every member of the infiltration team at their best."
The infiltration team would be made up of Kain, Mai, Hinagiku, Kajirô, Nodoka, and Kisuke himself along with 'a friend already there waiting'. The group was intended to be able to deal with any threat they encountered, but be small enough to get in and out quickly and easily. Between Mai and Hinagiku's anti-magic abilities, Kajirô's abilities to deal with particular threats, and Nodoka's ability to read the minds of any they did encounter, plus the general effectiveness of Kain and Kisuke, it was certainly a potent force. The rest of the group—excepting Akari, Kiami, Lucy, Shippô (with Myôga), Ami, Chisame, Kazumi and Nanami (with Kamo), who were remaining on the ship—would be the main force attacking the base head-on.
"We're almost within range," Nanami announced. "Everyone better take their positions!" She pointed out the window. "I'll be dropping the main group off at that rock so they can begin their assault."
"I'll lead off," Aiden announced, moving to stand over the elevator entrance. "Normally I wouldn't get involved, but this is a pretty major operation, and if I'm part of the initial assault, that will help distract them all the more."
"You're just waiting for a chance to show off," Delryn grumbled.
Aiden glanced back at the younger man, smiled slightly, and replied, "Well, if you want to show off for the ladies here, don't let me stop you."
"Aaaaannnddd…what's this about?" Kiami asked with extreme interest, glancing back and forth between the two men.
"Later," they said in unison and almost identical tone. Then the platform opened and Aiden descended down out of the ship.
8-8-8
Eminus sat watching the monitor. Kain and Grimmjow dueled before his eyes. "Kain-kun…he does seem quite different than before…that ability of his…."
Then an alert began to sound. As Eminus glanced quizzically at the lights, Fyuria came hurrying in. "Eminus-sama! We are under attack! And it's…!"
Eminus gestured at another monitor, causing it to display the frontal camera. There, perched on a smaller rock overhead, was the trademark fedora and duster of their attacker. "Aiden Rylack," Eminus murmured. "So he decided to get involved himself…?"
The bubble of his artifact rose up around him, and he began to rain fire on the building. He began with his higher-caliber explosive ordnance, raining missiles and RPGs onto the base to blast a hole around its entrance. Naturally, in sci-fi fashion, the base rocked and swayed slightly from the explosions.
"That insolent…! We'll go deal with him immediately, Eminus-sama…." Fyuria turned and began to run for the door.
"No." Eminus command brought her up short, and she turned to him in surprise. "There's no need to do so. This is just the preliminary…and it's a pointless battle."
"W-what are you talking about!? They're bringing the battle to us…!"
"This attack is just a feint," Eminus replied. "They're after our prisoner. Urahara Kisuke appeared in the last battle just an hour ago…he must have somehow learned her location. Only the safety of his companions would prompt Kain Lockeheart and his allies into such an aggressive attack so soon.
"However, if Urahara Kisuke was able to locate her, he likely has made more than enough plans to enable her rescue. The best course of action is simply to let them take her. Alvaris." The black ermine appeared on Eminus' shoulder. "Pass word along to the others. We'll leave the Knights and our normal defenses to play with the intruders. Everyone else is to take all essential supplies and data and depart, and rendezvous at the Obsidian Palace." Nodding, Alvaris vanished again.
He turned and stalked out. Fyuria hurried after him. "What are you planning to do?" she demanded.
"Two individuals require my attention before I depart," he replied. "Go join your brother, Fyuria. I'll be along shortly."
He passed first into the large laboratory, and, ignoring most of the equipment strewn about, made his way to the large tank of amber liquid and the silhouette within. Even as he stared at it, the glass began to crack. The crack grew until the glass shattered, exploding outward and letting all the liquid drain away. Stepping out of the tube was a naked man, tall and well-built, with long black hair and eyes of different colors, one blue and one green. Eminus gazed down at him. "So you're recovered, with impeccable timing," he murmured. "Are you Horius, Kalovus, or Koltas?"
The man stood fully erect and, at a gesture, clothed himself in a suit of white with a black cloak. "I am all, and I am none of those. The name Corai was the one they shared, although only Koltas ever claimed it. Corai will do for my name. I awoke because the excitement seems to suggest that it is time to leave."
Eminus nodded. "We have a powerful enough force here that it is not prudent to stay, and there is no value in fighting them here. I'm grateful you awoke when you did…it would be far too much trouble to carry your container out."
The man closed his eyes and raised his head, concentrating on something. Eminus had begun to turn and walk away, but stopped and looked back when he felt the other man's hesitation. "What is the matter?"
"This union provides some benefits." He opened his eyes and glanced back at the younger man. "For the sake of our allies—and aid to our own plan—there is something that I can retrieve before I leave here." He faded away.
Eminus nodded and set his own face back to his next destination. "If it pleases you. I do have one last gift that I will need to leave for our visitors…."
8-8-8
In response to Aiden's assault, a dozen figures of varying semi-humanoid shapes and sizes emerged from the hole. "Oi, oi…they really have started coming back in force," Aiden muttered with a wry smile. "A dozen Knights to start with, right from the get-go…well, let's see just how good these kiddies are….
"I'm leaving the rest to you!" Aiden called out, pulling back his artifact as the rest of the assault team settled onto the nearest rock. "I've knocked pretty hard, but…."
Suddenly a swarm of whip-like shadow blades scissored through Aiden's perch, smashing it to pieces and creating a huge cloud of obscuring dust. Aiden reappeared some distance in the air, standing on it rather like the hinigami instead of flying. He narrowed his eyes. "That's…."
"Aiden Rylack!" came the voice of Dynamis as the black-robed figure appeared in the air opposite him. "So, you've shown yourself to me…how foolish. It's been twenty years…after all this time, it's the perfect opportunity for revenge!" Another cascade of flowing black weapons came Aiden's way.
"Twenty years, indeed, Dynamis," Aiden agreed as he dodged the attacks. "I'm surprised you can fight after the condition I left you in…hell, I'm surprised that you're even alive. How did you manage to recover?"
"Ah…a mystery, even for you? Well, why don't you die wondering?"
Blackness flowed from under him, underneath Aiden, and then fountain up behind up, blossoming out and opening to engulf him like a maw. Aiden turned casually to stare up at the incoming attack, but before he could do anything, another figure suddenly came streaking in from the side and punched Dynamis hard in his masked face with a flame-wrapped punch.
Dynamis staggered, his shadows disappearing and retracting as he recovered from his stun. Aiden smirked at Natsu, flying through the air in the grip of Happy, chuckling as his friend came around for another pass. "So, you're the big guy here, huh? I'll take you on! Take this!"
Aiden tipped his hat to the young man. "Thanks…Natsu, was it? I'll leave him to you, then." And he vanished.
"Aiden Rylack!" cried Dynamis, but Natsu came sweeping in behind again.
"Over here! Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"
The flame that sprouted from his elbows came whipping down to lash the shadow-clad spellcaster. He came retreating out of the explosion and turned to glare at the Dragonslayer as his friend flew him around.
The rest of the group settled upon the designated rock and began to observe both the battle and the incoming enemies. A few unleashed attack spells or blasts of energy; Tokine, Yoshimori, and Tear created barriers, blocking the attacks, and then Jade, Rin, Aerie, and Grey followed by releasing their own spells at the enemy. Then the swordsmen—Kenjirô, Hikaru, Delryn, Inuyasha, Minsc, and Erza—jumped to land on the main 'asteroid' of the base and engage in close-range combat. The rest of them soon followed, and they began to press towards the entrance to the base.
The infiltration team—excepting Hinagiku, who was pointedly staying away from all windows—sat watching the battle below. "Things seem to be going well," Mai noted softly.
"Maybe too well," Kain replied softly. "I hope this doesn't mean that things are going to be worse for us inside. But in any case it's better than the alternative…."
"It's time," Kisuke murmured softly. "We're ready. Everyone gather around."
As they did so, Kisuke suddenly released a ribbon from his robe. It began to encircle the entire group, spiraling up, and they began to plane-shift….
8-8-8
They reappeared on an outcropping far below, near the bottom of the floating island. The sounds of the battle above wafted down towards them.
Standing before them was a figure in a very thick black coat with a heavy, raised hood, completely obscuring all features. "Yoruichi…how's it going?" Kisuke greeted the figure cheerfully. "Are we all ready?"
"Who do you think you're talking to?" a strong feminine voice came from the depths of the coat in response. A hand pulled the coat from her, and Yoruichi shook herself. She was dark-skinned and beautiful, perfectly shaped for both athleticism and beauty, with sharp cat-like yellow eyes and medium-length purple hair bound in a ponytail. Underneath the coat she was dressed in a black bodysuit with an orange vest on top. She fixed a half-smile half-glare at Kisuke. "You've got some nerve, you know, leaving me here in that stuffy coat for all this time. You should have hurried in here faster…."
"Sorry, sorry," Kisuke apologized cheerfully and somewhat pathetically. "There was a lot to take care of…and if you hadn't had my coat, you might have been discovered…."
"For safety, you're right, but you always could have come up with other options." She turned to the rock barrier. "Let's get in swiftly and get this over with. We better get inside." She used a finger to draw a sign in the wall, and a doorway-sized rectangle of rock suddenly pushed out of the rock and slid to the side, creating an entrance into the compound.
Kain glanced at the wall quizzically. "I assume the Obsidian Star knows nothing about this door…."
"Don't underestimate the kind of fun we can get ourselves into," Yoruichi smirked, focusing on the man. "So, you must be Kain Lockeheart, eh? Look at you…certainly brings back memories. Now, come one…we've got a prisoner to rescue…."
The group hurried into the base. Behind them, the door slid back into place, but leaving just a crack visible for those who knew what they were looking for.
8-8-8
The door opened and Eminus entered. The blond figure at the other end of the room raised her head to stare at him and snarled like an animal. "Easy, there," Eminus murmured, approaching her casually. "I have excellent news for you, Sendô Erika. Your friends have actually come here to save you. They have gathered quite a force of allies to help them…they are more capable than I first suspected. So I've decided to give you to them."
He put a hand to the side of her face and brushed at it. "I suppose I could put some sort of spell or trick into you, play some games with Kain-kun and the rest…but then again, Urahara Kisuke would quite likely find and nullify it before it became a threat. So I'll just give you to them as you are…a mindless beast, overcome by your vampire instincts. That, alone, should be an interesting enough greeting."
He stood, reached out, and touched the manacles that held Erika there. They snapped open, dropping her to the ground, and Erika assumed a bestial crouch, still growling at Eminus, but not leaping to attack. "That's right," Eminus murmured. "It's better if you save your rage for something you can hurt. I'll be going now…but you won't be alone for long."
He turned and departed, closing the door again behind him. "Now, that should be all…I suppose…."
"Eminus!"
Eminus turned and stared at the approaching group. "Ah…Kain-kun…and so many of you…I did not expect you here so quickly. You've certainly outmaneuvered me. I guess my retreat should be swift…."
"Running away!?" Kain demanded angrily, powering and throwing a doom bolt with astonishing speed.
Eminus retreated fifty feet down the hall with a step. "Dear me," he said. "You're certainly different than before, Kain-kun, but there's no benefit to fighting with you now…shouldn't we save the game for a better time…?"
In response, Kain bounced from wall to wall, advancing towards him swiftly. As he finally hurled himself at Eminus, the brown-haired boy knocked him aside, and then turned to duel him as Kain bounced back instantly, engaging him with fists and feet.
"Oh…you certainly have improved…even after fighting Grimmjow, you're capable of going toe-to-toe with me so easily. You are worthy of my interest….
"But not right now," he concluded, suddenly summoning a mound of stone to block and repulse Kain. Kain fell back only briefly before coming back forward, smashing through the rock and coming straight at Eminus. Eminus, however, slipped into the ground, disappearing as it swallowed him up as if it were water. His voice was left wafting through the air, "I'll let you have your girl back, Kain-kun…accept my regards."
Kain stared after the man for a second before turning back to his allies. The door was open, and they were not in the hallway…and as he took this in, a scream sounded from inside the room.
8-8-8
The invading army moved into the secret compound, pushing back the defenders. Jade walked in relaxed, letting the energetic youths take the lead. "How strange," he murmured, pushing at his glasses. "It almost seems as if they're just giving the place away to us. I certainly expected stronger resistance…."
And then everyone around him faded away. He raised his head and frowned. He was still in the asteroid/base, but he seemed to be the only one. A careful perusal of the few corridors and rooms they passed revealed that he was quite alone. "Quite a trick here," he murmured. "Now…who is playing games with me?"
"Not games, but serious business, I assure you," Corai responded, emerging into view. "If you're cooperative, this won't take long. I would suggest it…here, we have all the time in the world."
"And what is it you are after, trapping here in this mental labyrinth?" Jade demanded even as the scene began to fade away, leaving the two standing in a null-space. "You should know I don't give in to most forms of persuasion."
"I'm well aware…but we're nearing the final stages of our plan." Corai gestured, and the scene changed…to a land of snow. A tiny brown-haired boy kneeled next to a tiny blond-haired girl. There was a broken doll lying on an inscribed magical circle, and the boy was finishing drawing another circle in the snow next to it. "The Obsidian Star on its own requires nothing of you, but our faithful allies would appreciate a generous donation of knowledge from you. Well, here is a start…the first time you practiced the art of Replication. Using nothing more than your own magical power, on a whim, you created a perfect magical clone of a simple object…."
Indeed, in the scene the red-eyed boy finished his work and gestured, and after a flashy magical power erupted, an unbroken doll appeared on the circle opposite. Jade was paying no attention to the scene, however, but stared calmly at Corai. "So…you're trying to steal my secrets for the sake of Van Grants? It's pointless, you know…you say 'perfect', but Replicated objects, even with my best work, do not last. They are an improvement on conjurations, solidified illusions, but their duration is still unreliable. Van Grants' dream is nothing but that…a fantasy that cannot be made real."
"So you say…but combined with the Obsidian Star's power, combined with the Cosmo Entelecheia, a perfect replication can be created…the ideal world for the humans who will live on." The scenes around them began to shift, taking in new scenes pulled from Jade's mind. "But you can doubt all you like…it will matter little in the long run. I have no intention of doing anything more to you right now…but before we leave this place, I will have your secret."
8-8-8
As Kain charged off after Eminus, Nodoka went to the door and began to work on the lock. Kisuke and Yoruichi had disappeared down a side passage just a bit earlier…Mai wondered what their game was until she heard the sounds of combat behind them and realized she should be grateful they were covering their rear.
Nodoka finished with the lock and carefully opened it, Mai and Hinagiku hurried in first, at the ready. They stared at Erika curled up against the far wall. Calling her name, both began to hurry towards her.
"W-wait…" Kajirô cautioned them, hurrying in after them.
It was in vain…the next instant, Erika suddenly lowered her arms and glanced up at them. She was on Mai in the blink of an eye, knocking her down and eliciting a mild scream.
"E-Erika!?" Hinagiku cried in shock. Mai struggled against Erika, throwing her off, but the blond girl bounced up quickly and came at her again. Hinagiku moved to intercept, but Erika knocked aside her arm and grabbed her by the throat, then slammed her up against the wall.
Crying, Kajirô came in behind her, but Erika lashed out with a brilliant side kick and sent him sprawling. At that moment, Kain finally entered and stood next to the panicking, stuttering Nodoka, who had her book in front of her and was staring at it.
"What's this!?" Kain demanded in shock. "What's going on…Erika-san is…!?"
Mai jumped back on Erika, forcing her away from Hinagiku. "Kajirô-kun!" she demanded as the man began to pick himself up. "Shouldn't your sword be doing something about this!?"
"This isn't any kind of magical control!" Kajirô replied in despair. "It…must be her own instincts, unleashed. If that guy did anything to her, it was only to stir up the darkest part of her…!"
"H-her thoughts are so dark…I can hardly read them!" Nodoka squeaked. "S-she's consumed with hunger…."
"P-please, Erika, wake up," Hinagiku pleaded as Mai and Erika wrestled. Kajirô helped her to her feet as she continued, "You're still in there, aren't you!? We're your friends!"
"Mai, let her go," Kain instructed the girl quietly, walking away from Nodoka and into the center of the room. "I'll have to take care of this."
Mai glanced at him in surprise and a small amount of fear, but she pushed back against Erika and jumped back, disengaging. As Erika began to pursue, a weak bolt of magical energy suddenly impacted against the side of her face. She turned to glare at Kain, snarling.
"I'm right here," Kain murmured, staring at her levelly. "Come and get me."
Erika charged in, slamming her hands into his shoulders and driving him to the ground. She straddled him, staring down, snarling, her lip quivering, and held him by his upper arms. Kain lay there placidly, not responding, even as his three students called his name. "Don't move!" he snapped out, still staring up into Erika's bestial face.
He waited for Erika to make some kind of attack, but to his surprise, she just continued straddling him, her red eyes wide and shining with that animalistic instinct. Then she brought her lip under one of her sharp fangs and pierced it. Her face was perfectly situated over Kain's, and the droplets of blood began to stretch from the bottom of her lip.
('Ah…I see now,') Kain thought. ('Her instincts are in full force, but tempered by her deep feelings. Her heart has held her back, and only our own reluctance to fight her seriously has made her dangerous at all. Now…she's instinctively trying to make me her Servant because….')
But he then formed a fist of powered magical energy and dropped it on her from above, cracking against the back of her head and leaving her senseless on top of him. He repositioned her so he could rise and pick her prone form up in his arms. "We've got Erika-san. Let's get out of here…before anything else happens to us."
8-8-8
Happy dodged another swarm of Dynamis' shadow tentacles. He panted as he swooped away. "N-Natsu," he gasped, "I'm getting tired…I can't fly much longer…."
"Ah…is it that time already!? Darn…better land on that base and hope it doesn't move too much…."
"Faltering, feline?" Dynamis growled. "It's finally time for you to die!" Another swarm lashed out, and Happy seemed too tired to dodge….
"Uh oh…Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu used his breath to accelerate the both of them, crashing them into the rock and out of reach of the attack. Happy lay on the ground, his eyes rolling around, but Natsu picked himself up. "Okay! We're ready to go!"
As Dynamis growled, a telepathic message reached him. ('Dynamis…we're withdrawing. Retreat.')
"Ah?" He sighed. "Very well…my main prey has already vanished, after all…." And he disappeared.
"Hey! Don't run away!" Natsu sighed. "Oh, man…that was just getting good…."
8-8-8
Overcast looked around. "It seems like everything's over…but where'd the Colonel get to?"
As the rampaging conquering heroes continued exploring the empty rooms, he cast a spell and began to track his target. A few back hallways everyone had ignored led him to the man, sitting nearly comatose on the ground, with a dark shadow next to him that vanished as he approached.
Overcast dropped down to his commander and tried to raise him up. Jade's eyes swiftly came into focus as his head lolled the man's direction and he looked up at him. "Lieutenant," he muttered. "Your timing could have perhaps been better…but after having my mind raked through some hot coals, I'll take what support I can get. Let me rest a moment, and then we'll join the others…we should probably be leaving soon, even if it seems the danger is over."
"What happened to you…?"
"Nothing that needs to be related to anyone now…it's nothing to be concerned about, at least at the moment…."
Suddenly the ground under their feet rocked. "Ah, and that would be the farewell gift they left us," Jade chuckled. "Predictable. You never abandon a base and let it fall into enemy hands if you can help it…." Standing up and striding out cool as a cucumber, Jade found and began to herd the group away….
The entire party moved at speed out of the base and back onto the El-Hazard, narrowly escaping the destruction of the base….
8-8-8
Erika winced as the strange sensations starting crawling around and through her…coming back to consciousness was tough after all she'd been through. Her eyes finally fluttered open and she tried to make sense of her surroundings. She was dressed in a white gown, a hospital gown, it would seem, in a hospital room of some sort. She was actually hooked up to an IV machine…although the liquid being fed into her body was a dark red in color. Not the way she would have thought to get her blood dosage, but….
The only door to the room opened, and Kisuke Urahara stepped inside. For Erika, of course, this was the first time seeing the shady-looking merchant and she tensed slightly. "Good afternoon, Sendô-san," he greeted her. "You're looking well…much better than before, at least. It's not so easy to get blood like this, or to rig it up in a way to feed a vampire intravenously, but I'm glad it's working. And I'm not the only one…."
Mai and Hinagiku hurried in first, Kain following them quickly, and Rei walked in softly after them all. Erika stared at them. A moment later, babbling slightly, the two lead girls threw themselves onto Erika. "Mai…Hina…I'm…back? Was I…dreaming all that…?"
"Unfortunately not," Kain muttered softly. "Are you all right now, Erika-san?"
"Kain-sensei…yes…I think so…I feel weak, but…what's going on…? My head…feels so thick…I'm not sure what's real and what's not anymore…."
"It's all right," Mai murmured. "You're here with us now, Erika. You're safe, among friends again…."
"As safe as any of us are," Kain murmured. He glanced around at the others. "Could you…leave us alone for a moment, everyone? I'd like to speak with Erika-san alone…."
Hinagiku and Mai threw him quizzical glances, but Mai nodded and rose. "All right. C'mon, everyone…."
The last to enter, Rei was also the last to leave, giving Erika a small, unsure smile before she slipped out and closed the door. After staring at it for a moment, Kain turned back to Erika and sat on a chair by her bed. "It's good that you're all right now, Erika-san. I…can't imagine how horrible that must have been for you…held captive by the Obsidian Star all this time…."
"Captive…so, I really was…I thought that was a dream…hoped it was…everything in my head is just so muddled…."
"From what Urahara-san—that man who was just here, an old friend of my father's and the one who helped us rescue you—from what he said, they were feeding you with odd blood…probably the blood of Eminus himself. Not enough of it, either, but enough to keep you conscious, in an animalistic rage."
"Yes…I remember now…the taste of it…it's still overpowering." She shuddered. "This nightmare…."
Kain laid a hand on top of hers. "I'm so very sorry," he murmured. "I…should have let you leave our company when you first wanted it. I made you go through all this…."
Erika sucked in a deep sigh and then glared at Kain. "Don't even start that," she growled. "It was my decision…you and Chisame-chan talked me into it the most, but I am responsible for my own choices…you couldn't have known anything about what was going to happen. But, despite everything, you all managed to get me away from them and save me, right? So, all's well that ends well…."
Kain was silent a moment. "Thank you for that. I'm…relieved you don't blame me…but it might not be 'all well'. We'll probably be here at least another two weeks…and blood is going to be hard to come by for you, at least through your normal channels. And we have no idea when the Obsidian Star is going to try to attack us again. You need to be in better condition before all of that. Urahara-san is doing what he can, but…after that contamination, you're not going to recover quickly by any normal means…."
It was Erika's turn for silence and hesitation. "You're suggesting, of course…."
"I don't want to pressure you…not about something like this. But it's time for us all to grow up and forget about little emotional hurdles. Our main objective is still simply to get home, but to accomplish that we'll probably have to get through the Obsidian Star. And to make it that far, it's probably a necessity that all the members of our class have a contract, so we're bound together and have additional protection. I know why you, especially, have refused, but now there's little real choice. You need it more than anyone."
Erika shuddered. "Do you know what you're asking of me?"
"I do. I've considered it a long time. Mai and I talked it over, too. You reject your vampire heritage so strongly you're afraid of even tasting the blood of someone close to you. But right now it's the best thing for you…and in my case…." Kain chuckled slightly. "You're still in a bit of a stupor, so all your senses aren't working, but if what Aiden and Urahara-san and I discussed is true, you'll have trouble resisting my blood now anyway, regardless of whether we're contracted or not. So it's time to stop resisting—I'll give you as much blood as you need from now on. Or, if you prefer, you can try contracting with Mai or Hinagiku, either of whom has enough mage power in their blood to sustain you easily. But in this situation, you can't be spoiled and try to rely on simple blood packets anymore. You…probably won't survive this if you do. You were trying to feed me your blood, make me your Servant, in the course of that mad frenzy back there. For our sakes, if nothing else, so that you don't have to make that kind of contract, you should do it Kamo's way, since it's much less painful for all involved.
"And," Kain finished with a laugh, "if being contracted with me is so distasteful to you, we can always nullify it when we get back to Mahora and you can go safely back to your normal life with everyone else…."
"T-that's not it, Kain-sensei," Erika said, reddening. "Don't tease me…you know it's not." She sighed and then smiled. "Harsh words…but I guess they're the kind I need to hear. It's just as Kinue said to me…despite the 'gifts' I've received from my vampire heritage, I've rejected it so strongly…I'm really quite spoiled. I thought that I could just pretend myself into a human life, ignoring my vampire nature, and had a measure of pride that I would never drink blood directly from a human. But because of that…well, all of you accept me, and are so willing to share your blood with me, but my stubborn pride is…insulting that friendship." She sighed, then glanced askew at Kain. "But…what have you done to yourself? Despite what you said, I can smell something different in you. And I know you're right. That blood…once I start craving it, it will drive me crazy. What are you, now?"
Kain turned and stared out the window. "I don't know," he said quietly. "I'm not sure. Aiden…Aiden Rylack, my father's friend, he's the one who helped me...obtain this power, this new body." He held a hand up and gazed at it. "From what he's told me…I've become something more than human now. I've obtained a power that's made me…something almost akin to Kamo, a spirit of magic. No, I shouldn't say that…it's like I'm moving on that evolutionary track, though."
Erika shook her head. "Did you…make this change willingly? Well, whatever. I understand. In this case, I can't refuse anymore…I'll make that contract with you now, Kain-sensei."
8-8-8
The moon was in the sky as they stood out on the balcony, shining down on them. Kamo formed his circle as Kain and Erika faced each other. "It this situation, I figured it was best not to have an audience," Kamo smirked. "I've made sure all the other girls are away. Now, if you kids would get on with this…."
"Sorry about this, Erika-san," Kain said softly.
Erika chuckled. "Saying it like this might insult a girl, you know…like you don't want to kiss her or something…."
As Kain chuckled in embarrassment, Erika suddenly darted forward to complete the kiss. Kain was surprised by the sudden motion, but, from sadly long practice, accepted it easily. The power flowed through them, and, it seemed, stayed with them even after it completed and they withdrew.
('It feels different this time,') Kain thought. ('Is it because it's the first time I've done it since I changed…or because I've done it with a vampire?')
The card appeared in front of Kamo, but Erika was paying no heed to it. She stared up at Kain, her lips quivering, her teeth elongated, her eyes red. "K-Kain…" she murmured.
Kain put a hand to the back of her head and leaned her forward, putting her face on his shoulder. "It's all right, Erika," he told her. "Go ahead."
She sunk her fangs into his neck and, slowly, began to drink. ('And I didn't feel any pain or shock at all…was that because of what I am…or the supposed euphoria-inducing bite of the vampire?')
Erika was also surprisingly thoughtful as she satisfied her hunger. ('This taste…it actually…tastes good…is this what it's like…to drink the blood of someone important to you…?')
Two small streaks of blood escaped the wound and began to roll down Kain's back. And Erika, standing there with her fangs sunk into Kain's neck, let the tears flow slowly from her eyes.
8-8-8
Mai closed the door to Erika's room behind her and sighed. "Thank you for that," Kain said with a small smile. "She got a lot of her strength back thanks to that…but she still needs to recover."
Mai glanced almost sourly at Kain. "I've never felt sorrier for her than I do now," she muttered. "She went through worse than any of us…and now she's had to do the two things she never wanted to do. You let her drink from you, didn't you?"
"Right now, it's the best course, as you yourself mentioned. She'll recover." He smiled at her. "Because of who she is, and who her mother is, and who her brother is, she knows less about vampires than she should. She's been fighting her instincts all this time, but a vampire's bloodthirst is partway between an addiction and a standard biological requirement. Denying herself blood inflames her instincts…but feeding herself properly will actually suppress it, leave her without the thirst for longer periods. And my blood, right now…with luck, she shouldn't even need to feed more than once or twice more before we go home."
"Yes, you're right…I always thought this was better. Who told you so much about vampires anyway? No, I know that—Aiden, right?"
Kain nodded. "Yeah…I wish I'd had him around more often before…he knows so much, about so many things…."
"Right. Maybe I should ask him about a few things. Like about what's happened to you, since you won't tell me."
"Mai…."
Mai reached out and pulled at Kain's shirt, baring his neck down to almost his shoulders. "She fed on you, and there's no sign of it. You went through that battle earlier today, took an injury, and there's no sign of it." She released him and stepped back. "Of course, I'm making a lot of fuss about literally nothing. But…with what I am…I can feel that something in you has definitely changed." She leveled a stare at him. "Just what did you go through these past three months? What have you done to yourself? This change couldn't have come without some kind of price…just what were you thinking…?"
"Oi, Tokiha…just calm down already."
The two turned and stared as the nekomimi-wearing chibi approached. "Chisame-chan…."
"This is a choice he made himself," the little girl told her. "A choice he made…to protect us. Because he didn't want to trust chance or blind hope…because he wanted to do everything in his power to protect us." Chisame actually grinned. "As you'd suspect, he worried himself half to death before finally making a decision. I'm sure that getting shouted at by you was something he considered as well…so I'd not just reject it out of hand and give the matter some good long thought."
Mai quieted. "No…I didn't mean it like that…I mean…." She sighed. "It's something I can feel, now…power like this can't come without a price, right?"
"There's nothing to worry about, Mai," Kain assured her. "There's nothing dangerous about this…."
"Liar," she replied, glaring at him. "It is dangerous, isn't it?"
Kain stared at her, then smiled slightly. "Dangerous…in what way? It's not killing me, it's not destroying my body…quite the opposite." He opened his hands. "My body…is almost immune to permanent harm now. We only have theories, but…I am now filled with magic. The magic that makes up my body regenerates it quickly. I can still be killed, but…theoretically, I'm immortal, now…I could live forever if I take care of myself. That…could be a pretty big price to pay, though. For someone like me, who thinks so much…is that a good enough price to pay for this power?"
Mai stared back at him, sighed, and then smiled, similar to how he did so often himself. "…Right. I get it. Sorry…I had just forgotten. I made a decision that I was going to follow you no matter how insanely hard you pushed yourself. But remember!" she suddenly put in more strongly. "Just like you want to protect us…we all want to protect you, too." She drew her card and manifested her artifact, letting her power blaze around her. "And just like you protect us, if you ever find yourself in trouble, like Erika was, we'll come and drag you out of the depths of hell if we have to! You got that!? You better be ready for it!"
Kain smiled and bowed in a Japanese manner. "I understand. I am in your care," he offered her.
Chisame smiled and Aiden watched the trio from the shadows at the end of the hall. ('She…really has grown into a powerful and straightforward kind of girl. To see her like that…I guess you guys did okay by her…right, Kalan? Gato?')
F I N
Author's Note: Character Introduction: Yoruichi Shihôin
This is the first major diversion from the Negima story as we settle into the tournament portion of the Magical World Arc. And this is where my changes really begin to take off.
I haven't explained any in a while, so I'll go ahead and talk about all the big changes I've made here, starting with….
Kain's transformation. I copied the overall flow from Negima, but changed the tone severely, really. As I mentioned, when Negi went to train under Rakan, Rakan told him he never could reach his rival, Fate Averencus, via normal means, and so he gave him one chance to do so: the evil magic Magia Erebia, originally made by Eva in her early years, a truly dark magic that allows the user to consume spells in order to gain power but, of course, this magic consumes the user's soul as well. Negi chose it anyway, as it was the only way he could catch up to his father, which was still his main obsession. It worked too well for him in some ways, because he did have severe darkness hiding in his heart—all the pain and hate and heartache hiding in him from the destruction of his village and the absence of his parents, as well as all his doubts and fears (those traits I most identify with). But I just didn't want Kain to be evil. I used the lines of the original to suggest a 'dark' and 'light' path for Kain, but Aiden really used those terms only to make sure Kain was totally sure he wanted to take such a huge risk. Asuna, of course, went nuts when she found out, and this power dogged him the whole rest of his time in the magic world. Kain's undergone the worst spots of that transformation—if there's a further price to pay for turning his back on humanity, his immortal self will pay for it years down the line, but Mai (in this story, the partially-awakened Crystal Princess) can sense just how intense this change was, as can the vampire Erika (who we'll get to in a minute).
The tournament was originally a two-person team battle without too many details, especially compared to the Mahora one. In my case, I'm changing it up quite a bit—because I always try to think up the details, I put more thought into mine, although I'm not going to have every fight—among others, even not including the preliminaries, there are sixty-four contestants, and I don't want to put all my efforts into working those out. But there will be a half-dozen or so big battles, compared to Negima's, where the only one that mattered was Negi/Kôtarô vs. Rakan/Kagetarô. So some of the parts that weren't described in detail I have to carefully work out, so I can adapt the important events coming up. There was an undisclosed amount of preliminary battles necessary to enter the proper tournament, but since I've already worked that all out, I've had to tweak things a little…I'll probably go more into those changes down the line.
Primarily, I decided to make my tournament a single-person instead of two-man teams. They are far more common, and the only real reason for the two-man was so that Akamatsu-sensei could have Negi and Kôtarô fight together for it. While I didn't mind them being a team for the league they got started in, I figured that the final tournament should be the same as it is in all other anime: either a single champion, or a team of about five, and I didn't want to stretch it out to a group and complicate things. Besides, this gives me several special plotlines to use, including a final Kenjirô vs. Kain fight he's been wanting all this time (and which poor Kôtarô never got) and it's easier than trying to find any kind of team battle for Byakuya to be involved in.
Now, the Nodoka battle: Nodoka just had some treasure hunters, as I've mentioned, and I didn't think anything of these minor characters, so I tossed them for the awesome Fairy Tail guild. Nodoka being attacked was the first moment for Negi to show his new awesome power, so it fit. Originally, she was attacked by bounty hunters who planned on using her as bait to catch Setsuna and Kaede, and almost succeeded—they were tough, but nothing compared to new Negi. However, it would take supremely well-prepared and powerful bounty hunters to take Fairy Tail, and introducing such here was not something I wanted to do…the Obsidian Star's plots were a much better idea.
Plus, this let me prepare my other necessary subplot: freeing Erika from the Obsidian Star's clutches. Even annoying Anya being captive for the entirety of that massive arc was too much, and Lina was so important she was auto-jettisoned from that role…but I wanted somebody there. Erika became a good choice, because of this whole vampire angle…and even so I really, really feel sorry for her. I couldn't leave her here anymore. So, this gave me a lot of things I could do: bring in Kisuke Urahara (auto-added to this story because of Kalan's involvement with Soul Society), show off our heroes a bit, and have them strike the Obsidian Star with a hard left before the main events. And this is just the kind of stress moment that finally gives impetus for the Kain/Erika contract. I have been planning this moment out for a while. Now she's back in the party, in safety, and safely contracted to Kain.
The bite/cry scene after the contract kiss was lifted, again, from the Fortune Arterial anime…during a Festival, Erika's urges go out of control and Kohei lets her bite him, but Erika cries during the act. Although (in my story, at least) doing this is better for her—and the best-described reasons were all suggested in the manga and will be gotten into farther down the line when they have the opportunity to see her mother again—it is the last thing she wanted, and so she weeps for the loss of her vow never to feed directly on humans…broken on, perhaps, the person she cares about the most (obviously, she's been one of the ones quite attracted to Kain who never would admit it thus far). But she'll be better after this, which will let her resume her part in Setsuna's place, as Tsukuyomi's (here, Kinue's) rival.
And we finish with Mai's declaration of devotion to Kain. This is adapted from Asuna's original rant about Negi's dark power, which happened right after the battle. Of course, my story has so much more craziness going on she never had much of a chance before to talk about it. Now she does…and she doesn't have as much reason to go berserk, because it isn't really dark magic or a dark path, but she is concerned for Kain, obviously. And her stubborn insistence on helping shoulder his troubles is important here. Asuna's final declaration struck a cord with Rakan, and Mai's vigor strikes an even bigger cord with Aiden, who was much closer to the little girl. My friend Ryan, the Aiden inspiration, is hugely interested in the Aiden-Mai relationship dynamic (can't blame him) and I will enjoy touching upon it here and there. In fact, Aiden will probably be the most pressing…nah, shouldn't give spoilers here.
I wanted to do a lot more with this chapter, but there just wasn't time, and I didn't want to stretch out the melodrama by drawing it out into two chapters. I would have liked to go into some of the fights a little more, particularly Natsu trying to take on Dynamis, I would have liked to do more with Yoruichi (see below), but this is already a big chapter…so I had to skim it some and focus on what was necessary. I also would have liked to have made more sense of Jade's situation—it probably feels kind of 'what's going on?' right now. I'll at least go into detail with it later, but Van having Jade's replication tech at the end of TotA was important, and it's actually useful to have here—in Negima, as we'll learn from my notes later on at that point, the Cosmo Entelecheia bad guys had virtual god-like power over everyone except Negi and his students, so they had to become the main stars. This power won't make sense in my universe, and the good guys have so many more powers, the bad guys will need all sorts of avenues to compete. In order to give them the power of Replication in short notice, since I kicked their tail around so much back when they had no chance back during the previous Acts, I had two choices: either just 'deus ex machina' give it to them out of nowhere (they figured it out on their own!) or slip in a guy with mind-control powers who can secretly work the secret out of Jade. The latter was less 'WTC!?' confusing and stupid, so I went that route. Right now, it's an afterthought, so that's kind of the intent…when it becomes a bigger deal, Jade will reluctantly go into greater deal about it.
The guy doing it, of course, is now named Corai, and he is a fusion of the remnants of the three brother-villains introduced (and then disposed of) in Act 9—Horius, Kalovus, and Koltas. As a fusion, he has all their intelligence, talents, and skills, and will be one of the final bosses. I always planned him/them reincarnating or whatever about this point anyway, so having him take the opportunity to drag the secret out of Jade was good. Plus, now he has to go retrieve the secret (I'll go into more detail about that later, too) so he will be excused from action for a little while.
Anyway, we have one more big encounter with the Obsidian Star before we get into the tournament, and at the same time we'll finish bringing in the lost lambs (except Yue, who is still amnesiac). This is coming up, and will probably finish Act 12. It will likely take 4 or 5 more chapters to do so.
Y oruichi Shihôin is one of the side-heroines of Bleach, an important friend of Kisuke Urahara and his former boss/captain. When Kisuke was framed, she abandoned the Soul Society to help him escape (although somehow, she was not actually physically banished/kept from returning as he was). Although, as a former captain, she must have had a zanpaku-tô and Bankai, she is never shown using it, instead relying on her powerful hand-to-hand arts, including the Soul Reaper equivalent of kanka (from the descriptions, I could say in this universe it is exactly that, as they are that close). I would have liked to have her more, but she isn't gone yet—she isn't major, but she'll be around helping out here and there, especially with any training our heroes have to undergo down the line here.
So, let's move on to the next chapter….
