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 Seven: Star-Struck, Part Two: Two Tigers Meet

"I wonder if Erika is all right," Hinagiku muttered as she wandered through the crowds next to chibi-Chisame and Mai. "Yesterday was…so eventful…."

"For you as well," Chisame muttered. "Are you okay, Kaichô? That was a pretty serious revelation for you as well…heck, it rocked my world…."

"She has a point," Mai chuckled. "It's…not so much different from what I learned after the Festival. And I even had the dreams to work me into it gradually…."

"I'm fine," Hinagiku sighed. "Really…it was a bit of a shock, but it makes far too much sense. Right now it doesn't much matter…even if I'm going to have a talk with Onee-chan after this is all over…."

"Did you already have a talk with Tsukai?" Chisame teased. "Is that why he's not here with you?"

She shot a glare at the little girl. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Wait…isn't that Kain?"

The three glanced up and spotted the red-haired young man. The hood of his white cloak had fallen back, and between that and his bright red hair, it was easy to recognize him. "What about the tournament?" Hinagiku demanded.

"His match in the preliminaries isn't for two days," Chisame explained with a sigh. "Besides, with everything so noisy, the contestants are allowed to go out to eat lunch…."

"No, wait!" Mai insisted. "Something about him is strange…."

8-8-8

Kain stared at the boy across the plaza from him. His lip curled up as Eminus started slowly towards him. "Pakrov…Eminus…"

He subconsciously started to release his power, causing it to whip the wind around him up. "Why are you here!?" he growled menacingly.

Suddenly Hinagiku and Mai alighted next to him, artifacts out and quite on guard. "Hina…Mai!"

"You fiend…" Hinagiku began.

"What are you planning?" Mai finished.

Eminus continued approaching leisurely. The two girls remained behind, watching carefully. Hinagiku and Mai began to tense and assume their ready stances.

"Why, you!" Mai said as Eminus remained silent. "If you come any closer…."

"Stop!" Kain commanded. "Both of you, don't start anything…."

Eminus opened his mouth and actually chuckled slightly, although the laugh didn't touch his eyes. "…Kain-kun is much more composed compared to you, bladeswoman…Princess….

"I would advise you not to start wielding that sword or using magic recklessly…you are wanted criminals, after all. If you cause a disturbance, they will catch you."

"I knew it…" Hinagiku growled. "You are the one that framed us after all, weren't you?" ('At this distance…I might be able to get him…!')

"The spice of a trip to a foreign world was good exercise, wasn't it? Even so, from there, Katsura Hinagiku…."

Suddenly Eminus was past the pair, right in front of Kain, staring him in the face. "…Scoring a hit on me is impossible, so it would be best if you stopped planning it."

The two girls stared at him in concerned shock, frightened into immobility, wondering which way the die would fall. Kain, barely controlling rage, stared into Eminus' eyes, unblinking, the magic starting to pour off of him.

"You wanna go? Your blood sure is boiling," Eminus murmured. "Ah, it seems my mere presence has provoked you. But you should stop thinking of that, too. If we start here and now, those around us could be caught up in it…by my count, the casualties would probably number a few hundred. So, what are you going to do…? What's your choice?"

Kain kept staring. "You…what the hell are you plotting?" he growled.

"Right now, nothing," Eminus replied. "Nothing violent. You came at us with weapons yesterday, but this is not revenge or anything of the sort. Rather, today I have come with no intention to fight, but to talk. I thought we could meet amicably, and perhaps even make a trade."

"W-what did you say!?" Mai demanded in shock.

"…Do you think that I would believe that coming from you, after all this time?" Kain growled. "After what you've done to my friends and companions? After what you put Erika through!?"

"Who are we?" Eminus demanded softly. "What are our plans? You don't know…you don't know something as basic as that about us. In this kind of situation, to be so hostile towards us is so childish. It's actually quite boring. Don't you think you should at least listen to what I have to say?"

8-8-8

"Keep a distance of at least a kilometer," Kamo told Chisame as he rode her shoulder. "Eminus' attack power can easily strike at least that distance. "From what I'm reading, it seems Eminus actually came to parlay, not fight, but you never know how he could turn things."

Chisame cursed. "All we can do right now is call for help and wait, right? But Tsukimori, Tsukino and Heiro are already off the island, looking for that gate…really, the one I'd like to call is that self-proclaimed superhero, Aiden…."

"Hmm," Kamo muttered. "Aiden's says he doesn't want to get involved…but there's something about this Eminus kid that's bothered me from the beginning. Aiden at least needs to get a good look at him, too. I'll go get him."

"Right. I'll contact Kenjirô and the others! Get going!"

Kamo winked out. Chisame glared back up at the plaza where her Sensei was. ('I can't believe this turn of events. Judging from this situation…maybe we're not as insignificant to them as I first thought…. Just what is their goal?

('…Goal…that's right, we still really don't know what their goal is…Aiden says that they're just an 'inhuman force' intent on taking this world for themselves, but how does that involve all these forces they've gathered? And how does it affect us…?')

"What!?" Kenjirô cried into his card (Chisame was communicating to him via cards telepathically) as Yukari looked on in surprise. "Are you serious, Chisame-chan? Ahh…got it! I'll rush there! Don't do anything foolish, all right?"

"W-what is it, Kenjirô-kun?" Yukari demanded as the boy put away his card and turned to go. "I-is everything all right?"

"…No," Kenjirô said with some hesitation. He turned his face back to her with a grim smile. "It seems the enemy general has come out…maybe we should have expected that after yesterday…." He turned back and started off, running at top speed. "Sorry, I need to go! Don't go anywhere, Yukari-chan!"

"Ah, K-Kenjirô-kun!" She stared after him as he leapt from the balcony to the street below. "E-enemy…?"

8-8-8

Eminus sat at a table that had been prepared by his two aides. A pot of coffee and a pot of tea had been set out with cups and other accoutrements to go along with the repast. Alvaris was there, sitting on Luana's shoulder as she and Fyuria flanked their leader. "Won't you sit down, Kain-kun?" Eminus asked softly as he poured his coffee.

Reluctantly, Kain did so. "We're not going to sit," Mai said curtly as he did so.

"That's fine," Fyuria responded. "We're not sitting, either."

"And see? With that, we're on even ground," Eminus continued almost cheerfully.

('T-taking hundreds of people hostage like this…') Hinagiku thought. ('From what even I've seen… everything within 100 meters being completely destroyed is quite feasible…what a situation we're in….')

Kain poured some milk into his tea and began to stir it. Eminus clucked reprovingly. "My, my…now you're using milk?"

"What?" Kain demanded hostilely.

"Fragrant, highly-refined, and world-renowned Orimain Tea and you suddenly put milk in it. I guess milk tea is, in the end, milk tea...a childish drink. You'd think you were an Englishman.

"Anyway," he continued, sipping at his own cup, "I'm part of the overwhelming coffee faction, so it doesn't matter to me. Just so you know, I drink seven cups a day."

"Seven cups of that mud?" Kain retorted quietly. "Jynx was a coffee connoisseur as well, but even he didn't usually drink seven cups of the stuff. I'm not sure what I should make of the fact that you share that trait with him…."

"Jynx? You mean Allen Black? I was not aware that he had such refined tastes. A pity, really. Anyway, coffee is certainly better than milk tea…."

"You don't know anything, do you? Black tea isn't coffee, but it's naturally bitter…it needs milk to make it a proper drink."

"What are you saying? Black tea is only good with lemon and ice."

"You destroy black tea with lemon? And ice? And coffee, too…is your tongue even all right?"

"I'm quite surprised. An American, of all people, is worried about my tongue, with all the stuff your culture consumes…."

Kain finally scowled at Eminus. "You said you wanted to talk, but it only seems you want to insult me at every turn. Are you trying to start a fight?"

"Oh, well, I don't mind if you don't…dragging everyone in…."

The two girls stared in shock at this rather childish exchange. ('W-what's with this?') Mai thought. ('This is the first time I've ever seen Kain act this way….')

Kain set his cup down and stared at Eminus. "You kidnapped Kagome in order to use her power to resurrect monsters…you set a mazoku on my friends…you attacked us as soon as we entered the magical world…you kept Erika imprisoned and fed her poisoned blood for three solid months…you're a survivor of the enemy my father fought, who tried to destroy the world. You've said I don't know you, but despite this 'peaceful' setting and your sweet talk, I know enough to recognize my enemy. So tell me, then, what you can possibly offer to make me change my mind."

Eminus sighed. "Such a shallow understanding of the conversation. Well, to call us 'enemies' like that…it's no more than saying that hollows and Soul Reapers are natural and eternal enemies. You're hostile towards us simply because of the past, histories, stories, and blood. I suppose as 'successor to your father's will', you must be our enemy, if that's really the path you've chosen. But there's more to it than that, isn't there?

"Regardless of your feeling regarding us, you have a larger responsibility, right? Not only the nearly twenty companions you have, but even your other, uninvolved students who stumbled in here…your responsibility is to see them home safely, correct?"

"And what of it? Are you going to try and hinder us?"

Eminus raised a finger. "Ah, that's it entirely…that, right there, is the big misunderstanding we have. Do you recall our meeting at the Gateport? Our fight there was an unfortunate accident. You just happened to be there…and, more importantly, you happened to take notice of us. If you had departed without trouble, there would have been no battle."

"You have some nerve…" Kain began.

"I have no intention of getting in your way," Eminus continued over his comment. "If you want to return safely, all you have to do is ask."

"W-what!?" Mai and Hinagiku demanded in unison, shocked.

"It's just like with your little adventure yesterday. We're not bitter about it. I know it was simply to recover your lost little girl, whom we unfortunately had to keep in custody for these three months. So we allowed you to retrieve her without trouble. You caused no harm, did not set us back any. We simply don't care. And we won't care if you simply don't get in our way. That is the trade: we will allow all of you, now that you have been reunited, to return to your world safely, and we will even escort you there." He pointed at Mai. "In return, simply hand the princess over to us. How about it?"

Mai stared in shock, Hinagiku began to growl. Chisame, listening in using her magic/electronic mice, tensed in realization.

Kain stood and slammed a hand on the table. "I refuse. How dare you even ask such a thing!?"

"Come now, it is not a bad trade," Eminus replied. "After all, we could have simply taken her at the Gateport. True, Nagi made some blunders trying to retrieve her over these months, but had we been serious, it would have been a small matter to take her then. Why can't we just conduct a gentlemanly trade? The girl has no relatives, no family, and a fake personality that has developed over the past eight years. She is a troubling person in your world. And, after all, she belonged to us in the first place…she is ours to begin with…."

Kain kicked the table, sending it flying straight into the air and disappearing into the clouds. In the same instant he came rocketing forward, one fist smashing towards Eminus' face. There was an explosion of power.

"Shut your mouth, Pakrov Eminus," Kain hissed.

Eminus held the hand an inch from his face. His dull smile quirked his lips. "How very fickle, Kain-kun," he murmured back.

"Mai is no one's possession," Kain continued. "Not yours, and not anyone's. If you utter any filth like that again, I will break you to pieces…."

"So you won't hand the Crystal Princess over," Eminus said calmly. "Well, I figured you would say that."

"T-t-table?" Hinagiku offered, pointing skyward at the incoming fixture.

Kain withdrew from Eminus, raised his finger above his head, and caught the table's single central leg on the tip of it. He then stepped back and set it back down in its original position…not a drop of liquid had spilled, not an object had been upset. Kain actually sat again. "If you wished to propose a trade you knew I wouldn't accept, why'd you even come here?" he demanded, traces of his venom still present.

"I'm not done talking yet. I commend you at least for sitting again…we shall continue our bargain."

8-8-8

"Chisame-san!"

Chisame turned as Ami and Nodoka came hurrying up. "Oh, there you are, Miyazaki, Mizuno! That was fast!"

"Well, we happened to be nearby…."

"I see…you didn't happen to have your Fairy Tail guys nearby too, did you? We could probably use their help…."

"Ah, we left them with Natsu-san…to celebrate, while I caught up with Ami…."

"Well, whatever. Maybe we'll get a chance to call them or something. Anyway, here's the deal: he's here, the brown-haired boy, Eminus. Presumably the guy leading our enemies."

"Are Kain-sensei and the others all right, Chisame-san?" Nodoka asked almost pleadingly.

"For now, they're fine. Eminus is trying to negotiate or something, so they're just talking." She showed them the video feed on her computer. "But he's damn untrustworthy. He's basically using all the people around them as hostages. It really got tense a moment ago when he asked us to hand over Tokiha, but apparently he's backed down on that point."

"Mai-san…the Crystal Princess…" Ami murmured. "Well, although this is a difficult situation…it could be just the chance we need…."

"Right," Nodoka agreed, seriously.

"W-what!? What are you talking about!?" Chisame yelped. "You don't mean…." The two librarians turned serious gazes her way in response. "Not a chance! He's the enemy leader! It's far too dangerous!"

"Um, we know it's dangerous, Chisame-san…but if we were to pull it off, on the enemy leader, of all people…."

"Stop right there, idiots! We're basically dealing with terrorists here! And not just any terrorists! It's like a group with a nuclear warhead…if anything goes wrong, you'll be killed instantly! You can't do it! You mustn't!"

"Don't worry…I can do it!" Nodoka insisted. "I've experienced a number of battles with Fairy Tail now. I'm not like I was before summer vacation…I'm a Fairy Tail mage myself. I'm prepared for this!"

"No, you don't get it at all, Miyazaki! That's exactly what Sensei's most afraid of! Oh, just…look, if you die, that's it! This may be a magic world, but it's reality, not some kind of game! There's no extra lives, and no reload! Before we do anything, we should at least wait for Kenjirô to get here…."

"Sorry to interrupt," a soft voice said. The three turned in fear and terror to stare as Kairen approached them.

"But would you like to taste a sample of this reality?" Ryuryu continued, coming in from the other side.

The two held up their cards and called on them. Kairen's hands became covered with clawed metal gloves, and a scythe appeared in Ryuryu's hands.

('A battle out of nowhere!?')

Ami and Nodoka called on their artifacts while Chisame brought her staff into existence.

8-8-8

"Now then, Kain-kun," Eminus said, returning to his coffee, "really, to refuse to abandon a single insignificant individual to save many…I'm sure even your new friend Aiden Rylack would insist that such an individual as that is unfit to be a leader. If you try to save everything without any sacrifice, you will merely end up losing everything."

"Everything you say is twisted," Kain growled. "Mai is hardly insignificant. Or did you create such an 'insignificant' individual!? And besides that…my father would save everything without any sacrifice…!"

"Dear me…your words really are those of a naïve, coddled little boy. Your father, indeed, selfishly sought to save everything, but even someone as blind as you must admit that he failed…look at this ruined city and its lost citizens, only now recovering. And if he could truly save everything, why have you lived without him in your life…?"

"I can't stand anything you're saying here!" Kain barked back. "If you have anything constructive to say, get on with it already!"

"…Very well. I had a 'Plan B' prepared, just in case. The Crystal Princess was once essential to us, but there's no helping it now. We're prepared to move on without her. So we shall give up on her. All we ask is that you turn a blind eye to us; simply agree to not interfere in our plans. That will be sufficient. If you do this, I will grant you all safe passage back to Mahora Academy."

Kain stared in shock. "W-what did you say!?" Mai demanded.

"You mean you never cared about us in the first place!?" Hinagiku shrieked.

"That's what I'm saying, Katsura Hinagiku. But since you seem a little slow, I shall elucidate. Kain-kun. As you say, from a certain perspective, our ultimate goal is to bring about the 'destruction' of this world. However, we have reasons for our efforts, and it is sufficient for our purposes now if you, who really know nothing of these affairs, were to simply stand clear of it all."

"In other words…you're demanding I choose between this world and my friends?" Kain said carefully.

"Exactly."

Kain rolled this thought in his head, over and over. ('I can bring everyone back home safely…just as long as I abandon this world!? That's…just…!')

('These are incredible conditions!') Hinagiku thought. ('S-something's up with this…Kain-sensei…!

('No, as we think about this…you should probably accept this offer, at least for the moment! There's no guarantee that he'll keep his side of the bargain, but at the very least we can withdraw from this terrible hostage situation! You don't have to mean it…you simply have to accept! If you buy us time, we can get help from Aiden-san, Urahara-san, others….')

Hinagiku froze, second-guessing herself. ('But…that can't possibly be right…it can't be that easy. They have no reason to come out into the open like this just to offer us these flimsy conditions! But there are magical artifacts or tools that could be used to force a kind of 'verbal commitment'…he has that spirit of contracts, Alvaris, with him, too, and if he's like Kamo-kun, he could probably enforce such a power, but could he twist it to his advantage? But…everything seems intent only on driving Kain-sensei into a corner….

('Either way, he's trying to manipulate Kain-sensei here…we must…!')

Hinagiku began to speak, but Eminus suddenly put in, "There is no reason to hesitate, Kain-kun. This world is of no significance to any of them. Even this one, Tokiha Mai, is not really the Crystal Princess…her current personality is a normal girl of Earth, with no connection to this world. Perhaps, as the son of this world's hero, you might feel some connection to it…but for the rest of your companions, for all your students, wouldn't this world be little more than an illusion or dream to all of them?"

Kain raised his head to stare at Eminus. "What difficulty can there be in choosing reality over dreams and illusions?" Eminus pressed.

8-8-8

Kamo found Aiden in the somewhat surprising company of Tear and Rin, who were discussing strategies privately with the man. "Eminus…you mean that boy of the Obsidian Star is back!?" Tear cried, jumping to her feat. "This is very bad…we had to rescue Sendô-san yesterday, but now…is this revenge!? We should have anticipated…."

"Calm down a little," Kamo instructed her. "Sure, it's bad, but it doesn't look like a fight yet. The kid told Kain he wants to talk, so it hasn't come to blows. I don't think it has much if anything to do with yesterday…if Eminus came here after something, then it's…."

"Mai…right?" Aiden finally put in. He chuckled. "You came all this way to ask my help, huh? Ah…I really shouldn't be sticking my neck out so much at this point in life, but…if Mai's already up there, we probably do need to go…."

"More than that, I think you need to see this Eminus kid," Kamo continued. "He's different compared to the others. Haven't had too many chances to get a look at him, but I don't like the vibe, and so I need a second opinion from somebody who's actually gone toe-to-toe with him…."

"I'm afraid we can't allow that."

The eyes swiveled to take in the newcomer. There were four ladies of varying ages standing there holding staves. Aiden narrowed his eyes at them. "Oh? You little ladies are here to stop us? Who are you supposed to be?"

"Ellis," said the pink-haired elf girl.

"Yayoi," added the robed young priestess.

"Vira-Lorr," declared the onelthes.

"Faina," finished the fourth, a high-elven girl in a blue dress that the White Wings had not yet encountered.

"You must be Aiden Rylack," Ellis continued. "We've come to ask you to politely refrain from interfering with the ongoing negotiations. They are between Eminus-sama and Kain Lockeheart."

"Don't start with that kind of rubbish!" Rin snapped, stepping forward. "We're all part of the same team here, with the same objective—you don't have any right to forbid any of us from interfering. If you're going to try and keep anyone from getting to Kain-sensei, you should at least be honest…say that you're here to stop us from spoiling your plan and be done. Archer." Her guardian spirit materialized next to her. "Let's push our way through and get to Kain-sensei before he makes a foolish mistake!"

Aiden smirked. "I guess that's about the long and short of it, eh? Well," he said, drawing a pistol as the ladies opposing him all set their staves to prepare for combat, "I don't like fighting girls, but if you're determined to stop me from going, I guess it's that much more important that I do put in an appearance…."

8-8-8

The fog exploded out, leaving several blocks of the city blind. The three girls pelted away at top speed.

"Did you get their names?" Ami gasped as they ran, her spear in her hand.

"Y-yes," Nodoka said. "I'm reading their thoughts now…."

"Good, then let's get out of here," Chisame growled. ('Subordinates of Pakrov Eminus…we don't stand a chance against them. I'm worried about Kain-sensei, but we have to focus on our own survival first!')

A shadow formed in front of them and then it became Kairen once again. She raised her orb and flexed her clawed fingers at them.

"T-that fast!?" burst out Ami.

"You shouldn't underestimate us," Ryuryu murmured as she appeared behind them. "We have been well-apprised of Miyazaki Nodoka's powerful mind-reading ability. The best way to deal with a power like that is to oppose it with an equal, similar power…such as mine."

"Ryuryu-san, Kairen-san! Who are you?" Nodoka called back as the three girls attempted to flee a new direction.

She tensed as the words started coming to her. "I-it's no good!" she gasped out. "She can…."

A blast of lightning met them as they charged down the alley, and as they lay sprawled about, coughing and struggling to rise, Ryuryu approached again. "That's right…I am a seer. I was sent specifically because I can foresee your actions just as much as you can foresee mine. If those powers do nothing more than neutralize each other, it leaves it to a battle of strength, and you all are sadly lacking. Well, I should not be quite so rude…you've done well enough to get this far, considering that mere months ago you were ordinary little human girls from the old world with no knowledge of magic."

Kairen appeared next to her again. "Our actions are attracting attention. The military will be gathering soon."

"Yes," Ryuryu murmured. "It would be perfectly fine to allow the military to capture you all…that would put you out of the way just fine. But unfortunately, the mind-reader is just too dangerous to leave here." She raised her scythe. "I shall at least have to take her away…."

"P-please, don't," Ami begged as she struggled to rise. "N-Nodoka, she's…."

"I understand your concern for your friend…but don't worry. This scythe, the Abyssal Gate, does indeed separate the soul from the body, but it is incapable of actually killing. A body shorn of its soul will actually be perfectly preserved, and the soul can be sent to another vessel. In this case, I shall simply send your friend to our prepared paradise, Cosmo Entelecheia, and there she will live in peace and happiness for eternity. In time, when our work is complete, you should be able to join her there, if that is your preference…."

"Hadô 33: Sôkatsui." A blast of blue fire came streaking down towards Ryuryu, but Kairen suddenly jumped in front of her, holding up her orb, and the flame was absorbed into it. The next instant, her eyes widening in shock, Ryuryu threw herself back up in front of Kairen and blocked the strike that came from her front, but the force of the blow sent both of the sisters flying.

Ryuryu rose slowly and stared in shock at the figure interposing himself between her and her intended target. Her eyes were wide with perhaps even fright as she took in the black kimono, the white haori, the long black hair. "Y-you're…Kuchiki Byakuya of the Gotei 13!?"

"A cowardly act to command minions to strike while the leader speaks under a flag of truce," Byakuya intoned as the three girls behind him managed to rise, also staring at him in disbelief. "It seems the Obsidian Star has not altered its methods in the slightest."

8-8-8

Kenjirô stopped and tensed as he began to feel the powers unleash themselves within the city. "Has it started already? No, none of those is Eminus…this is all still pretty low-key stuff, but…it has to be them…."

He glanced back and started as Kazumi came hurrying up to him. "H-hey, wait a minute! Kazumi-san, what are you doing!?"

"I heard what you told Yukari-chan!" Kazumi retorted bravely. "If they're starting to fight, then I have to come to! Kain -sensei…if the general is here, then Kain-sensei will need all the help he can get!"

"That's right…I know you have your artifact to give you some fighting ability, but this is a bit much," Kenjirô countered. "If you want to help out, you should probably stay here and keep an eye on everyone. We don't know if some of Eminus' subordinates will try to come here…."

"That's right…you don't know. But you guess exceptionally well."

Kenjirô started and turned one way while Kazumi stared the other. Two women with spears were approaching, the raven-haired Elaine and the more redheaded Valeria. "We don't intend to harm noncombatants," Elaine said, not unkindly. "But no one is to interfere with Eminus-sama's meeting with Kain-kun."

"It would be best if you surrendered now," Valeria demanded somewhat more harshly. "We will do what we have to in order to keep you here."

Kenjirô sighed and manifested both his swords while Kazumi called on Tempestor, Lord of Storms, a living whirlwind personified only enough to have visible eyes within the whirlwind and human-like arms attached to the elemental force. "Jeez, Eminus seems to be like Kain's evil twin," he muttered. "He even has his own harem. And here's me and women…."

There was an explosion that suddenly blasted in front of him, closer still to Elaine, causing the girl to leap back. A wide smile on his face, Overcast came strolling into the scene. "Well, long time no see! You're Elaine, right? I hope you don't mind if I join in on the fun…."

8-8-8

The four girls scattered, moving with magical swiftness to surround the group on four sides. Then they planted their staves into the ground simultaneously, causing a magic circle to flare into existence. And then….

Aiden and his companions all stared in shock as the world around them faded, leaving behind a great open sky. A huge fleet of variously-sized square pillars dominated the world around them, along with clouds down below, obscuring any possible ground. The five of them (including Kamo) were still standing on the gazebo plaza, which had apparently been transported with them.

"T-this is…!" Tear began in shock.

"It's not a phantasmagoria or any kind of illusion magic," Archer replied. "This is a true Reality Marble…we have been sealed inside an alternate space."

"Indeed." Their four opponents finally reappeared, each one on a pillar at different 'corners' surrounding their prey. "Our objective here is hardly combat," Vira-Lorr continued. "And we know that even with four of us, although we could contend with the rest, defeating Aiden Rylack is something that is beyond our capabilities. But this tactic of delaying you has completely succeeded. Trapped in here, not even you can…."

Aiden suddenly fired a shot, and a massive blast of energy accompanied it, tearing through Vira-Lorr and reducing the pillar she had been standing on to pieces. It continued crumbling, eventually falling into the void below the clouds.

Vira-Lorr reappeared, floating in the air where she had been before. "Well, that was rather abrupt," she murmured.

"W-what was that?" Tear demanded, slightly aghast at the finality of Aiden's attack.

"A test," Aiden said. "So, those aren't even really you four there—they're projections. This is a pretty impressive subspace world you've created, though…."

"P-please stop resisting," pleaded Yayoi. "Once Eminus-sama has finished dealing with Kain-san, we'll let you out, so don't worry…."

"What do you mean 'finished dealing with'!?" Tear demanded. "We won't let you or Eminus harm him…!"

"Eminus does not intend to harm Kain Lockeheart-san," Faina protested. "If this goes as planned, no harm will come to him at all…in fact, all of you may be heading home, just like you wanted…."

"Certainly can't trust words like that," Rin growled. "Archer! Can you go to him?"

"Hmm…no," Archer said with a slight smile. "This is certainly an impressive world. Even spirits such as myself cannot leave it. We are well and truly trapped…."

"But it's not perfect," Kamo said, hopping up onto Tear's shoulder. "This kind of seal requires those doing the sealing to be inside with it! So even though those forms are projections, illusions, somewhere in this subspace you've created are the real deal! All we have to do is find you and defeat you, and we'll be out. A smart plan, but with some big flaws, you know…."

Ellis chuckled. "Well, you have a point. But just so you know…we could be hiding anywhere in this world that stretches over ten thousand kilometers…so good luck." And the four of them vanished.

"These girls have spunk," Aiden chuckled. "Attitude, brains, and they're all cute, too. I think I like them."

"Please try to take this seriously, Mr. Rylack!" Tear cried in anguish.

8-8-8

"Nina-chan! All of you!"

The six started, looking up from the treats they were enjoying aboard the Duran, Garderobe Academy's flagship. Mary-Katherin hurried over to them. "We've got reports of a commotion of some sort in the northern marketplace! This is the seventeenth incident so far today." MK sighed and continued almost under her breath, "All these unauthorized contests are just causing far too much excitement…."

Shaking the thoughts away, she continued, "The six of you head down and go sort it out. Don't let the ruffians give you a hard time…you don't want to disappoint your senpai and teachers, after all!"

"Understood!" Nina declared, jumping to her feet. She turned back to the other five, who were still eating. "What are you doing!? Didn't you hear!?"

"But Nina-chan, can't we finish our desert…?" Arika queried.

"We're moving out!" Nina insisted, forcefully evicting them all from their repose.

They materialized their Robes and started to fly off and down towards the floating city. "It looks like we're just dealing with some ruffians, but don't let your guard down!" Nina declared. "We're going to do the name of the HiME proud and show why we were chosen for this mission!"

Yue considered the matter in all due seriousness as she flew alongside her friends. ('Our first mission….')

8-8-8

"If you wish to return to your own world safely, all you have to do is ignore us entirely," Eminus repeated for the benefit of the audience returning from all the scene changes. "Simple enough, don't you think, Kain-kun?"

"Simple…?" Kain replied. "Even if you call it a 'dream'…Sakura was 'nothing more than a dream', but she…was far from insignificant, to us or the class or the school. You want me to abandon this world in exchange for my friends' safety…." He was sweating as he mentally wrestled with the implications.

"Yes…and your point? If you consider that, doesn't that same logic dictate that refusing us is simply putting your friends' lives in danger for the sake of this world?"

As Kain tensed again, he continued, "You are a teacher, at least partially recognized as the responsible adult in charge of all these students, who are minors in every sense and concept. As the responsible teacher, as Kain Lockeheart, English Teacher for Mahora Academy Girls' Middle School Class 3-A, there is only one answer you can choose. Those girls, barely teenagers, have the right to live out their school days in peace without getting caught up in some outrageous incident in a world to which they do not even belong. You may speak of tragedies and the fates of these worlds and places, but just because you have a sense of responsibility, does that mean you should take their right to that away? Would you go save an impoverished nation in Africa if it meant putting all your students at such risk? It is the same thing…even if you are the son of a hero, it especially does not mean that they should bear the weight of this world upon their shoulders. Or you, either, really…all of you should just return and live your lives in peace, and stop sacrificing yourselves for people who will never know nor care."

Kain's memories cruelly recalled some points of that subject at that moment….

["Kain-sensei, you've got to take the opportunity to spoil yourself every once in a while, or you'll never find happiness," Hinagiku scolded him.]

[Kalan said: "You don't have to chase me. You don't have to find me. All I want is for you to be happy. You should be yourself."]

["Now, you…" Chisame said, "…do you really have to search for your father? Can't you just act like a fool here at this school, just like the rest of 'em? You're just intentionally leaping into danger…."]

And so many memories of his happy, playing, energetic, youthful class. ('No, this is the only choice…in any other situation, I wouldn't hesitate to make it,') Kain thought. ('I-If I just keep my head clear, none of it will matter, but still…because he's saying it, I don't want to, but….')

"…It looks like your heart is decided," Eminus said. "This is what's best for all of us, after all. For the sake of trust, we should agree to this properly…Alvaris here will draw up a magic circle to make this into an official magical agreement. Just give me the words from your own mouth."

Kain grimaced. "Tell me one thing, at least, then. Why do you want to destroy the world? What are you really after?"

"Is there even any reason for you to know that?" Eminus countered. "Or do you think this is a Bond film of some sort?, and the 'villain' will gleefully reveal all his secrets?"

('There's no trusting this. But right now…when a misstep can mean the deaths of all these hostages…and I can't guarantee that I can stop it…I can't refuse him. I'll have to agree…but it's all right…because if nothing else, we have the trump card….')

"Then, I will swear…from this moment on…I will…."

"Fire-BALL!"

Kain, Eminus, Mai, Hinagiku, Fyuria and Luana all leapt away as the inferno descended upon their table. Kain stared at the destruction, and then up at one who had caused it. "L-Lina!?"

"Jeez, do I always have to arrive dramatically like this!?" Lina demanded from the rooftop where she'd launched her attack. "You're so hopeless, Kain!"

F I N

Author's Note: Raging….

I could do a few character introductions, such as two new members of Eminus' harem, but I think I'll refrain for the most part from this point on…most of those we meet from this point forward will be minor characters at best. If I decide some characters are somewhat more significant for us, we'll introduce them at the time they become significant.

This is the start of the first major duel between Kain and Eminus. The conversation between Kain and Eminus is largely the same as Negi's and Fate's. In some ways, it's probably aggravating imbling on the hero's part…but Kain's too much of a thinker, and this kind of cold, hard logic does cause his will to waver. Of course, he's smarter than Negi, too, and is thinking strategy even so—he knows all about magical geas spells, but he also recognizes that he is walking around with Miss Anti-Magic, so even if he's forced into a binding contract magic, he can rely on her to cancel it. He'll probably point this out to Lina. But Lina's arrival is a proper spark setting fire to his doubts, anyway, so her arrival is fortuitous.

Besides Lina's arrival (I'll hit that and planned arrival #2 next chapter) all the side battles are largely my own creation—and, with all my characters, there are a lot more of them. The primary two were Fate's wench #1 versus Nodoka, Chisame and Haruna, and Fate's wenches #2 and #3 against Jack Rakan and Konoka (and Kamo, for what he's worth). I did adapt those somewhat, with my own characters changing the attacks of the enemy, but even the involved characters have been adjusted. After Shirabe finally chased down and defeated Nodoka & co., it was Kôtarô who arrived to save them. I, however, decided to have Byakuya Kuchiki show up to save them and do a bit of a hero thing to better prepare him for an antagonist rival role in the upcoming tournament.

And while I initially figured Kagome and Inuyasha would be fine companions of Aiden for his Rakan part, I changed my mind and decided to address another point I've let slide so far with her (next chapter) and have Tear and Rin be confidants with him at this point. I'll probably go more into this challenge next time, but Tamaki and Kotomi used their artifacts to seal Rakan in a place just like this, and Aiden, as an equally dangerous individual, would need something similar to remove him from action. Overall, this will be kind of similar, more than the rest of the fights, but not totally—unlike Rakan, Aiden is not a super-perverted thug prone to molesting the attacking girls.

As usual, we should sign off on the pointless commentary and get back to the action…this is where it's at!