Magister Negi Magi is owned by Ken Akamatsu and Kodansha Ltd. Tokyo in Japan, and by Funimation and Ballantine - DelRey in the United States, NOT by me.
AU ALERT! Depending on how you want to look at it, this story occurs before chapter one of the 'Magister Negi Magi' manga, or one-Hundred YEARS after it ends.
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"Be careful what you wish for, you may get it."
-Anju Okochi. Preface: "A Record of the Travels of Anju Okochi."
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Chao Lingshen. 'Coming Home.'
Part 03: Children of Love.
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Raymond Tatsumiya had to force his bile down as he viewed the scene before him.
Eko Izumi and her team, heaving, had come running back from the area they were searching, and had barely gotten out a report before all three were on their knees retching.
Leading the rest of the search and rescue detail towards that area, he signaled them to wait, then proceeded forward himself. What he saw after entering what seemed to be booking area of a jail was a greater carnage than what Chao Lingshen had wrought at Century Corporation.
Angered at the idea they were too late, it took a few moments for him to realize all the bodies were adults. Guards. A few technicians and scientist types. All apparently killed, considering the nature and form of their wounds, by the work of a twin-blade. There was not a single child's body amongst all the corpses.
Stepping carefully around the various strewn bodies and pools of blood, Tatsumiya went over towards the door leading back into the apparent 'cell' area. Passing several of the guards, he noticed almost all of them had their Sagita automatic weapons set for 'single-shot.' As if they were getting ready to go and execute all the 'prisoners.' Two, the pair closest to the door, had weapons set on full automatic, with the bolts locked open on empty clips. Around them were dozens of expended Sagita casings. Whatever, or whomever had performed all this 'execution' apparently hadn't cared, since both were still dead.
Finally reaching the door, Tatsumiya eased it open with the barrel of his weapon. Inside was a hallway lined with closely spaced doors. Cautiously stepping up to the first, he risked a quick glance through a small window, then a second when there appeared to be nothing threatening. Inside the sparsely furnished room was a young, thin girl, lying in simple pajamas on a bed and reading some kind of journal. Checking the door's security locks, he found them inactive, so he touched the control pad and opened the door.
Inside, the black-haired girl looked up in mortal fear as his equipment covered form filled her doorway. Clutching the journal protectively to her chest, she backed herself rapidly into the far corner of the bed and started shaking. Slowly lowering his weapon, Tatsumiya held out his hand. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm from the Yukihiro Group. we're here to take you home."
Having apparently learned to be untrusting during her confinement, the girl watched Tatsumiya with wide eyes for several moments, then slowly started to relax as he stood waiting patiently for an answer. Eventually, she stopped shaking and timidly pointed at a small package on the table next to her bed. "Miss Tsuku said people from Yukihiro Group were coming to get us... She told me that package was for you..."
Suddenly, uncharacteristically curious, Raymond Tatsumiya completely dropped his guard and walked over to the table. Picking up the package, he found the paper secured with origami-like folds. Carefully removing it, he found the package contained a movie chip box. Written on the inside of the folded paper was a note in precise, flowing script:
"While I am guilty of the sin of helping to hold these children against their will, I cannot, even as a contracted mercenary, see them slaughtered for no good reason by those who took them originally. If nothing else, my grandmother would never forgive me if I allowed these children, some orphans now like she was, to come to mortal harm.
If you wish to at least partially understand why I feel thus, I suggest watching the enclosed movie. My grandmother grew to like it late in her life, and I eventually grew fond of it as well."
Sorry for the mess, but they deserved it,
A Mercenary, like my mother before me...
"...tian Tatsumiya! Respond please!"
Tatsumiya started and reached up to adjust his helmet mike. "I'm here, I'm okay. I believe I've found the children." Looking down, the girl had resumed reading her journal, but was watching him warily. "Get someone who isn't as sensitive as Izumi to come in here and get the bodies in the outer room cleaned up. As soon as that's done, we can bring the children out."
Receiving a positive answer, Tatsumiya smiled down at the still nervous girl, then looked at the movie he held. Between two lines of small, black-and-white photos, superimposed over a city map, was a stylized flame. Inside the flame was the movie's title:
"Is Paris Burning?"
Even knowing where Paris was, the title still had no meaning to him. Obviously, he would soon be spending time in front of a viewer.
Risking an occasional glance up at the non-threatening but still scary man, Anju Okochi continued reading the fascinating book Miss Tsuku had given her; "A Record of the Travels of Akira Okochi." Great-Grandmother Akira had died several years ago, without ever talking about her early life much. Getting to read about her amazing adventures made Anju hope that some day, she could have an adventure as well. Risking one more look at the man staring at the movie-chip box, she returned to her great-grandmother's account of her escape from the mage Dolnegus...
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("So Little Chao, you want to help our little project to stop your grandfather from betraying humanity?"
Chao Lingshen shook with emotion, a few tears showed on her cheeks as she looked up and straight into the eyes of the Director of Century Corporation. "Yes Sir! My grandfather was responsible for my parent's fate, and I'm sure his actions lead to my twin sister's disappearance. I'll do anything you want if it means I can stop that!")
Fighting. Always fighting. She was doomed to forever suffer from or fight the men who were responsible for the situation she was in...
(Even before full recovery from the excruciatingly painful, 'of necessity' anesthesia-free tattoo-like surgery required to give her the magical glyph-circuitry granting her access to and use of high-level magic, Chao had to return to her schooling and physical training. Schooling she enjoyed, she absorbed everything they pushed on her, and more still in her rare free time. Physical training wasn't as enjoyable. Her trainers were harsh to the point of brutality, and she suspected they were simply enjoying hurting a 'Springfield.' This she endured, giving up a little sleep each night to meditate and practice.
One day, an instructor attempted something inappropriate, before really knowing what had happened, she nearly killed him.
It was two days later when she finally woke up from the 'punishment' she received for 'insubordination' towards an instructor.)
...or her beloved grandfather...
(That first punch, knocking her grandfather's younger-self into a column, then a marble gazebo, nearly broke Chao's heart. Hoping to put an end to things quickly, knowing it probably wouldn't work, she tried to knock the young Negi out.
Unfortunately? Fortunately? She wasn't really sure, Setsuna Sakurazaki and Kaede Nagase showed up to stop her.)
...Fighting again and again. Locked in an inescapable, vicious circle that would never end...
(Restrained by the holding field of the Techno-mage who performed her body-modification surgery, Chao watched helplessly as he readied his Saber-spell, then, knowing death meant the nightmare would begin again, screamed in despair as he ran her through with it...)
...Laughter... Joyful... Unrestrained... Instead of sounds and dreams of pain and death, voices in her mind expressing the language of life seemed to be calling to her...
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Chao Lingshen woke to the sounds of children playing. Part of her mind was shouting a clarion call for her to get up, to run for her life, but the unexpected happy sounds she could hear calmed that already fading voice into silence.
Sitting up, the covers of the bed she was lying in fell away, and Chao found herself dressed in the nightgown she'd worn at Mahora Academy. Around her were the familiar, but amusingly smaller sights of the room she used to live in, in her grandfather's house. Both things triggered a flood of memories, and she found her tears flowing without letup. No sound, just tears at the thought that despite her dreams, the nightmare she'd been living was hopefully, finally, almost over.
Being able to summon the Pactio artifact her grandfather had given her as a birthday present meant he was still alive, but he was over one-hundred years old. How much longer would he live? Told not to actively seek out any evidence of her grandparent's fate, she had only heard they had been convicted of her sister's disappearance, and sent to a corporate prison. Of her sister, she had heard only that her body was never found. A chance overheard comment between the leaders of Century Corporation made her feel certain they were involved, but there had been no way to investigate without risking discovery of her true purpose.
Swinging herself slowly around and into a sitting position, Chao found without surprise her Mahora-Logo house-slippers waiting beside the bed. Clearly, Ayaka Yukihiro had been told about the plan, and had made sure her return from the past would be as painless as possible. It was just as clear that her grandfather had used Konoemon's mirror quite soon after her departure, otherwise her possessions from Mahora would have been lost a long, long time ago. Feeling weak and spent, but recovering quickly with each step, she went over to her closet, reached inside for a housecoat and put it on. Pausing briefly to retrieve her Pactio card from where it lay on the night stand beside the bed, she placed it in one of the housecoat's pockets and left the room.
Leaning against the railing and looking down from the upstairs balcony was like looking through a window into the past. Down in the living room, Chao saw a Chestnut-haired girl with dog-ears and a tail wrestling with a tall, squint-eyed boy sporting a long pony-tail. Another boy with wings sat reading a book with a chocolate-haired girl and another timid-seeming girl with short, dark hair. Next to them, a long haired girl sat drawing, while twin boys and a blonde girl who seemed to have fangs sat on the floor playing with Zazie's plushy-dragon.
"Feeling better now?"
Chao turned to see Ayaka Yukihiro, dressed casually, standing at the top of the stairs. "How long have I been out?"
Ayaka walked over to watch the children with Chao. "Off-and-on for about a week. You were in a hospital with a fever, but it broke yesterday, so I brought you here. This is the first time you've been lucid enough to move on your own."
Chao straightened up, gripping the balcony railing so hard her knuckles began to turn white. "What about the men I've killed... what's going to happen to me?"
Ayaka reached out and placed her hand on Chao's shoulder. "Those leftover fools from The Demon Wars died conducting illegal energy experimentation! Not only that, they were involved in child endangerment, kidnapping and murder!" Ayaka smiled as Chao expression became one of surprise. "You, Chao Lingshen, are the hero who infiltrated Century Corporation at my request and found the information that let the Yukihiro Group rescue all the children they grabbed and shut them down! They attempted to kill you, instead of calling outside corporate oversight investigators like they should have, so all your actions were taken in absolute self-defense. Thanks to your program, along with Chachamaru and Chisame's MahoNet company, I'll make sure that's all that ever gets out!"
Chao felt her surprised expression change into one of pride. "Chachamaru's still around?"
Ayaka gave Chao's shoulder a reassuring squeeze and let go. "Still going strong. Carrying a baby and delivery was a bit rough, but she even has a daughter, thanks to Professor Springfield..."
Chao's face fell, and Ayaka knew she'd hit a sore spot. "What about my Grandparents? Do you know where they are?"
Ayaka's face darkened. Even after nearly a century Chao saw with mild amusement she'd not kicked the habit of chewing her thumbnail when she was troubled. "I don't know. Yukihiro Group and ChiuCom tired to keep track of them, but they both supposedly died a year ago. Yukihiro Group's lawyers tried to find out where they were buried, but the records of where were conveniently 'sealed' to 'protect their privacy.' Hopefully their convictions will be overturned, considering the evidence we found in Century Corporation's database, but as for where they are? We don't know yet..."
Chao nodded and gave Ayaka an odd look. "You 'know' he's alive though... don't you?"
Ayaka reached into the blouse pocket next to her heart and pulled out a Tarot card of a design familiar to Chao. "As do you..."
Chao drew out her own Pactio card. Both still contained all their information, indicating the initiating Magister still lived. "Grandfather gave mine to me on my eighth birthday. After explaining to me what a Pactio card was, he transmuted it into those hair-bun covers I always wore, and made me swear I'd never touch them until 'the time was right.' I didn't understand, not completely, but I kept my promise, and it made a big difference when I got back..."
Ayaka returned her card to it's place. "Mine was the day he took me into his confidence. He wanted to make sure I understood how serious things were, so he finally gave me the kiss I'd always wanted." Chao put her card away as well, and Ayaka could see the young girl was trying hard to control her emotions. "Don't worry Chao, we'll find him."
Taking a deep breath and ending it with a smile, Chao nodded and leaned back against the balcony rail. "Is anyone else still alive besides you and Chachamaru? What about all these children? Whose kids are they?"
Ayaka's expression grew sad as she placed a hand on the railing and looked down at the children playing below. "Satomi Hakase is still around I think, but I haven't seen her for two or three years, so I'm not sure. Yuuna's still alive. She says it's something Evangeline did for her. Zazie disappeared after High School. I don't know if she's still alive or not. Chisame was murdered two years ago by being petrified and smashed after starting a MahoNet dive, but she's still 'alive' somehow and running ChiuCom with Chachamaru through her Chiu 'virtual reality' persona. Konoka and Setsuna are still alive and living in Kyoto. Yue Ayase's still alive. She's a 'Holy Terror' philosophy professor and Dean of Mahora. I think she's going to retire though, a friend of hers from Ariadne she met during the 2A English Culture Research Club summer trip died last year. Since Nodoka and Haruna died so long ago, the loss of her last true friend hit her really hard."
Chao nodded, easily understanding what the loss of friends meant.
Ayaka grinned as the winged boy started fussing when the chocolate-haired girl started trying to preen his wings. "All of these children are descendants of girls from our class, three or four generations on. Some idiot in Century Corporation got the bright idea that 2A was special, and started grabbing the kids to try and find out if they were as well. Other than ignoring the few direct descendants who work for Yukihiro Group, whoever they hired to do the job didn't much care how they did it. A lot of these kid's parents died, murdered in cold blood, or killed defending their children. Unfortunately, whoever lead the kidnappers was never caught." Chao gave Ayaka a look of hope, but the hopes were dashed as the older woman shook her head. "So far we haven't found any conclusive evidence they took your sister. If they did, she would have been the first one, but there's no proof."
Chao sighed, then pointed at the chestnut-haired girl. "That girl must be through Chizuru and Kotaro. With those ears and tail, he must have had strong genes for the traits to still show up in his descendant!"
Ayaka nodded as the twins both pulled the girl's tail, causing her to yelp. "Well, he and Setsuna seem to be the strongest, though part of it is the addition of other blood from the parent races." With a nod, Ayaka indicated the boy with the wings. "He's descended from Setsuna. The chocolate-haired girl is obviously through Konoka. There's some very strange things involved in how that worked out no one ever chose to explain to me. The other girl next to them is through Nodoka. She met a boy in Dracogenia and apparently fell for him during the 2A summer trip. When Yue went to Ariadne to study after High School, Nodoka went to Dracogenia. Makie and Fuka's blood is in the twins, and Fumika and Kaede's in the long haired boy."
Chao felt her eyes go wide as the tall boy produce a single Shadow-Split and started chasing the twins to force them to apologize for their misdeed. "I suppose he want's to be a ninja?"
Ayaka rubbed at her temple. "Kaede went missing during The Demon Wars. I think her loss is what made Professor Springfield willing to go talk to Wilhelm Josef von Herrmann about stopping the wars. Sasuke's fascinated by the previous details of his ancestors legacy, so, yes. He want's to be a ninja." Chao gave a chuckle, so Ayaka smiled. "Most of the kids we rescued had relatives to go to, so they've gone home already. Kazumi Asakura never married, but Sayo Aisaka was reborn through her somehow. Their descendant Michiko lost her job over insisting her editor print stories proclaiming Professor Springfield was innocent when nobody wanted to believe it. She's working for ChiuCom now. Sakurako's descendants all have had her insane luck. When they tried to kidnap her great-grandson, the perps vehicle got run over by a truck and the kid escaped without a scratch. Misora, Natsumi and Akira's descendants are all home already. That little blonde girl is actually Evangeline and Nagi's daughter! When Nagi showed up to lift her curse, she wouldn't take no for an answer. More wierdness there, considering Eva's 'age,' but I guess that makes Dawn your great-grandaunt or something. There's more strangeness about aging involved I can't explain, but after Nagi died, Evangeline vanished, and I wound up taking care of Dawn. Of course, you know about Satsuki, Asuna, and Ku Fei."
Glancing over at Ayaka, Chao realized she seemed to be watching the little blonde girl with a hint of sadness. "What about you Ayaka?"
Ayaka gave a start, then turned away from Chao. "I... I took over the Yukihiro Group after high school. I've never had time. Besides, there's been Evangeline's daughter for me to care for."
Chao gave an amused chuckle. "Never got over Grandfather did you?" Ayaka's furious blush was all the answer Chao needed. "Sorry! Though if something had happened, I'd have to stop calling you 'Class-Rep,' and start calling you Granny-Ayaka!"
Ayaka fumed and made a face as Chao fought to contain her amusement, but quickly relaxed and became sad looking again. "There was another young man once... but I don't know what happened to him..." As the preamble strains of the 'Imperial March' beginning to drift up from her cell-phone, Ayaka quickly pulled out the device and flipped it open. "This is Lady Ayaka...WHAT? Is a Security Osprey on it's way here? Did Tatsumiya bring the special personnel and equipment?... Good. We'll be waiting outside." Snapping the phone shut, Ayaka turned to Chao with an excited look. "Chisame found where your grandparents are! Come on!"
Downstairs, the children in the living room gathered excitedly around Chao and Ayaka until they saw the serious looks on the two adult's faces.
Ayaka held a brief conversation with the leader of her small bodyguard and the house's guard contingent, then turned to Kaede's descendant. "Sasuke. Chao and I have to go. I'm leaving my personal guards, but I'm placing you and Dawn in charge of these Children." Ayaka pointed at Evangeline's daughter, who nodded without saying a word. "If anything happens, get everyone into Professor Springfield's lab and seal yourself in. Understand?"
So carefree moments before, the tall boy with the thin pony-tail nodded gravely. "Yes Ma'am, Lady Ayaka. Get inside, and don't open up for anyone except you, Big Sister Chao, or your Security Chief Mister Tatsumiya."
Ayaka nodded, then looked at all the suddenly serious children. "All of you. Listen to what Sasuke and Dawn tell you. Chao and I will be back." Every child silently nodded in accent, so Ayaka turned to lead Chao out of the house.
As she followed Ayaka, Chao could already hear the sound of blades beating through the air. Just as she turned to identify the source, an Osprey VTOL flew in from behind the house and flared out to land a short distance away. Even before the craft was completely settled, a crewman was shouting from the open rear ramp for them to hurry.
Ayaka lead Chao onto the Osprey and went straight to Tatsumiya as the tilt-rotor lifted away. "What's the situation?"
Tatsumiya shouted to make himself heard as the Osprey's rear ramp slowly closed. "Hasegawa couldn't find them because she was looking too close to Century Corporation. She found them at what was as secondary search interest when Eva Springfield sent in a micro-burst report from that company doing deep-sleep research for space exploration she infiltrated last month. She finally broke into their mainframe. It seems they've been up to no good, just like the investigators in your Corporate Oversight Division thought. Eva's report confirmed Professor Springfield and Ku Fei were both there."
Ayaka pounded a fist against the Osprey's cockpit bulkhead in frustration. "That's not even an hour from here! I can't believe he's been so close all this time!"
Tatsumiya growled under his breath. "There's more Lady Ayaka. The compound itself isn't very big, not even a quarter what Century Corporation was, but it's heavily guarded, and one more thing..." Tatsumiya grimaced as Ayaka nodded for him to give her the bad news. "We didn't have time to gather a proper team Lady Ayaka. Eva's report indicated Professor Springfield was in bad shape, and she thinks they plan on doing something to him today. The Princess was coming to see Lady Chao, and might be close enough to help, but this one team was all that was ready on such short notice."
Chao noticed Ayaka chewing on her thumbnail again, and reached out to place her hand on the older woman's shoulder. "Let me help! Even without my battlesuit, I'm a master of Shao-Lin, and I can still use combat magic!"
Ayaka look at barely restrained Chao with a glimmer of hope. "And if you had your battlesuit Chao, completely repaired?"
Chao felt her expression become icy. "Then no-one, NO-ONE! Could stop me."
Ayaka nodded and turned to her Chief of Security. "Get it." As Tatsumiya moved to open a storage bin, Ayaka gave Chao a grave look. "I can't order you to help, but if you do, you'll have to follow my or Security Chief Tatsumiya's orders. Understand?"
Chao straightened up. "Yes Ma'am!"
Stepping closer, Ayaka leaned in to whisper in Chao's ear. "Please. I'm asking you as a friend. Don't do anything stupid. If it's worst case, you'll be all the family you sister has, if we can find her."
Plainly considering such a thing, Chao gave Ayaka a startled look, then relaxed and nodded. "Very well, Class Rep."
Tatsumiya brought over a wide box and opened it up for Chao. Inside was the repaired and refitted 'Chao Bao Zi' battlesuit, along with her sword, complete with a new scabbard. Chao ran her hand longingly across the suit's material, then handed her Pactio card to Ayaka and began stripping down to change.
Ayaka smiled as Chao pulled the suit out of it's box and noticed that the destroyed Cassiopeia 3 had been replaced. "We couldn't repair that destroyed device, so we replaced it with the one you had around your neck. I hope that is to your satisfaction, 'Miss Final Boss?'"
Chao watched the faintly glowing Cassiopeia 2 for a moment, then smiled at Ayaka and continued changing.
Every Security Guard on the Osprey turned politely away as Chao changed except one. Fascinated by what he had been told about her by Chief Tatsumiya and Lady Ayaka, a team leader named Stephan Markham saw not the unclothed girl, nor the gore-covered apparition he's seen at Century Corporation, but a decisive, determined young woman he wanted to get to know better... If they both survived.
Chao finished changing. After tying the sword across her back, flexing all four limbs to settle the tight-fitting material and adjusting an ear-throat com-set handed to her by Tatsumiya, she let out a loud sigh of satisfaction as the battlesuit powered up. "Perfect. I've always loved this suit. Especially after I disabled the overrides those Century Corporation people installed in it." As she took a pair of hair bun covers out of the box and began putting them on, she noticed a young male security trooper behind Ayaka looking right at her and flashing a 'V' sign. Feeling a slight flush, she nodded and took her Pactio card back from Ayaka, summoned the fan, then tucked it into her belt. "May this be the last time I ever have to wear it!"
Ayaka smiled at Chao's words, then held out a small box Tatsumiya had just placed in her hand.
Chao's eyes grew wide as Ayaka opened the box to reveal four specially colored rifle bullets. "'Forced-Displacement' bullets! Where...?"
Ayaka grinned. "The last time I saw Satomi Hakase, she said these were a gift to the person who was most like a sister to her. Even after Mana Tatsumiya proved the latent magical energy present in this world is strong enough for them to work normally, Satomi wanted to be sure, so she modified these four to hold an internal power-source. She said they won't 'fire,' but that you could still 'punch' with them."
Chao nodded in thanks, tucking the four bullets into storage slots in her battlesuit's belt as Ayaka turned towards the cockpit of the Osprey.
"Pilot Officer Farandole! Can't this thing go any faster?"
Up in the Osprey's cockpit, the Inu-Jin pilot leaned out to look back at Ayaka, after a quick nod from Security Chief Tatsumiya, he returned to his controls. "YES MA'AM! HANG ON!"
Responding to Ayaka and the pilot's commands, the whine from the Osprey's motors increased, and the tilt-rotor nosed down slightly and surged ahead.
tsuzuku
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Author's Notes:
"Is Paris Burning" Is a 1966 movie dealing with the liberation of Paris from the Nazis in World War II. The salient point is that the German military governor of Paris, General Dietrich von Choltitz, upon being ordered to destroy the historical treasures of Paris as the Allied armies approached, refused to do so. Wiki has a simple, but useful page about the movie.
Similarly, 'Miss Tsuku,' Shinmei-Ryu bodyguard-mercenary and granddaughter of Tsukuyomi, refuses to obey Century Corporation's final, spiteful, 'destroy all witnesses and evidence' order to slaughter the captured, descendant children of Class A.
Chao is telling the truth once more. Parents are responsible, to a point, for their children. Also, Negi Springfield's actions did lead to the disappearance of Chao's twin sister. Indirectly. An enemy or foe taking action based on something you've done is a consequence one must consider. Don't you think?
My appologies if I failed to mention a favorite Class A girl.
